Research Briefing

Scott Brown’s Victory In Massachusetts A Complete Repudiation Of Obama’s “Big Bang” Agenda

“Barack Obama’s Big Bang … Theory Was Simple … Use A Season Of Economic Anxiety To Enact Sweeping Changes The Public Likely Wouldn’t Stomach In Ordinary Times.” (Mike Allen And Jim VandeHei, “Obama’s Big Bang Could Go Bust,” Politico, 8/21/09)

OBAMA TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ECONOMIC CRISIS TO RAM THROUGH BINGE SPENDING, GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER AGENDA

Obama’s Chief-Of-Staff Rahm Emanuel: “Rule One: Never Allow A Crisis To Go To Waste.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama Weighs Quick Undoing Of Bush Policy, The New York Times, 11/8/08)

So Obama Pushed Binge Spending Agenda That Will Create $9.1 Trillion In Debt Over Next Decade, Nearly The Amount Of Debt America Has Accrued In Its Entire History Up To July 2008 ($9.5 Trillion). (“An Analysis Of The President’s Budgetary Proposals For Fiscal Year 2010,” Congressional Budget Office, June 2009; Public Debt, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 7/20/09)

• That Included His $787 Billion Stimulus That Has Failed To Prevent Double-Digit Unemployment. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 1/19/10)

• His Cap-And-Trade National Energy Tax That Could Mean 1 Million Jobs Lost Per Year. “Overall, a cap-and-trade system that reduces annual GDP by 0.34 percent per year can be expected to reduce U.S. employment by roughly 964,900 jobs per year ...” (Andrew Chamberlain, “Who Pays For Climate Policy?,” Tax Foundation, 3/09)

• And His $2.5 Trillion Government-Run Health Care Experiment. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT): “Just for a second -- health care reform, whether you use a ten-year number or when you start in 2010 or start in 2014, wherever you start at, so it is still either $1 trillion or it’s $2.5 trillion, depending on where you start...” (Sen. Max Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/2/09)

OBAMA REFUSED TO LISTEN TO AMERICANS’ PLEAS TO STOP, EVEN AFTER DEFEATS IN VIRGINIA AND NEW JERSEY

Last Week, Obama Told Democrats They Should Keep On Pushing Government Takeover Of Health Care. “Today we are on the doorstep of accomplishing something that Washington has been talking about since Teddy Roosevelt was President, and that is reforming health care and health insurance here in America.  Now, believe me, I know how big a lift this has been.  I see the polls … But I also know what happens once we get this done, once we saw this law -- sign this bill into law.  The American people will suddenly learn that this bill does things they like and doesn’t do things that people have been trying to say it does.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At The House Democratic Caucus Retreat, Washington, DC, 1/14/10)

But Democratic Defeats In Virginia, New Jersey Last November Showed “Voters Nervous About The Economy And Fed Up With The Political Establishment Dominated The Off-Year Elections, Sending A Strong Message To President Barack Obama …” (Beth Fouhy, “Analysis: Nervous Voters Send Message To Obama,” The Associated Press, 11/4/09)

In Virginia, Independents “Swung Wildly.” “The independent voters who helped Obama in 2008 become the first Democratic presidential candidate in 44 years to carry the Old Dominion have swung wildly in a different direction. The swing from Obama’s win last year to McDonnell’s Tuesday: 23 points.” (John F. Harris & Jonathan Martin, “Democrats, Incumbents Get Wake-Up Call,” Politico, 11/4/09)

• Creigh Deeds Said Obama’s Agenda “Made It Very Tough” For Him In Race. Creigh Deeds: “Frankly, a lot of what’s going on in Washington has made it very tough ... We had a very tough August because people were just uncomfortable with the spending; they were uncomfortable with a lot of what was going on, a lot of the noise that was coming out of Washington, D.C.” (Jonathan Martin, “Deeds Points Finger At Washington,” Politico, 10/6/09)

“In New Jersey, Likewise, Christie Won 58 Percent Of Independents.” (John F. Harris & Jonathan Martin, “Democrats, Incumbents Get Wake-Up Call,” Politico, 11/4/09)

• ·         Gov. Corzine Loss “Embarrassment” For White House. “A Democratic loss there would be an embarrassment for this White House and provide a jolt of energy to a Republican Party at a crucial time as it recruits candidates and raises money for the elections next year. Republicans won the governors’ races in New Jersey and Virginia in 1993 and went on to capture Congress in 1994.” (Adam Nagourney, “2 State Races May Put Lens On President,” The New York Times, 10/11/09)

SO VOTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS SENT OBAMA ANOTHER MESSAGE

Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson: “In Massachusetts, Voters Saw What Obama Is Doing And Went Out To Stop It.” (Margaret Carlson, “True-Blue Massachusetts Is Red Alert To Obama: Margaret Carlson,” Bloomberg, 1/19/10)

AP: “Republican Scott Brown rode a wave of voter anger to defeat Democrat Martha Coakley in a U.S. Senate election Tuesday that left President Barack Obama's health care overhaul in doubt and marred the end of his first year in office.” (Glen Johnson & Liz Sidoti, “GOP's Brown Wins Mass. Senate Seat In Epic Upset,” The Associated Press, 1/19/10)

CNN’s Gloria Borger: “This Was A National Election … Scott Brown Campaigned By Saying He Wanted To Be The Vote To Kill Health Care Reform In The United States Senate. And He Won.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 12/19/10)

AND SOME DEMS KNOW OBAMA’S “BIG BANG” HAS NOW BURST

Democratic Operative To Dem Members Of Congress: “Jump Ship Now … Obama Can’t Help You.” (Chris Cillizza, “Scott Brown Wins Massachusetts Special Election Race,” The Washington Post, 1/19/10)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY): “I Think You Can Make A Pretty Good Argument That Health Care Might Be Dead.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 1/19/10)

“If There Isn’t Any Recognition That We Got The Message And We Are Trying To Recalibrate And Do Things Differently, We Are Not Only Going To Risk Looking Ignorant But Arrogant.” (Carrie Budoff Brown, “Weiner: Dems Should Take A Step Back From Health Care,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/19/10)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): “If Scott Brown Wins, It’ll Kill The Health Bill.” (“Frank: GOP Win in Massachusetts Senate Race Will ‘Kill the Health Bill,’” The Associated Press, 1/15/10)

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) Said “It Doesn’t Look Right” To Rush A Bill Without Brown’s Vote. “‘I think that’s unlikely,’ Waxman said Tuesday night. ‘It doesn’t look right to do that. He ought to be seated and we ought to see where we go.’ Waxman would not speculate on which course Democrats might take, but said the party was committed to passage. ‘Absolutely,’ he said.” (Carrie Budoff Brown, “Waxman: Unlikely That Dems Push Reform Through Before Mass. Senator Seated,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/19/10)

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY): “If [Coakley] Loses, It’s Over.” “Count Manhattan Rep. Carolyn Maloney among those seeing doom for the health care reform effort if Scott Brown stomps Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, reports Michael Saul. ‘If she loses, it’s over,’ Maloney said just a little bit ago at an event with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in Queens.” (Michael McAuliff, “Maloney: Health Care Dies If Coakley Loses,” The New York Daily News’s “Mouth Of The Potomac” Blog, 1/19/10)

Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD) Said Health Reform Unlikely After Massachusetts Senate Loss Because Reconciliation “An Unlikely Course.” “‘Senate leaders chose not to use [reconciliation] because both of the restrictions the procedure imposes--limiting provisions to revenue rather than reforms--and because of the political challenges,’ she wrote. ‘It remains an option, but the bills would have to be modified and scaled back. A lot remains to be seen. In my opinion, it’s still an unlikely course.’” (Patrick O’Connor, “Herseth Sandlin: Bill Prospects ‘Diminish Significantly’ With Loss In Mass,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/19/10)

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) Says Voters In Massachusetts “Not Happy About  This Health Care Bill.” “I think there is a message there and the people of Mass want us to listen. They are not happy about the economy. They’re not happy about this health care bill. So they want us to listen.” (Chris Frates, “Lynch: Don’t Pass The Senate Bill,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/19/10)

“Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) Said He Was ‘Sure’ That The Outcome In Massachusetts Will ‘Determine The Fate Of Health Care.’” (Marty Kady, “Clay: Election Will ‘Determine The Fate Of Health Care,’” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/19/10)