This week we witnessed voter hostility. For deep blue Massachusetts to vote for a Republican for the US Senate is remarkable. It is historic. It is anger.

What are the voters angry about? Is it government spending? Is it a sour economy that isn’t showing any real signs of improvement? Is it a lingering war in Iraq and Afghanistan? Is it a protracted health care reform debate? Is it a lack of bipartisanship?

Most likely it is a combination of all of the above. But, I would argue that the voters are most angry about a lack of progress in Washington. NOTHING seems to be happening. Almost all of President Obama’s major initiatives from cap and trade to health care are stalling.

And the programs he has been able to push through don’t appear to be making a measurable difference to the lives of most Americans. Yes, he has secured the passage of several bailout plans for Detroit and Wall Street and an economic stimulus plan that the White House says staved off a deeper recession or even a depression. They claim those plans saved some jobs and even create a few. All of that may be true, but do you feel better about the economy? Polling suggests most American’s don’t.

So, this brings us back to the voter anger. If it is a lack of getting things done, I imagine this week has only further enraged many Americans. Why? Because the election of Republican Scott Brown appears to have temporarily paralyzed Congress and the White House.

And frankly, there is NO excuse for this paralysis. Sure, the Democrats lost one seat that means they no longer have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. But they still have 59 seats, a huge majority by modern standards. The Republicans haven’t had that margin in many, many decades. And in the House, the Democrats have a 40+ seat majority.

Still, even with all that, the Democrats are having trouble figuring out what to do next. Some leaders have said cap and trade legislation is dead. Others are now saying Congress should take a break for 6 weeks before going back to health care reform. All of this means more inaction. I’m not advocating any of the Democratic reform measures. Nor am I opposing them. I’m simply pointing out that with HUGE majorities in Congress and the Dems controlling the executive branch, they still are having trouble making Washington work.

In short, even with a Senator Brown of Massachusetts, the Democrats still own Washington by margins they likely won’t see again for the foreseeable future. So, perhaps they need to do something. If Washington doesn’t act, it appears the voters will.