Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Scott Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Scott Brown. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

After a Crushing Loss in Massachusetts, Will Mollohan Fold on Healthcare?

Washington- A win for Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown in the country’s bluest state is sending shivers down Democrats’ spines. Brown’s defeat of Democrat Martha Coakley is a clear reflection of the public’s dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ sweeping government healthcare takeover, proving that the Obama-Pelosi agenda is exceedingly unpopular even in the state once represented by Ted Kennedy. This result should serve as a stark warning for Alan Mollohan and other Democrat lap dogs that have supported Nancy Pelosi’s government-run healthcare overhaul: Your seat is no longer safe.

"’Even in liberal Massachusetts, most voters are opposed to it,’ said Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, a Democratic pollster in Raleigh, N.C., who has conducted polls in that state and others on health care. "If it's not popular in Massachusetts, it's really not popular anywhere." (Janet Adamy & Naftali Bendavid, “Massachusetts Race Now Key to Health Bill,” Wall Street Journal, 1/18/2010)

“He said Democrats have learned a crucial lesson: that even in very blue states, Democrats should expect a ‘volatile’ environment with a ‘tough’ electorate — and ‘you can’t afford not to be aggressive.’” (Manu Raju, Jonathan Martin and John Bresnahan, “Finger-pointing begins for Democratic insiders,” Politico, 1/19/2010)

“’My message to my clients? Jump ship now,’ said one Democratic operative who advises a number of targeted Members of Congress. ‘Obama can't help you.’” (Chris Cillizza, “Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race,” Washington Post, 1/20/2010)

Over the past few months, polling has consistently shown that support for Democrats and their healthcare overhaul is sagging.

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 38% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That matches the lowest level of support yet. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters oppose the plan.” (“Health Care Reform” Rasmussen Reports, 1/18/2010)

The polling so far for red district Democrats has been uniformly atrocious… If you look at the RCP average, you see a sea of red markings showing Republicans leading the generic ballot test. It isn’t just Rasmussen Reports: CNN, Battleground, Bloomberg, and Gallup have all measured the GOP ahead in the generic ballot in the past few months.” (Sean Trende, “The House Is Very Much In Play,” Real Clear Politics, 1/19/2010)

Despite the writing on the wall, Pelosi remains adamant on pushing her reckless healthcare bill through Congress.

‘’Let’s remove all doubt,’ she added. ‘We will have health care one way or another.’” (Domenico Montanaro, “Congress: A speedy vote?,” MSNBC, 1/19/2009)

“With the cards stacked against him, Alan Mollohan's re-election campaign is going to make the Massachusetts special election look like a walk in the park,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “After serving as a consummate lap dog for Nancy Pelosi and her reckless healthcare bill, Mollohan has put himself in political jeopardy. The Democrats’ big-government, big-spending policies cost them a Senate seat in Massachusetts, now the question is: Will it cost Mollohan his own?”

With his job on the line, will Alan Mollohan fold on healthcare or will he continue to push himself out of office by being the lap dog West Virginia families know him to be?

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Scott Brown Wins Substantial Victory in Massachusetts Special Senatorial Election

With 69% of the vote in, Senator Martha Coakley conceded victory to Republican challenger Scott Brown. We'll leave it to others to explain thenational ramifications of this election. Right now this has to concern two West Virginians, Alan Mollohan and Nick Joe Rahall.

Massachusetts loved Barack Obama, giving him a victory in that state by 26 points. Brown won this election by taking on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid signature policy of health care deform head on. If Massachusetts hates socialized health care, what does that say about the people of West Virginia who have cordially detested Nancy Pelosi and have little love for Obama?

Mollohan and Rahall actually have more problems. They are associated with not only health care deform and the potential for skyrocketing costs for state taxpayers, but also the War on Coal. Some speculated that Mollohan might bow out gracefully, but he did file his papers. Democrats might have actually benefited from a new face in that race unconnected to the Upas treelike Washington Left. Mollohan specifically has an army of viable opponents with possibly more intriguing names on the way. Local Democrats have taken great pains to separate themselves from Obama and Pelosi, unlike Mollohan and Rahall.

West Virginia Republicans have a chance to take advantage in a year where voters increasingly detest Democrats on the national level.

Scott Brown: the Latest Name to Keep Democrats Awake A Nights

Who woulda thunk it? The seat christened by Democrats as "Ted Kennedy's" as if by feudal right may fall to the Republican Scott Brown today.

Kennedy in his last few years dedicated himself to getting a socialist or semi-socialist health care system passed in the United States. He already achieved his goal of promoting endlessly expanding federal intervention into the educational system (much to the ire of almost every teacher.) Democrats sought to make his death a catalyst for their ideas passing into law.

The most liberal state in the Union may be about to say no. Brown ran a strictly conservative campaign squarely against federal level health care deform. Massachusetts already has their own system, thank you very much. Why should they pay again for people in other states? Good question! Why should they saddle themselves with billions of dollars more in costs that the federal government will provide zero help to cover? Obama talks about savings(that do not exist), but declines to mention that state taxpayers will pick up much of the tab left unpaid by federal taxes. Brown proves that the plan has failed to even get support among the most liberal electorate in America.

If Brown wins, Democrats will try to circumvent Senate rules and push their deformed monstrosity through anyway. They know that this issue has tarnished their brand and made a mockery of all their claims to support transparent government. Even if Brown loses, it demonstrates that conservative momentum is still picking up and that Democrats not willing to commit political hari-kari over this issue have just cause for concern next November. Alan Mollohan, perhaps to the consternation of Democrats at this point, has decided to file for re-election. Republicans in the first district, contrary to usual political convention, would probably have a more difficult time against a more conservative Democratic newcomer than an established Obama/Pelosi supporter. Against Mollohan they can fire away at associations between him and the extremely unpopular speaker for months and gain tremendous support.

This month it comes back to Scott Brown. We hope that the Massachusetts voters can step up and demand the kind of change that favors voters and their interests, not taxing and giving away. They rebelled against unfair taxation once before and started a nationwide revolution. They can do it again today.