Posted on 12/27/2010 5:25:35 AM PST by raccoonradio
One year ago today, the then-Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, Martha Coakley, was on vacation, presuming her victory was in hand. Scott Brown had a very different idea on the way to the polls.
As 2011 quickly approaches, so does the kick-off for the 2012 election cycle, which means the Democratic National Committee will declare open season on our Republican senator.
Despite their desires, Brown has not made any major gaffes and continues to be far more likable than Anchors-Away John Kerry, who was caught last summer berthing his new yacht in Rhode Island to avoid paying Massachusetts taxes.
During his first year in office, Brown earns high marks. Barbara Anderson, executive director of citizens for limited taxation, grades him with a B+ on his voting record and an overall grade of A. The veteran tax-cutting crusader does not agree with all his votes, but she is “very happy” with his performance.
Outgoing state Senate Republican Leader Richard Tisei says Brown has earned a solid A.
Tea Party members have expressed frustration with Brown’s roll call votes. But Massachusetts is not Alabama and Brown has been politically smart to walk the fine line between being a fiscal conservative and a right-wing radical.
Democrats claim to be licking their chops about taking on Brown, but it seems more likely that the Democrat with the short straw will get the task. Brown has amassed a war chest of $6 million, more than double Kerry’s.
Democrats may hope a Kennedy will step up in spite of their failure to recruit a family member for the special election. Vicki relocated to Boston and has been making public appearances. But flirting with a run and actually running are two different things. And it’s been surprisingly quiet on the Call-Joe-for-Oil front. A Joe K candidacy would be formidable, but it also would be plagued by his skeletons and questions about the $575,000 salary from his non-profit Citizens Energy Corp.
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch says he’s staying put but has a $702,000 campaign account balance, and there’s U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano, but he has $144,000 cash on hand and $48,000 debt and lost last year’s primary. And don’t count on Gov. Deval Patrick to run like Bill Weld did in 1996. Remember, Deval got back into the Corner Office without a majority of votes.
In such a blue state, you would expect a greater pool of Democrat challengers. It seems one-party domination has not bred a great farm team for the future.
I look at Brown like I look at O’Donnell...they both defeated people who needed defeating. One in the primary and one in the general. Other than that....a GOP vote out of MA is better to have than not.
I am soooo sick of Masshole politics.
I feel pretty much the same as you Mick but it would take a LOT to undue his DADT vote for me.
I hope others run in the Republican primary in 2012.
A solid A from Tisei? Let’s see if Scott Brown gets on the cover of Bay Windows.
I’ll write in Mayor McCheese.
I saw that - gross.
On the national level Brown’s election was a sign of things to come—victory for conservatives, Republicans, tea party etc. In MA though it woke up the Dems who got out the union money, etc. and gave us people like Patrick, Bump, Grossman,
Frank, Tierney, Keating, McGovern, Tsongas, etc. As to whether someone else more conservative can replace him:
1) This is Massachusetts. See above. What would their chances be in a very blue state?
2) You can run someone more conservative in the primary.
If they win, fine. Brown has millions in his war chest.
He (SB) might be able to win in the final. Someone more
conservative? Well, look what happened to people
like Bielat, Golnik, Perry, etc. We may wind up getting a Dem and yes you could say that’s what we have now but
Brown has at least voted our way on many issues.
In other words, go ahead, find a more conservative candidate and run them
a) vs. Brown in primary. Could lose to Brown
b) if they win the GOP nomination they could well
lose to the Dem
c) or run them as a third party candidate. That could help
swing the election over to the Dem
You could also
d) write off the state. Let the Dems win the seat again.
Hopefully we could do well elsewhere. You’d need to make up for Brown losing here with a pickup elsewhere
For those who don’t want Brown:
1) Name a local candidate more conservative than him. May be easy.
2) Now name a local candidate more conservative than him who can beat Brown in a GOP primary. Remember, independents, who went big for Brown, can vote in GOP primary should they choose. Brown will most likely win.
Especially since he has a big war chest.
3) Now name a local candidate more conservative than him who,
if he/she does beat Brown in the primary, can then go on
in the Commonwealth of Mass. to beat a Dem. Brown will
most likely win, in a narrow race. Especially since he has a big war chest.
Spot on. Unless you grew up in the northeast and (this is key) came from a weak family background or some type of background short on faith, family, etc. you could never understand how steeped in abortion a young northeastern woman is. I think you, as a physician, probably see it first hand.
I don't know if anyone knows how strong of a brainwashing the north easterners get. Guns, abortion and fear of religion -- it was all drilled into my head from a very early age.
We will respect your protest vote. The Dems will
thank you for your protest vote. One more vote
toward their victory, if so. So be it.
Feel free to tell these guys you aren’t voting for Brown:
Thanks!
Agreed.
Um, voted no on dream act? Voted no on Kagan? etc. I guess that isn’t good enough for us. You would prefer Sen. Coakley who would have votes yes on both?
I’m waiting to see if anyone can answer those challenges I made in this post. Does anyone have a candidate who can beat Brown in primary and the Dem candidate in the fall, a candidate more conservative? Would they have as big a war chest? Would they resonate with the unenrolled/independents?
Because the key to winning is winning the right AND
moderates and maybe even some on the Left. I know conservatives object to this, but some comments I’ve read on newspaper sites have said “Scott has voted the way he said he would—on the issues, not a straight party line, and I like that”.
Many people will still vote for him for that reason, despite losing the Conservative Purity test. Last I checked
GOP registration in MA was about 13 per cent. He won
by getting a lot of unenrolleds and can do that again. But by all means, mention some names of people who could beat him in the primary, and then beat the Dem. candidate, someone totally conservative. In Mass. Anyone?
Just may happen; not sure who. Markey? Frank? Tierney?
Olver? Keating, who just got in?
And only MA is dumb enough to poss. vote another Kennedy in. I will say that at least Patrick Kennedy is stepping down,
though he helped to defeat his own cause with stuff like
the ambien 2:30 am vote. As Howie Carr puts it, “He had to retire because of illness—the voters got sick of him”
In other words, for once even Rhode Island woke up.
The media loves her, and they also won’t forget Teddy. The Globe kept promoting a book about him. Even the Herald was treating Ted with respect. They know many in MA still have a fondness for the Kennedys. Trouble is, one of the few members of the family we may agree with (on foreign policy, tax cuts, etc.) was gunned down by a Commie in 1963...other than him...
They would prefer someone who is 100 per cent lib. Would a Dem US Senator from MA (like Kerry) have voted against the Dream Act? They’d prefer someone who is TOTALLY on their side.
Would a Dem say, as Brown did just after the election, “our
tax dollars should be paying for weapons to defeat the terrorists, not lawyers to defend them?” Would a Senator
Coakley have said that? No, but then-Senator-elect Brown did.
Agreed. From someone who has lived in MA for almost 49 years.
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