Category | Op Ed

Massachusetts says no to President Obama

Published on February 2, 2010 by Noah Solomon

The Massachusetts election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate  two weeks ago has sent ripples through the political world. The short- term consequences are rather obvious, since Brown made them a major part of his campaign. With his election reducing the Democrats’ number of seats in the Senate to 59, the controversial health care legislation, still required to go through Congress at least once more, will be threatened by a Republican filibuster. Really, any controversial legislation the Democrats attempt to get passed (such as the much debated and proposed cap and trade legislation) is no longer immune to a filibuster.

The people of Massachusetts knew what electing Brown would mean: The possible death of health care legislation, at least in its current form. Because they knew this and still elected him, it also means one of two things: Either they supported Brown so much that they could stomach health care reform failing, or they voted Brown in to try and stop health care reform from passing. The first explanation seems entirely too complex and convoluted to be believable. If voters in Massachusetts loved the health care reform bill, they surely would not have voted for a man who campaigned on the promise that he would help defeat it. That leaves only the second option.

Clearly, the people of Massachusetts do not like the current health care bill Congress is considering. Scott Brown’s election proves this, and when ultra-liberal Massachusetts does something that drastic, one begins to wonder how the rest of the country feels. Of course, this election cannot tell us how anyone, aside from the people of Massachusetts, feel about the health care bill, or any other measures that Congress might propose, as only citizens of this state voted. But it does not take a great amount of connecting the dots to realize the outcome of this election raises the question: Does the rest of the country feel this way? It’s not too far fetched to think they might.

Massachusetts, arguably one of the most liberal states in the country, rejects a liberal version of health care reform. Naturally, people are wondering if the same thing can happen in California. What about New York? Elsewhere in New England? Though no answer can be given to those questions with any shred of credibility (you’d have to be a psychic to know), Democrats around the country are tugging their collars in anxiety. Job security for them, once based merely on where they lived, is now a thing of the past, and they are entirely aware of it. The Massachusetts election showed that if voters are fed up enough with what they see in Washington, it doesn’t matter who they are or what their party is; they will use the power of their votes to change things as they see fit.

The liberal legislative agenda being pushed by the Democrats in Congress has been opposed by Democrats in a liberal state. The Democratic congressmen will find it hard to pass liberal legislation with the constant feeling of their constituents’ eyes on them, whether or not their constituents are indeed paying attention. So while the Massachusetts election cannot tell us whether or not it is an isolated incident or the beginning of a country-wide revolution, it will make congressmen of both parties wary of their actions. It affects Democrats now because they are the party in control; the exact same thing can happen if the Republicans gain majorities in Congress but lose sight of the desires of the people. Can a repeat of Massachusetts happen in California or New York? Yes. Will it? No one is able to tell. Will congressmen act as if it will? They should, or many seats will be lost this November.