BOSTON — The Republican knockout victory here last night should be a Code Brown alert for President Obama.
It was a political earthquake of equal magnitude to the temblor that crushed Haiti.
Amid the aftershocks and bewilderment, however, it appears that Obama — Mr. Hope and Change who was inaugurated one year ago today — may not fully grasp just how personally responsible he is for the thrashing here in the Democratic heartland.
Even before voters had finished voting, Obama’s minions got busy dumping all over Martha Coakley for her terrible campaign.
The instant blame game revealed a White House deeply involved in Machiavellian tactics against its own party that would make Dick Nixon blanch.
However terrible the “Chokely” campaign may have been, make no mistake: Obama owns this.
The opportunity he earned one year ago cannot be overstated.
He came off an election victory so historic and spectacular that even Republicans got caught up in the euphoria.
His party’s control in the House was unquestioned; their power in the Senate unstoppable.
Enemy Republicans were punished nearly out of existence and very few people were sorry to see them go.
And though his mandate was somewhat ill-defined, it was a powerful mandate. And because it was ill-defined, it was like a blank check. He could write it out to whomever and for however much he wanted.
He could have changed the world.
Instead, Obama completely squandered his historic opportunity and is now poised to become the shortest-lived political dynasty in history.
Voters asked for no more back-room dealmaking. Obama’s Democrats delivered a monstrous health-care bill that nobody wants, doesn’t lower costs and bankrupts the country — all drafted in secrecy.
Voters demanded an end to Washington corruption. They got sweetheart deals for labor unions and massive payoffs to lawmakers.
Voters begged for fiscal restraint. They got fiscal insanity.
One year ago, people marveled at the magic of Obama.
But the only magic trick he managed to pull off was to rescue the Republican party from the ash bin.
It is the only way to explain Scott Brown’s stunning win last night in Massachusetts.
Especially to fill the seat of Ted Kennedy, who was by far more passionately committed to Democratic health-care efforts than anyone else in Congress.