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Stunning Upset Brewing in Massachusetts
TownHall.com ^ | 9/22/07 | Patrick Ruffini

Posted on 09/22/2007 1:26:00 AM PDT by JohnHuang2

Last week, a SurveyUSA/WBZ poll out of Boston caused a minor earthquake in the Massachusetts political universe. The race to replace liberal Congressman Marty Meehan was supposed to be a sleepy affair leading to a walk-in-the-park victory for Democrat Niki Tsongas, the well-known wife of the late Senator Paul Tsongas. So it came as quite a surprise when the poll showed Republican Jim Ogonowski, a farmer and veteran from the Merrimack Valley, within 10 points of Tsongas. Tsongas polled just 51 percent to Ogonowski's 41 percent.

In any political environment, a win by Ogonowski on October 16th would be considered a stunning upset. Massachusetts has not sent a Republican to Congress in more than a decade. And though the district is relatively conservative by Massachusetts standards (if the Bay State ever sends a Republican to Washington, it will happen first here), Ogonowski had not been given much of a shot by the political classes. With the fallout from Iraq and 2006 continuing to take its toll on Washington Republicans, a win or close call by Ogonowski would signal that the political winds are gusting against the 11% approval Democrat-controlled Congress.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: hmmm; jimogonowski; ma05; martymeehan; meehan; nikitsongas; ogonowski; tsongas
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1 posted on 09/22/2007 1:26:01 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2

Interesting...


2 posted on 09/22/2007 1:29:05 AM PDT by conservativepoet
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To: conservativepoet

Personally, I think some more Northeast Republicans would be good for the GOP. The Southern version is too focused on social issue and not enough on fiscal. The traditional Northeast pubbie is a fiscal conservative. Don’t know anything about this person though.


3 posted on 09/22/2007 1:31:22 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit (Everyone wants a simple answer; but sometimes there isn't a simple answer)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

Neither do I. Maybe a “serious discomfort” has finally developed with a party deeply sympathetic to terroristic forces.


4 posted on 09/22/2007 1:41:43 AM PDT by conservativepoet
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
The Southern version is too focused on social issue and not enough on fiscal. The traditional Northeast pubbie is a fiscal conservative.

Good point. Where are all the fiscally-conservative Republicans in this and in the last couple of Congresses?

I could do with less posturing on social issues like gay marriage and more cutting of the ridiculous amounts of money spent in DC.

5 posted on 09/22/2007 2:05:22 AM PDT by Darkwolf377 (Pro-Life atheist living in Boston...)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

You may think along those lines until the repubs took over both houses of congress and then spent money like drunk democrats.
That really hurt their ability to walk, talk and act like fiscal conservatives.


6 posted on 09/22/2007 2:43:19 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: JohnHuang2

YES!!!!! THANK GOD!!!


7 posted on 09/22/2007 2:57:59 AM PDT by hershey
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To: JohnHuang2
Greed takes over almost everyone. Remember term limits? That would help limit greed, not all , but most.
8 posted on 09/22/2007 3:05:06 AM PDT by G-Man 1
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To: JohnHuang2

When I heard a blurb the other day about “Tsongas in Massachusetts,” I thought, “Isn’t he dead?” This explains everything.


9 posted on 09/22/2007 3:11:50 AM PDT by L.N. Smithee (Hillary for President? In the words of Bell Biv DeVoe: "Never trust a big butt and a smile!")
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To: JohnHuang2

Being from MA, Jim Ogonowski would probably be another Specter, Snow or Collins.


10 posted on 09/22/2007 3:14:40 AM PDT by moonman
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To: Joe Boucher
The Republican Congress failed to control the budget because our Constitutional system has broken down and collapsed.

Madison warned about "factions", which are basically special interest groups that want to feed at the federal trough while the taxpayers pay for it.

The Founders created a difficult and confusing maze that these "factions" would have to conquer before they could enrich themselves.

One of the early obstacles to these factions was a President that would veto Congressional craziness.

Another (post founding fathers) method was a Supreme Court that would rule all violations of the Tenth Amendment by Congress unconstitutional.

Bush proposed budgets that cut programs, the Republican Congress reinstated those budgets, and then Bush stupidly signed the bills while the Supreme Court nodded and yawned.

It was a historic moment for the Republican Party--and they failed miserably to meet the challenge.

Future generations will pay and pay and pay for their blunder.
11 posted on 09/22/2007 3:28:36 AM PDT by cgbg (Smokers are the enemy of Hillary's socialist Utopia.)
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To: Joe Boucher

You are correct. The mid term election was about the betryal of the contract.


12 posted on 09/22/2007 3:29:25 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine's brother (Democrat, a synonym for Traitor)
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To: cgbg

Yeah but with very little time left in his presidency, President Bush is finally threatening to use his VETO pen.

Too little too late.
Maybe he can turn the whole budget over to Ted Kennedy and not just the education budget.


13 posted on 09/22/2007 3:56:15 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: moonman
Its my understanding that you can replace "probably" in your statement with "definitely". There is a conservative party candidate, but he's got no chance here. Jim O' is against Partial-birth-abortion, but otherwise pro-choice. He is clearly for completing the Iraq mission. He's probably more a Rudy when it comes to protection of Marriage.

He's got my vote and support though!

...from here in the MA Cong 5th district...

14 posted on 09/22/2007 4:16:06 AM PDT by C210N
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To: C210N

Thanks for the update


15 posted on 09/22/2007 4:24:18 AM PDT by moonman
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
The traditional Northeast pubbie is a fiscal conservative.

I bet if you examined the voting records of Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, etc., you would find a firm committment to larger, more expensive government.

16 posted on 09/22/2007 4:26:18 AM PDT by Zack Nguyen
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To: JohnHuang2

Why does this have the smell of “Send Cheney to Hawaii, it’s gonna be close!” to it?


17 posted on 09/22/2007 4:39:18 AM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (I buy gas for my SUV with the Carbon Offsets I sell on Ebay!)
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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
Like fat Dennis Hasteret of Illinois? Or Stevens of Alaska?

Republicans are politicians first and foremost and will buy and sell out the nation, literally, to buy the for sale affections of the citizens.

18 posted on 09/22/2007 4:51:26 AM PDT by Leisler (Just be glad you're not getting all the Government you pay for.)
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To: JohnHuang2

Ted The Swimmer Kennedy is set to make one of his fine oratorical appearances for Nikki (think Rush’s hilarious clip of Teddy’s undecipherable gibberish here), and that will be enough to put another MA liberal in office.
Too bad the founding fathers did not make it possible for states to vote other states off the island.


19 posted on 09/22/2007 5:07:03 AM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: JohnHuang2

Fraud will always provide the winning margin in Massachuttes.


20 posted on 09/22/2007 5:11:48 AM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Moveon is not us...... Moveon is the enemy)
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