Maybe there's hope...

For the average person not living in Massachusetts, the victory of little-known Scott Brown, to the senate seat long held by Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy is just another passing headline. I have to admit, I was not paying much attention myself.

Political parties become complacent. Voters become complacent. Even though voters scream they want change, they often vote for incumbents. Ted Kennedy was about as incumbent as it gets, having served for 46 years until his death. Kennedy entered the Senate in a 1962 special election to fill the seat once held by his brother John. With such a track record as that, and considering that Massachusetts has nearly 3 times as many registered Democrats as it does Republicans, it was easy to fall into the mindset that who ever the Democrats run to fill Kennedy's seat should have an easy victory.

Not meaning to make this commentary about Democrats versus Republicans, but instead one of stepping back and thinking about what happened, maybe this was a time where the political party become complacent, and the voters actually engaged their brains. I do not see this as much a victory for any party or ideal, as much as I see this as a victory against apathy. Regardless of the party in power, it is refreshing to see an upset like this, especially in a state such as Massachusetts, where the party in power has had such control for so many years.

Just maybe it is a statement of the voters that says, hey, don't take us for granted. Maybe there's hope!