The conservative American Enterprise Institute has come up a an interesting analysis of Republican Scott Brown’s victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s senate seat: http://www.american.com/archive/2010/january/massachusetts-the-educated-class-versus-the-people
The thesis is that college graduates, the “educated class,” voted for Coakley while less educated voters stayed home or voted Republican. The article is thoughtful, intelligent and totally misses the point.
The Brown vs. Coakley election result is a perfect symbol for the Republican country club conservatives’ “culture war” theory: Effete liberals are blind to the needs of hardworking, patriotic Americans. The alternative theory is that deregulation, combined with stupid risk taking by big business, tanked the economy leaving hardworking, patriotic Americans in a world of hurt.
Less educated voters who supported Obama, were hard up economically before the recession and are feeling under the gun. Not surprisingly, their unemployment rate is higher, income is lower, and they feel time is running out. They want their needs addressed NOW. In short, they’re pissed.
Pissed voters are likely to stay home or vote against the party in power.
Brown tapped into this anger and then professional conservative agitators leaped in with campaign money and “independent” campaign ads. The ads offered no practical solutions to the economic emergency. Neither did they offer a practical alternative to the Democrats' attempts at health care reform--the focus for many voters' anxiety and anger. Apparently, they didn’t need to.
That’s how partisan democracy works.
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