What can the democrats learn by the loss of Cockley

[Lemon law]

Ok OK, against all odds a republican took the vacant Ted Kennedy seat. Now what lessons can the dems and repubs take into the general election of 11/2010 that will amount to all the marbles?

On one hand the dems can sour grapes say don't run a non charismatic and complacent candidate like Cockley. And say the voters liked Brown's pick up truck more than Brown. But if Brown won on mere charisma, it says nothing about the larger nation.

The equivalent danger for the Republican's is to assume the American people are happy with republican lock step grid lock. Because the continuation of such policies are likely to see a complete collapse of our existing health care system. After all, what the R's stand for now is the continuation of GWB&co policies that so collapsed in 2008. Do we want to bring those GWB type policies back and totally melt down our economy again?

And what I hope the dems learn is that they need is (a) More party unity. (b) More importantly, that they can't water down a good idea in the hopes of passing it, and then get some piece of mediocre crap that is no longer a decent idea. (c) That they cannot let the R's kill all reform by simply injecting FUD and lies. And the dems must define what they want, what they stand for, and sell it to the American people. No party can win by being the committee that designs a camel when we need a horse.

If the dems fail in 11/2010, this country will be in a heap of problems with continual gridlock. United we stand, divided and we are sure to fail. And anyone who thinks our current grid lock is a good thing is crazy. Our failure to adapt to change is a good part of the problems.

 

[nick1985]

They learned to stop shoving unpopular legislation down our throats.

 

[waggy]

also wouldnt hurt to not send someone who has the past cockley did. read in a few papers people were refusing to vote for her for the part she played in the 80's child abuse witch hunt.

 

[Nebor]

To answer your loaded question, yes I want to bring back GWB 2008 policies and melt down the economy again.

 

[Patranus]

Obama needs to take a page out of the Clinton playbook, give up on health care, move to the center, and realize "its the economy stupid".

 

[Greenman]

I disagree with your entire premise. I'd like to know how this worked out the way it did, but starting with the assumption that the neocons are the root of all evil isn't the right approach.

 

[FoBoT]

Obama needs to take a page out of the Clinton playbook, give up on health care, move to the center, and realize "its the economy stupid".

yes, President Obama has to decide whether he wants to be a one term president like Jimmy Carter (he stays the course) or to follow the path like Clinton did in 1994 so that he can be a two term president

 

[umbrella39]

To answer your loaded question, yes I want to bring back GWB 2008 policies and melt down the economy again.

Indeed. That's what this country needs to remind us whey we are in the position we are in. The collective memory of this country is so short that Charlie Mason could win an major election with the right attack ads and a good shave.

 

[OrByte]

Obama is plenty "center" and just a week ago there was plenty of bitching about what Obama has been doing about the economy....

Dems need to learn that nothing is to be taken for granted.

 

[herkulease]

When you have control, don't be greedy. Get the basics and shove that through first. Then add stuff later.

Think in terms of getting people hooked to something. You get them bit by it. You don't come at them all at once.

Much easier to compromise and tweak things in smaller pieces. When you put out a huge piece of crap that Pelosi and Reid put out you leave yourself with little wiggle room.

 

[IronWing]

Obama and particularly the Congressional Dems need to stop pandering to the right and try to be liberals for a change. The health care bill does need to die as it does not achieve any goal worth achieving. Maybe in another decade or so we can try again, if the health insurance and health care providers haven't bankrupted the country by then.

Anyway, congrats to the Republicans.

 

[jpeyton]

There's actually some good that will come out of this loss if you think long-term.

The GOP will hold health care reform hostage. Even though the current health care reform bill is meager at best, the headlines will still read the same: GOP kills health care reform.

In the meantime, do you think the health care picture in this country will get any better before Obama's re-election? Nope. Higher premiums, less coverage, more people getting trimmed from the rolls, etc.

The GOP has no real health care reform bill of their own, so all they did today is paint a target on their back for the 2012 election.

 

[woolfe9999]

Ok OK, against all odds a republican took the vacant Ted Kennedy seat. Now what lessons can the dems and repubs take into the general election of 11/2010 that will amount to all the marbles?

On one hand the dems can sour grapes say don't run a non charismatic and complacent candidate like Cockley. And say the voters liked Brown's pick up truck more than Brown.

The equivalent danger for the Republican's is to assume the American people are happy with republican lock step grid lock. Because the continuation of such policies are likely to see a complete collapse of our existing health care system. After all, what the R's stand for now is the continuation of GWB&co policies that so collapsed in 2008. Do we want to bring those GWB type policies back and totally melt down our economy again?

And what I hope the dems learn is that they need is (a) More party unity. (b) More importantly, that they can't water down a good idea in the hopes of passing it, and then get some piece of mediocre crap that is no longer a decent idea. (c) That they cannot let the R's kill all reform by simply injecting FUD and lies. And the dems must define what they want, what they stand for, and sell it to the American people.

If the dems fail in 11/2010, this country will be in a heap of problems with continual gridlock.

Nothing. And there isn't anything they can do about it. They have three options:

They could BECOME the republican party and do everything exactly the way republicans would do it. That is THE only way to have "bipartisan" lawmaking is to adopt the republican agenda or there is no lawmaking. That much is clear from the republican posturing on every issue. So if they let the minority parties' agenda control, and the economy does not improve, they not the repubs will be blamed for it because they are still in the majority.

They could DO NOTHING because of the gridlock. If they economy doesn't improve, they will be blamed for doing nothing about it.

The could keep pushing their agenda with some compromize to pick up 1 or 2 repub votes in the Senate. If the economy doesn't improve, they will be blamed for it.

See the pattern in all three? While dems and repubs generally vote party line, independent voters and some moderates of the two parties, who are the swing voters in every election, vote consistently with the economy. And among that group, whoever is in power when the economy is bad is ipso facto 100% responsible for the situation.

So no, there is no lesson. Except maybe that you cannot take any election for granted and you have to campaign hard the whole way through, which Coakley didn't do here until the last two weeks. But guess what, if unemployment is still around 10% in November, that will not save them. Nor will anything they do or do not do in office, including passing or NOT passing the HC bill.

- wolf

 

[Capt Caveman]

Classy calling Coakley that.

 

[IronWing]

There's actually some good that will come out of this loss if you think long-term.

The GOP will hold health care reform hostage. Even though the current health care reform bill is meager at best, the headlines will still read the same: GOP kills health care reform.

In the meantime, do you think the health care picture in this country will get any better before Obama's re-election? Nope. Higher premiums, less coverage, more people getting trimmed from the rolls, etc.

The GOP has no real health care reform bill of their own, so all they did today is paint a target on their back for the 2012 election.

Nope. If the health care bill dies then the Republicans will claim to have "Saved America!" They will run on it in 2010 and 2012. They will scream it from the rooftops.

 

[Patranus]

Ok OK, against all odds a republican took the vacant Ted Kennedy seat.

Lesson number 1
It isn't Kennedy's senate seat or the Democrats senate seat, it is the peoples senate seat.

 

[Sclamoz]

Heres a tip for them:

Don't robocall me 10 times a night for a week and I might consider voting for you.

 

[Nebor]

Nope. If the health care bill dies then the Republicans will claim to have "Saved America!" They will run on it in 2010 and 2012. They will scream it from the rooftops.

Well I for one don't want my grandmother going to a death panel.

 

[werepossum]

Lesson number 1
It isn't Kennedy's senate sear or the Democrats senate seat, it is the peoples senate seat.

Bingo.

Did you catch when Olbermann and Maddow were waxing eloquent on how the Dems have the obligation to postpone Brown's swearing in until health care reform is passed and Chris Matthews pointed out that when Kennedy was elected in a special election he was sworn in the next day? Talk about a turd in the punch bowl moment . . .

 

[nageov3t]

the dems have 2 choices, imo... they can go for broke and push through health care reform via the nuclear option and hope that Americans don't mind it as much once they actually see it in action, or they can pull back to the center and hope to hold onto their seats.

 

[nobodyknows]

I hope they learn to elect someone with proven leadership abilities. IMO Hillary would have gotten a health care package through and it would have been a good program too.

At this rate Obama will be a lame duck by 2010.

 

[Patranus]

the dems have 2 choices, imo... they can go for broke and push through health care reform via the nuclear option and hope that Americans don't mind it as much once they actually see it in action, or they can pull back to the center and hope to hold onto their seats.

If I recall correctly only the taxes start now and the services come in 2013. I am sure the American people are going to like what they see before the 2010 elections......

 

[IronWing]

Well I for one don't want my grandmother going to a death panel.

Yep, that is exactly the kind of BS the Republicans will run on. If the health care bill fails, it doesn't matter what was actually in it, the Republicans will swear up and down it was death panels. The Dems didn't even try for real reform and have now suffered, in a small way, the result of their timidity (cravenness and beholding to insurance industry donations really).

This isn't the end of the world for the Dems by any means, they still hold the House, the Senate, and the White House. Now they just need to stop acting like a bunch of girly men and do something with their majority.

 

[Starbuck1975]

There's actually some good that will come out of this loss if you think long-term.

Or this election will so rattle moderate Democrats in vulnerable states and districts that Congress will spin into a cycle of indecision, with the Republicans gaining political capital every step of the way.

This will be the defining moment of Obama's Presidency. In the grand scheme of things, this election gives the Obama Administration, and the Democrats, some insight into the mood of the nation.

They have time to course correct in time for November.

 

[palehorse]

Even though the current health care reform bill is meager at best, the headlines will still read the same: GOP kills health care reform.

Maybe at DailyKOS; but, I think the majority of the worlds' newspapers will say something similar to "U.S. Democrats failed to pass any healthcare reform... again."

In the meantime, do you think the health care picture in this country will get any better before Obama's re-election? Nope. Higher premiums, less coverage, more people getting trimmed from the rolls, etc.

The GOP has no real health care reform bill of their own, so all they did today is paint a target on their back for the 2012 election.

You still think healthcare is the number one issue facing this nation right now, don't you?

That's actually your number one problem.