H/T to my blogging cohort Gerard Vanderleun at the American Digest for this article. This article, from a liberal blogger in Massachusetts, says all you need to know about this race.
That article is really a pep talk for all the dejected and disgruntled Massachusetts liberals who aren't all that excited about Tuesday. The blogger is hoping they see the bigger picture.
I remember articles just like this by Conservative pundits in both 2006 and 2008 saying the same thing to conservatives. These sorts of pep talks only happen when the leadership knows that the rank and file aren't all that excited.
That's as clear as you will get that all the energy, excitement and momentum is with Scott Brown in this race with 48 hours to go. Coakley continues to make gaffes, meanwhile. The latest is less serious though not knowing that Curt Schilling was a Red Sox hero is a major no no.
Let's get this out of the way. You might not want to vote for Martha Coakley. You might think she deserves what's she's getting after an absentee, self-satisfied campaign (why should I bail her out?). You likely want to send a message to everyone from the attorney general all the way to every Democratic official in Washington, DC. Odds are you didn't vote for her in the primary. And, you might be wondering if it'll make a difference who wins this Tuesday.
You got every reason to be pissed, but it needs to be clear: not voting for Coakley is the same as voting for Brown. And voting for Brown is a very, very bad thing.
sabutai :: Yes it sucks. Yes you have to vote Coakley.
That article is really a pep talk for all the dejected and disgruntled Massachusetts liberals who aren't all that excited about Tuesday. The blogger is hoping they see the bigger picture.
I remember articles just like this by Conservative pundits in both 2006 and 2008 saying the same thing to conservatives. These sorts of pep talks only happen when the leadership knows that the rank and file aren't all that excited.
That's as clear as you will get that all the energy, excitement and momentum is with Scott Brown in this race with 48 hours to go. Coakley continues to make gaffes, meanwhile. The latest is less serious though not knowing that Curt Schilling was a Red Sox hero is a major no no.
Rea: But Scott Brown has Curt Schilling.
Coakley: Another Yankee fan.
Rea: Schilling?
Coakley: Yes.
Rea: Curt Schilling a Yankee fan??
Coakley: No.
Rea: Curt Schilling a Yankee fan? TheRed Sox great pitcher of the bloody sock?
Coakley: Well, he's not there anymore.
Now, I doubt that anyone will have their vote hinge on whether or not Martha Coakley knows Curt Schilling's history as a Red Sock. What this does do is put this gaffe into the media cycle.
There's a much more serious, and slimy, gaffe in this attack ad. This photo, first reported by Greg Sargent, is an allusion to Scott Brown voting against a law to let emergency hospitals turn away rape victims in need of emergency contraception. That's downright nasty. 
All these gaffes combine to take Martha Coakley off message. That would be more of a problem if Coakley had a message. Right now, it's not very clear why she's running for the U.S. Senate except to benefit herself.
Meanwhile, Scott Brown sticks to his two talking: "I'm the 41st vote against health care" and "this isn't Ted Kennedy's seat but the people's seat".
It's pretty clear where this race is headed. The latest poll has Scott Brown up by 3, and three of the last five polls in the RCP average have Brown up.
With forty eight hours to go, Brown has the momentum and the wind at his back, and I believe he won't merely win but win going away.
Frankly, there is only one reason and one reason only to vote: to keep the Tea Partiers out of power. Sad, sure, but when you come right down to it, its pretty much the only thing motivating the Tea Partiers, too: getting Obama's people out of power.
ReplyDeleteI contacted my cousin in Boston today, and he still thought Coakley was up by 20+ points. When I told him what happened, he told he he'd make it a priority to vote.
The tea partiers aren't in power and that doesn't resonate at all. There's no force in politics today more popular than the tea parties.
ReplyDeleteMaking this about the tea parties is real desperation.