The upset in Massachusetts earlier this week is sending pols and pundits of every stripe into overdrive. Republican Scott Brown’s victory over Democrat Martha Coakley has the GOP hailing the second coming of their party. Some say the race provides a roadmap for other Republican candidates to follow. Meanwhile, many Democrats are suggesting it’s time to review their own political strategy. The way forward for the past several years has been to be more and more inclusive and recruit candidates that don’t always look like Democrats, as long as they can win. It’s a “master plan” generally credited to Chicagoan and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. But has the broadening of the party weakened it? Was Rahm’s strategy wrong? Alan Gitelson, a political scientist at Loyola University, has this analysis. 

Music Button: Blue Mitchell, “Nica’s Dream”, from the CD Blue Soul, (Riverside records)