Would a Scott Brown near-miss send a message?

As with most every other political junkie in the US, I’ve followed the Scott Brown phenomenon underway in Massachusetts with fascination and (dare I say it?) hope! He has achieved something no one thought possible … even 30 days ago. Yet there is one phrase I hear and read with increasing frequency; even if Scott brown loses today, he will have sent a the Democrats a chilling message regarding Obamacare.

I heard a similar refrain last November regarding the special Congressional race in the 23rd district of New York when the local Republican party bosses ran a very liberal candidate, Dede Scozzafava. A rival candidate, Doug Hoffman, ran on the Conservative Party ticket and in the last couple of weeks came from single digit territory to a double digit lead over Scozzafava, causing her to drop out of the race just days before the election. The Democrat candidate, Bill Owens went on to win the race by about five points (Scozzafava picked up about 10% of the total vote even after dropping out).

So … did the Democratic party in Washington change their agenda in response to having just dodged a bullet? Absolutely not! They deemed Owens’ win as confirmation that their agenda was safe. Well the same thing will happen if Martha Coakley, the Dem candidate running against Scott Brown, wins today.

A win is just that, and a loss is a loss. It can’t be spun any other way. And regardless of the message a close win would provide for the conservatives and Republicans, the Democrats will feel that their agenda was vindicated.

For those of us on the right, the only win would be for Scott Brown to become the next US Senator representing Massachusetts. Messages only count if the recipient is listening to you.

Related posts:

1. Thank the Lord … and Scott Brown!
2. Principles and the Big Tent
3. The Spector that was Specter
4. Healthcare Jihadists