Coakley V Brown: Countdown to the Political Tsunami

It's voting day in Massachusetts and we're only hours away from history being made.

Massachusetts voters, in a unique position to either gum up the works or grease the wheels for the Democratic agenda in Washington, appeared to flex their clout in Tuesday's special election, with poll workers reporting a steady stream of voters at the ballot box despite the snow.

That's a sharp contrast from the lackluster voter interest seen in the December primary. With the general election suddenly competitive and national policymakers fixed on the race due to the implications it could have for Capitol Hill, Massachusetts voters were heading to the polls in droves to try to tip the balance of the race.

The next thing to watch will the president and the Democrat's reaction to all this. Will they see the ominous future and make a correction or will they forge ahead and ignore this? If the tenor of this Politico article is accurate the White House plans to change nothing.

This is not a moment that causes the president or anybody who works for him to express any doubt,” a senior administration official said. “It more reinforces the conviction to fight hard.”

...

The response will not be to do incremental things and try to salvage a few seats in the fall,” a presidential adviser said. “The best political route also happens to be the boldest rhetorical route, which is to go out and fight and let the chips fall where they may. We can say, ‘At least we fought for these things, and the Republicans said no.’”

It appears we have a stubborn, arrogant and inexperienced president. That's a very dangerous combination. If, despite losing in Massachusetts, the president changes nothing, he will continue banging his head against the wall. He will suffer and so will the country.