Scott Brown
In a stunning upset, Republican state senator Scott Brown has defeated Democrat Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general, by a 52-47 margin in the special election to replace the deceased Senator Ted Kennedy. Coakley, who was elected state attorney general in 2006 with over 75 percent of the vote, was the presumed favorite in this election due to her statewide recognition and fundraising advantage. However, after winning a decisive primary on December 8th, Coakley barely campaigned over the next several weeks while Brown campaigned daily.
As Brown closed the gap in the polls, Coakley finally began to campaign. However, her performance in the final eight days explains why she barely campaigned for this position. When asked about her foreign policy experience, she mentioned that she visited her sister overseas once. She also referred to Red Sox legend Curt Schilling as a “Yankee fan.” These statements and other gaffes alienated her from the electorate to the point where not even President Obama could bail her out.
It is unknown when Brown will be seated. Massachusetts election officials are leaving the decision up to the Senate, which may delay the swearing in until the results are certified. At this point, the White House has asked the Senate to confirm Brown without delay. Because interim-Senator Paul Kirk (D-MA) is an appointed official, Brown’s swearing-in should happen immediately.
What becomes of the healthcare bill remains to be seen. But now that the Democrats no longer have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, passing the bill without the GOP will be increasingly difficult.
Congratulations to Senator Brown and the people of Massachusetts!
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If a Brown victory means the defeat of health care reform, then the US as a whole is one step closer to being on a large scale what Haiti is already, on too large a scale: a place where those in desperate need of health care are left neglected in the streets.
Yep, I stumbled over three dead bodies in the street this morning. Seriously, get a clue, Leslie. The American health care system is just fine. It’s the system for paying for health care that needs work.
The President says that he will pay for “reform” by cutting Medicare waste and fraud. So, do it already. Why wait? If there’s that much waste and fraud in the Medicare system, go get it. Then we can talk about other improvements.
But throwing the proverbial health care baby out with the bath water would be just plain stupid. Thanks to the people of MA for bringing this all to a screeching halt.