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The Spectacle Blog
The Massachusetts Senate election is a referendum on the Kennedys, in which proxies for Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Martha Coakley) and President John F. Kennedy (Scott Brown) are squaring off. And this time, at long last, President Kennedy will win.
I say at long last because Massachusetts hasn’t had a bona fide JFK-like senator since the 1950s when Jack himself occupied that seat.
JFK, of course, was a champion of tax cuts, economic growth, and what he rightly called “limited but effective government.” Teddy, by contrast, was a champion of tax hikes, public-sector growth, and big (if not unlimited) government.
Ditto with regard to defense and national security. JFK was a hawk who championed “a military that is second to none” and a strong and assertive U.S. foreign policy. Teddy, by contrast, advocated for defense cuts, isolation and appeasement, and retreat and withdrawal around the globe.
Indeed, though they were brothers, Jack’s and Teddy’s positions could not have been more diametrically opposed. And ever since Teddy was elected to fill brother Jack’s Senate seat in 1962, his more statist, dovish, and leftist brand of politics has dominated the Bay State.
Until now. Until an unknown, unheralded, and unassuming GOP state senator decided to pick up JFK’s mantle and challenge the dominant and all-powerful Democratic Party machine. And so it is that in Massachusetts, the torch is about to be passed to a new candidate, a new generation, a new political party, a fresh agenda, and real hope and change. Listen.
[My opponent] has it exactly wrong: We need to get job creation up, and taxes down. I will work in the Senate to put government back on the side of people who create jobs — and as John F. Kennedy taught us, that starts with a tax cut for the American people.
As a lieutenant colonel and 30-year member of the Army National Guard, I will keep faith with all who serve, and with our veterans, too. I will work in the Senate to defend our nation’s interests and to keep our military second to none.
In our debate, my opponent insisted that there are no longer any terrorists in Afghanistan. Maybe the president can pull her aside today and explain the basics: There are still many terrorists in Afghanistan, Martha! They are at war with the United States, and for the safety of this nation we must defeat them
As an attorney, I believe that our Constitution and laws exist to protect this nation — they do not grant rights and privileges to enemies in wartime. In dealing with terrorists, our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them, not lawyers to defend them.
Raising taxes, taking over our health care, and giving new rights to terrorists is the agenda of a new [far left] establishment in Washington. And they think you’re on board with all of it. They think they own your vote. They’re sure they can’t lose. But on Election Day, the Bay State will set them straight.
Pundits who can’t understand how unknown State Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts is poised to effect one of the greatest upsets in American political history need to realize one thing: Brown is heir to a great Kennedy legacy — not Teddy’s but Jack’s — and in this race, at this time, in this state, that’s making all the difference in the world.
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Pingback| 1.19.10 @ 1:24PM
Attorney Tax - House Majority Leader says Senate health bill is better than no - Minn links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
S.L. Toddard| 1.19.10 @ 1:42PM
"The Massachusetts Senate election is a referendum on the Kennedys, in which proxies for Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Martha Coakley) and President John F. Kennedy (Scott Brown) are squaring off"
Exactly - two Big Government left-wing liberals.
gearjammer| 1.19.10 @ 1:49PM
You are correct. JFK and Teddy both were Boston and Harvard guys. The Harvard of JFK and that staffed his Senate and White House was not the same one that took over and ran Teddy's office and informed and advised him. I think Ted was smart enough and educated enough to have stood up to the lefties who took command in the sixties of the democrat party, but in reality he was a weak man and not so serious man-all emotion he was happy being a crusader rather than a real thinker or doer. Maybe, we need to have some charity. The loss of his brothers might have taken a toll. By the way the young Teddy, first time around was a clean cut looking, family man that seemed as much a regular guy as somebody with his pedigree could. Of course it all changed. Brown is a clean cut family guy and maybe the people long to go back to this. These aloof, so called elite mandarins that seem to be taking over ever place are really becoming a worry and a group to detested by more Americans. Brown is every bit as smart as any of this ilk of which Coakley is the latest example. They seem so grim and lacking soul especially the latest round of democrat women-so grim, frozen weird smiles-Sebelius, Big Sis, that droid from Washington state, of course Hillary, that robotic bride of Frankenstein running Michigan.Run some real people with brains. A nice looking gal with smarts and savvy would bury any of them,get a lady that raised a family but is still fun, and looks good, and gets it and talks in real language. One can dream.
gearjammer| 1.19.10 @ 1:54PM
My you=Mr.Guardiano. Mr.Toddard JFK and this current crop of democrats are simply not cut from the same cloth. I bet you know this and your delusions are your way of having fun.
Oldefarte| 1.19.10 @ 2:50PM
I would not smear Brown by associating him with ANY of the Kennedy males, who were all thugs, womanizers, and lying hypocrites. Hopefully, Brown is above and beyond that, as a human being!!!!
John R. Guardiano| 1.19.10 @ 3:04PM
Sir,
Yes, Senator Brown is, by all accounts, a devoted and faithful husband and father, and a man of great honor and integrity.
However, this piece references not character and personality similarities between JFK and Brown, but rather political and public-policy similarities.
The political and public-policy positions espoused by Brown are remarkably consistent with the vision articulated by JFK (and Reagan for that matter).
V/R
John
Big Jim| 1.19.10 @ 3:09PM
Fat Head Ted went not to Havard but Brown where he was expelled for cheating. It's ironic that Brown will take his seat and prevent his dream of socialistic health care from coming to fruition. As the commercial asks: "What can Brown do for you?" GO BROWN!!!
Tex Expatriate| 1.19.10 @ 4:27PM
I am not sure JFK was a hero (his book was written for him, to prepare him for politics, ala Obama), but he did have the courage to serve. He was fortunate to have good advisors, too. If he lived in these times he would be a Consevative. Brown is a Conservative, too, but in Mass. must appear to be a so-called moderate.
PCC| 1.19.10 @ 5:17PM
Big Jim,
You're wrong. Ted Kennedy was a 1954 graduate of Harvard College. As they say, "you can look it up."
gearjammer| 1.19.10 @ 5:26PM
No Tex he went to Harvard and was kicked out and went back and graduated and was a decent football player to boot. he re entered Harvard after a 2 year stint in the Army. His old man used his juice to keep the boy out of the meat grinder in Korea. We can condemn that I guess, but he lost one boy and nearly a second in WW2. Teddy was not a dope as a younger guy-but something happened.
tommyd| 1.19.10 @ 7:43PM
gearjammer - what happened was that a decent-enough guy with a few character flaws was sucked into a political machine. He was shamed for his family's money and position by a leftist-leaning neo-radical group taking over the Democratic Party in the 70s. He got into some trouble with the law and in his marriage. He was embarrassed in public and fell into the trap of guilt, mixed with prestige. Like many who come from money, he became socially-conscious when confronted with the real and cruel world. His brother's turned pragmatic, conservative and strong. He went the other direction. He wasn't Patty Hearst, but he was determined to fight as hard for this leftist ideal. He wanted to be a social revolutionary from the inside, where he could still live the good life, but feel like an undercover agent for the downtrodden. The little guy's man on the inside who had them all fooled. The "fat cats" let their guard down in front of him. He used what he learned against them. That's how he stayed in power to his last day.