Considering Brown

A few thoughts on tonight:

Tonight doesn’t mean a mandate for Republicans as a whole, as a party. A vote for the underdog candidate and a vote against the perceived establishment are counted equally, and it is far easier to make an argument against the status quo (since it is never perfect) than to truly convince someone that you are a candidate worth voting for. The real work is to prove to those who voted against the establishment, as well as those who did put their faith in you, that you are worthy of their trust. And even if you will disagree on policy, let your opponents be able to say, at the end of the discussion, “at least that is an honorable man, an honorable woman doing what they think is best for our country.” Republican gains are not guaranteed for November, but tonight signifies that such gains can be earned. And the party has a long, long, LONG way to go to earning the privilege of governance.

Tonight doesn’t mean the healthcare debate is over – far from. The next few days will involve frantic meetings behind closed doors, with moderates and progressives alike making demands their leadership will tell them are impossible to meet. And then a strategy will be chosen, and it will result in some significant soul-searching within the Democrat Party, because there is no clean Way Out. And I fear that, as in most circumstances where someone is cornered, the outcome will not be pretty. Tonight does mean the debate has been extended, and I cannot overstate how key that fact is. Democrats were surprised last year that Republicans did not take their minority status as a cue to roll over on the issue, and forcing the debate made it last as long as it has, long enough to drag some of its ugliness into the sunlight and the consciousness of everyday Americans. But they did not learn their lesson: tonight, Democrats were surprised that the American people did not take the party’s majority status as license to do whatever they dreamt up, not even the great lions like Senator Kennedy. And the country will be better off for the deliberation, even if it is forced. So tonight means both sides has their work cut out for them this year.

Tonight does mean that Americans, somewhat remarkably, remain wary of absolutism in government, of one-family or one-party rule. “The people’s seat” resonates rhetorically, but has been so often accompanied by a wink and a nod, especially in places like the northeast where political dynasties are the rule rather than the exception. Tonight, I think voters made it clear that they still hold the key, that in their leadership role, politicians have nothing that was not given to them – whether through advocacy or apathy. They are equally powerful, and equally dangerous.

And tonight, all the stress and labor and tears of last year seem worth it.

Congratulations, Senator-elect Brown.