Massachusetts Votes For Democracy, Not The DNC

It seems like some strange dream. In an era dominated by Democrats in both the executive and legislative branches, how exactly did a Republican get elected to a Senate seat held (nearly in perpetuity) by the last scion of the Camelot-era Kennedy family? In Massachusetts registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a three to one margin. The President of the United States, the man who the DNC used to cement their power in Washington, even took time out of his schedule to prevail upon the people of the Commonwealth the importance of voting for Martha Coakley. In the midst of raising money for the tragedy in Haiti, Bill Clinton stumped all over the state for her.

Yet she lost. She lost so profoundly that she even ceded the election the same day. Pundits were predicting a firestorm of lawsuits and regulatory oversight to make the Franken case seem like child’s play. No, the victory was so solid there was not even a point in protest.

For everyone counting their chickens before they hatch, this is not the beginning of the end for the DNC. This loss in the cradle of Democrat power is not, I think, indicative of a massive Republican rally. It certainly does not mean the population of Massachusetts is planning to convert en masse to the Grand Old Party. Political apostasy is not in the cards.

So then what did it? Did the ghost of Governor Romney haunt the population of Boston Monday night, threatened to wreak untold horrors upon the Bean Town population if they dared to vote Democrat?

In a way, yes.

The fear is national universal health care, or at least the currently version of it.

The interesting part is voters of Massachusetts were only protesting the still ethereal national health care reform bill in spirit. God only knows what that thing will ultimately look like. The twisted Frankenstein of a bill is still in committee to rectify gigantic differences in versions and might very well die there before newly-minted Senator Brown can do anything about it. Trying to marry the House and Senate bills is kind of like sowing a cat and a dog together and seeing which one will win in a fight to the death. The drawback of this is that, no matter who wins the fight, the victor will need to drag the rotting carcass of the loser around for all time.