tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post6023469054496452882..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: What Can Brown Do For You?AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-53376765561980854892010-01-21T11:14:00.323-05:002010-01-21T11:14:00.323-05:00Okay, Bahney Fwank took a U-turn. Where on Tuesda...Okay, Bahney Fwank took a U-turn. Where on Tuesday night, he issued a statement that the healthcare bill should rethought, now, well, not so much.<br /><br />http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/u-turn-frank-says-with-assurances-hell-vote-for-the-senate-health-care-bill.php?ref=fpaBevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-74209001618964807542010-01-20T18:49:25.385-05:002010-01-20T18:49:25.385-05:00CrisD, I was thinking of you the other day -- duri...CrisD, I was thinking of you the other day -- during the election!<br /><br />You should take credit for their moment of sanity!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67789071653341834382010-01-20T18:44:14.492-05:002010-01-20T18:44:14.492-05:00I can't believe I moved to this insane state a...I can't believe I moved to this insane state and just like *that* they recognize the horror of Martha vs. the vavavooooom of Scott Brown! hahaha!<br />What a great victory for the American way! May Brown follow through with his promise to serve the people!CrisDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-13217709995880583012010-01-20T17:20:44.015-05:002010-01-20T17:20:44.015-05:00CrispyRice, You're right -- you never know how...CrispyRice, You're right -- you never know how good a candidate will be until they get into the fray, and, at some point, everyone comes from nowhere.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-934970383175272572010-01-20T17:07:28.591-05:002010-01-20T17:07:28.591-05:00We're thrilled over here, too! Mwahahahahahaa...We're thrilled over here, too! Mwahahahahahaaaaaaaa!!<br /><br />Rudy Guiliani was on Hannity yesterday and H was trying to get G to run, but G isn't interested right now. H said that we need strong, well-known candidates. G pointed out - had you ever heard of Scott Brown 8 weeks ago?<br /><br />It gives me lots and lots of hope for the future of the party. I think we probably do have lots of "no-names" hiding in the wings who will come out.CrispyRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302075204880024936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-31449921193164596362010-01-20T15:01:08.710-05:002010-01-20T15:01:08.710-05:00Andrew: Sorry, I'd been saving that up all ni...Andrew: Sorry, I'd been saving that up all night during my dreams of the future.<br /><br />Bev: That was hilarious. It sounded just like the kind of thing I'd do to rib my daughters (and I'd have to find a way to torment my son, too). It was obviously all good-natured family fun, and I'd love to know the inside family joke that prompted it. I suspect he's spent much of his life hearing the "oh, Dad, stop it" that I heard, complete with giggles and eyeball-rolling.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-86982373786501929412010-01-20T14:50:57.095-05:002010-01-20T14:50:57.095-05:00Bev, I thought that was hilarious. It struck me a...Bev, I thought that was hilarious. It struck me as a very "parent" thing to do -- having seen many a parent mention that their own kids are single. . .<br /><br /><br />Stan, She definitely generates excitement.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-44081661434390281102010-01-20T14:49:28.917-05:002010-01-20T14:49:28.917-05:00Lawhawk, So you don't have much to add huh? Y...Lawhawk, So you don't have much to add huh? You're feeling kind of indifferent on that? ;-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-62396061989508669232010-01-20T14:47:03.715-05:002010-01-20T14:47:03.715-05:00LawHawk, he also paid Ted Kennedy a huge complimen...LawHawk, he also paid Ted Kennedy a huge compliment and acknowledged the service he did for the state and country. Very classy. Though Brown did try to pimp out his daughters! I have a feeling that that was an inside joke in their family because his daughters didn't seem too upset, just shocked in a good-natured kind of way.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-74582133155352694752010-01-20T14:36:02.830-05:002010-01-20T14:36:02.830-05:00Andrew: Well done. I agree that Brown is a pheno...Andrew: Well done. I agree that Brown is a phenomenon with charisma x 3. I had despaired of the Republican Party finding anyone who didn't drone us to death during a public appearance. But only time will tell how much substance there is behind the promise. I suspect we'll find that the substance is there in abundance. <br /><br /><br />That said, I will admit that I had actually never seen Brown in a public appearance before. I got all my info second-hand from the TV and blog commentators. Then I saw the speech. I have not been drawn in to the pride and enthusiasm of a speech that much since I was a sixteen-year old sitting on the dais at the East Los Angeles rally for John Kennedy the day before the 1960 election. Wow!<br /><br />Mike's ironic comment was well-taken. If Brown rises to the job as Republican candidate, the Democrats will find themselves mercilessly parodied if they try to bring up experience.<br /><br />Months back, many of our readers and commenters believed that Obama was merely an empty-suit pol from Chicago. I kept hammering that he may be inept, but he is a left wing ideologue trying to socialize America. I still believe that, and it's why I think that the hasty optimism among the Democrat talking-heads and power-brokers that this will be a repeat of 1994 is just plain wrong. Clinton was a liberal, but hardly an ideologue. He was able to get his immense ego out of the way, and tack to the center, cleverly taking credit for the reforms actually instituted by the Republicans in Congress. Obama is morally and psychologically incapable of making such a move. Obama despises America, and will continue on his course of trying to "fundamentally change" the nation to the bitter end.<br /><br />Brown is one of those moderate-conservatives I can get behind. Though he is "pro-choice," he recognizes that the vast majority of Americans want serious restrictions on abortion, and he is opposed to any kind of government funding for abortion. Let's see if he's willing to compromise with the Democrats on that. I suspect he won't, but it will be a good test of his convictions for the future.<br /> <br />Brown understands bipartisanship and non-partisanship very well. His first "call-out" was to the independents. He thanked the people broadly for his election, not just conservatives or Republicans. He emphasized that he knows whom he works for, and it's not a party. It's his state and his nation. A man who can do that, running as a Republican in a heavily-Democratic/independent state has exceptional qualifications as a national candidate. If his deeds match his words over the next two years, I know who I'll be supporting.<br /><br />BTW: The person who made the remark about "not knowing anyone who voted for Nixon" is attributed to my old Berkeley friendly enemy Pauline Kael, later a New York-based movie critic.<br /><br />Totally irrelevant but funny note: When Fox News Channel was showing the history of the two Massachusetts candidates just before the polls closed, they had the Cosmo picture of the nude Brown, unedited (though close to the bottom of the screen). In all future showings, the, um, package was tastefully covered by the ubiquitous opaque circle. I suspect he picked up the votes of many San Franciscans who saw the first telecast, in a very bipartisan way, of course. LOLLawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-54236349626271041902010-01-20T14:01:32.083-05:002010-01-20T14:01:32.083-05:00According to her book, when Palin ran for Governor...According to her book, when Palin ran for Governor of Alaska, she ran outside of the system, and built her victory from hard work, person by person, very much like Brown. She took out Frank Murkowski Republican, paddling him and the other candidates in several debates, well worth watching. My point I’m excited about some of the up and comers Palin included. Also if you speak the truth, and from the heart you don’t have to remember what you said, makes you a good debater, and a good candidate.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-59153757027963609932010-01-20T13:28:42.470-05:002010-01-20T13:28:42.470-05:00Mike, I got you.Mike, I got you.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-3556559250838833132010-01-20T13:25:20.230-05:002010-01-20T13:25:20.230-05:00Andrew, I was trying to draw the parallel between ...Andrew, I was trying to draw the parallel between Brown's experience and Obama's. I'm not so good at subtlety, I guess.Mike K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17216987126441598720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-37184322243694973912010-01-20T12:45:43.922-05:002010-01-20T12:45:43.922-05:00Agreed Patti, the political landscape has changed ...Agreed Patti, the political landscape has changed dramatically. Let's hope it keeps on changing!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-63680516522438581472010-01-20T12:41:24.137-05:002010-01-20T12:41:24.137-05:00last night, after the results were in, as i heard ...last night, after the results were in, as i heard the talk of pushing the healthcare bill thru, i thought that would be one of the last nails in their already sealed coffin. and then i realized that we HAD shifted, that i WASN'T hoping anymore, i KNEW. BOOM! <br /><br />oh happy day!pattihttp://www.notawonk.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-29187501592032113512010-01-20T12:36:27.697-05:002010-01-20T12:36:27.697-05:00Jed, That was an incredibly telling quote, and is ...Jed, That was an incredibly telling quote, and is probably the first crack in the wall exposing that the "elite" are out of touch. In fact, that quote coincides with the moment that journalism began to lose the people.<br /><br />On Palin, absolutely. Her speech patterns and her populism are the basis for her popularity. And to be a populist, you, by definition, need to define yourself as an outsider, because populism is about "us versus them" -- that's why it can be so dangerous.<br /><br />Brown uses a much milder form of populism -- one that I would argue is much more acceptable to the middle class, because it's less confrontational.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-89014952713828330132010-01-20T12:19:50.965-05:002010-01-20T12:19:50.965-05:00no doubt you are right about some of the leftist i...no doubt you are right about some of the leftist ideologues. I am reminded of the Manhattenite women who couldn't believe Nixon had won and claimed "how could he win, I don't know ANYBODY who voted for him."<br /><br />As far as Palin, I don't disagree she is much different from Brown. But, I do think her a good bit of her massive popularity stems from her view as a populist who speaks a language that appeals to many and casts her as a political outsider.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58384628432099024732010-01-20T11:55:30.644-05:002010-01-20T11:55:30.644-05:00Bev, That's the most important qualification f...Bev, That's the most important qualification for office!! LOL!<br /><br />Despite my dislike for Frank, I must admit that he is a smart and saavy politician who does understand his voters.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-37682304678941826722010-01-20T11:54:22.975-05:002010-01-20T11:54:22.975-05:00Jed, All good points.
Lesson 1 - the combination ...Jed, All good points.<br /><br />Lesson 1 - the combination of the utter failure of the Republicans and the anger and fear put into regular people by Obama's power-grabbing, drunken-spending policies has brought a lot of people into the process who don't think like wonks, and that's what's driven this wave. It's a good wave -- these are the very people Democracy was meant for.<br /><br />Lesson 2 -- I think there is a significant difference between Brown and Palin, aside from the tremendous baggage. Palin rose to prominence on the basis of one speech, after being picked to ride as a second in a campaign. Brown just ran his own campaign in hostile territory (and against both party's establishments). But, like I've said, we need to remain cautious in calling Brown anything more than a flash in the pan until we see more from him. (Nor do I know enough about his views to say that I would support him.)<br /><br />Lesson 3 - The alternative media has been absolutely critical. Without it, people would only hear about the great health care bill those mean old Republicans are stalling and they wouldn't know anything about it.<br /><br />But I'd like to emphasize that I think one of the lessons here is that when we run "normal" people for office (not career politicians), the negative attacks just don't work.<br /><br />Lesson 4 -- I do need to disagree here. I've known enough leftists in my life who genuinely believe that the vast majority of the public thinks like they do and would jump up to support their policies, if only... that's where they fill in all kind of things, Republican dirty tricks, an establishment media, voter fraud, etc. They really just don't understand that the electorate doesn't buy what they are selling. I suspect Pelosi is like that, though I don't know her personally.<br /><br />Lesson 5 -- Never get cocky.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-56130582510918452010-01-20T11:41:28.287-05:002010-01-20T11:41:28.287-05:00LL, I think you're right. The message is clea...LL, I think you're right. The message is clearly smaller government, less interference and STOP doing what you've been doing for the past 9-10 years.<br /><br />I also agree that the message was meant for both parties, given the number of Democrats who voted for a Republican for the first times in their lives. But the Democrats flat out don't want to hear it -- they ridicule the message and claim any other lesson except the one sent.<br /><br />But the Republicans are finally hearing it. You see this in the change of rhetoric, in the way they've stuck together, and the way they've begun changing the way they hand out money. And where the leadership has failed, the primary voters have shown them the error of their ways -- next up Rubio.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-14806957605928308242010-01-20T11:34:51.893-05:002010-01-20T11:34:51.893-05:00ACG -- My thoughts exactly! LOL! I was so happy ...ACG -- My thoughts exactly! LOL! I was so happy about this that I even had to write this article late, late, late last night.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33932089754516804062010-01-20T11:33:58.718-05:002010-01-20T11:33:58.718-05:00Writer X, Your state should experience a seismic s...Writer X, Your state should experience a seismic shift from this. It will be interesting to watch.<br /><br />I agree entirely about Brown. As I watched his acceptance speech, I just kept thinking -- wow, I like this guy. And the thought that kept coming to me was that he does not have a big head -- like so many others. Now I don't know if that's real or if it's a manufactured image, but it feels real. I guess time will tell. It what he showed last night was real, then he will be an incredibly formidable challenger for any race he chooses.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33848781365426974852010-01-20T11:32:26.125-05:002010-01-20T11:32:26.125-05:00Oh and might I add that Scott Brown looks good nek...Oh and might I add that Scott Brown looks good nekkid too...;-) He was a '80's Cosmo centerfold! Who knew!BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-68265241798441715042010-01-20T11:31:20.931-05:002010-01-20T11:31:20.931-05:00Stan, I have no doubt that Obama will push harder ...Stan, I have no doubt that Obama will push harder -- he's been making that point and his supporters have been demanding it. But the problem this election, for Obama, is not that the voters took away his supermajority, but that they sent a shockwave through every Democrat who is not in a super safe district.<br /><br />The harder he pushes, the more the Dems will now push back.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-27252048467741372642010-01-20T11:28:44.891-05:002010-01-20T11:28:44.891-05:00Add Barney Frank to your list of Democrats that se...Add Barney Frank to your list of Democrats that see the handwriting. Frank's at least a good enough politician to see:<br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/19/barney-frank-concedes-hea_n_429128.htmlBevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.com