Expect a GOP takeover in November
By Bill Kostkas
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinion
A political cycle takes place during the second year of almost every new president's term for mid-term elections: the changing of power from the hand of one party to another.
The cycle is ready to run its course once again this November.
Since the New Year began, things have begun to look bleaker for the Democrats in Congress, beginning with the election of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).
It wasn't just his defeat of Martha Coakley (D-Mass.) that stuck out like a sore thumb, it's the fact that each was running for the seat that belonged to the late former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.).
Kennedy held that seat for 47 years.
The fact that a Republican won it in one of the more liberal states in the country is extremely bad news for Democrats.
Adding to the irony is one of the main issues Brown ran on: healthcare-something Kennedy tried to reform throughout his Senate career.
He told crowds across Massachusetts that if elected, he'd vote "no" on President Barack Obama's healthcare reform bill, and it worked.
So, let's review. A Republican won Kennedy's seat in a liberal state while campaigning against healthcare reform.
Sounds like people are upset. And because this was in Massachusetts, there's a good chance some of the upset people might be liberals.
Brown's win meant that the Democrats in the Senate will lose their 60th seat, filibuster proof majority, giving Republicans the ability to block legislation-a majority that hasn't taken much advantage of their situation up to this point.
Now with only having 59 seats, the prospects of passing healthcare reform have taken a serious hit.
Some Democrats in Congress have considered options to hurry up and get the healthcare legislation passed as soon as possible, options that I consider unethical.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said it best when he described the Democrats' new strategy as "shoving it down the throats of the American people."
The cycle is ready to run its course once again this November.
Since the New Year began, things have begun to look bleaker for the Democrats in Congress, beginning with the election of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).
It wasn't just his defeat of Martha Coakley (D-Mass.) that stuck out like a sore thumb, it's the fact that each was running for the seat that belonged to the late former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.).
Kennedy held that seat for 47 years.
The fact that a Republican won it in one of the more liberal states in the country is extremely bad news for Democrats.
Adding to the irony is one of the main issues Brown ran on: healthcare-something Kennedy tried to reform throughout his Senate career.
He told crowds across Massachusetts that if elected, he'd vote "no" on President Barack Obama's healthcare reform bill, and it worked.
So, let's review. A Republican won Kennedy's seat in a liberal state while campaigning against healthcare reform.
Sounds like people are upset. And because this was in Massachusetts, there's a good chance some of the upset people might be liberals.
Brown's win meant that the Democrats in the Senate will lose their 60th seat, filibuster proof majority, giving Republicans the ability to block legislation-a majority that hasn't taken much advantage of their situation up to this point.
Now with only having 59 seats, the prospects of passing healthcare reform have taken a serious hit.
Some Democrats in Congress have considered options to hurry up and get the healthcare legislation passed as soon as possible, options that I consider unethical.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said it best when he described the Democrats' new strategy as "shoving it down the throats of the American people."
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