I’m sad, but this IS America…

At 8:51 EST, it looks like Martha Coakley, Democrat, will lose to Scott Brown, Republican in the race for Massachusetts Senator.  If that does, in fact, happen, then President Obama’s chance at getting health-care reform passed is doomed by the people’s opinions.  Even if the Democrats push it through quickly, there will always be a sense that they did it with smoke and mirrors, that it was “politics as usual” in a President that promised a different way.  Obama’s presidency is in real trouble unless Coakley wins.  This election is seen by almost everyone as a a vote on Obama’s health-care plan specifically and his presidency in general.

If, in fact, Coakley has lost, the tide of opinion has turned against health-care reform.  Now, of course, there are some out there who say the tide long-ago turned.  And they may be right.  I have to say, I don’t understand WHY people are against health-care reform. I don’t understand WHY people don’t want their brothers and sisters to have health-care they can afford. Nor do I understand all the irrationality of the Right-Wing propaganda machine.  Mostly, however, I don’t understand why people would believe all the lies that were told even before this was out of the gate.

I suspect, underneath it all, is the sense that we as a society, need to beat back the Black Man.  (Yes, I believe that racism was a part of this vote and I will not stop believing that, given that we finally have our first Black president and it’s hard to change  a lot of old habits. I don’t care what anybody says. Responses that deny that will be left off the site. Complain about other stuff if you must, but don’t tell me that racism isn’t at least part of the American people’s reason to see Obama fail.)

With that off my chest, let me say that if, in fact, the people HAVE spoken about health care  reform, AND Massachusetts represents the nation,then Massachusetts did the right thing in voting whatever way it voted.  I don’t like Scott Brown. I don’t like his stands on many things.  In that sense, I will not be happy unless Coakley wins tonight.

But here’s the deal: this is America and if you can’t get a majority of the people to buy into your idea, you haven’t done your job.  The pro-healthcare, pro-Obama folks haven’t done their jobs. That’s why the vote is the way it is.  He offered us a chance to hope for a better world, a fairer world, and we didn’t take it.  You can lead a country to water, but you can’t make ‘em think. If we want a better world, we’re going to have to want a better world as a whole people.  Maybe it’s time to re-consider the other healthcare options out there — those supported by moderates and right-wing folks.  Maybe it’s time to let us kill our economy ourselves when people can’t afford medicine or doctors visits and the insurance companies, doctors, management others think they can get away with anything.  Maybe it’s time to focus on other things.  Maybe, maybe, maybe… I don’t know.   The fact is that healthcare in this country sucks, that it benefits a minority who own stock in these companies and not the  majority that don’t. But, if we’re not in pain enough to realize that, then we’re not in enough pain yet.  Oh well.  When our love of each other outweighs our hatred of our President, we’ll get to it.

Now, having said all of that, because this IS America, if Brown won under false pretenses then throw the bum and his cronies out! If you can’t play fair, then you don’t deserve to play at all. The Boston Globe is reporting tonight that there have been ballots at a few places which were already scored for Brown when the voter got them.  That is, they were already set for Brown. That kind of crap cannot stand!!!  If the Republicans — or somebody for them — did this, they should be barred from politics altogether for some period of time.

IF there are irregularities of any sort by the Brown campaign, then the referendum on Obama’s still out. We’ll see.  I hope Coakley wins. I hope there wasn’t any “fixing” of the ballot box.  But most of all, I hope that America wakes up and does the right thing and takes care of each other.  We’ll see.  I’m not putting any money on it, but we’ll see.

Peace,

John