Boston (CNN) - If Republican Scott Brown wins Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts, President Obama will have to decide how to pursue his top domestic agenda item without 60 votes in the Senate.
If Brown wins, Obama's strategy for passing a health care reform bill is "a fascinating question," CNN Chief National Correspondent John King said Tuesday night.
"The burden really would be on the President of the United States," King explained, reporting from the Brown campaign's election night gathering.
If elected, Brown has said "he would go to Washington and he's happy to talk to the president about health care and he's happy to cooperate. But that he doesn't like the spending in the bill and he thinks it would raise taxes.
"So the question is: Does the president say 'forget what happened in Massachusetts' and try to rally the Democrats? Or will the president suddenly get conciliatory and reach out and maybe back pedal a bit and try to make a deal?"
From CNN Politics
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It's over...Coakley conceded...
Socialism does not work! The people have spoken!!!
If Brown wins, it would be political insanity for Obama and the Dems to continue to impose their imbecilic health care welfare scheme on a country that really, really, doesn't want it.
Americans don't respond well to tyranny.
Reconciliation.
THe President got into this mess by trying to forge something bipartisan with a party determined to do the bidding of K St.
From the beginning, the Party of No has blocked everything coming from the Democratic side.
You Americans are totally NUTS.
After the mess Bush created you are now intent on denying health care to most Americans are content to have a Republican cause the Dems to lose their majority.
No wonder the world thinks the USA is done for. What is wrong with you people.
Democrats... Democrats... DEMOCRATS!! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!!!!
I am afraid that this is exactly what will happen – that our government will come up with a solution to ignoring Massachusetts.
By the time the country swings the pendulum all the way back to the far right Evangelicals it will be took late for the mainstream to realize they were duped.
Obama's new health care strategy: Scrap the bill and start over!!!!
This will be a sad thing..They have a health care plan in their state. If this one man can change the outcome for the thousands in the rest of American that do not, it will be a travesty.
I will be sending out all my emails with a signature line that asks people to boycott Massachusetts as a vacation spot this coming year.
The people of Mass. have betrayed Senator Ted Kennedy's career-long effort to get decent health care for all Americans.
Sen. Brown says he doesn't want decent health care for all Americans and he will vote it down.
Sen. Brown will now enjoy the best health care available in the US as a member of Congress, paid for by taxpayers.
Good luck with that rally hurry and cram-it method of winning public opinion. YOU HAVE YOUR WARNING heed it.
The President and Democrats should wake up and listen to the real will of the American people. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid do not represent America. They are shoving bills down our throats and spending is out of control! If they want to maintain control, they had better wake up, take step back and start listening to the people or they are out!
I think he would also need a new job. He has not delivered what he campaigned on. Too many compromises with the right of his party
Wouldn't it be a miracle if Obama would actually have to start listening to America?
the gop & s brown should thank oprah, if HILARY was in – a landslide in favor of the DEM woud have happened, the USA is still better off with DEMS in power
A new strategy. It goes from "let's just ram an unpopular bill down the citizenry's throat" to "let's HURRY and ram an unpopular bill down the citizenry's throat RIGHT NOW!"
It's amazing what short term memories people have...the very people that helped the economy tank are being voted in again...talk about the dumbing down of the country!
I am more worried about big banking than big government and so should the rest of the country. They are still taking risks with our money and no one is stopping them....but lets divert your attention to health care and the boggie man!
Stupid stupid people....
A blow to health care, President Obama needs to wake up and not go across the aisle, do it now.
Mobilize and get those Rebuplicans voted out, educate the people and really put out there all the problems and real cost of health care.
Pitiful that we bow to Fox and the health care industry(they made money on the stock market when the rube was winning.
Forget Brown, after this the Dems won't get enough votes from Blue Dog Dems to pass health care. The House Blue Dogs will not pass either the Senate version as is or a compromise of the House and Senate versions. Time to start over. Obama, Pelosi and Reid will try to get current bill passed, but won't be able to and in the end they will have to start over and work with Republicans. This is what happens when you pretend to be a centerist (Obama) and govern as a liberal progressive. This is what happens when you promise fiscial responsiblity and deliver out of control spending. This is what happens when you promise to air the health care negoiations on C-Span and then don't and brush of all questions from the press on why not. This is what happens when you lie to independents to get elected and then govern as though their voice does not matter.
Stay the Course B.O and Thank you for saving America!!!
Yes, it is called "Abandon Ship"....
Reach out, President Obama. The Republicans will be proud to help you pass responsible health care reform. Give it a try. You will find strong Republican support for a program that reduces the cost and makes sense for Americans.
Obama will need a new strategy for EVERYTHING. He had a year of a supermajority. He could have passed anything if only he had applied some leadership. Instead he allowed second order issues derail things like the economy and two wars. He is now a lame duck. Gotta love it!
Obama can spin this however he wants. It's not going to change anything. This is HUGE for the GOP.