So, you voted for Scott Brown?

I'm just asking. I don't think I've ever seen you get so worked up about anything before.

I understand the frustration at the ineptitude, the complacency, and the arrogance of the Democratic party. The people of Massachusetts are not the only ones tearing their hair out at their refusal to run with the ball they've been handed.

That said, I still don't get (and no one's been able to convince me) that people voted for Scott Brown because they believe it's going to be anything other than 'business as usual' ... and Republican business at that.

The Health Care Reform Bill is (was) not dead. it has indeed morphed into a thin watery iteration of its original self, but I am not one of those people who say kill it because it's not comprehensive enough. Getting more people covered is worth it (especially if you're one of those people) and we have to start somewhere in this peculiar, reactionary country.

Surely, the Democrats and Independents who voted for Brown understood that making him the 41st Republican vote would tilt the odds away from passing anything at all.

I catch a defensive tone about your great state in your responses. It could've happened here in Washington State as well. I think that it was a surprise to some of us that the state that everyone considers the bastion of progressive thought could let itself vote such an empty suit into a Senate seat.

I still don't understand the 'fear' that you mention. Outrage, okay. Frustration, okay. But what are you afraid of? I still contend that much of the fear and outrage attributed to dissatisfied voters is cooked up by FOX News and talk radio. People are whipped into a frenzy 24/7. It's a proven formula.

We live in the richest country in the world. If you think you have it bad, take a trip to Cambodia, or Haiti or Myanmar. My retirement accounts tanked along with everyone else's and I have friends who've lost their jobs, but I'm still better off than 85% of the rest of the world.

And even if I were so pissed off and fearful for my future that I had to find someone to blame why the fuck would I vote for a Republican?!

I agree with Peter that it would've been better to vote for Coakley. Sometimes there are no good options, only better ones. In Louisiana, a state that really knows about shitty candidates, they had a gubernatorial election between David Duke, the Klansman, and Edwin Edwards, who was later indicted on racketeering. The Klansman vs. the Crook. Bumper stickers sprouted all over LA saying, 'Vote for the Crook'....