Scott Brown wins historically Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts
Republican Scott Brown handily won the US Senate Seat in Massachusetts that had been held by Ted Kennedy for over 40 years, defeating Democrat Martha Coakley by a wide margin.
While voting was still going on, advisers to Martha Coakley said that they were going to lose because DC Democrats didn't do enough to support her. The Democratic Party responded that "The candidate in this race and the campaign have been involved in the worst case of political malpractice in memory..." Normally, this kind of acrimony is reserved for after a loss; it's being painted in the media as a sign that the Democrats have "formed a circular firing squad."
Though Coakley was considered by many in the state to be a poor candidate (Jon Stewart probably sums it up better than anyone else), on a national level this vote was viewed as a referendum on the federal health care plan. Brown's win, in many eyes, means Americans don't want the health care bill to pass, as evidenced by the way health stocks have shot up in the past few days. Progressive organizations are saying that this election means the Democrats need to become more liberal, because disappointed progressives wouldn't vote for Coakley, who was considered too conservative. However, polled voters overwhelmingly said they voted for Brown so he would stop the health care bill, which puts another nail in the coffin for the bill and adds strength to Tea Party efforts.
Discuss below!
While voting was still going on, advisers to Martha Coakley said that they were going to lose because DC Democrats didn't do enough to support her. The Democratic Party responded that "The candidate in this race and the campaign have been involved in the worst case of political malpractice in memory..." Normally, this kind of acrimony is reserved for after a loss; it's being painted in the media as a sign that the Democrats have "formed a circular firing squad."
Though Coakley was considered by many in the state to be a poor candidate (Jon Stewart probably sums it up better than anyone else), on a national level this vote was viewed as a referendum on the federal health care plan. Brown's win, in many eyes, means Americans don't want the health care bill to pass, as evidenced by the way health stocks have shot up in the past few days. Progressive organizations are saying that this election means the Democrats need to become more liberal, because disappointed progressives wouldn't vote for Coakley, who was considered too conservative. However, polled voters overwhelmingly said they voted for Brown so he would stop the health care bill, which puts another nail in the coffin for the bill and adds strength to Tea Party efforts.
Discuss below!