Many Americans were glad to see Mr. Scott Brown, a Republican, elected to the U.S. Senate last Tuesday in Massachusetts, especially since the seat he won has traditionally been held by a Democrat — most recently the late Edward Kennedy. Mr. Brown's victory, while certainly a fillip for the GOP, is the product of rising voter discontent with the Democratic Party. To rate it as a decisive judgment of U.S. President Barack Obama's presidency would be a stretch.

For the most part, Mr. Brown's victory reflects domestic, if not local, political concerns. He was a very attractive candidate and his opponent ran an appalling campaign. While the main issues for voters were parochial in nature, there was nevertheless a sense of frustration and concern that says a lot about Mr. Obama's first year in office.

Massachusetts voters were animated by the fear that their country is headed in the wrong direction. They worry about high unemployment, the prospect of a jobless recovery and swelling government debt. There is little appreciation of the Obama administration's quick action to staunch the hemorrhaging of the U.S. economy to create a floor for the the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. While economists have applauded Mr. Obama's economic policies, in particular the stimulus packages that he pushed through Congress, he has gotten little credit from voters for keeping a bad situation from getting worse.