Q&A #8 -- Brown Effect On Beacon Hill

"Frank" asks via email:

Do you think that Scott Brown's defeat will have any impact at all on the Beacon Hill hacks in the Legislature? Will these clowns get any serious opposition in either September or November? Do you think we will see not only GOP challengers to incumbents, but Democrats in the primary - tired of the nonsense going on in the State House?

Taking your questions one at a time: little if any; little if any; and little if any.

Yes, the state legislators understand, a little more than they did before, that there are a lot of people in Massachusetts who are infuriated with their government AND can actually find their way to the polling place to vote. There is no question they are scared of this, and have been discussing and strategizing about it for some time now.

However, the Republican Party's bench is so weak, it's hard to see many serious threats shaping up to individual incumbents at this point. That may change as potential candidates, emboldened by the Brown victory, decide to run, or as the current crop of candidates prove themselves as campaigners.

As for intra-party challenges, we're seeing a few so far, but not many, and I don't think the Brown victory will prompt many more.