Brown wins Massachusetts Race

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Brown wins Massachusetts Race
65
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 9:48am

Scott Brown Victory a 'Repudiation' of Obama, Health Care?


Republicans, Democrats Spar on Meaning of Massachusetts Race

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/scott-brown-defeat-coakley-means-obama/story?id=9609602


In the wake of Republican Scott Brown's stunning defeat of Democrat Martha Coakley in the race to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, the debate has begun about what the outcome means for President Obama and Democrats nationwide.


Brown won 52 percent of voters to Coakley's 47 percent in Tuesday's special Senate election. Coakley, the state attorney general, had a 30-point lead three months ago.


Republicans believe a win in the bluest of blue states, where a Republican had not been elected to the U.S. Senate since 1972, amounts to a popular rebuke of the president's agenda.


"There's been a pattern here that began last spring and the administration has refused to acknowledge what the people out across the country have been saying," GOP chairman Michael Steele said on "Good Morning America" today.


"For the Democrats, this is clearly not the change they expected, but it's certainly the change the people of Massachusetts -- like the people in New Jersey and Virginia -- wanted," Steele said.


Steele called the outcome in Massachusetts a "repudiation" of Democrats' health care overhaul legislation pending in Congress, saying 41 Republican votes in the Senate now effectively kills the bill in its current form. Democrats needed to retain 60 votes to prevent a Republican filibuster.


"Start from scratch. Start by listening to the people," Steele advised his Democratic colleagues on health care.


For his part, Brown had campaigned in opposition to the Obama health care proposal, saying he would vote against the bill if elected.


"One thing is very, very clear as I travelled throughout the state," Brown, a lawyer and former model, said in his acceptance speech last night. "People do not want the trillion-dollar heath care plan that is being forged."


But many Democrats rebutted the notion that Brown's victory is a major statement on Obama and the Democrat's legislative agenda, including health care overhaul.


"We won the House and Senate in 2006, we won the White House in 2008. ... People sent the unmistakable message they wanted change. We have to deliver on that," former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said on 'GMA.'


"The Republicans have chosen their path: they are doing the bidding of insurance companies, just as they're going to do with big banks as it relates to financial reform. We have a good health care plan ? and we need to pass that," Plouffe said.



Obama's Reaction to Brown Win?

The White House has previously deflected suggestions that a Brown victory would amount to a referendum on the Obama presidency, vowing to move ahead on its agenda.


"I think there's a tremendous amount of upset and anger in this country about where we are economically," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday.


Asked whether he believed Americans are now attaching that frustration with Washington to Obama, Gibbs said, "I think there is certainly some attachment to us."


Still, the administration and many Democrats plan to continue pursuing their agenda "full speed ahead."


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday night the loss of the 60-vote majority will not change the Democrats' priorities.


"While Senator-elect Brown's victory changes the political math in the Senate, we remain committed to strengthening our economy, creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access affordable health care," Reid said in a statement. "We hope that Scott Brown will join us in these efforts. There is much work to do to address the problems Democrats inherited last year, and we plan to move full speed ahead."


Although Democrats no longer have the votes needed to thwart a Republican filibuster, they maintain the largest Senate majority either party has enjoyed since 1979 and still have the ability to pass legislation through reconciliation, a process that bypasses normal Senate rules by only requiring 50 votes.



What's Next for Health Care Reform

Brown has said he opposes Democrats' health care overhaul working its way through Congress, leaving Democrats scrambling to develop contingency plans for the bill's passage.


Several congressional sources say reconciliation or, forcing legislation though on a simple majority is off the table because it would mean having to start over and could risk losing some Democratic moderates, which in turn could cost Democrats the bill altogether. But a few Democrats have suggested reconciliation is be a viable option.


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters Monday, "Let's remove all doubt, we will have health care -- one way or another."


Another option: The House could pass the Senate version of the health care bill verbatim, which would send the legislation to the president's desk without protracted negotiations.


"Whether there are 59 seats in the Senate or 60, we still have to work hard to get our economy back on track. We still have to work hard to make the promise of affordable, accessible health care for millions of Americans a reality," Gibbs said Tuesday.


Meanwhile, public support for the president and Democrats' plan to overhaul the health care system continues to wane.


In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 51 percent of Americans said they oppose health care overhaul efforts, with only 44 percent in favor.


At its peak, in September and again in November, 30 percent of Americans "strongly" backed the proposed changes. With the plan still undergoing modifications, that has dropped to 22 percent, a new low. Substantially more, 39 percent, are "strongly" opposed, a number that's held steadier.



The Newest Senate Republican

Brown, 50, will become the 41st Republican in the Senate after he's sworn in in the coming days.


The state senator, lawyer and former model is married to Gail Huff, a reporter at the Boston ABC affiliate and former co-host of a parenting show on the Lifetime television network, and has a daughter, Ayla, who was a semi-finalist on American Idol in 2006.


Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said he would notify the Senate on Wednesday that Brown had been elected, even though he had said earlier it could take more than two weeks to certify the special election results.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that Brown would be seated "as soon as the proper paperwork has been received."


A delay could give Democrats time to try to push through final passage of Obama's health care plan, though some have suggested Brown's victory should put the process on hold.


"In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process," Virginia Democrat Sen. Jim Webb said in a statement.


"To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated."



GOP Says Brown's Senate Victory Sends a Message to Obama

While the many Democrats deny that the Massachusetts race is a preview of what's to come in the November general election, Republicans say the symbolism of Brown's victory is hard to deny.


"As we look forward to the midterm elections this November, Democrats nationwide should be on notice: Americans are ready to hold the party in power accountable for their irresponsible spending and out-of-touch agenda, and they're ready for real change in Washington," National Republican Campaign Committee chairman John Cornyn said after Brown's victory.


Massachusetts, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than three to one, has long been a Democratic stronghold, sending two Democratic senators to Washington for each of the past 31 years.


The last time a Republican senator was elected in Massachusetts was November 1972, when Sen. Edward Brooke won the coveted seat.


Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee said the message voters sent in Brown's victory was not lost on the party.


"I have no interest in sugar coating what happened in Massachusetts," Menendez said. "There is a lot of anxiety in the country right now. Americans are understandably impatient. The truth is Democrats understand the economic anger voters feel, that's in large part why we did well in 2006 and 2008.


"In the days ahead, we will sort through the lessons of Massachusetts: the need to redouble our efforts on the economy, the need to show that our commitment to real change is as powerful as it was in 2008, and the reality that we cannot take a single thing for granted and cannot afford even a second of complacency."

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2007
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 2:50pm

I rarely agree with any of your political opinions. That said, I do agree with what you say here. If the Dems can't take a Senate seat in Mass., could this be a precurser to what may happen in November?


Am I disappointed Brown won? Of course I am. They had other candidates that would have won in a landslide, but elected to go with the eventual loser yesterday. I seriously cast doubts on the powers-to-be up there as to their judgment in this. Too late now though.

Community Leader
Registered: 04-05-2002
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 2:58pm

I think he sounds interesting. He's prochoice, but not for partial birth abortion, he voted for health care for all people of Massachusetts. Apprently he's against the White House bill because it would negatively impact the one in Massachusetts.

He is everyman, so much more than Bush was--he grew up in a broken home, was arrested at 12 but overcame it, mother had been on welfare. He's become such a success, DESPITE how he grew up. Bush was privileged and put himself out as Everyman, and many bought it while he has exclusive private school education, family money. There are MANY issues Brown stands for that I don't agree with and I doubt I would have voted for him had I still lived there but I'd like to try to keep an open mind and see how he legislates. The problem with both parties is that they keep running on the fringes, not remembering that most Americans are in the middle. The party that realizes this I think will be the ones to win.











Community Leader
Registered: 04-05-2002
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 3:01pm
The Democratic Party is self immolating and can't run a decent campaign, or find great candidates. They thought they'd glide by because of election results in 2008 but have to move on. The sad thing is, I don't see them doing it. I think Republicans are winning BECAUSE of the Democrats not despite them.










iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2007
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 3:16pm

This year we have to elect a new Senator. Voinavich is retiring. Not thrilled about the choices. Our Governor is up for re-election. He's had an awful mess to try to clean up. John Kasich is running against him. :| Yes, that John that use to be on Fox news. Ohio could go either way. Just when you think you know who will win here, BAM. You get the rug pull out from under you.

One step forward, two steps back!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2009
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 3:21pm
Very well said. I agree with every bit of your post, sad though it is to see our nation so fragmented.

Jabberwocka

Community Leader
Registered: 04-05-2002
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 3:37pm
We just went through one and the Democrats were whipped. But, I put that towards poor choice of candidate and the very poor campaign run. The Republican candidate ran a centrist platform, appealing to moderates, while having been very conservative in the past. It'll be interesting to see how centrist he governs, too. I wonder if the Democratic party will learn and move forward or plow forward with what clearly isn't working.










iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 4:40pm

"I think he sounds interesting. He's prochoice, but not for partial birth abortion, he voted for health care for all people of Massachusetts. Apprently he's against the White House bill because it would negatively impact the one in Massachusetts."

A Senator expressing concern about the state he's tasked with representing?

Can we clone him? My state could use such an individual.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2009
Wed, 01-20-2010 - 10:41pm
Yup...you've nailed it.

 

Community Leader
Registered: 04-05-2002
Thu, 01-21-2010 - 7:01am
We're all Americans and the problem is, as itzee said in her excellent post, when Americans are only focused on "me and mine" at the expense of everyone else, America suffers. To his credit, at least Brown saw lack of health insurance as a problem, rather than socialism, and hopefully, he can bring that experience to Congress. If it's important enough for Massachusetts, it's important enough for the country.










iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2003
Thu, 01-21-2010 - 8:10am

I'm not necessarily blaming Obama because I don't know what sorts of obstacles he has to face when presenting a plan; although we've obviously seen the roadblocks one party can put up against another.


I think, in the case of unemployment, his plans weren't very well-thought out. He's tossed a lot of money to the states, expecting them to DO something, but that hasn't happened. Georgia's unemployment rate rose to 10.3 today. They expect it to go higher.


Roosevelt, when faced with an unemployment crisis in the country, created the TVA. Yes, it was a jobs program, but people needed jobs and the country needed infrastructure. The TVA program created employment across many sectors of the job market - surveyors, engineers, project managers, construction workers, etc. and the offshoots of the electrical power the TVA created helped spawn textile mills and foundries that hired

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