Massachusetts election a warning to our own Harry Reid

Good morning, Sen. Reid. This is your wake-up call.

It’s Wednesday, Jan. 20th, the high in Las Vegas will be an overcast 52 degrees. The good people of Massachusetts have elected a Republican — and if you don’t get up right now and smell the coffee, you’re next.

If there’s an ounce of Nevada left in Sen. Harry Reid, he’ll hear that message loud and clear, because when the people of Massachusetts elect a Republican — a Republican! — to the Kennedy seat in the U.S. Senate, you know something’s in the air. Whether Democrats such as Reid do, in fact, “get it,” is another question.

Already there’s Beltway crazy talk that dares to suggest the reason Democrats failed in Massachusetts last night was because:

A. The Democrat in the race, Martha Coakley, was a bad candidate.

B. The Republican in the race, Scott Brown, was a brilliant candidate.

C. Massachusetts voters hate women.

D. The Obama Nation agenda was not enacted quick enough, bold enough or liberal enough to save Coakley and now must be expedited, by hook or by crook, to save Democrats in November.

The truth is plainly simple: The reason voters of Massachusetts, the bluest of blue states, elected a Republican is because Americans increasingly renounce “Obama Nation” policies in general — and in specific the health care “reform” bill as crafted by the coalition of the bribed in Congress.

After a full year, the people have grown weary of a president who talks pretty, promises much and delivers nothing. The misery facts don’t lie: Obama Nation has brought us a 10 percent unemployment rate (1.7 million more people unemployed today than a year ago); almost $2 trillion of new outstanding public debt, and 139 bank failures.

Add to that the arrogance of a leader who thinks he’s so much more self-aware than the presidents before him that he must apologize to the world for American “selfishness” (U.S. relief to Haiti, hello?), while at the same time failing to enact policies to keep Americans safe from al-Qaida terrorists, and it is no wonder Democrats find themselves in a woozy state this morning.

It’s fork-in-the-road time for Harry. He either listens to the people and begins to lead (start with the Nevada polls that show deep opposition to Harry’s handing of health care “reform”), or he stays the course and follows President Obama over the cliff.

I, for one, hope he will do an about-face, remember his independent Nevada heritage, and lead this country back to the center. He can do it by stiffening his spine and calling the White House to say:

“Hello, Mr. President. I’m sorry to tell you I can no longer support your legislative agenda. The people are not with you. My home state asks me to slow down your agenda to build a bigger tent of consensus on health care reform. As of today, Mr. President, this I will do, with our without you.”

Does Harry have the eggs to do that?

If he doesn’t … well … Good morning, Mr. Reid. This is your wake-up call.

Sherman Frederick is publisher of the Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media.