Updated

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) insisted that the message sent by Massachusetts voters on January 19 was the same as it had been in cycles past. “I think Massachusetts voters were saying what voters in 06 said what voters in 08 said, ‘Our country’s not working right and we want you to change it.’”

Hoyer said that change has not happened as quickly as people would like, but that Democrats should not be held completely responsible. After taking control of Congress in 2006, Hoyer claimed that Republican obstruction prevented a change in economic policies. “President Bush either threatened to or did in fact veto legislation and we could not override his veto.” As a result, “We have not gotten to a place that they think we need to be…. (voters) remain angry in Massachusetts and very frankly all over the country that we have not gotten to a place where they think we ought to be.”

While insisting that voters remain angry over the state of the economy as in cycles past, Hoyer did not acknowledge that in Massachusetts the same economic anger resulted in a Republican, rather than a Democratic, victory.