The Meaning of Massachusetts

If you didn't think the Kennedy era was over, you know it now. Just as he kept it going, Ted took it with him. The last Kennedy magic dust was sprinkled on Barack Obama. There was nothing left for Martha Coakley in the recent senatorial race in Massachusetts and Scott Brown won. At first, I thought he was part of the UPS Brown mailing commercial and who knows what the electorate up there in Massachusetts have gotten for its Junior Senator. What does this mean?

Everyone, especially Republicans, are quick to declare it a defeat for Obama, Health Care Reform, and the policies of the Democrats. They are much better than the Democrats on delivering their message but I am not buying it. Massachusetts is like every other state mired in debt and government corruption. I have been saying for more than a year, just vote every incumbent out until the message is clear. Being elected is a gift and a service not a place to sell yourself and lie about what you stand for. We need leaders not leaners on special interests but people who can stand up and say no to increases in spending and taxes. This is not being a Republican, Democrat, Conservative or Liberal...it is being a responsible public servant. It is about who pays your check not lines your pockets. And Massachusetts is no different from New York, or California or Florida. Give the electorate a new, fresh, unknown and good looking face and they are ready to toss out the old, bring in the new. This didn't start yesterday, it began a couple of years ago with an unknown senator from Illinois.

And it is especially discouraging to me but women are not winners in this new knee-jerk voter election process. Part of this fresh face electorate is a throw back to a thinking that men are better, more reliable than women even when the facts say otherwise. Take a look at Massachusetts if you don't believe me. Who is Scott Brown?? What we know is he is a pleasant, good-looking young man who says he is a Republican although he compared himself to JFK frequently when campaigning and courted the Independents by not mentioning his Republican base (all 12% of it). His opponent was an experienced Attorney General but a plain, rather serious looking person who did not light up a room. Brown says he won because of this government's policies on terrorism....really. All I have heard is that he would oppose Health Care Reform and that he would vote against the present bill but you already appear to be back-pedaling. Maybe Massachusetts will be surprised when they find out who they elected. I, for one, do not think the message is clear.

And a little footnote, let's pretend a woman presented herself for a Senatorial candidate and when she was young, she posed naked for a centerfold, did a little shop-lifting and on the night of her election, offered up her two daughters to anyone who might be interested because they were "eligible." Do you think she would ever get elected or even nominated to anything??? But Scott Brown did all of that and it was glossed over as youthful indiscretions....I bet there is more in that closet of his.

Good luck Massachusetts and New York and California and any other state ready to throw out the incumbents.