What happened? A question that no doubt is on Democrats' minds as they recall the Massachusetts Senate race. On Tuesday, Massachusetts held a special election to fill the recently vacated seat of the lately deceased "Lion of the Senate," Edward M. Kennedy. Little-known Republican candidate Scott Brown shocked the nation as he took the election from Democrat Martha Coakley. A candidate birthed from the Tea Party movement, Scott Brown was little more than a passing threat to the Democratic Party. Kennedy had held his senate seat for 47 years in a historically loyal blue state. The election should have been a no-brainer. To witness such a reversal to Kennedy's legacy is not only unexpected, but raises questions about the Democratic leadership and shifting public sentiment.
In Massachusetts, it seems voters in this special election were to be the judge of the country's current domestic agenda. For sure, no one can really say Brown's victory represents a referendum on the Obama presidency and Democratic leadership. Massachusetts's 6.5 million voters cannot speak for the country's other 294 million voters. Regardless, it is a monumental Republican victory that should make Democrats uncomfortable. Already Brown's victory raises fears among Democrats of what they could expect in November's midterm elections. Brown's election followed recent unexpected announcements from long-serving senators Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Chris Dodd of Connecticut that they would not attempt re-election in midterm elections. November 2009 also saw the ousting of Democratic governor John Corzine in New Jersey and the election of Republican governor Bob McDonnell in Virginia.
With the loss of Kennedy's seat, the Democrat's 60-seat Senate supermajority is shot. Such a supermajority was needed to repel GOP filibusters against Democratic efforts such as health care and energy reform. Of the election, Coakley said, "I am heartbroken at the result." Kennedy, who championed health care reform and other liberal initiatives, would be dismayed to see his seat go to a wild-card Republican. Rather than bemoan the results of the Tuesday election, however, Democrats must prepare for the midterm elections. Though the vote may not completely hark to the Obama administration, it is indicative of a public unhappy with the present state of affairs. Unemployment is still climbing and people are still hurting from the economy that they hoped would be fixed with a new administration. Perhaps most importantly though, the election is a backlash against the increasingly bipartisan nature of American politics. The American public was promised a bipartisan government, not one divided up the aisle. This is one area where President Barack Obama has failed. Not particularly bipartisan as a senator, he has seen his government increasingly split red and blue. It is Washington politics as usual, and frankly the American public is tired. Scott Brown, who ran for what he termed the "people's seat," seems to have the right idea in mind. It is the American people who decide their government. If Democrats hope to have better results in the midterm elections, which they need to pass their reform initiatives, they must attempt to address the increasing dissatisfaction of the U.S. public.
Ashley Chappo's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.chappo@cavalierdaily.com.
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