"Oops, I did it again", no that wasn't Britney belting out her trashy hit from a few years ago. That was the exclamation from Democrats as they crapped away a crucial voting seat in Massachusetts to the party of dopes.
The circle firing squad was out in full force today. Theories from political infighting in Massachusetts to the horrible, horrible job Coakley did while campaigning. Maybe they shoulda run Anne Oakley instead of Martha Coakley.
Of course, right wing teabaggers were running through the streets, clapping each other on the back as if they alone had pulled off this upset- NOT.
This whole scenario unfolded like a scene out of the Godfather. After losing Sonny in an ambush at the toll plaza, Don Corleone gathers the five families and says, "How did things ever get so far? I don't know. It was so unfortunate, so unnecessary."
The best way I can describe this loss is a perfect storm. A series of events culminating in a populist backlash against the "new" establishment. The electorate was pissed and disappointed at the events of last year. On the surface it may seem like a repudiation of Obama's agenda but it was really a repudiation of his refusal to follow through fully on his promises. For example;
1. The economy. The President campaigned on rebuilding the economy after the Bush Recession. All the people saw were CEO's continuing to rake in huge bonuses, Wall Street rebounded but Main Street did not. Millions of Americans are still without jobs and losing their homes.
2. Financial reform. Vegas bankers basically gambled with America's hard earned investments and lost. The president ran on reforming the system, but instead hired Timmy "Geiger Counter" Geightner, who oversaw the Chernobyl-like meltdown of the once all powerful American financial machine.
3. Healthcare. Americans were sick of getting sick and not being able to pay for it. They were sick of the health insurance industry sticking it to them with outrageous fees, rejections and pre existing conditions. They were sick of the "murder by spreadsheet", killing Americans every year with sub standard coverage that lead to bankruptcy. The real "Death Panels" of America.
What did the Corporatist Democrats do for their benefactors? A bill that mandates Americans purchase coverage while doing nothing to curtail the costs. The rest of the Democrats, ran away from even considering the possibility of passing a decent bill through reconciliation.
So what did we expect? Did we expect people to greet us with flowers and continued power? The people have spoken. They elected a Brown, a faux populist, who voted 95% with the Republicans but ran on being independent. Seriously.
So Democrats, reach inside, look inside your soul and ask yourself, "What do I stand for?". Try and remember why you rode the wave into power in 2008. It was on the back of promise for real reform for those entities that nearly destroyed the country. It was on the back of stabilizing the economy and getting Americans back to work. Those were the reasons you came into power and those are the reasons why you will continue to govern - at the pleasure of the people and not Corporate America.
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