The Special Election in Massachusetts: The Democrats’ Desperation
Tomorrow is the Democrat’s D-Day, and the entire nation will be watching. At present, depending on which poll you prefer, Scott Brown is anywhere from 5 points to 10 points ahead of the Democratic incumbent in the Massachusetts Senate seat, Martha Coakley. From all accounts, the momentum is with Brown. Indeed, as Mike Barnicle said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, Brown was even ahead in working-class Democratic Marlboro. Brown has been out driving his truck throughout the state, shaking hands, standing in the cold and missing no beat. The clueless Coakley, on the other hand, when asked why she left the state to attend a fundraiser for DC lobbyists, retorted “what do you want me to do, stand in the cold at Fenway Park and shake hands?” Well…..
The result might well be the once unthinkable-a win for the mainstream conservative candidate, Scott Brown. As Boston TV political analyst Jon Keller points out in an op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal “after Kennedy’s death in August, few imagined there would be any problem replacing him with another Democrat in the U.S. Senate. It’s been 16 years since Massachusetts elected a Republican to a congressional seat, 31 years since the last Republican senator left office. Gov. Patrick appointed a former Kennedy aide as the interim senator, and Democratic primary voters chose the well-regarded state Attorney General Martha Coakley as their nominee for the special election.”
But as Keller points out, independents- who outnumber Democrats in Massachusetts by a large percentage of over 51% of voters- are breaking for Brown by a three to one margin. Coakley is out of touch with the views of the electorate on issues of national security, taxation, as well as on the big one- health care reform. With nation-wide revulsion over the payoff to big Labor, who get an exemption for the Cadillac tax on high cost insurance premiums until 2018, while regular workers start paying in 2013, it is not surprising that so many voters in the Bay State are willing to give up Ted Kennedy’s old seat to a Republican.
And as everyone knows, the campaign is above all a referendum on the Obama administration’s health care bill. The American public does not like it, does not trust the Democrats’ assurances that it can pass without an increase in the deficit, without having to pay higher premiums for their insurance, while getting less secure medical care in exchange. This is especially true in MASS, where the state already has an expensive state-wide health insurance plan.
As they hit the panic button, the Democratic leadership is now pondering the kind of action that is only guaranteed to inflame the national electorate. Privately doubting that Coakley can still pull off an upset victory- despite President Obama’s campaign stops in the State yesterday- their leadership is mulling over how to get their health care plan through the Congress anyway, before newly elected Senator Scott Brown takes his seat and becomes the single Senate vote preventing its passage.
Their so-called backup plan amounts to a back-door measure that blatantly disregards the electorate’s clear call. It amounts to pressuring House Democrats to approve the current Senate bill, so that no more votes are needed, and the bill can immediately be brought to the President for his signature. Their hope is that the House will go along, and its tough minded members on the party’s left will be content with putting in modifying legislation in the future.
If that tactic is rebuffed, their other hope- sure to anger the nation even more- is to move to pass the bill before Brown is sworn in. Or, they could use the so-called “budget reconciliation” process that would give them a victory with only 51 Senate votes needed for the measure to pass. Both scenarios clearly flout the will of the voters, and will appear to the country as a flagrant attempt to bypass the democratic process in order to put over a highly unpopular measure. As Senate Republic leader Mitch McConnell aptly point out, “the politics are toxic for the Democrats either way.”
Ironically, while campaigning in Massachusetts, the President never mentioned the health care reform legislation, although Brown has made it the main point of his campaign. Contrary to his continual assurances that health care reform is a political winner, ABC News reporter Jake Tapper notes on his blog, the President made “no direct reference to Brown being the key vote against passage of the health care reform bill.” The reason is that the administration knows, as Tapper put it, that a close race, even if Brown loses, “is an ominous sign for Democrats.”
Two reporters spoke to an independent who never had participated in a political event before. “I want to be represented,” he told the journalist. “I’m 50 years old. My wife’s 52. We work four jobs between us. We’re going backwards. The government is spending like a drunken sailor.” This man, of course, is precisely the kind of person who used to automatically vote Democrat, but who is now voting on the issues. All this man needs is Cambridge leftists or Northeastern University students knocking on his door, trying to convince him and his neighbors that Martha Coakley represents the people’s interests. The last minute pleas of the President to mobilize his left/liberal base, I predict, has come too late in the game to have an effect.
If I were alive, I’d be voting for Brown.
Consensus of opinion is that the Dems lose their 60th vote tomorrow. USSC ruled back in ’37 that a temporary Senator, holding the office by appointment, loses their vote when an election to replace them is held.
SO the ONLY chance the Dems have is for Coakley to win outright. Their main hope for that is the 10,000 ACORN volunteers being brought in from out of state.
As a conservative, I’m not sure I want the ACORN effort to fail. I think Napoleon was correct when he said never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake. Clinton’s health care plan led to the ’94 revolution in Congress. Socialists seem to have a talent for making the same mistakes over and over.
Signing the current Health care bill will lead to another flipping of Congress, just as it did in ’94. That, in turn, will allow the removal of this Marxist administration 2 years early.
Ron, you are dead on when you say this is a referendum on one big ass mistake America. America is rejecting the marxist scum and Coakley , along with Deeds and Corslime are the first victims. I fully expect Disgusting Harry Greed and anywhere fromn 5-10 of his dimwit marxist cohorts to join Coakhead and Corslime on the sidelines. Ron, what Im wondering is this? Does the SEIU have enough “jobs” to give to the likes of Coakhead and Corslime like what they were doi ng with Blago?
The recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and tomorrow’s race in Massachusetts have one thing in common: the purple state voters no longer trust the Democrats regarding economic and foreign policy issues. They might be fairly liberal when it comes to the cultural war issues—but the other stuff is still deemed more important. At the end of the day, voters generally vote their pocketbook issues. Are you a government employee with lots of benefits or an Ivy League elitist who perceives big government policies as beneficial to their own income and social status? If not, the Republicans have more to offer you. The Democrats of today truly represent the large corporations and Wall Street tycoons. That is not mere opinion on my part, but also utterly and demonstrably true. The facts are clearly on my side of the argument.
Speaking to relatives behind the iron curtain of Taxachusetts it seems like there is a possibility that Brown could win. This means that the homes of the elderly will be raided and they will be loaded onto Buses and told to vote for Coakley or be left in their rooms without heat or light when they return. They play hard ball with the elderly and they will have them out by the bus load. Union thugs will make ballot boxes disappear. Black activists and religious leaders will say a vote for Coakley is a vote for Obama. It will be a full court press. If you think I am nuts just listen to Chris Matthews. According to him this health care bill is so important that is justifies rigging this election. I wish Brown luck but I am not so sure the Dems won’t overcome the will of the people – again.
Actually I think the President’s health care bill is causing anger, but I don’t think that gets Brown much above 45% of the vote in Mass. It’s her unforced errors, misspelling the state’s name in a commercial, whining about how she shouldn’t have to stand in the cold and meet real people, saying Curt Schilling was a Yankee fan, the add showing the WTC as the enemy financing Brown…all of these are what gets him to the point that he’s leading in the polls.
5. That may be their plan, but the elderly will be alone in the voting booth, or else assisted by their children. They can get them to the polls, but they can’t guarantee how they’ll vote.
Obviously, nobody here ever witnessed an election in Chicago.
The “People’s Party” will be represented by the “People’s Law Office”, to ensure that the “People’s Will” …is done. One way or another.
Unfortunately, …you…are not the “people” they are talking about. Me either.
Absolutely no. RT @BarackObama: Is it genuine that with Spain a moose can be quite a lawyer?