“1/20/2010, 1:29pm EST”
A political headline award
Goes to the Village Voice for:
SCOTT BROWN WINS MASS. SENATE RACE, GIVING GOP 41-59 MAJORITY IN THE SENATE
The Democrats’ main problem has been bowing down to total GOP obstruction and getting hampered by a few of their whinier caucus members (Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman, some Blue Dogs, etc.), all while seeking to mollify business interests who don’t actually want them to succeed. From now on, they need to pass good legislation, make clearer political arguments, and stop looking so goddamn ineffective. (Can anyone remember a time before healthcare reform began?)
Moreover, 60 votes has been the gold standard lately only because Dems are allowing it to be. When Republicans were in charge, every other sentence out of their mouths hit Democrats — who were nowhere near as bad as Republicans are today — for refusing to allow this or that “up or down vote.” When Democrats are in charge, Republicans curl up on the floor like 6-year-olds refusing to go to school, and nobody puts them on the defensive for it. If someone is going to get blamed for ineffectiveness, blame the guys who cause it instead of allowing them to blame you. (Incidentally, this is the problem Coakley faced: she went on vacation while Brown defined both himself and her to voters across the state, and she didn’t have time to catch up.)
Despite what conservatives from around the country would have people believe, yesterday’s vote was a protest — albeit a stupid one, in my opinion — against this bullshit and not the Democratic agenda (which they just voted strongly for across the nation in 2008). So stop the bullshit. Pass healthcare reform now, make it better in the coming months through reconciliation, and tackle other important issues with clarity and effective PR. Never fail to make your case.
Never leave home without it.
