It Wasn't About Coakley

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=it_wasnt_about_coakley

It Wasn't About Coakley

Democrats aren't framing the political debate with any success, and their equivocations leave them open to right-wing attacks and progressive suspicion.


Tim Fernholz | January 20, 2010 | web only


It's laughable to see the same party that just six years ago saw its presidential candidate and congressional slate trounced deciding that the "Obama era" is over after losing one Senate seat, even as a Democratic president and congressional majorities remain in office. George W. Bush never had it so good.

That's not to minimize what is an embarrassing setback. Losing a long-Democratic seat in a special election when a (barely) filibuster-proof majority hung in the balance illustrates a sense of complacency among national Democratic operatives that must be avoided if they wish to protect their majorities come November. Martha Coakley's lazy and gaffe-ridden campaign was inexcusable. Nonetheless, if progressives are serious about governing, this is not a time for complaint but for rededication.

More important than the post-mortem hand-wringing is taking a lesson from the loss: Democrats aren't framing the political debate with any success, and their equivocations leave them open to right-wing attacks and progressive suspicion.

snip//

Republicans passed their tax cuts with a simple majority through the budget reconciliation process; if Obama and his party fail to pass health care through that path or another, then they'll demonstrate that they don't think the reforms they campaigned on are worth fighting for -- and show voters that Democrats aren't worth electing.

If progressives or Blue Dogs in the House refuse to swallow their objections and pass the Senate health care bill when the chips are down, they'll deserve the shellacking they take next fall. Senators like Max Baucus should take a good, hard look at where the summer's fruitless negotiations with Republican members got them, and what conclusions should be drawn.

Of course, Democrats could listen to the likes of Bayh and spend the next year trying to 'moderate' their congressional agenda by combining it with the anti-tax, anti-government nihilism endorsed by today's GOP, supporting policies that do nothing in response to the great challenges of our times. All this will do is signal to voters that Democrats can't be trusted with power.

If Democrats remain assertive and fight for their policies, Scott Brown has an eleven-month term ahead of him. If they don't, well, remember how much fun 1994 was?

[RBInMaine]

1. It was MAINLY about Coakley and HER shitty campaign. Give us a break.

[babylonsister]

2. I'd prefer to blame Dems as a whole. They could have inspired her

to be a better candidate, but apparently didn't. And now we see the results.

[Clio the Leo]

4. THEY could have inspired HER?

.... gotta disagree with you on this one Babs.

OBAMA inspires people, that Palin woman inspires people, Scott Brown inspired people .... March Coakley only managed to inspire mass panic and even when she did, it was too late.

The WH SHOULD have either been paying better attention or should have stepped in, so they dropped the ball big time there, but the ultimate blame rests with her.

[BeyondGeography]

3. It was about all sorts of shit, and she is very high on the list

Here's another wrinkle on Coakley: Boston Dems preferred Capuano and were angry that someone from the western part of the state won the primary:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/19/827160/-My-Mom-is-a-Democratic-machine-operative-in-Bostonheres-her-explanation

Sounds ridiculous enough to be true. Politics is still a lot like high school at the end of the day.

[treestar]

5. It's hard for the Democrats to frame the debate when the M$M works

so hard for the Republicans.

[realFedUp]

6. Electing Howdy Doody

I agree with this post....where was the head of the DNC,
DLC and all the rest of the career Dems?
Republicans managed to elected this Howdy Doody
by trash talking M.C. and offering
up idiotic talking points, instead of substance.

This was just more sexism also...the remarks
made by males was just part of the
male Internet porn culture that women are experiencing
the reaction to these days.

Martha Coakley is intelligent, highly
capable and qualified. It's too bad for all of us that she didn't
run the strongest campaign but Dems should be able to take
any candidate and get out
the vote to elect that person, even Howdy Doody.

Apologies to the real H.D.

[cali]

7. lol. it was most certainly about coakley.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Funny...

Coakley held a 30 point lead, all while the same alleged "issues" Fernholz whines about were occurring. The situation in Congress was exactly the same then as it is now. Yet, somehow this is their fault, and not Coakley's for pissing away her lead? To say this "wasn't about Coakley" is illogical.

[Jennicut]

9. It is partly about Coakley and partly about the Dem party.

Coakley could have overcome some of the public's worries about the economy and health care bill if she was better candidate. Because she was not, those worries came to the surface.