-
Adieu, Adieu, Remember Me
March 25, 2011 | 38 comments
-
DeMint’s Defense of RomneyCare is Ignorant…And Dangerous
March 17, 2011 | 85 comments
-
McConnell Pushing Vote to Block the EPA from Regulating Carbon Emissions
March 17, 2011 | 9 comments
-
More Barbour on Afghanistan
March 16, 2011 | 8 comments
-
House Passes Three Week Spending Bill
March 15, 2011 | 8 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Sen. Joe Lieberman on Tuesday said that even a close race in Massachusetts would show that the public is “really skeptical” about the health care bill that he voted for.
“It’s pretty clear that if Scott Brown doesn’t win, it’s certainly going to be close, and that in itself is newsworthy,” Lieberman said on a Fox appearance with Neil Cavuto.
Cavuto asked him to explain the message being sent by Bay State voters.
“I think the message is, from the voters of Massachusetts, that people are anxious about the future, and they’re unhappy about what’s happening in Washington,” he said. “They’re anxious about the economy, the continued unemployment. They don’t like all of the partisanship and deal making here in Washington. And they’re really skeptical about this health care bill.”
Though he’s always hard to predict, Lieberman could reemerge as a headache for Democrats if the election in Massachusetts sours him on the health care bill that he voted for only after Harry Reid stripped the public option. The reason is that one of the strategies being floated by Democrats in the event of a Brown victory would be to delay his seating and quickly ram the final health care bill through the House and Senate in the meantime while they still have 60 votes. It would be a highly toxic maneuver among Democrats that would further anger independents, and Lieberman would be in a position to put the kibosh on the whole idea. Especially given his comments today, it isn’t hard to imagine him blocking such a move as being an excessively partisan attempt to thwart the will of voters.
Interestingly, Lieberman didn’t stop at merely noting public skepticism about the health care bill. He went on to cite polling data showing mounting opposition.
“This is going to be a loud message from Massachusetts,” he said.
“And whether it’s right or wrong, I was impressed again by one of
the national polls that said two things. One, opposition to the
health care reform is very large among independents —
unregistered with a party voters – and you know, Massachusetts is
thought of as a blue state, it generally does vote Democratic,
but almost 50 percent of voters there are unaffiliated, so
they’ve got the liberty to move back and forth. And they’re
moving obviously now.”
View all comments (13) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/01/19/lieberman-massachusetts-electi
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- There’s Something About Cambridge
- Lean Feminism
- Revenge of the Fruitcakes
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Liberal Reader| 1.19.10 @ 5:10PM
Fine. But you'll forgive me for pointing out that Lieberman hardly has his finger on the pulse of Democratic America these days.
MA voters are clearly being motivated by a complicated set of factors.
First, Brown ran a terrific campaign. He's a well spoken and smart man. This is the beauty of democracy: the guy that wins DESERVES to win.
Second, Coakley ran a lousy campaign. Her rejection of the idea of shaking hands in the cold outside Fenway alone should disqualify her from representing MA. Clearly she assumed she would win; this was arrogant and deserves to be punished at the polls.
Third, Americans don't like one party rule. HELL will freeze over before this country is governed exclusively by the Democrats or by the Republicans for any long period of time. MA is basically voting to give the opposition more power; the Democrats are widely seen to have overreached, and the voters are punishing them for it.
Fourth, the health care bill is widely seen in MA as endangering that state's health care reform. This brings us to the idea that Democrats have simply mishandled health care reform. In my opinion, their heart was in the right place, but when there's 10% unemployment, there can be ONLY one issue.
Pete| 1.19.10 @ 5:48PM
These are the new talking points? Pretty weak.
Coakley was weak, it is her fault. She actually deserves to lose.
It was inevitable because Americans don't like one party rule (odd, that isn't what I was hearing a year ago)
MA loves its health care reform and the federal plan doesn't go far enough.
And as old reliable backup: People are just frustrated because the economy is bad and remember everyone, that is the fault of BOOOOOSSSHHHH!
Foolproof stuff.
ggoblue| 1.19.10 @ 8:22PM
orrrrrrr, the healthcare bill [since it affects everyone] has finally awoken the american public to a fact it didnt realize....the democrats are a pack of left wing kooks!!! not a single "moderate" in the entire senate!!! lockstep leftwing radicals from top to bottom.
thats whats different about politics this year.
Interested Conservative| 1.19.10 @ 5:23PM
LR - "HELL will freeze over before this country is governed exclusively by the Democrats or by the Republicans for any long period of time."
How old are you? Check the history books, 1932-1980. Disregard the party labels, and find a conservative president. Heck - before WFB, in 1955, and Sen. Taft, even find a conservative from 1932 to 1952.
That was 50 years of uninterrupted liberal rule, and mostly democratic.
All that said, Scott Brown strikes me as a slightly to the right of the Maine duo, but it will be interesting to see if he gets the Palin, Quayle, or Bork treatment. I suspect the MSM will try to Quayle him.
Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 1.19.10 @ 6:21PM
Good luck to the MSM to try to "Quayle" Brown, this guy is a LT-COL, with 30 (plus) years in the National Guard, trust me, you don't make it to that rank, if you're a dumbass.
I love how Liberal Reader, is already calling the race tonight for Brown at 1710 in the afternoon. I swear, this is the first post, that she's ever written, that even remotely made sense to me.
Good for you Lib-R!!
Truth to Power| 1.19.10 @ 7:43PM
As Pete wrote above the Liberal Reader is just making the troll talking points. Lieberman, Bayh and whoever is next just don't understand what is going on when a progressive loses in Kennedy land. LR, pull your head out of the sand or wherever.
Pingback| 1.19.10 @ 6:14PM
Hot Air » Blog Archive » David Brooks: If Brown wins and the Dems pass ObamaCare anyw links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Neo| 1.19.10 @ 7:56PM
What seems to get lost in all of these analysis pieces is that this is happening in the "bluest" of "blue" states (MA went for McGovern while Nixon took the other 49 states in 1972).
If a Democrat can lose (or come this close to losing) in MA, they can lose anywhere that the Democrats can't guarantee a huge Democratic vote, including possibly some "safe" seats.
The tone deafness by Democratic leaders to this is remarkable.
For the past week there have been multiple stories about a "backup plan" for HCR. This is a political atmosphere where it would be easier to strike the letter "W" from the English language than to prudently think of passing HCR while maintaining a future in politics.
Yosemeti Sam| 1.19.10 @ 11:43PM
" ... Sen. Joe Lieberman on Tuesday said that even a close race in Massachusetts would show that the public is “really skeptical” about the health care bill that he voted for...."
The Public?
But not him?
He forgot he's still the 60th health deform vote -
given the fungibility factor.
Make that the 59th health deform vote.
Pingback| 1.20.10 @ 1:08PM
Democrats Are Starting To Run Away From Obama-Care « FRISK A LIBERAL links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Trackback| 5.12.10 @ 11:21PM
cheap health insurance quote, on cheap health insurance quote, links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: