Left Wing Poll Indicates Democratic Base Helped Brown

January 21, 2010 at 7:25 am | Posted in Political | 2 Comments

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC conducted an exit poll in Massachusetts Tuesday night which indicated the lack of a “public option” in the last known Senate version of the health care bill contributed to Scott Brown’s victory. 82% of respondents who voted for Obama in 2008 and then Brown on Tuesday stated they support the public option. 86% of Obama voters who stayed home from the polls also stated they support the public option. Over half of respondents in both categories, those who voted for Brown and those who stayed home, said Obama is not doing enough to deliver on the change he promised during the campaign.

Forgetting for the moment this poll was conducted on behalf of three “progressive” organizations, including MoveOn.org, what should we take away from it? It may be a mistake to disregard these numbers. When taken in consideration alongside reaction on record from Democratic supporters to the exclusion of a “public option,” along with the presence of a sizable faction within the left-wing which has demanded an outright single-payer system, it seems sensible to speculate a disillusioned Democratic base is perhaps as responsible for Brown’s victory as an emboldened libertarian uprising. This makes sense when compared to the model established in Republican support when the GOP was the majority; the failure of Republicans to live up to their articulated ideals led to disillusioned conservatives who withheld support and essentially enabled Democratic victories.

If one can move past an inherent suspicion of the source, these numbers offer some sobriety to the elation following Brown’s historic ascent to the Senate. While it is true, as articulated in the above shown video from Minnesota Majority, that Scott Brown’s victory “was a referendum on freedom,” it may also be true it was a referendum from some quarters to the contrary. Understanding this, at least accepting it as a possibility, may be key to crafting successful campaigns throughout this year.

The greatest danger in the wake of Brown’s victory, in this writer’s opinion, is assuming an air of manifest destiny. Candidates for liberty must pursue an aggressive campaign which forces statist opponents toward the center, depriving them of support from their entitlement-hungry base. Speaking from the perspective of the Republican Party, the sentiment has been oft expressed that Republicans have not distinguished themselves from Democrats, been “me too” luke-warm alternatives, and thus enabled the message to be crafted by opponents. There is an opportunity this year to turn that phenomenon on its ear. Brown’s victory offers evidence.