Making Sense of Mass Hysteria

It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Republican Scott Brown wrested away a United States Senate seat, in deep blue Massachusetts, and the only conclusion one can make is that we are much closer to knowing the fate of Obamacare than Harry Reid is to having a Supermajority.

Boston Globe columnists, dealing with the ‘political hangover’, on the proverbial ‘morning after’ concluded that Bay State voters were simply ‘seduced’ by Mr. Brown:

“We were on the dance floor, Scott and I, moving to the music, his hands all over my body politic. Everyone was watching, and I mean everyone – fellow partygoers, bartenders, passersby staring in the windows. Look at me, the Massachusetts Electorate, the bellwether of America!”

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Clever enough. A bit tawdry. Not unlike “The Hong Kong” near Boston’s Faneuil Hall. And surprisingly, the chattering class seems to be much in agreement.

This afternoon, the consensus of Democrats and Republicans alike was that this election changed the game for Democrat policies and the President’s agenda going forward.To say that there is now a deep skepticism for passing Obamacare in its present form, would be a tremendous understatement.

And while Republicans are mostly ebullient, there are a some cautionary notes in the analysis too- courtesy of HotAir’s Ed Morrissey.

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For starters, there is reelection to think about. Before you groan, consider that Brown faces reelection in 2012 during the same cycle as the Presidential election. High turn out for such a race among Democrats, particularly if Obama continues to falter, could mean trouble on the horizon. At least a part of Brown’s comfortable win can be attributed to voter apathy among Democrats toward Martha Coakley. 

Second, Republicans have no real idea what type of legislator Sen. Brown will be.  Will he be cast in the legislative mold of New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg?  Or will he fall along the lines of former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter and his ilk?

I would presume the former, seeing as how the latter switched parties, but one thing on this score is clear: Brown’s election proves that the epitaph of the Yankee Republican was written prematurely. The Brown Campaign’s themes of limited government, controlled spending, and complete silence on social issues is nothing if not consistent with the Yankee Republican values of yore. The GOP establishment, and evangelicals would do well to welcome such Republicans back into the fold since these are the types of Republican candidates that tend to win in the Northeast; and the type of candidates that can help build a majority.

Finally, Republicans would be wise to not settle into obstructionism. As HotAir’s Ed Morrissey notes:

Democrats still have an 18-vote majority in the Senate and a House majority of over 70 seats.  They can do a lot of damage in the remainder of the 111th Session, so we have to maintain vigilance and keep up the energy.

We didn’t cross a finish line last night — we crossed the starting line.

The overall goal for the GOP has to be a return to power based upon a principled vision for governance. Given that the Dems no longer have a stranglehold over Senate business, it behooves the minority to craft an alternative agenda, setting up a firm contrast of ideas for voters in 2012.

Simply saying, ‘no’ to the Dems will no longer fly. 

Still, last night’s win was a big win for the GOP. It was very much a validation of recent voting trends in Virginia, and New Jersey. And it was also a stunning rebuke of the misguided Obama Agenda, and his Democrat allies in Congress. 

I suspect 2010 will continue to be a good year to be a Republican.