READING MASSACHUSETTS

Now that the Commonwealth has seen fit to replace the Lion of the Senate with a centerfold, what can we learn from this debacle?

1. No candidate should ever confuse a primary with a coronation. While Martha Coakley ran a horrible campaign, that’s not the end of it.

2. Voters are angry because they see Main Street ignored while Wall Street and other special interests are throwing parties and cashing obscene bonus checks.

3. The health care reform battle was bungled from the get-go. (See all my previous posts.) The Democrats were put into power to get real reform done. Real reform is still popular. The public clearly said it wanted the public option. The White House ignored this sentiment in favor of doing deals with the insurance cartel and big Pharma, allowing the Gang of Six and other Conservadems to control the process and water the bill down and down. The Reid bill is a flaming pile of poo and no amount of oratory will convince me it’s a yummy chocolate flambé.

4. The disaffection of independents and the progressive base is a reaction to the Dem’s lack of cojones despite having a majority. And their time wasting with the idiotic and futile pursuit of “bipartisanship." (It’s foolish to try to cha cha with someone who is trying to trip you, Mr. President.) We saw the Republicans’ fewer numbers stick together and ram through their crappy, country-destroying right wing agenda. We elect the “super majority” (which believe me, isn’t super at all) and get a year of revolting sausage making. Why is the traitorous Joe Lieberman still in the caucus and still in the Homeland Security Committee chair? Why couldn’t the President channel a little LBJ and work over the Conservadems to get it done? And most of all, why on earth did the White House ever think that getting one freaking Republican on board was worth throwing all progressive ideals over the side?

5. How SenatorFold Brown campaigned against the not-yet-passed health care reform bill will be the blueprint for the rest of the GOP to attack the Democrats if they turn this turd into law. It’s ironic that the SenatorFold voted in favor of HCR for Massachusetts. But they didn’t put in a public option either. And so it’s rather like the crap in Congress. No wonder it was such an easy target. This loss will be repeated in November unless the Democrats make the course correction recommended by Arianna Huffington last night. She’s right. There’s still time.

6. If this wake up call only sends Democrats scrambling to the center, then buckle up, folks. The Democrats are in for a whole bunch of other bad election nights.

7. Will the White House PLEASE listen to Howard Dean? Doesn’t the man who crafted the fifty-state strategy deserve the audience?
As you can see in my previous posts, I warned the White House. Will they listen now?