Fiefdoms

Despite the fact that the White House denies it, the recent election to replace Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy in the Senate is... a test for Obama:

A test for Obama in Kennedy fief

Even a few weeks ago, the idea that a Republican might win the Massachusetts Senate seat held by Edward Kennedy for nearly 50 years would have seemed ridiculous. In Tuesday’s election, Scott Brown seems poised to do just that. The state is one of the most liberal in the union, but polls give him a narrow lead over the Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley.

Even a narrow Democratic win would be an upset. To lose the seat would be a body blow both for the Democratic party and for Barack Obama’s administration. It would cost the Democrats their 60th seat in the Senate, and with it the filibuster-proof majority they need to pass healthcare reform. More than that, it would stand as a brutal repudiation of Mr Obama’s programme. If Massachusetts elects a Republican to succeed Kennedy, a rout of the Democrats in November’s mid-term elections – even a Democratic wipe-out like that of 1994 – becomes plausible.