Mass. Special election.

[mardi gras skin]

I think the question is what happens when you hate everyone. Most reasonable people should distrust the Republicans after what they intentionally and maliciously did to the country. Now, if you decide the Dems are just as bad (and they are proving to be) do you go back to the Repubs or give the Dems a little more rope? Or is there a third alternative that people can rally towards.

I still hold to my thesis that people are unhappy and just want to throw the bums out. The bums being whoever is currently in power.

It's like us when we want to change head coaches every year hoping that somehow that will change something and give us an instant championship.

I think the answer is pretty simple. Split government. The intentional and malicious crap raises its ugly head when we don't have a good mix.

[Burgold]

I think the answer is pretty simple. Split government. The intentional and malicious crap raises its ugly head when we don't have a good mix.

I think that's true when they need each other.

Reagan and the Dems did some fine work together. Clinton and the Repubs (esp. after Clinton stood up to them and shut the government down) worked well together.

G W Bush and the Dems did not work well together. Neither were willing to budge to give the other a victory.

[mardi gras skin]

G W Bush and the Dems did not work well together. Neither were willing to budge to give the other a victory.

That came too late. Bush was a lame duck and the dems just waited him out.

[Ignatius J.]

I think it would be a mistake to read too much into this election.

Martha Coakley was a bad candidate. All gaffes aside (and there were plenty of gaffes) she wasn't an inspiring person. I saw her in person the other day at one of her campaign events, and the crowd dispersed before she left the room. And this was in a union hall.

Conversation after conversation up here in Massachusetts showed me that Michael Capuano should have been the nominee, but that the primary was just too short for an upstart to compete with the presumed favorite.

But there is something else going on here that keeps me from being too sad about this loss. Although her defeat by brown imperils the presidents agenda, I can't help but feel that she was never good enough for this seat. A democrat in the Massachusetts senate is likely to last a long time, and in a body where seniority means everything, martha coakley's victory would have assured that 30 years from now, she would be one of the party's strongest and most powerful voices. I'm not sure she fit the bill.

Anyway, I think the key point to remember though is that coakley lost in a state that supports health care reform. She lost in a state that our health care bill is modeled after, and she lost in a state where most people like their mandated health coverage. She didn't lose because voters were rejecting the president's agenda, she lost because scott brown was more electable. And in a state that has had republican governors than democratic ones over the last half century, it shouldn't surprise us that a terrible democratic candidate can lose.

[mjah]

Was it a febrile seizure? My 3 year old daughter had a seizure yesterday morning while I was holding her in my arms. I haven't known fear or anger like this. She's right beside me now so I can make sure her fever doesn't spike again.

Mjah, I hope and pray for you and your family to be safe and secure. I couldn't imagine the pressure of a career change while dealing with this. I hope that gets resolved quickly and that you don't become overstressed.

Take care, man.

Thanks again to everyone for the support. mgs, yeah -- it was a febrile seizure. She has had a bunch of them in the past, including 3 seizures within a 16-hour span a couple of days before Christmas. One of them was in the ER of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and they couldn't control it either. I've never known a sick feeling like this one.

Apparently there's no permanent damage caused by the seizures, provided that they remain confined within a certain window of characteristics (< 5 min, no grand mal symptoms, preceded by measurable fever, etc.). So of course it's just a waiting game until a seizure goes outside those boundaries, which hopefully never happens. You have to call it a "good" thing if it's "just" a febrile seizure, as horrible as they are to witness. It's very trying, and there's very little to be done to control their onset aside from medication that is, at best, 50% effective in my experience.

My thoughts go out to you too, mgs. I know what it's like to sit there and hold your little child while their brain checks out for minutes at a time. It's just terrifying.

[twa]

Anyway, I think the key point to remember though is that coakley lost in a state that supports health care reform. She lost in a state that our health care bill is modeled after, and she lost in a state where most people like their mandated health coverage. She didn't lose because voters were rejecting the president's agenda, she lost because scott brown was more electable. And in a state that has had republican governors than democratic ones over the last half century, it shouldn't surprise us that a terrible democratic candidate can lose.

\
The polling in Mass on reform shows a majority think this bill sucks and costs too much...Spin away.

[SnyderShrugged]

Nice to see that even blue state folks reject the silly hc bill.

[mardi gras skin]

Thanks again to everyone for the support. mgs, yeah -- it was a febrile seizure. She has had a bunch of them in the past, including 3 seizures within a 16-hour span a couple of days before Christmas. One of them was in the ER of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and they couldn't control it either. I've never known a sick feeling like this one.

Unbelievable. I can't imagine this happening as much as you guys have experienced. Once was too much. My wife and I are are both praying for your family.

I'm not sure I'll be able to generate a temper over anything you post ever again.

[Henry]

Im not a Lib, but I think it's very premature to extrapolate the results from last night into November. Many things will change between now and then.

If they do NOT change. If the Dems continue the Thelma and Louise trip over the cliff regarding their agenda, then yes, it will be a slaughter of epic proportions.

However, I think we will see a big blowback from at risk and Moderate Dems in both houses and in State Govts.

We'll know within the next few weeks (especially next weeks SOTU) which way they will be going.

It's weird Kilmer. I'm agreeing with you a lot lately.

What the hell is wrong with you?

[Buford]

I think one election for an open seat is hard to read one way or another. Maybe the people of Mass just approved of this specific person more. Why is that so impossible to think? People seem to think it was this huge vote where all the people of Mass were thinking Nationally. Where is the proof of that?

[mjah]

I'm not sure I'll be able to generate a temper over anything you post ever again.

Oh, I'm sure I'll give you a reason.

But maybe I should change my sig to read either "Good Day" or "Bad Day," as a public service.

[Teller]

I don't know what was best this week, the Vikes thrashing Dallas, the Caps stunning the Wings, or this "we're going to send a squad into the hard of your brigade and wipe...you...out" style win.

He was replacing Teddy. Teddy's life goal was national healthcare. He was facing one of the bluest states known to man. He was facing an opponent who had a president -- recently worshipped by all of planet earth -- campaigning for her.

And he won.

There ain't NO way to spin this one. The lib ship is taking on water, and listing hard.....to the right.

[gunslinger5]

Congressional democrats are in a lose/lose situation. If they continue pushing their agenda that a significant majority of Americans are against they will get obliterated in a november tsunami. If they back down and tack to towards the center their far left base will go after them in the primaries.

[Kilmer17]

They have an easy solution. Just scrap it as a whole and start over with small pieces one at a time and dare the GOP to oppose them. Start with an easy one- No preexisting conditions reform.

It's really not that hard unless their actual goal was what Rush et al says it is- to expand govt for the sake of expanding govt.

[twa]

Congressional democrats are in a lose/lose situation.

That's a direct result of trying to be all things to all people.

Ain't no voting present when you lead and people actually expect ya to do what ya promised.