Okay, they can leave off the last part.

Holy fuck we are such whiny babies. Is this good? Hell to the no. Is this bad? Hell to the yes. Is this a referendum on anything other than the teabaggers ability to vote for a nude male model (fitting)? No.

Certainly, the Republicans (and teabaggers) are motivated. And they are not to be taken lightly, as Coakley did. I'm not saying that.

I agree Obama and the leadership need to bone up and at least take tough rhetorical stands and speeches, even if they do have to make the shitty compromises to pass certain bills (and if they didn't, there would be NO reform, so don't act like an actual liberal agenda would pass, because it wouldn't.).

But most of all, we need to stop acting like this is the end of the world.

For fuck's sake, what would we have done if Franken lost? Jesus, a caucus of 60??? That was an impossible wet dream four years ago. Shit, even 59 was! The most optimistic realistic projections put us at 56.

For fuck's sake, grow some balls and stop whining!

And to the fucker above who said he doesn't want to vote in Illinois, FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU, YOUR MOM, YOUR DAUGHTER, YOUR DOG, AND YOUR STUCK UP WAH WAH I'M NOT MOTIVATED SO I WON'T VOTE ATTITUDE. FUCK YOU! It's THAT type of attitude that causes motherfuckers like Cheney to get power. So, fuck you! Your candidate choices suck? Welcome to fucking politics! Spend some time volunteering and putting some money in a primary candidate you DO like, even if it's a long shot. Not voting and letting teabaggers set the agenda? Not an option! I don't care how shitty your liberal candidate is.

Molly Ivins (may she sit at the right hand of God) often reminded her readers that in times like these an incremental improvement makes a big difference in the quality of the lives of the dispossessed. It's tempting and entirely accurate to blame the right wing for fiascos like the Great Depression and WW II, but too many don't survive to point the finger.

I whole heartedly agree with Da Moose's implied assumption that the American right is fascist.

Mostly I agree with your analysis. But I definitely see this as a referendum on Obama. In normal times, that seat would have gone to a Democrat by a large margin, even one who is sleep-walking. Brown ran on obstructing Obama any way he can. I try not to make too much of isolated data points. But look at the break down in NY Times article this morning.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html

This is devastating. And in the national context, public opinion on health care reform has changed radically since summer. The number who think it's a good idea had declined from a majority to 1 in 3, and the number who think it's a bad idea has doubled.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/01/18/carville-poll-only-13-of-voters-support-barack-obamas-national-health-care-plan/

The seat held by one of the few real progressives in U.S. Govt. has gone to someone who is not just another know-nothing right-wing obstructionist ideolog, but a fucking birther.

There are few things more dangerous than right wing populism, and the idiots of America are falling for it. This is a huge victory for Glen Pecker, Rush Limpdick and Fucks News.

We are so fucking fucked.
JzB

Bullhockey! Do you honestly think that if he had gone in there with both feet right after the election we wouldn't have a very different situation? LBJ didn't get his stuff through Congress because of his genteel, hands-off approach. He kicked Senators right in the gonads (on live TV!) (well, maybe pay-per-view). I honestly don't know what Obama was thinking – I knew going in that he was far more conservative than the GOP PR successfully painted him as, but it now looks like they were pretty accurate in describing him as inexperienced and weak. I mean, it's far better to have him as President than Loony John McCain, but by being so cautious he's done terrible harm to the country by validating the modern Republican ideology (if "better dead than different" and "Every man for himself!" amount to an ideology).