Braunstein Speaks

A Busy Weekend

There are now four news-stories competing for our attention, and three are bad news for the Democrats.

First, it looks like the Massachusetts race for the “Kennedy Seat” is fast going to hell. The Republican challenger, Scott Brown, is now polling ahead of the Democrat, Martha Coakley, by some five points. The Dems don’t know whether to pretend to ignore this Tuesday’s election, or have President Obama show up with his light skin and speak for Coakley without using Negro dialect—or do they realise that Obama is the real problem?

Meanwhile, Nancy, Harry, and Barry will try like mad to finish their closed-door deal-making on ObamaCare before Tuesday night. Last night saw the sellout to the unions on “Cadillac Health Plans.” (Only we non-union types will have to pay the 40-percent tax.)

Even if Coakley takes the Senate seat, an election that only a few weeks ago was not in doubt in the Peoples’ Republic of Massachusetts will give really cold feet to those pols who tried to ignore the New Jersey and Virginia elections just a few months back.

If Brown wins, his vote could completely unravel the Democrats’ plans. Once again, the Boston Dems will try to change the rules to prevent seating the Republican until after the cloture vote—another embarrassing fight.

The Massachusetts race is only the first contest of 2010. The entire House of Representatives and one third of the Senate are up for grabs in less than 10 months.

More importantly, the Jay Leno-Conan O’Brien thing has not been getting its fair-share of news coverage. Now that Michael Jackson is dead—and I think, already buried—and Tiger Woods is still hiding in the 18th Hole, we need another celebrity scandal—or whatever you would call this example of fine business-sense by NBC and Jeff Zucker.

And don’t forget Haiti. It’s not often that we get a full-blown third-world disaster on our own doorstep—well, I suppose if you don’t live in South Florida, it’s not really your doorstep—but we can’t ignore it. The news talks of nothing else.

As I did a few days ago, let me program the next few days in Haiti:

Tonight will mark 72 hours since Port-au-Prince was flattened, and so far, there has been no relief worth talking about. Today’s rescue operations will by tomorrow be salvage jobs, and those who have the guns and machetes will be the first relieved through the application of violence. There is only so much that can be delivered by air, and the seaport and roads will need at least another few weeks—minimum—until they are again usable.

Providing clean water, food, and shelter for three-million people takes time. Providing medical care beyond immediate reach is nearly impossible. Just ask Brownie, and he had it easy.

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