CapitalistMarks

Crack in Obama’s dike? Scott Brown . . .

Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by scott in economic daydreaming, political munglings

The special election in Massachusetts tomorrow is about more than a simple Senate seat.  Read on.

We all know that Senator Kennedy was considered an icon . . . bigger than life and all that.  His stated goal for the last few decades has been to reform health care and that goal, which seemed so ‘given’ in the last month or so, is now in doubt.

The lowdown is this:  if the republican candidate, Scott Brown, wins then the entire balance of power in the Senate will change dramatically.

Obama’s entire economic/political strategy would have to change and he is getting worried.  He even went to Boston to push the dems to get out the vote.

you see, the democratic candidate, Martha Coakley, had a big lead until recently and there was no real issue other than the coming special election.

However, now that Scott Brown has stumped the polling specialists and pulled into a marginal lead the whole economic and political future is at stake.

If Brown is elected the dems will lose the critical 60 seat super-majority in the senate that made their idealogical dreams safe from a republican filibuster.

HELLO!

Yep, the dems much touted health care bill may be headed for the garbage heap of failed health care reform.  Sure, they are trying to put together a strategy that will avoid this by getting the House dems to just accept the Senate bill and send it to the President.  Then Obama could just sign it into law.  Game. Set. Match.  Ouch!

Ah, hemmm.  If a republican takes over the Kennedy senate seat an alarm will go out in Washington.  Dems have held the seat since the ’70’s.  A republican?

Shoot, all the dems in the House and the Senate will be scared . . . too scared to vote for a partisan health care bill that will be the primary reason for the (potential for now) change in Kennedy’s relm.

You mean they might even have to consider tort reform (doc’s paid $8 bill. in premiums last year)?  Or national competition for insurance companies?  Hck yeah!

What do I want?  The republican to win.  You should to.

A super-majority is dangerous.  The need for reasonable ‘across-the-aisle’ debate is out the window.  Whoever is in charge in such a case has an unhealthy (for Americans) control of developing legislation.

A change in Mass. politics would be good.  For everybody.

Would it kill the important health care legislation?

I really hope not because we need real change in this regard.  All the dems would have to do is start taking into account the opinions of others (including the angry electorate that want more effective health cost controls and not just ‘income transfers’ from the rich).

We can hope.

Tomorrow’s election will be real interesting.  I will be up late watching for the final returns.

Go change go!  Go change go!

thanks to david reece for the photo from flickr

Tags: dems, martha coakley, massachusett's election, obama, repubs, scott brown, super-majority