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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Politics WTF, Massachusetts?

Posted by Matt Davis on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 7:24 PM

Did Massachusetts just screw health reform? Well, it depends who you ask. If you ask the health insurance lobby, then no. But if you ask the Democrats, well, they'll probably fudge the issue. The answer is of course, "yes."

OBAMA TO SCALE BACK AGENDA?
  • NEW REPUBLIC
  • OBAMA TO SCALE BACK AGENDA?
The Democratic loss in the state costs the would-be health reformers their crucial 60th vote on the issue, prompting the New Republic to ponder whether Obama might have to scale back his agenda as a result. Meanwhile, a memo from the losing Dem campaign in Mass blames the DC Democrats for the loss. Even NPR is calling it a rebuke to Obama:
The stunning result in a blue state cast doubts on Obama's ability to get his agenda enacted, especially health care reform, and seemed a repudiation, especially by independent voters, of much of what the president has done so far.

While the political world has turned upside down, especially for Democrats, the outcome wasn't unexpected. In recent weeks, it became clear that Brown was surging past Coakley.

Some of Coakley's problems were of her own making. Ahead by 15 points in the Boston Globe poll just a few weeks ago, she ran an uninspired campaign.

But Brown was an inspired candidate who tapped into populist anger as he traveled around Massachusetts talking about the pickup truck he drove with more than 200,000 miles on it.

Brown was able to take the anger of the Tea Party movement and among independents and channel it into his victory.

Brown especially tapped into the anger about the Democrats' health-care overhaul legislation. He vowed to be the 41st vote in the Senate against the overhaul plan.

Brown also got help from the national Republican Party which helped him saturate the airwaves with ads in the final weeks of the campaign. And he raised a lot of money on the Internet, too.


Meanwhile, I thought you might like to know a few things about Massachusetts: It's where the pilgrims settled in 1620, and where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621. The state is also the country's biggest producer of cranberries. Too bad. It seems the state will now be renowned for its shattering of progressive dreams.

 

Comments (16) RSS

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1
Also, it's spelled "Massachusetts."
Posted by sgp on January 19, 2010 at 7:17 PM · Report
2
Can you hear that roaring sound from beyond the grave?
Posted by BOBSLoB on January 19, 2010 at 9:17 PM · Report
3
to damn bad you fucking left wing liberal looney's. Frree health care didn't work in England, it sure as hell didn't work in canada. What on earth makes you think it would have worked in the U.S.A? its a way for the lazy fucks of the u.s. to get free healthcare and have the tax payers pay for it. Obama is running this country into the ground. 22% of the registered democrats in the state of Massachusetts voted for Scott Brown. What does that tell you? The people of this nation are fed up with his bullshit. Obama has spent more money alone in a year than all the presidents combined. Honestly, Check it out for yourselves. Good job Scott Brown. Thank you for being honest with your vote to go against health reform. There's alot of corrupt bastards in D.C. This health reform is a money grab. Someone, somewhere is going to make a shit ton of money off of it.
Posted by SpeakTheTruth on January 19, 2010 at 9:54 PM · Report
4
@SpeakTheTruth

Boy you're a real peach aren't you?

Those "lazy fucks" you speak of already get free health care in emergency rooms. It just costs way more that way than if they could have just gone to a doctor for preventative care in the first place.
Posted by BlackedOut on January 19, 2010 at 10:30 PM · Report
5
look it up! look it up!

what a boob
Posted by makeyouclaptothis on January 20, 2010 at 12:09 AM · Report
6
Hey, Speak the Truth... You're a fucking idiot.
Posted by Tommy on January 20, 2010 at 3:13 AM · Report
7
Massachusetts has never been a state to blindly choose the democrat.

William Weld an example.

And Mitt Romney.

No fan of the latter, and I don't like Brown, but choosing a Republican in Mass. is not that unusual. Plus, there are lots of people there who love the whole GOP anti-everything in the current gov't message there. It's a weirdly conservative place in a lot of ways.
Posted by jake on January 20, 2010 at 4:57 AM · Report
8
This was a bellweather race. Just wait and see what happens in November.
Posted by Robert Collins on January 20, 2010 at 8:22 AM · Report
9
This ones for you Mary Jo!
Posted by Galtj on January 20, 2010 at 9:15 AM · Report
10
I've spelled the f____ing state name correctly. Whoo! Alternative media!

Thanks for pointing that out. If it's any consolation my own ancestors declined to make the pilgrimage, so it's not like I've been having to spell the state name all my life. Still. Inexcusable. Inexcusable.
Posted by Matt Davis on January 20, 2010 at 9:57 AM · Report
11
Well, actually, no, it's still spelled wrong. (It's Massachusetts.) Still! A for effort!
Posted by sgp on January 20, 2010 at 10:44 AM · Report
12
"its a way for the lazy fucks of the u.s. to get free healthcare and have the tax payers pay for it."

Behold the heart of conservatism: an extreme aversion to poor people getting free shit.

Bravo!
Posted by Suburban Porn King on January 20, 2010 at 11:08 AM · Report
13
@SpeakTheTruth

I'd be upset about government programs, too, if the public education system had utterly failed me as much as it apparently has failed you.
Posted by ElGordo on January 20, 2010 at 11:14 AM · Report
14
I have friends in MA, who have been blowing up my Facebook page with "Vote For Brown!" announcements. How can people still get so excited over every election, when nothing ever changes?
Posted by Reymont on January 20, 2010 at 11:25 AM · Report
15
Innterrestting posst, Mmaattt. Well wrrittenn, aas alwwayys.

But yeah, other than that, jake is right (MA doesn't always go demo) and SpeakTheTruth is speaking the opposite of truth.
Posted by Jack Acid on January 20, 2010 at 11:35 AM · Report
16
@Jack

@sgp

That's it. I'm going into spelling rehab.
Posted by Matt Davis on January 20, 2010 at 11:48 AM · Report

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