I really had thought that this would have lasted longer, but at approximately 9:20 PM, the Brown campaign announced that they had received the concession from Marsha Coakley. That ended one of the most surprising campaigns in recent memory.
Pundits, prognosticators, talking heads and ordinary folks will be discussing the implications of this win for some time. So, I thought I might give my two cents.
Have no doubt, this is a major win for the GOP. The Democrat’s supermajority in the Senate is gone, and the majority party will now be forced to deal with the Republicans. I don’t think they can get away with locking the Republicans out of conference rooms, or ignoring them in debates anymore. It might just force some actual transparency into the process in DC. That should satisfy people from all sides of the spectrum, so in that regard, everyone wins.
There will be some major implications for the health care debate. Will the Democrats force it through before Brown is seated, or will it die? That remains to be seen.
My first thought is that Brown’s win was less about Republicans or Conservatism, and more about the voters sending a message to Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. Massachusetts is a Democratic state. It always has been, it always will be. While Brown might have swayed many independents, I think there were also many Democrats that voted to send a strong message to DC. Basically, the public viewed Coakley as an incumbent due to her party affiliation, and treated her accordingly.
What does that mean? For me, It means that Republicans cannot simply think that the country is falling in love with them. The public simply seems to dislike the Democrats, and their agenda, more at this point. Essentially, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid have done more damage than the Republicans have done well. There are still hard feelings from the last time that the Republicans were in charge. The party should not forget that.
What I fear is that the Republicans will come away from this thinking that they can run someone, and it will be an automatic that the Tea Party folks, independents, and dissatisfied Democrats will simply show up for them. That would be a fatal mistake. If the Republicans are to be truly viable, they needs to have a plan. One that reflects Conservative ideas, and strikes a true contrast to the Democrats. They need to offer something viable and realistic to the people. They also need to promote and educate so the folks will know why it would benefit them.
By the time the general election hits, the nation will have another 9 1/2 months of the Democrats, and I don’t think the people will like them any more then than they do now.
So, congratulations Senator Brown. I wish you well, and hope that you have a successful term as Senator. I would encourage you to remember that you received much support from people that desire freedom beyond all else. If you honor that support and earn their trust, they will support you. If you betray that trust, you will find little support, and much opposition. The days of a complacent base are over.
Note: The Amusing Bunni sent me a link for a petition to Seat Senator Brown. Kindly give it a visit and sign it.
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Matt
I believe that future generations should have the same opportunities that myself, and those that came before me, had. My parents taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter, “You can do whatever the government tells you to do.” We are at a crossroads in this country; are we going to be free, or are we going to be slaves to the nanny state. I choose freedom.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Hans von der Gruen, Matt Ross. Matt Ross said: COAKLEY CONCEDES! BROWN WINS! http://ff.im/-eyYXk [...]
After I got home from work, I started watching the coverage of the election. Just made it in time to see the concession speech by Coakley and the victory speech by Brown.
A few thoughts -
* I flipped thru the channels to see how MSLSD covered this and caught Madcow and Chrissy Matthews waxing poetic on how this wasn’t a statement against Obama. Coakley ran a crappy campaign; she didn’t resonate with the voters; put her foot in her mouth, etc… Already the far left are throwing Coakley under the bus on this one. Anything to save the Anointed One.
I will say though, that Matthews said that there was huge unrest about the economy and unemployment in the country and it weighed in on this election. To which Madcow said that unemployment was “only” 8% in Massachusetts so that surely couldn’t be it.
Doncha love that impartiality?
* I thought that the Coakley speech was wooden and much like her campaign, unbelievable and amazingly out of touch. But to her credit, she did handle it with class and left the negative tone that set her campaign backstage when giving her concession speech.
* When Brown introduced his family and joked about his daughters being “available” I laughed my ass off. Immediately I paused it and backed it up (DVR’s are a wonderful thing =D) so that my 17 year old could see it. She thought it was funny and said that if I ever did that, she would kill me.
* When Senator Brown said that he wanted to let our enemies know that American taxes were going to be funding weapons to stop them and not lawyers to defend them you can imagine the response. It was feel good rhetoric, but I really feel that he believes what he says. So did the voters because a good many Independents voters cast their ballot for him as did a fair amount of Democrats. Yes, Democrats.
Anyway, these are my random thoughts, great night, great victory and just the shot in the arm our side needed.
It is a good sign. I’m keeping my eye on the prize though. November is our time to shine. This was the dress rehearsal.
You are 100% correct on the MSM. I eventually turned off the TV, I was tired of seeing the speeches again and again. I did like Brown’s speech. He shows some humanity, which in in short supply down in DC right now.
The POTUS is the kiss of death to candidates. I remember that Republicans wanted Bush to stay away in the last cycle. That was after 8 years in office. 8 years of constant media manipulation, protests, and ridicule. All the forces of the left were used against him, and it took years to turn the public against him. Obama showed up in NJ and Virginia, and the Dems lost. He showed up in Massachusetts, and the Dems lost. The dude has barely been in office for a year, and everything he touches dies. That shows the mood of the public. The MSM can deny it, and the folks in DC can stay in their unreality bubble, but the people have made up their minds. They’re saying “nyet” to Comrade Obama.
I still stand by my opinion that Brown may have won due to dissatisfaction with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. It’s now up to him now to make a name for himself. Maybe he’ll cause some people to drop the Kool-Aid and wake up.
I watched the returns come in on drudge this morning. I must say, it made my day!
I know the feeling. I was good to feel the sense of victory.
Last night was a great night, but it was only the beginning. As you said, conservatives cannot get complacent because of this win. We must remain focused on the goal of winning back the house and/or senate, and then the presidency. We must run good candidates and we must keep up the pressure on Washington, they need to know that we are not going away!
Thanks Mr. Pink Eyes. We are a fact of life, and I hope this movement always stays large and vocal.
I worked from home yesterday so I could keep tabs on the rumblings on Twitter and Fox all day long. One thing that kept coming up was a poll that indicated Americans, right now, favor political “groups” in the following order: 1) Tea Party, 2) Independent, 3) Democrat, 4) Republican.
That says much about just how fed up we really are. As I said in my piece, if the Republicans screw this up … they’re probably done forever (along with the Zombiecrats).
I hear you Snarky. It’s the Republican’s ball to drop, in my opinion.
I wish there was some exit polling from yesterday. I think there were a ton of Dems that have cracked an eye open to Obama and the others crooks in DC. They sent a message yesterday.
A republican in Edward Kennedy’s old seat! What is the expression? He must be rolling over in his grave right now.
So much so, that it registered on seismographs in China!
I suspect the ground around Ted Kennedy grave moved last night, as he rolled over. This was a major political earthquake, not for just the one Senate vote it changed, but for the sea change in the nations landscape it foretells. Suddenly, many democrats in the Senate and House see their comfortable seats up for grabs this fall.
It changes the landscape. It’ll be interesting to see what the Dems do to change their playbook. We’ll have to adjust accordingly.
“If the Republicans are to be truly viable, they needs to have a plan. One that reflects Conservative ideas, and strikes a true contrast to the Democrats. They need to offer something viable and realistic to the people. They also need to promote and educate so the folks will know why it would benefit them.”
I hope that this does not prove to be too difficult a proposition for the GOP. Their actions will prove to be the only measure for their success.
Hell, Liberty Pen, we could come up with one that is better anyway. Unfortunately, we won;t have the power to implement it.
True Matt, very true.