Brown's victory is a wake up call for a lot of other people besides Democrats

Sometimes the old dog just gets up, scratches a flea or two, and starts snapping at whatever is within his reach. That’s how I felt about myself in the recent special election here in Massachusetts that saw unknown Republican Scott Brown beat established Democrat Martha Coakley 52% to 48%, give or take a tenth of a percentage point or two, for the seat left vacant by Ted Kennedy’s death.

In a previous post I described Brown as “relatively” unknown, but you’ll notice that in the above paragraph I simply referred to him as unknown. What a different a day makes. Compared to his infamy now across the country, he wasn’t just an unknown, he was a nobody.

I used to follow politics the way some people follow sports. And I’d write about politics, on occasion, in freelance columns for the MetroWest Daily News. To call me a political reporter though, would be a mistake akin to calling Brown a political heavyweight. I wasn’t, though in the field of political commentary I probably could hold my weight better than Pretty Boy Brown can in his respective weight class.

I actually remember Brown getting first elected and thinking to myself, What the…? What a lump he presented after his predecessor. Kind of the situation he’s in now, though obviously over the course of those years he’s worked on his presentation skills. He took Democrat Cheryl Jacques seat after she had decided not to run. Now there was a spitfire. Senator Jacques would always return calls, the people she had working for her were sharp, and she always had her facts and opinions straight. I can’t imagine Senator Jacques ever posing nude, or employing some stupid gimmick to get votes like driving around in an old truck when everyone darn well knows you can afford a new one. She was a thinking voters’ politician, and a politician that writers liked. Substance over image. She’s gone on to be a mover and a shaker as a GLBT Civil Rights advocate. Kind of a female Harvey Milk, and that doesn’t surprise me. She was too good for the Massachusetts Legislature.

Thank or curse Brown for this, but he’s renewed my interest in politics. A few other people who I know who I’ve been talking to privately. His win was not only a wake up call for the Democrats, but for a lot of other people, too.