Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts changes the political and policy landscape. It became a national referendum and the people won. Those who thought they could cram healthcare reform down our throats, now see that they can’t. Those who felt powerless have discovered their power. This majestic constitutional republic has just corrected its course-not by bullets, but by ballots.

Just a couple of months ago, it seemed like there was nothing we could do. It was as though Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and President Obama had hotwired the health care steamroller, and it was going to roll over us. Ah, but the people rose up. They expressed themselves in town hall meetings and phone calls to Capitol Hill. They exercised their constitutional freedoms and expressed their opposition. Still, it seemed like the majority in the House and Senate weren’t hearing or weren’t heeding.

My what a difference a high-profile special election makes! Republicans, independents and even some Democrats voted to change course. Based on the reaction here in Washington this morning, I’m thinking that even the folks driving the steam roller heard the message!

There were shouts of joy as the wires were pulled out of the starter on that steam roller last night. Tomorrow the quiet will be merciful relief. At some point we will look at ourselves and say, “We did it! We stopped what we didn’t want. Now, what do we want?”

Surely the answer will be that we want jobs and economic growth. We want to balance the budget and pay down the debt. We want to break the addiction to Middle Eastern oil and set America free. We want reasonable, common sense health care reform that brings down the cost of health care through tort
reform, 50-state competition among private insurance companies, an end to the cost shift caused by the free riders and an end to pre-existing condition exclusions. We can get there. The solution started with stopping the wrong plan.

This majestic constitutional republic has just changed course. That’s worth celebrating!