General

Massachusetts goes red

Republican Scott Brown strips the Democrats of their filibuster-proof Senate majority

In what the Washington Post terms “a devastating blow” to Barack Obama’s legislative agenda, Republican Scott Brown took the Massachusetts Senate seat—once virtually owned by Ted Kennedy—from the Democrats on Tuesday. Brown’s victory strips the Democrats of their supermajority in the Senate, leaving the party vulnerable to filibusters that could derail efforts to pass Obama’s landmark healthcare reform bill. Brown’s campaign specifically targeted opponents of healthcare reform and could provide the Republicans with an electoral roadmap for the mid-term elections slated for November. Democratic candidate Martha Coakley blamed her party’s establishment for the loss, saying it failed to provide her with the campaign funds necessary to defeat a surging Brown.

Washington Post

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