Article by: Jeff Fish
“It is the natural ebb and flow of our political system”
Washington was buzzing last week with the arrival of Senator-Elect Scott Brown, who achieved rock star status not by competing on American Idol, like his daughter Ayla (who by the way is available, according to Brown’s victory speech), but by filling the Senate seat once occupied by the Liberal Lion, Ted Kennedy.
A Republican winning this seat sends a strong message to President Obama and Democrats in Congress and some even hail the victory as the beginning of a Republican revolution, but in truth the people of Mass. and the rest of the country want balance and electing Brown to the Senate was a way of telling the Democrats that they can’t just do whatever they want.
This election is not the start of a revolution, but an example that whenever one party is in power, the other will gain ground. It is the natural ebb and flow of our political system, but it is shocking that it came from Mass. This spells trouble for Democrats in other states that are definitely not as blue.
Of the many implications of Brown’s victory, healthcare reform has been the most talked about issue in this election and while Americans do want it, Brown’s victory signals that voters do not want the current bill in Congress. More broadly, the victory was an indictment on how President Obama has handled the economy, which continues to suffer with unemployment hovering around 10 percent.
Brown’s victory will force the Democrats to rethink their strategies and hopefully get them to work closer with the Republicans to come up with not only a more sensible healthcare bill, but all around better legislation that does not waste billions in taxpayer money. It will also force President Obama to make a shift to the center if he has any hope of regaining trust among independents and getting reelected.
Because the Democrats have been so arrogant over the past year, thinking that they know better than their constituents, there’s little they can do now before they lose even more seats in Nov., which will result in a more balanced Congress where both sides will be heard.
Under normal circumstances, Brown would most likely never have been elected. The implications of his election are almost bigger than the candidate himself, who was an unknown and considered a long shot until the very end of the campaign, but his championing of fiscal responsibility incited voters who are tired of the country being driven deeper and deeper into debt.
His campaign style, similar to that of Bush in 2000, resonated with voters, who saw him as an everyday guy driving his truck around. While the commercials were definitely a little cheesy, it is a strategy that works and that, with a strong debate performance and an even stronger anti-incumbent mood among voters propelled Brown into office. He will have to stay independent and reach across the aisle if he wants to keep the seat in 2012, but just the fact that he was elected at all has thrust the entire state into national prominence.
This was an exciting time for Mass. citizens whose decision was under a microscope all around the country. It is very rare that in this blue state the voter’s choice makes any impact on the federal level, especially if you’re a republican. But this time, Washington heard us.
