Mass Senate - Special Election

[Maggie]

Kiss of Death for Coakley? She says that Curt Schilling is a Yankee Fan. :whistle:

[for the baseball impared] Schilling never played for the Yankees and Schilling lead the Red Sox to their first world series victory since 1918. He pitched in the 2nd game despite being injured (his sock was bloody after the game). Being called one of the guttiest performances in baseball history]

Insult Christians - probably can get away with that. Insult Red Sox Fans...

Good lord, really? :roll:

I guess so...

I’ve been called a LOT of things…But never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn’t know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could….

38 Pitches »

[Maggie]

Everything I have been reading seems to indicate that turnout is heavy for a special election. Normally, I would say that would be an ominous sign for Brown but nothing about this race is normal. I wish Brown well and hope he is able to win; however, I’ll believe it when I see it.

As an aside, I was surprised President Obama decided to make a personal appearance. Talk about putting all, or most, of your eggs on one basket. It is going to be difficult if not impossible, should Brown win or get close, for Obama’s people to credibly make the argument that Brown’s competitiveness does not represent a backlash against his policies.

As they say, Hubris will invite Nemesis - there will always be retribution. He should have stayed in Washington.

[WuDrWu]

Many (if not most) conservatives I have heard seem to think that a Brown victory, now, is a foregone conclusion.

I read one article (I don't remember if it was the Globe or Herald) that said Scott Brown was looking for housing in DC....joking or not, that is inviting the Karma police to drop a big deuce on your head.

I too am hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. What makes the outcome even more dangerous is that aside from being a far left progressive liberal, it appears that Coakley is borderline incompetent.

The sharp liberals are tough enough to deal with.........

[Maggie]

Many (if not most) conservatives I have heard seem to think that a Brown victory, now, is a foregone conclusion.

:ohno:

If this is true – it is foolish: (1) Remember this is still Massachusetts; and (2) you can’t fully trust the polling data in a special election.

All Coakley needs to do is turn out the union and machine vote – and she wins. Period. End of discussion.

I have feeling some of these conservatives you are listening to and reading are getting caught up in the hype and momentum of the Brown campaign. When that happens people become susceptible to projection – ignoring signs that are unfavorable to their preferred narrative while over emphasizing those signs that support that narrative.

From what I have seen Brown has run a very good campaign and Coakley was caught off guard – never expecting to have fight on her hands. Given her propensity to put her foot in her mouth – it is little wonder she made very little public appearances until recently.

Hubris/Nemesis - you know the story.

[SB Shock]

Zogby is predicting a Coakley win by 1%.

Taken from the Politico - 5 things to watch for:

1. Look at the South Shore. Predominantly union and should be blue. Coakley made several mistakes - calling Schilling a Yankee and not meeting with the union members, only the union leaders. It is has all led to the possible perception she is out of touch.

2. Watch for signs of life from the democratic machine. If the machine is well oiled and working Coakley will win.

3. Watch the I-495 Suburbs. Brown has to win big here.

4. Watch the women vote. If Coakley doesn't pull big margins here she will lose.

5. Watch for the impact of Kennedy's late endorsement. This will likely be seen around the cap cod area.

Be nice to come home tonight with a Shox win and watch the democratic meltdown on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS and NBC and party with Fox.

[vbird53]

As an aside, I was surprised President Obama decided to make a personal appearance. Talk about putting all, or most, of your eggs on one basket. It is going to be difficult if not impossible, should Brown win or get close, for Obama’s people to credibly make the argument that Brown’s competitiveness does not represent a backlash against his policies.

I can't believe he hitched his wagon to this train wreck. Or, maybe I can.

Is he going to be directly involved with every Democrat that runs during this next cycle? Especially those that might lose their seats? I have a feeling there might be quite a few of those races.

[Maggie]

As an aside, I was surprised President Obama decided to make a personal appearance. Talk about putting all, or most, of your eggs on one basket. It is going to be difficult if not impossible, should Brown win or get close, for Obama’s people to credibly make the argument that Brown’s competitiveness does not represent a backlash against his policies.

I can't believe he hitched his wagon to this train wreck. Or, maybe I can.

Is he going to be directly involved with every Democrat that runs during this next cycle? Especially those that might lose their seats? I have a feeling there might be quite a few of those races.

Well...there is a lot more at stake in this race, for President Obama, than the average Senate or House election so I can understand the impulse to get directly involved.

However, I continue to believe, as recent evidence has shown, that the White House overestimates President Obama’s personal ability to move the needle in a close vote. I think Peggy Noonan had it right in the WSJ the other day (see below) - the White House (and Democrats in general) have failed to recognize the public disconnect between the President and his policies. People may continue to like Obama personally but they don’t like what is going in Washington – and his presence only amplifies that feeling.

Obama was a lot of shiny beads and sweet talk during the campaign – a lot of flash and very little substance. When you govern – you need more substance than flash. To make matters worse the “substance” offered up by the White House and Congress, when it actually happens, doesn’t jive with the campaign flash – it is not even close. That is why Obama can’t move the needle for anyone else – and it is hubris, it is arrogance and it is certainly not pragmatic.

Here is part of Noonan’s column (emphasis added):

The disconnect harms him politically, but more important it suggests a deepening gulf between the people and their government, which only adds to growling, chafing national discontent. It also put the president in the position, only one year in, only 12 months into a brand-new glistening presidency, of seeming like the same old same old. There's something tired in all this disconnect, something old-fashioned, something sclerotic and 1970s about it.

And of course the American public is reacting. All politicians are canaries in coal mines, they're always the first to feel the political atmosphere. It was significant when the Democrats lost the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey two months ago. It is significant that a handful of House and Senate Democrats have decided not to run this year. And it is deeply significant that a Republican state senator in Massachusetts, Scott Brown, may topple the Democratic nominee to fill Ted Kennedy's former seat, Martha Coakley. In a way, the Republicans have already won—it's a real race.

Mr. Brown's whole story right now is not about disconnect but connect. Massachusetts has an 8.8% unemployment rate, and graduates of the commonwealth's great universities can't find work. An old Boston Republican hand said of the race, "It's 100% about policies—health care, taxes, what's the plan on the economy?" Mr. Brown charges that Ms. Coakley's support for cap and trade and health care will amount to $2 trillion in taxes in the next five years.

Ms. Coakley has the advantage—Massachusetts is the heart of blue-state America—but in a way her advantage is her curse. Because she is the candidate of a party that for 40 years has been used to winning, reigning and winning again, she looks like the same old same old, a standard old-line liberal, the frontwoman for a machine, a yes woman for the Obama-Pelosi era.

It is interesting that Ms. Coakley, too, has been told by pundits the past week that her problem is that she's not emotional enough. She should show passion and fire! She should cry like Hillary!

This comes not only from pundits but normal people, and if you contemplate the meaning it is, weirdly: You're not good enough at manipulating us! We want more theatrics!

Both national parties are trying to pour in money and resources, but the most obnoxious intrusion must have been the fund-raising letter this week from New York's Sen. Charles Schumer, who tried to rouse the troops by calling Mr. Brown a "far-right teabagger." Does that kind of thing even work anymore? Doesn't name calling put off anyone not already predisposed to agree with it?

In a time when the people of Massachusetts have real concerns about their ability to make a living, stuff like the Schumer letter is just more evidence of a party's disconnect.

Politics is about policy. It's not about who's emotional and who cries or makes you cry. It's not about big political parties and the victories they need in order to rule. It's not about going on some ideological toot, which is what the health-care bill is, hoping the people will someday see and appreciate your higher wisdom.

In a way, Mr. Obama's disconnection is a sign of the times. We are living in the age of breakup, with so many of the ties that held us together loosening and fraying. If the president wants to lead toward something better, he should try listening. If you can't connect through the words you speak, at least you can do it through your ability to hear.

Slug the Obama Story 'Disconnect'

On a certain level, at least to me, it is fascinating to watch – it is stunning, it is horrifying, it is sad, virtually indescribable.

[shoxlax]

Zogby sucks!

Who did their polling for them, ACORN?

:good: