Massachusetts: Still Loving Obama, But Wanting a Republican in the Senate?
The Washington Examiner is reporting on supposed internal poll numbers from Democratic Senate candidate Martha Coakley, fighting for the ancestral Kennedy seat, which have her actually behind her GOP opponent Scott Brown now. Simultanously, Obama approval ratings remain at 60 percent there. Does lead one to imagine how grim things could get nationally for the Dems in 2010 if his approval ratings are consistently smaller than that across the nation. Excerpt:
"I have heard that in the last two days the bottom has fallen out of her poll numbers," says one well-connected Democratic strategist. In her own polling, Coakley is said to be around five points behind Republican Scott Brown. "If she's not six or eight ahead going into the election, all the intensity is on the other side in terms of turnout," the Democrat says. "So right now, she is destined to lose."….
With the election still four days away, Democrats are still hoping that "something could happen" to change the dynamics of the race. But until that thing happens, the situation as it exists today explains Barack Obama's decision not to travel to Massachusetts to campaign for Coakley….For national Democrats, the task is now to insulate Obama against any suggestion that a Coakley defeat would be a judgment on the president's agenda and performance in office.
The Washington Post this morning is reporting merely a "dead heat" between Coakley and Brown. Michael Moynihan blogged about the Coakley/Brown race yesterday.
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It was Kennedy's seat for decades. With him dead, it is anybodies to take. Coakley is a train-wreck and the good people of Massachussets are not so democrat oriented that they will overlook a stronger candidate just because he's a republican. They don't have anything to gain from healthcare reform and in fact have a lot to lose with that reform. I don't know that it's a reflection on Obama as much as it is as the article suggests that Coakley is a weaker candidate. Also, Brown is drop dead beautiful and Mass loves their beautiful people. (have you seen his naked Cosmo photoshoot? My God) It will be interesting to see how the dems react to a Brown victory in the Healthcare reform scheme of things. Even if Coakley pulls it out, there's no way to certify the election before Obama's SOTU address, so if they are counting on her to help pass HC reform, they are SOL.
Last sentence should have said ...if they are counting on her to help pass HC reform before Obama's SOTU address, they are SOL.
the good people of Massachussets
Did you mean: Massachusetts
Was that a question?
I thought he was questioning the use of 'good people.'
"Coakley is a train-wreck and the good people of Massachussets are not so democrat oriented that they will overlook a stronger candidate just because he's a republican"
Of course they will. Massachusetts is a political basket case.
They certainly are a basket case. But they do elect republican governors with some regularity. I think the outcome is far from certain.
With the election still four days away, Democrats are still hoping that "something could happen" to change the dynamics of the race.
I'm on it, Boss.
We have a bus full of RI border ruffians waiting on orders, sir.
The only good ACORN is a dead one.
Brotherben, the problem is the reverse.
There's no way to certify the election in time to stop Kirk from voting for health care, if they can jam it through in the next few weeks. The Dems still have the seat on an interim basis until Brown actually is sworn in.
The Globe and the Herald have Brown up 4 points [a Suffolk University / WHDH poll] and on that basis I think Coakley is done.
The guy who pushed that reporter down is going to have to go live in the mountains with Bill Buckner to escape the blame and anger of MA lefties.
No way, the brute who attacked the reporter will be feted as a hero for standing up to the Bush death machine, like the Tienanmen Square guy.
They say that fluffy, but no way that will happen. If a Republican wins a Senate seat in Massachusetts it will be apocalyptic for the Dems. They will turn on Obamacare. If Brown wins, Dems will talk a good game but they will all go into survival mode. No way do they jam that through. I guarantee you one or more Senators will kill it.
Joe Lieberman perhaps 😉
Nelson I think (the one from Nebraska). He got so much flack for his bribe he will look for any way out. That would be a way out.
I cannot tell you how much I hope you turn out to be right on this.
I doubt it though. No matter what the Massholes do.
(Thanks to Epi for the "Massholes" line.)
That's a good point, John. I think you're right. I'm a lot less worried about some sneaky action if Brown wins, based on your reassuring - and convincing - logic.
They asked Barney Frank about Mass holding up a certification of a Brown win and went into full bore queen bitch mode about denying it. It totally hit a nerve. When Barney Frank thinks it is a bad idea, you know it won't fly with the blue dogs.
It isn't amatter of dems holding it up, it has to do with Ma law giving timelines for absentee and military votes and then the time to cerify the counts.
If Brown wins, Dems will talk a good game but they will all go into survival mode. No way do they jam that through. I guarantee you one or more Senators will kill it.
John, you misunderestimate how much the Ds want the health care deform bill -- or enjoy hefty helpings of pork to buy votes. The poll numbers have been tanking on this awful bill for some time, and no D broke ranks.
Much as I would like it to fail, I suspect pork will grease the skids and something -- anything -- will pass.
Fluffy -- I can't find where I asked you this yesterday to see if you answered, but why did you change the cover of De Bello?
I changed it as an experiment. I had some feedback that, regardless of how good a joke I thought it was to imitate a Penguin cover, it didn't look good in the Amazon thumbline and was too far outside of genre conventions. So I changed it. Sales did rise following the change, so I guess my taste in covers is just wrong.
Thumbnail, that is. I don't know what the hell a "thumbline" would be, I don't know where that came from.
It's interesting that sales rose after the change. I thought the original cover was perfect. But I'm more of a classics person than a zombie-lit person. Anyway, thanks for the explanation.
How did the chowdersuckers ever elect Romney? Coakley could very well go down in flames here (which just means she could lose by seventeen votes).
I have it on good authority, Coakley's going to win.
Huh. I read (D-MN) as "Demon:.
The truth shall set you free.
I read it as an abbreviation for Demented.
Hey Al, Did you get credit for the vote for "lizard people"?
Romney won the same way Brown is going to win: the RNC but a liberal on the ballot.
How bad things have gotten: Were I a Massachusetts voters, even I'd probably pull the lever for the R (instead of the L), not only consigning my soul to hell, but possibly ruining my record of 30 years of never having voted for a winning candidate.
If I lived in Massachussetts I'd probably vote for Brown too. I usually vote Libertarian & despise the Republican party, but gridlock is a wonderful thing.
I second. I would hold my nose and vote for Brown. Let the people who think Ted Kennedy is still alive vote for the other Kennedy.
I think this is going to be a decider. I live in MA, and I will be voting for Brown. If Brown was way behind in the polls, I'd probably vote for Kennedy as a protest, but this is too close to do that. The question is, are stupid dems who don't know any better going to vote for Kennedy, thus taking votes from Coakley, or are pissed off small-government conservatives going to vote for Kennedy, thus taking votes from Brown? I suspect the former.
Agree. Sometimes you gotta hold your nose and vote major party to try and get gridlock.
I wish I lived in Mass so I could pull the lever for Kennedy. Sigh.
Might take teusday off to head home for the vote.
to reitterate the obvious: if Brown wins and Dem shenanigans surrounding his swearing in are avoided, than this is HUGE.
I think what John said the other day might be right: if Coakley loses, Obama's presidency is effectively over one year into it.
It's not like a Republican will fuck us any less because he's from MA.
I'll take the extra fucking from a lone Republican if it means I can stop getting fucked with a sandpaper condom and capsaicin lube by the 60-vote Dem majority.
The GOP emery cloth model ain't any better. But I'll grant that neither team having a filibuster proof majority is greatly to be desired.
Gridlock: Americas only hope.
re: Gridlock - Sten Hoyer was on Squawk Box (MSNBC) this morning talking about how this Congress has been one of the most productive in history. Productive, yeah, awesome.
Warty, that won't keep Him from signing whatever healthcare reform bill makes it to his desk. That damage will be done and Republicans will never, ever, risk losing votes to undo that reform. Once an entitlement reaches the voters' pockets, you can't take it back. It is scary what Obama might do once he realizes he has absolutely nothing to lose.
There is always something to lose.
Do you honestly think Evan Bayh or Blanch Lincoln are going to look at that result and think things will be different in Indiana or Arkansas next year? The Dem hacks in the media will talk a good game about this being all about Coakley being a moron. But the politicians will know better and know that it was about Obamacare. If Brown wins, Obamacare is dead. All it takes is a few Reps or one Senator to kill it.
I think that the loss of the Kennedy Mystique is more of a factor in this race than healthcare reform. We'll have to wait and see how many lifelong dems come outta the woodwork on Tuesday. Massachusetts has a dem supermajority of voters.
The Kennedy mystic is long dead. Even the Dems up there only voted for Teddy because he brought home the pork. Mass is overwhelmingly Democrat. This race should not even be close. If a Republican wins it, it will be a horrible omen for Democrats everywhere.
"mystic"
Is it really THAT hard to spell words correctly that the person you are replying to spelled correctly?
Im not talking typos. I misspell stuff all the time. I used know instead of no in a post yesterday. But, really, "mystic"?
Is it really that hard to think of something to say besides whining about spelling?
Actually 'mystic' works in that usage.
I killed Dave. I killed him and I threw him into Mystic. But I killed the wrong man. That's what I've done. And I can't undo it.
+1
I want a slice of Mystic Pizza.
Incorrect. MA breakdown:
Dem 32%
Rep 17%
Ind 51%
Jeez a lou. Am I wrong about everything I say?
I was off just a bit. The breakdown of the Massachusetts political demographics is 38% Democrat, 11% Republican, and 51% Independent.
http://patrickbohan.blogtownha....._you.thtml
Ive noticed that long run of independent senators from MA.
you need to be careful with the Is though in MA. I used to live there. MA has a semi-open primary system where I's can vote in either primary but R's and Ds can't. So lots of people who are really D's and R's register as Is. And that everage I in MA is mroe left leaning than the national norm. And even most of the R's are more northeast repubs which tend to be a little mroe liberal, at least on social issues. With that said however, there are enough I's in MA for a repub to win. Romney was the forth republican governor in a row and Bill Weld almost beat Kerry for a Senate seat in the 90s.
If they jump ship on this bill they're not going to make it out of the primaries. They're in between a rock and a hard place, but it's probably better to hope for forgiving and forgetting by the general electorate than for such from the lefty die-hards.
There are not very many "lefty diehards" in places like Indiana and Arkansas. Hell, the lefty diehards couldn't run Joe Lieberman out of the Senate in Connecticut for Christ's sake. What chance do you think they have in Indiana? None. They are worried about the electorate. Further, many of the lefty diehards hate Obamacare just as much as the public. This bill is loved by Harry Reid, union thugs, and reporters who are too stupid to know any better.
The lefty diehards hate the bill too.
The Democrats managed to jam their dicks into a meat grinder on this one.
It's quite fascinating, isn't it? Here we thought Hillarycare was rushed and not thought out well, and Obamacare turns out to be an even bigger mess.
Here is the latest from this nitwit:
Martha Coakley: Devout Catholics 'Probably shouldn't work in the emergency room'
http://washingtontimes.com/web.....shouldnt-/
It's only outmatched by Danny Glover who decides to top Robertson:
http://blogs.news.com.au/daily.....with_gaia/
But people will see the taxes before they see the benefits. That could damn it to the oblivion where it belongs.
Just how many average american dumbasses are aware of that and do you really think that Dems give a shit what the little peoples think?
The Republicans will make them aware of it, so that they can get back control and inflict their own brand of authoritarian stupidity on us.
We really need divided government and gridlock.
Maybe. It's very annoying that the media is still so in the tank for the Dems that they avoid looking too deeply into the bill. Hell, they had more people picking apart Palin's book than they had looking into the details of Obamacare.
We really need divided government and gridlock.
Bah!
The Republicans when they controlled the house while Clinton was president was pretty good.
The divided government under Bush on the other hand was worse then Bush with a Republican controlled government.
It is not just divided government but a specific type of divided government.
And if you are wishing for that specific type of divided government that was historically unique you may as well wish for a libertarian government.
Which is only outmatched by:
Floor collapses at Weight Watchers meeting as dieters queue for weigh in
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t.....-21969878/
If things are this bleak for Coakley, I fully expect the Rahm patrol to start courting Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins to switch parties.
That's kind of like offering tickets on the Titanic after it hits the iceberg. At this point, even Arlen Specter is probably wishing he could switch back.
White House blames outdated computers for ineffective government...
http://thehill.com/blogs/hilli.....chnologies
"Here I am, a brain the size of a planet, and they have me crunching CBO numbers".
Uranus?
The comments on that thread are great.
Anyone who would switch to the Dems now for career reasons is an idiot.
Whatever, dude. Just watch me roll in my race. All it takes is a little Spectersight.
The audacity of a non-Democrat to think they can take Teddy Kennedy's seat and delay the most transfomative (and transparent) bill ever passed for another 15 years is fucking unbelievable. I'm shocked The Lion was willing to give up his seat after close to half a century. It kind of makes me think we need half-century term limits. In this case, the country would be well served to have stuffed Kennedy, planted him in a permanent seat in the Senate, and attached some sort of voice recording controlled by Dems to vote on legislation. Short of resurrecting Thomas Jefferson, everyone knows there aren't other people in the country qualified enough to replace Ted Kennedy.
Grab a mentally ill homeless guy, give him all the booze he wants. You have an overqualified replacement for Ted Kennedy.
So long as I can't see any fucking windmills with a telescope from my new compound at Hi-anus Port, I'm down.
+1
Somehow I don't think the Dems would think Jefferson qualified.
"As government grows, liberty decreases." Blah,blah,blah. Jefferson - what a kook. It's obvious the Founders were imbeciles. Now, those folks in Massachusetts know how to pick a winner. As if replacing Teddy isn't hard enough, how are they ever gonna replace Kerry or Frank in another 30 years?
Dammit! Where's the daily open stories thing? I've got a real good story to break and don't want to jack it all over such a good thread.
I've already posted the floor collapse at the weight watchers weigh in.
Brown had the only sensible thing to say so far, in that this is not "Ted Kennedy's seat".
BTW, that Coakley thug who shoved the reporter... he and Coakley apologized, right? Okay, good.
[/sarcasm]
He should have walked over and smashed Gergen in his face. Well, maybe just vomitted on his face.
The WaPost article said: "the tax breaks JFK trumpeted were the calibrated adjustments of a committed Keynesian, hardly a philosophy embraced by Brown"
Wha...? Does the left actually think that the GOP doesn't embrace Keynesian mercantilism?
Does the left actually think that the GOP doesn't embrace Keynesian mercantilism?
Fuck this....who gives a fucking crap why they cut taxes. It is a libertarian act specific to individual liberty regardless what is in a politicians mind at the time of doing it.
Sometimes when I come here I think I am talking to a bunch of Ross Perot budget hawks rather then libertarians.
Government over spending has nothing to do with liberty.
Taxes have everything to do with limiting liberty.
Fine. HERE it is. R's in Idaho want to lower taxes to stimulate teir economy.
When will people catch up to the times? Don't the R's in Idaho know the only way to economic recovery and stimulus is profligate government spending? It's as if we have an adult education problem amongst the electorate. Print, spend, and tax!!!! Come on people, catch up with the times.
[I] don't want to jack it all over such a good thread.
Why not? MaunderingNannyGoat jacks off all over good threads all the time.
who?
M - N - G
If I still lived in Massachusetts I'd vote for Joe Kennedy. But anyone is better than Coakley.
In fact, he's jacking off all over the thread directly below this one.
BirdCallGuy- Was that your owl impersonation?
Speaking of crazy political stories, Governor Schweitzer, a Democrat(!), has asked Montana's civilian population for suggestions as to how the state can reduce spending.
A prize will be awarded.
I should send him an e-mail suggesting he disband the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
I hope the Repubs flood the state with poll-watchers, and have their A-Team of election attorneys ready to roll, because I can guarantee you that the Dems will pull every dirty trick in the book on this one. They have an enormous and entrenched party machine up there, and they will use it.
So, let go on the record, fellow posters: Who gets seated in DC:
I'm gonna say Brown, but I have a bad, bad feeling.
I'm stunned that this is even an open question.
Like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. But I don't. 51-49 Coakley in a heartbreaker.
I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong.
I can see how you can say that about Washington State or Chicago..does Mass have a record of vote fraud?
It has a record of generations of Dem control, a heavy ACORN presence, and lots of unions. What more do you need to know?
So what you are saying is that Brown needs to win in a stunning landslide in order to win in a squeeker.
And how did Mit Romney win?
You're such a wingnut baby. When things go wrong in an election, grab the nearest conspiracy theory.
Yea, he sure is. Anyone who thinks up some conspiracy just because an election does not go his way is a wingnut.
When was the last time they actually exercised election fraud?
It is a talent and if they do not have it they can't exercise it.
In order to pull it off they need people who know what they are doing.
I agree with Kinnath.
(I assumed the Dems would have had a lock on that seat no matter WHO they put up.)
I tend to agree with the train of thought that says this a Republican victory regardless of the outcome at this point. As crappy a candidate as Coakley is, the Dems should have been able to win this seat with a syphilitic squirrel on the ballot. The fact that they are pouring resources into the state to try and pull Coakley's huevos out of the fire is pretty damn jaw-dropping.
I am offended by the comparison.
The Washington Examiner is reporting on supposed internal poll numbers from Democratic Senate candidate Martha Coakley, fighting for the ancestral Kennedy seat, which have her actually behind her GOP opponent Scott Brown now. Simultanously, Obama approval ratings remain at 60 percent there.
There is a couple in their late fifties from Massachusetts that I have had the acquaintance on several occasions over the past several years. They will bitch about every aspect of the body politic that has gone down the crapper, but would be loathed to admit any responsibility on the part of Obama, or any feelings of animisoty towards him less someone would interpret their comments to be racist.
Their simple mindedness on matters pertaining to race are worthy of a satire when you witness their passive aggressive twisting and turning first hand.
If they serve as an accurate proxy for Massachusetts residents in general than I find nothing surprising about that contradictory fact.
With the election still four days away, Democrats are still hoping that "something could happen" to change the dynamics of the race.
I think they call that something "election fraud". They did it in Washington and Minnesota, in full view of the public, why not in Massachusetts?
The seat has been the "Kennedy Seat" for decades. Uphold that tradition and help your country toward sanity at the same time. Vote Joe Kennedy on January 19.
There ought to at least be a free lunch.