What a difference a day makes

by David Grand
January 30, 2010

That's the title of Dinah Washington's signature recording, and it sure applies to the sheer horror felt by the White House and congressional Democrats upon learning that their candidate for filling Sen. Ted Kennedy's vacant seat in Massachusetts, Martha Coakley, had been shot down in flames by Scott Brown, a Republican State Senator (a virtual unknown outside of the state), who'd parlayed the discontent voters had with the still reeling economy and goings-on in Washington into a resounding victory.

What made it all the more remarkable was his comming from 30 points behind at the start of the campaign to beating her hands-down, due in to no small measure to his populist appeal in making like Joe six-pack as he drove his green pickup truck throughout the state; while Coakley was making like the rabbit in the race with the turtle, who, so sure as she was of leaving him in her dust, limited her campaign to a few public appearances, and even took time off during the holiday season to bask in the sun in the Bahamas. (The sunburn she may have gotten there was nothing compared to the way she got burnt due to her over confidence.)

And I can only relate my surprise at his come-from-behind win to two other historical events, which left political prognosticators dumbfounded.The first instance occurred on May 16, 1868, when Senator Edmond Ross (R-KS) broke with his Republican colleagues by voting to acquit President Andrew Johnson in his impeachment trial, thereby leaving one vote short of the two-thirds required to convict. (President John Kennedy described it as a profile in courage, in his book of that name.)

The second revolting development, at least in the eyes of the GOP, occurred in the 1948 presidential election, when Harry Truman defied the overwhelming odds against him having a second term by whipping Thomas Dewey handily, and proudly holding up a copy of the Chicago Tribune printed before the final results were in, with the headline reading: DEWEY WINS.

And I remember reading how Dewey responded when asked by reporters what his reaction was to losing: "I felt like the person who wakes up in a casket, and wonders why, if I'm dead, I have to pee."

Now, while that devastating defeat for democrats has been labeled as Black Tuesday (the day on which that special election was held), it doesn't come close to matching the nationwide impact that the origninal use of that term had back in Oct. 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed on that day.

Out of curiosty, I thought I'd do a little research to see what else of major or minor importance may have falling on that day of the week and of what nature.

All I came across were two instances where that term had been used and both in a complimentary way: First, when on the opening day of the 1947 baseball season, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier banning black athletes from playing in the major leagues, prompting a respected sportswriter to say, "History was made here on this Black Tuesday afternoon."

And the second time, was when it was used to describe the importance of that day on which Obama took the oath of office on January 20, 2008 as the Ist Black President.

PS: It just so happened that I was born on a Tuesday, which my detractors might view as a black day, too.