A little-known Republican upended the balance of power in Washington by winning a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, a result that imperils President Barack Obama’s top legislative priorities and augurs trouble for his party in this year’s elections.
With 75% of the vote counted, Republican Scott Brown was leading his opponent, Massachusetts’ Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley 52.7% to 46.3%, according to the Associated Press, which declared Mr. Brown the winner.
The Brown victory forces the White House and Congressional leaders into a mad scramble to decide how—or whether—to salvage their long-sought health-care overhaul. Rushing the bill after losing Massachusetts carries political risks. So does allowing it to collapse.
As it says here, the results were about more than health care…
Steven Pearlstein – Massachusetts race wasn’t a referendum on health-care reform – washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011904346.html?hpid=topnews
Cross your fingers, folks, and hope, fervently, for divided government. Yes, we can…
Don’t they still have a majority?
A divided government is a conservative government because it serves the party of the do-nothing, maintain the status quo.
Why not take the vote yesterday?
>> brm said, on January 19th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
>> Don’t they still have a majority?
Yeah, but the conservatives filibuster EVERYTHING. So we need 60 liberals votes. We never had that anyway.
It’s time to kill the filibuster.
It was useful until the GOP became totally dysfunctional.
Hmmm…a lot of people feel the health care plan sucks. Democrats need a way to scuttle the plan and focus the blame on Republicans, and the Republicans need some way to gather popularity with the rank and file by defeating a major Democrat bill.
Seems to me this is business as usual; both sides come out with just the right amount of success and meanwhile the bills that the public *should* be paying attention to are moved quietly along.
…don’t look over here…
Dems will blame their poorly written legislation on the election of a Rep.
Both sides of the same worthless coin.
Also, the Dems only have themselves to blame. They really screwed the pooch on this one.
Greg Allen #5
It was useful until the GOP became totally dysfunctional.
Laugh my *ss off. Filibuster was fine as it was threatened for 8 years against Bush’s appointments but now that the other guys have it, you want to do away with it. You sound like a 3rd grader. WAAAAAAA
#11 The D’s only threatened to use it as it was intended, to block some of Dubya’s more useless judicial nominations.
The R’s are threatening it for each and every legislative action the D’s take. Nut just judicial nominees. Every. Single. Legislative. Action.
See the difference, “moran”?
I bet Coakley was happy Obama showed up. Obama is getting unemployment down and punishing those evil banks! What a great President!
Gitmo – still here
Iraq – still here
Osama bin Laden – still here
Afghanistan – We’re sending in more troops.
Haiti – Send in the troops!
Airports – Anal probing and you, what to expect three hours before you board your plane.
Well, at least we can photograph the caskets of our dead soldiers – Mission Accomplished!
>> # 10 TruthBeKnown said,
Did the Dems filibuster EVERYTHING?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
(Before you break out more goofy laughing, get some facts: http://tinyurl.com/deew9l )
Only a dysfunctional party would do that. Our leaders are supposed to FIX PROBLEMS — not just say “no” to everything.
There was a time when the Republicans knew how to compromise and get stuff done. The filibuster make sense in that scenario.
But not now — the GOP is completely and hopelessly screwed up. They have no capacity to govern – not a single frigin’ one. So they filibuster EVERYTHING. The filibuster doesn’t make sense in that context. It was never meant to be used that way.
>> # 6 tomyerex said, on January 19th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
>> Hmmm…a lot of people feel the health care plan sucks.
When they hear the TRUTH about what the Dems want, they support it by wide margins.
That’s why the conservatives lied their heads off about it.
It’s the conservative LIES about healthcare that swung the polls.
GF,
What a joke.
The conservatives BLOCK EACH AND EVERY THING Obama wants and then whine and carp about him not accomplishing enough!
Now that’s change I can believe in!
The national health plan was based on the Mass. health plan. Maybe it isn’t a good idea after all…
Unless the solution is a proper national health service then nothing IS better.
It says a lot about the late Ted Kennedy. The elder Dem representatives are wholly responsible for the party’s slide to weakness. Non-competitive isn’t a good thing in politics. Remember, he gave us Obama too.
Good riddance!
#15 You sound like a sore loser my friend. The Republicans don’t lie to win. They need to stop whining like little children and start acting like winners like Brown to win even MORE.
That’s the change we need!
>> gp1477 said, on January 19th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
>> Also, the Dems only have themselves to blame.
Let me get this straight.
The conservatives screw America big-time, bungling every thing they put their hand to.
Then the conservatives dig in their heels and vote “NO” — as a 100% block vote — on EVERY EFFORT to fix their mess.
They lie their heads off about everything. They offer no solutions except the same old ideas that got us in this disastrous mess. They dig their heels in at any attempt to make America better.
And yet, in your mind, _ONLY_ the Dems are to blame.
#19
WHAT lies? I get this trick…you say something enough times and it’s automatically true, right?
Where is your proof?
Dear Joe Lieberman, you are no longer the 60th vote. It is time for you to go to hell.
#22 lol good point ArianeB! The D’s should strip him of his chairmanship and kick his sorry ass out…
Does this man strike you as having a remarkable family resemblance to Sarah Palin? Just asking.
Throw all the bums out. If they won’t resign or die (like Teddy), vote ’em out! Corruption, arrogance and entitlement run rampant. That’s what the Mass. vote was about.
The best meme out of this whole thing:
FAILED TO CREATE A NEGATIVE NARRATIVE
Republican Party, Democratic Party. Two sides of the same extremist coin. Ditch the party system comrades. Think for yourself for a change. You might like it!
#20–angry==you ask: “What lies?”
Ha, ha. The lies like pretending there are no lies just to start.
But relevant to this post I think Brown said he was for health care reform and wanted to start over again.
Do you believe he thinks the voter is just that stupid enough to believe that LIE??? Do you believe that LIE.
Angry why do YOU lie so much or do you hate America so much you think it is the truth????
Greg Allen==keep up the good fight. We can both get our rewards here on earth and you can double up in the afterlife. ((Speaking of lies????–smile))
#9 I’ve always supported two party rule for the reasons you don’t like.
When one party gets to much power it does a lot of stupid, idiotic completely partisan things that were better left undone at least the way they did it.
I will further note that it is much more expensive to sell out the voters when the buyer has to purchase the votes of both parties though the music industry managed to do it.
Have a good day and God bless.
#28 You are calling me a liar are you? Based on what? What exactly have I lied about Bobbo?
Your argument is intellectually lazy but then I guess I have to consider the source.
Sure Bobbo, I “hate” America but LOVE your brand of sarcastic humor.
Anyway, congratulations to Senator-elect Brown. May you prove yourself to be much better than your lame, crybaby detractors.
#30–angry==what a poser.
I say you are a liar because you have the minimum intelligence to get on the internet.
Are you arguing instead that you are just an idiot?
Its axiomatic and can be proven with iron clad logic: both parties lie, all politicians lie. The repugs are a party, and Brown is a politician. They are all angry too==and just as much a liar as you==although probably more as they get paid to be so.
You do it as sport. Now, pull your pants up high and stop exposing yourself.