The Implications of Brown's Victory - Part One

The Facebook comment that started it all...

Matthew Rozsa
There is a single message which the Democrats should read in Scott Brown's historic victory in the Massachusetts special election: "With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed." - Abraham Lincoln (August 21, 1858)

Jim Chambers
Obama, anyone?

Jim Chambers
I really hope you don't think that there's no equivalent parallel with regards to Obama's victory, because if not, that's laughable. If anything, Brown's victory is an affirmation of that.

Matthew Rozsa
I'm not sure what you mean by your last comment, Jim. What I can say is that my Lincoln quote was a reflection on the need to effectively communicate one's agenda to the broader public. Obama's primary weakness as president is that he has allowed right-wing ideologues to dominate the national conversation about his policies - not only regarding health care reform (although that is obviously the most prominent example), but also with his economic stimulus package, his efforts in Iraq, and other important initiatives. It would be foolish for liberals to deny that this - the victory of a conservative Republican in a state that has for years served as a bastion of American liberalism - is anything other than a reflection on Obama's deficiencies in public relations; at the same time, it would be downright arrogant for conservatives to act as if Coakley's loss is tantamount to popular vindication of their philosophy. Polls still show that Americans want a better health care system, reduced unemployment, and higher wages, all issues in which liberals alone have offered intelligent proposals that operate with the interest of the average American at heart, even as conservatives prefer to either pretend that these problems don't exist or else offer solutions that would primarily benefit the wealthy and privileged. The failure on the part of Obama's Democratic party, as reflected by this outcome, is not one of ideas, but one of politicking. For the sake of the country, I hope they are beginning to learn their lesson.