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January 19, 2010

The Scott heard round the world

Mark Steyn at NRO

Well, as a wintry election day dawns in Massachusetts, I'll believe it when I see it. If all but one of those polls are right, Scott Brown now has a lead well beyond the margin of error. But, as that Boston Globe "Dead Heat!" headline suggests, it's not necessarily beyond the margin of Acorn, the margin of lawyer, and the margin of Franken-style recounts. On the other hand, if you're minded to (as MSNBC's electokleptomaniac Ed Schultz recommends) steal the vote, you don't really want to have to steal it big, on a Mugabe-esque scale.

However things turn out, the Dems have got a fright. I would be surprised if many candidates in November are quite the same spectacular combination of gaffe-prone stupidity and arrogance as Martha Coakley. But, granted that, I was surprised at how incompetent the Democrat machine was. On Sunday, the president veered between dull and really, really lousy. He did what he did with his Olympics pitch in Copenhagen — he took the extraordinary step of flying in to save the day, and then when he got there thought he could wing it. He, or at any rate his minders, should know by now that his rhetoric is seriously underperforming — "incoherent without his teleprompter and a bore with it." Yet his staff allow him to stagger around as the last believer in his own magic. What sort of functioning pol would be so careless as to say "Everybody can own a truck"? He should talk to any New England dealership about that. As it happens, I bought a new truck* last month and I've never seen the place so empty.

At the start of this campaign, the issues were health care and the economy. After "Ted Kennedy's seat" and "Curt Schilling the Yankees fan" and "only the little people campaign at Fenway," the genius Dems succeeded in making their own assumptions about one-party rule a very potent secondary issue. Very foolishly, Obama both underlined the regal hauteur of the Massachusetts machine — and simultaneously nationalized the election by portraying it as a referendum on the Hopeychange. If Martha now loses, he can't plead it's nothing to do with him.

(*purely for the purposes of running against John Kerry. I'm putting it on water skis and I'm going to ride alongside him when he's windsurfing off Nantucket scoffing, "Oh, everybody can buy buttock-hugging yellow spandex.")

16 comments:

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

I think we'll have, so to speak, "the dawn of a new tomorrow." And it might not be real pretty for the Dems. THEN we'll see how TRULY obstructionist they can be.

BZ

Spinsterpov said...

I can't wait them to see the Dems foaming at the mouth when Scott Brown pulls off the win. There will be some really nasty and hateful rhetoric (more than there is already) flying from the mouths of the party of peace and tolerance.

LL said...

I'm crossing my fingers for "hope and change" of a different sort.

Anonymous said...

The fly in the ointment

Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio announced Monday that he would not seek re-election in 2010.

Laura Ingraham said today on her radio that the rhino republican Voinovich is talking to the Dems about changing his no vote to yes if Scott Brown wins. The Dems would still have the 60 votes to continue with their Obamacare curse on America. If the bribe is big enough, he may jump ship.

Maria said...

I feel a tremendous sense of "COSMIC - KARMA."
(and I'm not even Buddhist)

~Maria

Snarky Basterd said...

Well ... I guess I'll have to change my headline for my post about the Mass election (when I run it later tonight), in deference to the master Steyn.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Sorry I stepped on your toes, you basterd. I'm guessing that a lot of us are planning our celebration of evening posts.

Enjoy the evening.

Wetzy said...

Bad Obama policies or bad candidates, the liberals are not concentrating on their ground game. That is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Spinster, the nastiest stuff is being said behind the scenes.

Anonymous said...

LL, I'm scheduling my Hopi Change Dance for about 8pm (Pacific).

Anonymous said...

Geezer, you owe an apology to flies everywhere.

Anonymous said...

I'm halfway through a fifth of medicinal spirits. I need results.

Anonymous said...

Maria, don't get too mellow. There are many battles ahead.

Anonymous said...

Pace yourself, Zio. The best recriminations won't be on until later.

Anonymous said...

nice post. thanks.