Louisville Courier Journal Editorial: Bay State Rebuke [Of Democrats].
Bay State rebuke
No matter how it is sliced or diced, the Republican victory Tuesday in a special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts is bad news for President Obama and the Democrats who run Congress. It is also disturbing news for the country, but more about that later.
The seat in question had been held by John and then Ted Kennedy since 1953, with two brief interruptions for appointed fill-ins. Massachusetts is a deeply blue state that has had no Republicans in its recent congressional delegations and had not sent a Republican to the Senate since it re-elected Edward Brooke, a relatively liberal African American, in 1972. The Senate defeat follows the Democrats' losses of governorships in November in New Jersey and Virginia.
Most important, the arrival in Washington of the winning Republican, Scott Brown, will erase the Democrats' filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 votes. And it will strengthen the Republicans' prospects for much bigger gains in this fall's mid-term elections by aiding recruitment of attractive candidates, scaring some Democratic incumbents into retirement and providing a boost for GOP fundraising.
Some observers view Mr. Brown's victory as a repudiation of the health care reform legislation favored by the President and congressional Democrats. While Mr. Brown did criticize the measure and promised to oppose it, the election result almost certainly represents more than that. After all, Massachusetts already has a form of nearly universal health care (which Mr. Brown voted for in the state Senate). Mr. Brown also stressed national security issues, bailouts for Wall Street and government spending, and success with such a broad attack may be worse news for the Democrats than a simple thumbs-down on health care reform.
None of this would mean much beyond the normal off-year electoral swing away from the party in power, bolstered by voters frustrated and angry about a prolonged recession and high unemployment, were it not for the Republicans' nakedly partisan record of obstructionism and their dearth of alternative ideas to deal with the serious problems that face the nation.
The Republicans seem intent on crippling the President, who still has three years left in his term, and appear willing to gamble that they can destroy him politically without harming the country. That's an irresponsible bet, and not one made by a party ready to lead and armed with real policies.
As a result, it's especially important that the President and his administration make smart adjustments to how they govern and heed public insistence on intense focus on the economy and unemployment.
A recent Wall Street Journal /NBC News poll shows that Americans still believe in Mr. Obama personally, and that's a strong asset. But he has not used the bully pulpit of the presidency to connect with the American people, to build trust in his leadership and to explain complex issues in the way that he did as a candidate. He should make a far greater effort to do so. And if his top advisers have encouraged him to be distant, and deferential toward Congress, he must recognize that they are not serving him well.
Wake-up calls can be useful, but only to people they actually rouse to action.
No matter how it is sliced or diced, the Republican victory Tuesday in a special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts is bad news for President Obama and the Democrats who run Congress. It is also disturbing news for the country, but more about that later.
The seat in question had been held by John and then Ted Kennedy since 1953, with two brief interruptions for appointed fill-ins. Massachusetts is a deeply blue state that has had no Republicans in its recent congressional delegations and had not sent a Republican to the Senate since it re-elected Edward Brooke, a relatively liberal African American, in 1972. The Senate defeat follows the Democrats' losses of governorships in November in New Jersey and Virginia.
Most important, the arrival in Washington of the winning Republican, Scott Brown, will erase the Democrats' filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 votes. And it will strengthen the Republicans' prospects for much bigger gains in this fall's mid-term elections by aiding recruitment of attractive candidates, scaring some Democratic incumbents into retirement and providing a boost for GOP fundraising.
Some observers view Mr. Brown's victory as a repudiation of the health care reform legislation favored by the President and congressional Democrats. While Mr. Brown did criticize the measure and promised to oppose it, the election result almost certainly represents more than that. After all, Massachusetts already has a form of nearly universal health care (which Mr. Brown voted for in the state Senate). Mr. Brown also stressed national security issues, bailouts for Wall Street and government spending, and success with such a broad attack may be worse news for the Democrats than a simple thumbs-down on health care reform.
None of this would mean much beyond the normal off-year electoral swing away from the party in power, bolstered by voters frustrated and angry about a prolonged recession and high unemployment, were it not for the Republicans' nakedly partisan record of obstructionism and their dearth of alternative ideas to deal with the serious problems that face the nation.
The Republicans seem intent on crippling the President, who still has three years left in his term, and appear willing to gamble that they can destroy him politically without harming the country. That's an irresponsible bet, and not one made by a party ready to lead and armed with real policies.
As a result, it's especially important that the President and his administration make smart adjustments to how they govern and heed public insistence on intense focus on the economy and unemployment.
A recent Wall Street Journal /NBC News poll shows that Americans still believe in Mr. Obama personally, and that's a strong asset. But he has not used the bully pulpit of the presidency to connect with the American people, to build trust in his leadership and to explain complex issues in the way that he did as a candidate. He should make a far greater effort to do so. And if his top advisers have encouraged him to be distant, and deferential toward Congress, he must recognize that they are not serving him well.
Wake-up calls can be useful, but only to people they actually rouse to action.
Labels: News reporting
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