On Sunday, the line from Obama, Kerry, and everyone else to the voters of Massachusetts was:
“We understand why you’re angry. But don’t let your anger with George W. Bush allow you to get tricked into voting for a Republican who’ll obstruct the reform agenda you’re crying out for.”
Presumably even Patrick Kennedy isn’t stupid enough to believe this. Even as elite condescension to the boob masses, it barely passes muster. But I wonder if they really understand what took place today. Until a few days ago, conventional wisdom in Massachusetts had it that the GOP had a motivated base but nothing more. Under any normal model, high turnout should have favored the Dems. Instead, significant numbers of people who voted for Obama crossed over to the Republicans. It was as explicit a repudiation of the last year as could be devised.
The course the “post-partisan healer” chose to set on January 20, 2009, led directly to his debacle on January 19, 2010. As a woman who managed to hold at least a couple of Kennedy seats once sang: Happy Birthday, Mister President!