History is littered with populist movements from both the left as well as the right, I will not delve into these as I do not have the time. I would venture to say however, that generally these movements start from the left. How then can we explain the events that transpired last night (01/19/2010) in Massachusetts? Those on the left want to say that this was all about state and local issues while those on the right want to say that this was a referendum on healthcare.
What the Political Left Says
Some on the left have stated that the people of Massachusetts opposed the current healthcare reform legislation because it would have amounted to a “double-tax” on their state. This would have been due to the fact that the people of Massachusetts are already being taxed for their state’s public healthcare system and would have had to pay double under a federally mandated system. This does not hold water due to the state exemption clause in the current Senate version of the bill.
What the Political Right Says
And while I do find it a bit ironic that the late Ted Kennedy was replaced by the people of his Commonwealth with someone who diametrically opposes the legislation which would have / could still be named after the late Senator, I do not believe that opposition to healthcare reform as “red state” people know and oppose it was necessarily the focus in Massachusetts.
The Truth Lies Somewhere In The Center
The people of the blue state of Massachusetts did not necessarily oppose this legislation, but rather opposed the way in which the latest healthcare reform bill was being drafted. That is to say that the people were disgusted with the process more than the legislation itself. The Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, and the closed door UAW bribe, along with the locking out of C-Span from the congressional hearings just several weeks before this special election ALL contributed to the American (and Massachusetts) people’s disgust with how the Democrats are running Washington. I am not hear to argue whether or not these things amount to bribes, nor am I hear to argue that they were illegal / un-ethical. What I think these matters to be is irrelevant, the PEOPLE have spoken and it is what THEY believe these things to be that truly matter. And keep in mind that we’re not really talking about a bunch of “gun-totin”, “red-state-ers” up in Boston, MA; these folks are true-blue state-ers. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Massachusetts 3.5 to 1.
In Conclusion
There could not have been a more clear signal sent to Washington short of the coming results of the 2010 mid-term elections. The results of this election were not about any one specific issue, but were rather about the more general tendency that the American people have to refuse ANYTHING that the powers that be try to SHOVE down our throats. Those who SERVE US in Washington have forgotten who their boss is, Scott Brown just reminded them. It appears that Boston has had its second “Tea Party”. A penny for your thoughts?
This concludes Anti-Federalist No. 4
Steve Maley
Moe Lane
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
This diary would benefit from some evidence
cary_grant (Diary) Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:05PM EST (link)I think you are onto something when you talk about the popular refusal to have bills forced upon us – rushed through Congress without much discussion and with hardly any consideration by anyone of the contents, and all with a holier-than-thou, I’ll-tell-you-peasants-what’s-good-for-you attitude.
But since you don’t cite evidence of what is motivating voters, your diary has a bit of a made-up feel.
My first amendment rights are protected by my second amendment accuracy.
Thanks for the feedback
The Anti-Federalist (Diary) Tuesday, February 9th at 6:57PM EST (link)In future posts, I’ll be sure to include data trending and more statistical analysis.
Cheers,
Stephen
Stephen B. Lambeth
The Anti-Federalist Papers
www.theantifederalistpapers.com
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.” – Dr. Adrian Rogers
In general, I agree.
Flagstaff (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:05AM EST (link)But it’s very general. It doesn’t include this part:
My opinion is that process be damned, if the people had agreed with the result (the bill{s}), they would have ignored the process. It’s only when your own ox has been gored that you look around for a “process” to blame. Had the results of the process been to the liking of the people of Massachusetts, they would have been just fine with electing Martha Coakley and giving their tacit approval to the “process” while they were at it. And had they done so, the Democrats would have wasted no time at all in trotting out her election as proof that Americans across the nation were all clamoring for a combination of ObamaCare and MassCare.
That’s not to say anybody liked the process–it’s just that its results are what they voted against, first and foremost. I do believe that the process helped prod them to sit up and take notice.
“The press is so powerful in its image-making role that it can make a criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”– Malcolm X, Audubon Ballroom, December 13, 1964
Having written that, I'll predict
Flagstaff (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:17AM EST (link)that if the Democrats don’t alter course significantly, elections will continue to fall in Republicans’ favor. Surprisingly so, to the dismay of the Dems and the LSM. “Independents” are rational people looking for some reason to vote for anybody who is sane, regardless of party. For the foreseeable future, all sanity lies with conservatives.
The first course alteration is already distracting Senator McCain. He is getting involved in the “Don’t Ask” controversy. Republicans need to simply shut up about peripheral issues–let them hang around the necks of the Democrat incumbents while we hammer them about disastrous economic policies.
“The press is so powerful in its image-making role that it can make a criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”– Malcolm X, Audubon Ballroom, December 13, 1964
I see what you mean
The Anti-Federalist (Diary) Tuesday, February 9th at 7:01PM EST (link)I assumed that most voters didn’t necessarily oppose it because they weren’t really going to be affected by it. With Senator Reid putting the state level exemption in the Senate bill, there was little concern that anything would change for Massachusetts voters. They would still maintain their “Romney-Care” and would be exempt from Federal requirements.
However, you spur another point, which is but for the generous contributions from the other 49 states, Scott Brown wouldn’t have likely raised the money and garnered the publicity that got him over the top. In that respect, I believe that opposition to the current healthcare bill helped him tremendously.
Stephen B. Lambeth
The Anti-Federalist Papers
www.theantifederalistpapers.com
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.” – Dr. Adrian Rogers
Forgetting yet another possibility
Menlo (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:46AM EST (link)There are a good number of diligent liberals who saw the bill for what it was. Their hopes for a government-run system were dashed, and they saw no reason to get out and vote for it, especially when they already had it and knew what it did (and did not) do. The people who might need it most would see nothing before 2014. And rather than tax “the wealthy,” they saw Democrats were taxing health care, much of it their own, to give to the “evil” insurance companies and other special interests.
Even on other issues, a lot of the people who loved Obama and the Democrats so much were disappointed and lacked motivation to vote. The media and the administration can paint whatever picture they want; but many people are going to trust first the situation of themselves and the people they are around.
I don’t doubt for a second that an unenthusiastic liberal base was a major factor.
“The ultimate touchstone of constitutionality is the Constitution itself and not what we have said about it.” -Felix Frankfurter