Scott Brown and Me!
By Taylor Jones | January 21st, 2010 | PERMALINK
The cops stopped me for driving naked in my 1992 Toyota Corolla today. They didn’t buy my explanation that I was campaigning for Congress. But, then, my unclothed body would be more appropriate as an entry in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! (”World’s Scrawniest Man”) than gracing a spread in Cosmo.
I’m relieved that a real Cosmo hunk, Scott Brown, won the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s senate seat. In no small part because the seat didn’t belong to Ted Kennedy, or any other Kennedy, in the first place. Edward Kennedy was the greatest legislator of our times. But the fact that many Obama supporters in Massachusetts voted for Brown suggests that maybe a small, but possibly decisive, segment of Tuesday’s electorate was simply tired of the Kennedy clan and the Kennedy machine. Martha Coakley represented the latter, and maybe Bay Staters were saying enough is enough?
True, it didn’t help that Ms. Coakley wasn’t up on the basics regarding the Boston Red Sox, or thought that campaigning in front of Fenway Park on a frosty morning would be a drag. However, had I been a Massachusetts voter, her ignorance of baseball would not have bothered me. Her phoniness would have. Not everyone loves sports, and that includes me. Were I running for office, I’d tell reporters that I wish our local teams well, but I couldn’t give a damn about professional sports. Then I would add this:
“Look, a lot of politicians ARE genuine sports fans, and there have even been a few quarterbacks, and a baseball pitcher, elected to Congress. But nothing looks phonier than a politician PRETENDING to be the Philly Fanatic. So please don’t ask me about sports, and I won’t ask you about entomology, ornithology or other subjects that interest me!”
But I digress. The main reason I’m glad Scott Brown won is that a 59-vote majority for the Democrats in the Senate makes a lot more sense than the elusive 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority they’ve been trying to cobble together for the past year. That hapless pursuit has only generated Republican intransigence — and given disproportionate weight to the votes of Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson.
Reasonable people can disagree over the merits of health care reform, cap-and-trade legislation, or particular nominees to the federal bench. But the fact that 40 senators can hold the entire Congress hostage, month after month, makes our democracy look like a joke to the rest of the world. And it’s making our own voters, in Massachusetts and around the country, either mad as hell or depressed and withdrawn.
Now, I don’t understand all the political machinations it will take to break the legislative logjam — though they might be akin to giving each senator a hot enema. But the resulting relief will be felt by all Americans!
Instead of pushing for the “magic 60” votes to prohibit filibusters, let senators beholden to the banking industry jabber on, ad nauseum, against new bank regulations or a tax on giant Wall Street bonuses.
Ironically, it might be easier to fashion a health reform bill that Olympia Snowe can support, which passes 52 to 48 — with Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman and Mary Landrieu voting nay. Fox News might even discover, to their horror, that Scott Brown isn’t quite so allied with “Tea Party” activists as they’d hoped. Brown’s up for election to a full term in 34 months, and he might not trust that Massachusetts has become a reliably “red” state on all issues.
Best of all, without the constant need to assemble a filibuster-proof majority, Democrats won’t have to cater to Joe Lieberman’s every narcissistic whim. And for that, ALL Americans can rejoice!
Well, thanks for stopping by. If you’d like to see additional samples of my work, please click here.
Comments
Comment from The Skeptic
Time February 4, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Fear not! Great things will be accomplished…… Leadership of the greatest magnitude is being offered by president “naval corpseman”!!!!!
Comment from James II
Time February 5, 2010 at 5:24 am
Never thought I’d say this, but here gooes, “Thank you Massachusetts.” A great way to end the Kennedy domination, BTW.
Comment from Ernie
Time February 5, 2010 at 6:10 am
It will be interesting to see how the liberals will spin the fact that Mass is 2/3rds democrat and they elected a republican. This is a direct shot across the bow of the sinking ship called the USS Obama.
Comment from Bobby
Time February 5, 2010 at 7:10 am
“40 Senators holding us hostage month after month”? A stretch for sure…how about
“60 Senators ramming an agenda down the citizens throats…that they don’t want, or
like Cap & Trade, don’t need?
Just 39 more weeks until the Sunami election………………
Comment from Anup Kumar
Time February 6, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Dear Mr. Jones:
You obviously don’t understand or know American History or Civics very well. You may be a citizen of the United States but you know about as much about those 2 subjects as the “rest of the world” who think “our democracy is a joke”. Like the “rest of the world” may not know just like you don’t - we are not a democracy but a constitutional republic. Before you write articles it is well adviced that you go educate yourself.
Sincerely
Anup
(A naturalized American citizen)
Comment from BobFromLI
Time February 6, 2010 at 7:21 pm
The fact that a small and vocal portion of our electorate, mostly poorly informed, I might add…seems to want to take their sour grapes out on the majority is not going to wash. The fact that the USS Obama has yet to get out into blue water and get to the real fight is not going to stop the majority from supporting the real issues this country faces. The namecalling is just stupid. The DINOs will be defeated and the Fascists (that means those that want the Government to take over the business of business - as in Germany in WWII) will be exposed. By the way, name callers: the same guy cannot be both a fascist and a socialist…two ends of the political spectrum. Learn something! Anything!
I’m looking at a picture of Ann Coulter on the left side of my screen. She is emblematic of the problem we have in straightening out this country. Add to it Glenn Beck, BillO and the other haters on Faux.
Comment from The Skeptic
Time February 7, 2010 at 12:33 am
BobfromLI: After you get a brain, strive for a life!!!!
Comment from cltamaz
Time February 7, 2010 at 10:22 am
The citizens of “Mass”.(I’ll admit I can’t spell it) replaced a charismatic, attractive, articulate politician with another charismatic, attractive, articulate politician. This continues a trend. It’s not a rejection of the “Kennedy” legend–it’s a reaffirmation of the fact that voters like guys who look good in a suit and have good hair. Yes, it is as shallow as that. However, it didn’t hurt that the “Republican Kennedy” had an opponent duller than day old dishwater and as boring as peeling paint.
Comment from Soapboxlady
Time February 8, 2010 at 1:25 am
No smart woman has ever thought Ted Kennedy was “attractive”. Only his money and power attracted some of the stupid ones. (like Pelosi)
The voters in Massachusetts were against ObamaCare because their state already has universal healthcare and they didn’t want to have to help pay for the rest of the nation’s uninsured. THAT’S why Brown won! The majority of the country wants Obama to take care of the economy and get people working again. Instead he keeps spending all his energy and time on passing his “signature” healthcare reform bill that the majority of Americans DO NOT WANT. He is toast in the next Presidential election unless he starts listening to those who put him in office.
Comment from WiseGuy
Time February 4, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Sorry, Mr Jones, its still going to take 60 votes to pass anything. Only now the 60 will have to include some Republicans. As long as the partisanship that exists now continues - and there is no sign that it wont - then a simple majority wont pass any legislation (except for a reconciliation bill or two)..