Category Archives: Political Commentary

The Second Boston Tea Party

I think that this reader of KLo’s has it right:

For the better part of a year, Tea Parties have sprung up around the nation. If they are not ignored by the press, they are largely dismissed or characterized as “loons,” “bigots,” or “extremists.” I have read countless articles and columns which criticize the “tea baggers,” claiming that the protestors don’t even know what they are protesting.

All the while, people involved in the Tea Parties have claimed that they are not necessarily Republican, but include many Democrats and Independents as well. They claim that they attend rallies for various reasons (as opposed to not knowing their reasons). They often cite “out of control spending,” “runaway government,” or a “move toward socialism” as their top concerns. Their opposition to the monstrous health care reform bills has been consistent with this thinking. Despite rigged 10-year projections which claim the bill will be budget neutral, they rely on common sense which tells them that like Medicare, Social Security, the USPS, and Cash for Clunkers, government-controlled health care will end up being another entitlement albatross our country cannot afford in the long run. Because of this sound thinking, a national poll in December showed that the Tea Party movement enjoys more public support than either of the two major parties.

In spite of this, the MSM continues to dismiss, downplay, or deride the sentiments of Tea Partiers. Massachusetts has now shown that the Tea Party mentality is not an extreme, angry, southern, bigoted bunch. They are in fact independent thinkers, who are deeply concerned about our direction and politicians drunk with government power. The MSM has lost their battle.

And it’s only the first battle (second, if you count New Jersey and Virginia, but this is different, because it involves a national politician who will actually have a wrench to throw in the works of monstrous contraption that the Dems have been building in DC). Continuing retribution like this will occur this fall, and it will be terrible for them to behold, but liberating for the rest of us.

And as a California resident, I’m hoping that this was the template for, at a minimum, removing from power, if not office itself, the leftist harridans Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi.

A Sign That The Coakley Campaign Knows It’s Over

It’s already putting out CYA memos.

[Late afternoon update]

Coakley’s people are blaming the Democrat primary voters for her loss. Well, it’s certainly true that if they hadn’t been so foolish as to nominate her, she wouldn’t be losing today.

This reminds me somehow of Mr. Burns’ anger at the electoral process:

Mr. Burns: This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That’s democracy for you.

Smithers: You are noble and poetic in defeat, sir.

More than Coakley, actually.

[Update a few minutes later]

Her (few) supporters know it’s over, too:

As of late this afternoon, Luntz was still scrambling to balance his focus group with supporters of Democrat Martha Coakley. “I just lost another one,” Luntz growled over his cell phone from a hotel ballroom at Logan Airport. In the last 24 hours, six Coakley voters have dropped out. By contrast, Luntz hasn’t lost a single supporter of her opponent, Scott Brown.

The problem isn’t money. “They’re getting paid well,” Luntz says, “probably more than they’re making at their jobs. And they still don’t want to do it.”

Instead, says Luntz, they’re ashamed. “They don’t want to be on television defending Martha Coakley. It’s passé. It’s socially unacceptable. I never dreamed I’d see Democrats in Massachusetts embarrassed to admit they’re Democrats.”

They should have been embarrassed for at least the past four years.

Poetic Justice

An interesting point by Brown’s campaign manager:

If tonight’s vote is close, the Brown campaign is prepared to fight, says Fehrnstrom. “We’re used to political chicanery here in Massachusetts. We saw it yesterday when John Kerry came out and manufactured allegations of voter intimidation — a tactic that comes literally out of the Kerry playbook, of making up wild tales in the absence of any evidence. People are tired of that kind of partisan politics and Scott is ready to engage in a recount if one becomes necessary and also to fight to be seated as soon as possible. Right now, the seat is occupied by an interim senator (Democratic Sen. Paul Kirk) with a constituency of one — Gov. Deval Patrick (D., Ma.), the man who appointed him.” Think about it, he says: “If they had just left the law alone, they wouldn’t be in the situation they find themselves in now.”

It’s the Boston way. But maybe not for much longer?

[Update a couple minutes later]

Zombie has started an open thread to track reports of voter fraud. Let’s hope that there aren’t many.

The Political Peril

…of poor judgment:

The judgment errors are many and serious. He misread his mandate, confused campaign rhetoric for persuasive communication, overexposed himself, refused to let go of his juvenile fixation on blaming George W. Bush for all the problems he faced, replaced bipartisanship with hyper-partisanship, and declined to take seriously early-warning signs sent by the voters in New Jersey and Virginia. The common thread through all of this: arrogance. “We won!” he pronounced early on and therefore never seemed to take seriously criticism or objections, whether from the other party, concerned Democrats, the media, or even polls. He simply plunged ahead, oblivious to the backlash that was building.

I predict that even if he loses today, he’ll continue to double down.

[Update a few minutes later]

Speaking of doubling down, Richard Fernandez has some depressing thoughts.

Parsing

Ann Althouse dissects Obama’s speech yesterday.

You know, all that dissing of trucks (and truck drivers) isn’t going to play very well in southeast Michigan this fall. I can see a lot of campaign ad fodder arising from that speech. They don’t just drive trucks back where I come from — they build them. And the guy who’s running them down is the putative owner of the company who makes them. It’s truly amazing how politically tone deaf these people are. Now that the Bush derangement among the general populace (which was the prime driver for electing this cipher) is wearing off, they’re going to reap the whirlwind in November.

More Bad News For The Despots

They may be able to delay certifying Brown, but Kirk will not be able to provide the sixtieth vote after election day. So it won’t matter what kind of games they want to play with the Brown certification.

The latest rumor is that the last-ditch ploy will be to tell the House that they have to just vote for the Senate bill, so it won’t need the sixty votes after reconciliation.

The problem with that is, I’ll bet they don’t have 218 votes for that. Particularly after the now-expected outcome in Massachusetts on Tuesday. They won’t get Stupak’s vote, for sure.

I have to say that there’s another good outcome of this whole thing. I’ve finally learned how to spell Massachusetts reliably. I could never figure out whether there were supposed to be two esses in the second one, or two tees, or both. Of course, I’ve never made the stupid mistake that the Coakley people did. And they live there. Supposedly…

[Update a few minutes later]

Patrick Kennedy is a big fan of “Marcia” Coakley. Do all of these Democrat morons need remedial spelling lessons? Or is it that they just have a problem with names? Either way, hilarious, and it just adds to the fun.

[Monday morning update]

Intrade now has Brown at 66, Coakley at 35.