Posted on 12/23/2010 10:56:03 AM PST by raccoonradio
The biggest question facing Democrats as they head into 2011 is this: Who has the guts, money and potential electability to take on U.S. Sen. Scott Brown?
Capuano? Khazei? Lynch? Frank? Murray? Setti Warren? As Brown likes to say, give me a break.
Vicki Kennedy? Maybe. She says she has no interest, but she’s been acting like a candidate.
Well, here’s another intriguing possibility: Robert Pozen.
You may not know him, but Pozen is a legend in the investment world who’s made many millions of dollars helping run huge financial services firms such as Fidelity and MFS Investment.
The Herald has learned that Pozen, a Democat, has been seriously talking to party insiders about challenging Brown, although he hasn’t made a decision. Pozen did not return phone calls from the Herald left at his office at Harvard Business School.
Pozen is no stranger to the political world. He was one of two token Democrats serving in former Gov. Mitt Romney’s cabinet but left after only a year. Yet Romney gives a shout out to Pozen in his book, “No Apology,” saying he’s intrigued by Pozen’s plan to save Social Security. So Pozen has potential crossover appeal to independents and Republicans.
But Pozen’s biggest asset in a race against Brown can be summed up in one word: money.
Not only does Pozen know how to make money for people, he has a lot of it to spend in a campaign. Brown will have about $10 million in his war chest even before the campaign starts, and no Democrat can come close to matching that, except a multi-millionaire.
Now for the negatives. Pozen is a businessman and academician, a combination that usually proves disastrous in politics. One political insider describes his personality as “Silberesque” — referring to former Boston University chief John Silber, whose temper undid his candidacy for governor in 1990.
Pozen also lacks in the charisma department. He could make Martha Coakley look like Lady Gaga by comparison.
There is still another Democrat who can’t be ruled out of the 2012 mix — Gov. Deval Patrick. Yes, I know, Patrick has said over and over he will serve out his next term, but do we really believe that? Bill Weld challenged John Kerry in the middle of his second term. If Patrick knocked the GOP’s rock star out of the Senate, he would immediately vault into presidential contention.
By next fall, if the field of Democrats includes a bunch of incumbent congressmen and others who don’t have the last name Kennedy, Democratic voters may be begging Patrick to run against Brown.
And he just might do it.
I don’t know if Frank would run—he’s getting old, but that hasn’t stopped some candidates. Could he win? Yes, this is Massachusetts!
“So if the election were Brown against Frank, whom would you support?”
“I’d just stay home.”
“Then get ready to watch Senator Frank’s swearing in on TV.”
Do you know what Howie and his listener's reaction was to Brown's DADT and START votes?
TIA.
Sell it somewhere else. This creep has done tremendous harm to our national defense and military while handing Obama unnecessary victories in the lame duck session. All that is unforgivable.
Brown has proven he can't be trusted not to buckle on anything and will cast votes for political expediency. Expect that trend to continue the closer he gets to reelection.
That is the loser's mentality that prevents any real progress from occurring in the nation.
As long as RINOs hold seats there is no chance of a conservative winning the seat. And, Chris Christie in New Jersey has proven it is possible for conservatives to win seats in liberal states.
There are more than enough vulnerable Democrats in red states and states trending Republican that will be defeated to give Republicans control of the senate.
All the presence of RINOs do is force the Republican leadership to cave and pander to them.
Whom would you prefer?
Rich Tisei
Charlie Baker
Bill Hudak
Jeff Perry
Mary Connaughton
Jon Golnik
Those are some GOP candidates on the state level who might possibly run for Brown’s seat. (They have one thing in common, though; they all lost last month.) Anyone else?
A Red Mass Group post about Who is MA Conservative/Republican of the year. Many votes for Brown, also Jeff Perry. One
post: “Are we talking ALL Republicans? Or just those that pass the purity test? Cause that will shrink the pool of eligible contenders, much the way it will continue to shrink the party registration. At this rate you can forget the big tent and use a pup tent.”
http://redmassgroup.com/diary/11007/open-thread
CFBlake writes: “If I was (sic: “were”) head of the State GOP I bet party membership would be up alot (sic). When Republicans act like liberals then the numbers go down. When Republicans CONSERVITIVES (sic)(Fiscal and Moral) are running the show membership will go up.”
Yes, we need more “conservititives” in this state...
This is a conservative boob bait game. Here’s how it works.
Liberal Stuff that is going to pass no matter what.( about 75%) Vote against, no Washington pol will hold it against you, and you get 75% brownie points from conservative idiots right off the bat.
Vote for conservative stuff that is going to pass, and doesn’t need your vote one way or another. Get 5%. Now up to Olympia Brown’s vaunted 80%.
Vote lefty on the 20 percent of lefty stuff that could go either way, and then go back home and tell the bumpkins you’re a Conservative( See Specter, Bennett, Graham, McPain, Romney....et al.)
Maybe conservatives could run their own candidate as a third party. It would divert enough votes away from Brown that the Dem would get in (assuming it were a close election). Won’t it be nice to have both Senators be Democrat again? It could be Vicky, carrying on her husband’s legacy. Capuano...
Frank...Pozen...maybe Marty Meehan, yeah get Marty to run.
Or Deval. Foolish to think we could get anyone who isn’t liberal in the Senate, just get a Dem back in...
Though a Red Mass Group post about Brown and 2012 may give him hope; it starts by saying that Dems have to play serious defense in Senate Races (I think they have 23 up for grabs,
GOP only 10) and:
>>Over the next few weeks I’ll try to point out some other factors Scott Brown has on his side, but this is a major one that most haven’t picked up on yet. There is no Democrat who could run against Brown, who would be able to count on national money. It is simply not coming. Not only does it take off the table a possible asset of a would be opponent, it may also thwart a top tier candidate from even considering it. Brown already has a massive war chest and whoever the next opponent will be, they will have a lot of climbing to do. Everyone in the Massachusetts House delegation may think themselves a future Senator and they may also have fund-raised well in the past, but they’re about to find out that fund-raising in the minority party and as “Ranking Member” is a lot more difficult than when in the leading party and as “Chairman”. Naturally it goes without saying, that their Democratic colleagues in the Senate also won’t be so eager to help them when half will have their own hides to save.
>>With this in mind and a dozen other similar factors (that none of the pundits and “experts” are realising), Brown is in a good position for re-election. When the would be top-tier challengers run this math, they may decide to bow out, leaving Brown facing an underwhelming self-funder(and aren’t they all) in 2012. I couldn’t be happier that the Democrats are so overconfident already, and clearly Scott Brown remembers a time when they were before.
Conservatives should quit wasting money on Republican candidates in Massachusetts. The state is a lost cause. Better to divert our money to candidates in close races in ‘purple’ states where your money could actually make a difference over the long term.
Brown is about 50/50 which is as good as you are going to get out of Mass. Most anyone else would be 10/90 at best.
Yes, and I’m one of the better to have something rather than nothing folks. If someone more conservative in this state _can beat a Dem_, then great, nominate them. If you saw the election results of last month, you see what many voters can accomplish. “Yes We Can”—if you’re a Dem. Having at least a partial conservative in this state is already a miracle.
Conservatives for red states, Conservatives for purple states, and whatever we can scratch out in blue states.
Makes no difference which Dem runs against him, Brown is finished. The seat will go back to the Dems, sure as the sunrise.
We elected Scott Brown hoping for a conservative, or at least a Republican.
Judging by his voting record, we got neither.
And in Massachusetts, it doesn’t matter which Dem runs against him. Not at all.
“Money might not the big issue, because Scott Brown isn’t going to see a stinking dime from Tea Party advocates this time around!”
Indeed. Personally, Brown has been about what I expected, and while I and many other good conservatives supported him the first time, I doubt he’ll receive our support again because he has now conclusively demonstrated he’s not actually all that conservative.
However, he’s also probably demonstrated he’s too conservative for Massachusetts, and by trying to appease everyone, he’s simply managed to piss off everyone instead. Without the massive national conservative support he had in terms of money and help, I’ll be surprised if Brown is re-elected.
I agree with that sentiment DNME. I would rather have a Dim wit and know what to expect than take it up the you know what by a spineless weasel RINO like Scott Brown.
This Lame Duck was it for me, that freaking food bill SB 510 sent me over the top.
I do not want to feed my family virus/bacteria engineered food grown by Monsanto seeds voted on by one Scott Brown.
George Soros is Monsanto’s big investor. This bill is dangerous to the health of all Americans.
Scottie Boy can “read” and “deliberate” all he wants.
I pray to God for my children’s sake that the New Congress de-funds this Frankenfood nightmare!!
If he read the whole bill he would “know” that the bill was written by Monsanto!
This is the takeover of the Food Industry.
As that POS Kissinger was wont to say..” He who controls the food...controls the people”.. Not an exact quote but darn close.
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