Another Kennedy Tragedy?

[Nederland]

Andrew Sullivan sums it up:

Could Ted Kennedy's Senate seat be critical to destroying the deal to extend health insurance to 30 million people? Could Martha Coakley be the last-minute nail in its coffin? That would surely be the real nightmare for Obama.

He couldn't blame it on GOP intransigence - because if the Dems can't hold Teddy's seat, what use are they? What you see here is the fathomless awfulness of the Democrats. Too fractured and listless to get a solid health insurance bill through both Houses in anything like the time they wanted, too disorganized to make a strong and coherent case for their proposal, led by charisma-free walking corpses like Harry "your dog is fat" Reid and Speaker Pelosi whose political skills do not extend to persuading anyone of anything, they really are the reason so many of us cannot apply that partisan label to ourselves, even when we believe Obama is the best thing this country has going for it politically right now.

But losing Kennedy's seat is a near-epic failure. If health reform fails, it will be because of a fatal combination of Democratic hubris and Democratic weakness. They just won the presidency and both Houses. And this is what they manage? Really, who wants to belong or support a party this goddamn useless?


http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/another-kennedy-tragedy.html

[Schema Thing]

1. well, .... yeah.

but it's not like the idiots on the other side of the aisle have charisma either.

[derby378]

2. Well, that's why some of us are trying to change the party from the bottom up...

...because if the Republicans take over once again, it's not going to be "more of the same." It's going to be revenge.

[Fire1]

10. I can hear the screaming and gnashing of teeth!!! LOL!!!

[dflprincess]

3. Health care reform has failed

all we're getting is an insurance bill with no guarantees about access to care.

Maybe if Coakley loses the Beltway Democrats will wake up and decide abandoning their base wasn't such a good idea. Though I fear they'll probably find someway to absolve themselves and blame the voters.

[theoldman]

4. Unfortunately I agree with most of this post.

It's time Democrats started speaking up a little more to Harry and Nancy. Where is the backbone that is required of every leader.

[whistler162]

5. OH NO OH NO here are 5000 disastrous scenarios

that could, might, maybe, happen even though we don't know what is going to happen let us fret and worry until it whatever happens happens!

PANIC PANIC PANIC RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!!

[Kdillard]

6. I know right which is so much better than being positive or donating

And phone banking etc.

[whistler162]

8. Saying aardvark aardvark banana banana repeatedly

makes as much sense as these panic filled messages that popup in multitudes every time some "columnist" "polster" says something to panic the herd!

[BeyondGeography]

7. That's the kind of bitch slapping I don't mind

Because there's a lot of truth to it.

[stevenleser]

9. I haven't been really following this, but, to play devils advocate to Sullivan's position...

couldn't it simply be that Coakley isnt a great candidate?

As meaningful as the result will be in terms of health care reform, it still is just a single senate race to those in it and voting in it.

[HughMoran]

14. She is listless, however, I grew up in Mass and I never heard of this guy

& he's not exactly charismatic either. This race is about who gets out there and votes. Dems have a clear advantage if they choose to get off their asses and actually vote.

[hulka38]

11. Of the three, only Nancy demonstrated that she wanted real reform and did her part..

Neglecting to finger the DLC Senators and a former DLC Senator as the impediments to HCR is an epic failure of analysis.

[treestar]

12. They didn't get both houses

You need 60 in the Senate. There are 58 Democrats. That's not control of that house.

And how does he know what Pelosi and Reid can persuade anyone of? They are responsible for getting representatives and Senators to vote against their constituent interests? It's insulting to the rest of the House and Senate.

[quakerboy]

13. So if she wins convincingly, does that mean that

the bill they came up with is really the right choice?

[wisteria]

15. Sullivan is wrong, he needs to look at the Republicans who have done everything in their power

to obstruct, lie and further divide this country. President Obama has been a true leader trying to bring this country together again. How can he fault Democrats who care about the people in this country and not point a finger of shame toward the Republicans who care only about themselves.
I think Cloakley is going to win this, but she could still use the help and votes of some of the pessimistic posters here.