Republican Resurgence

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “G.O.P. Surges to Senate Victory in Massachusetts.” It describes the surprising win of the U.S. Senate race there by Scott Brown, previously a little-known Republican State Senator.

The race is being analyzed ad nauseum on the cable networks, so before I subscribe to any viewpoint, let me remind the readers that a day is like a year in politics. The 2010 elections are still many months away, and the Democrats have a chance, albeit diminishing, to strike back.

What to do? Well, I support the idea currently being promoted by Chris Matthews on Hardball. Let the House pass the Senate bill with the promise to include the results of any negotiation through reconciliation in the spring.

This two-step process is the only way the Democrats will get the majority of what they want, and it will at least provide them with something to run on in November. The alternative: to say, well, we tried to get a health bill passed but we were the victim of unfortunate circumstances.

So let the Republicans hoop and holler for a few days with their spin about Democratic arrogance. Then, get the real results for the American people and run on it.