How Scott Brown won

19 February 2010 |permalink | email article

As the Boston Globe reported this week, Massachusetts was the epicenter of a massive political earthquake – the election of a Republican to the seat long held by Ted Kennedy, an iconic Democrat. For the first time in 64 years, no Kennedy represents Massachusetts in Washington.

“The locals are still trying to wrap their heads around the shocking fallout, “the Globe noted. The question was, and remains, how did Martha Coakley, the popular state attorney general with a bright future blow a virtual slam dunk win over Scott Brown, a little known Republican state senator? The assumption is that serious volatility among the electorate played a big role.

But one certainty is that Coakley never campaigned hard, the first fatal error for a clear front runner anywhere. The result was the state party made a half hearted effort, except in predictable Boston, and waited too long to ask the Democratic National Committee for help.

One knowledge source who followed the race closely told me that Coakley spent too much time with Emily’s List, a powerful Democratic women’s fund raising group, and talked too much about abortion. Here’s the kicker: She never mentioned the name of Edward M. Kennedy during the special election runoff with Brown. 

California primaries

Attorney General Jerry Brown told KGO radio yesterday that he will end what has become a tiring kabuki dance and declare his candidacy for governor “”very very soon.” My guess it could be as early as next week.  … Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman told the Commonwealth Club of California this week that the results of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s time in office “are not good,” the Sacramento Bee reported. Considering his absurd suggestion to put electronic billboards along freeways to increase state revenue eMeg has a point. …U.S. Senate Republican candidates have agreed to a 60-minute debate set for May 6. It will be sponsored by ABC News and the League of Women Voters in Los Angeles and broadcast on ABC affiliates across the state. Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore are confirmed, and Tom Campbell is certain.

Quotable

“I’m always ready to go.” James O’Keefe, 25, the self-styled guerilla investigative journalist who was arrested last month in New Orleans in an attempted expose of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, was a rock star at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday in Washington. O’Keefe, who had to get permission from his federal parole office to attend, told Politico his next video is ready, but wouldn’t reveal the subject.   

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