Martha Coakley Blamed By Dems For Close Race In Massachusetts

The Washington Post:

Massachusetts isn't the likeliest backdrop for Republicans to begin their long climb back to a Senate majority. Democrats control both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, all 10 House seats and wide majorities in the state legislature.

[...]

While Democrats acknowledge that the national environment isn't doing Coakley any favors -- particularly among independent and unaffiliated voters -- many blame her for the sudden competitiveness of the contest. "To avoid handing the Republicans bragging rights for making it a competitive race, she's got to turn it up a notch and remind voters why it is they elect Democrats in Massachusetts and why she's the change agent in the race," said one senior Democratic strategist in the state, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment of Coakley's candidacy.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

Comments

[TheKurgan9]

06:07 PM on 01/13/2010

Massachusetts is ridiculous. Did you see how during the debate the question was asked about Taking Kennedy's seat....and Brown said, "This isn't Kennedy's seat it is the seat of the people of Massachusetts" The guy was stunned. Yeah, it is NOT Kennedy's seat....the nerve of these democrats

[Ozzymondias]

12:00 PM on 01/12/2010

Coakley needs start by spelling Massachusetts correctly in her attack ads on Brown.

http://blog.masslive.com/thefray/2010/01/martha_coakley_ad_misspells_massachusetts.html

[jsgaetano]

11:48 AM on 01/12/2010

I say someone needs to dig deep into Coakley's opponent, and find some red meat the Teabaggers can dig into.

Conservatives are their own worst enemy, let's start making use of them. It'd be the first time in history they were actually good for something.

[desertdweller]

10:23 AM on 01/12/2010

Coakley only needs a plurality of the votes cast and she will get it.

[Paisano]

10:05 AM on 01/12/2010

If the people of Mass vote for a republican... Then they deserve the disaster that comes with horrible decisions!

[wonketteRAWKS]

10:21 PM on 01/11/2010

Pelosi went and endorsed Coakley's opponent in the democratic primary. We know how that went.

'nuff said!

[lthuedk 1]

08:19 PM on 01/11/2010

Why DNC? Why the weak candidate? You want to lose, don't you? All resources should have been used. Instead, you sat on your prat and begged for failure.

[llmitchellb]

07:20 PM on 01/11/2010

Is it close? It doesn't seem close to me.

[tinwizid]

07:04 PM on 01/11/2010

President Obama did a fund raiser for Deval Patrick recently, I think they brought in $2.50. Maybe he can do the same for Martha Choakley!

[desertdweller]

10:24 AM on 01/12/2010

Choakley - like the Red Sox! I get it. Ha Ha!

[tinwizid]

06:56 PM on 01/11/2010

BOSTON — Martha Coakley may be the state’s attorney general, but her Senate rival is vying to match her law-and-order credentials.

Republican Scott Brown was scheduled Monday to receive the endorsement of the State Police Association of Massachusetts.

It represents rank-and-file troopers.

[Alekasandra]

03:35 PM on 01/11/2010

What is funny is the liberals here complaining about a 15 point lead when the media think it should be a 20-30 point lead. But other polls show that Brown is ahead by 1 point. Enough just enough to upset the apple cart. And seeing that these special elections don't draw a big crowd the dems are worried that there wont be a large turn out.

Could be a BIG upset. What a message it would send throughout America if a Republican won Teddy's seat. Wouldn't that be a GREAT ending for the Kennedy name.

[madcat007]

04:35 PM on 01/11/2010

It's not going to happen. It's one poll from NC that no one's heard of, who is saying Brown is ahead by 1. Even right wing poll Rasmussun has Coakley up by 9. As a resident, I can tell you that Coakley was all over the tv during the Democratic Primary, but once she won, she seemed to start to coast and gave Brown some hope. The last debate is tonight and Coakley is stepping up her campaign. He's running on "terr0rism" (not a big play here) and she's running on health care and jobs. My prediction is that she will win by 12-15 points in the end.

[keepemhonest]

12:21 AM on 01/12/2010

kitty

I think you are spot on target. Was that NC thing even a poll.... it looked more like a public opinion as opposed to a poll.

I hope she does step up her campaign.

[Doofus]

05:36 AM on 01/12/2010

There's an explanation by Scott Rasmussen about how the various
poll results are not THAT different, if you look at them the 'right' way.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_scott_rasmussen/looking_closer_at_the_massachusetts_senate_polls

I will say this about Martha Coakley (who I will vote for). She's no
Ted Kennedy, who after all flunked out of Harvard the first time &
had a few other problems along the way, and STILL became a great
Senator. She's a bit prim. So what?

[desertdweller]

10:26 AM on 01/12/2010

She's Irish, and a Celtics fan - that's all that counts.

[AlexDL]

03:20 PM on 01/11/2010

There are a lot more republicans in MA than anyone realizes.

I also believe the general gloom and doom reporting toward the democratic party position, no matter what the reality may be, has shifted some of the so called independants toward the republican position for no other reason than they think that the democrats aren't "winning". I have actually seen this with a few members of my family who do not pay attention to politics in anything other than the most superficial of ways. I often think that just putting a picture of your candidate next to cute babies and puppies would do more to sway the undecided and indeferent voters than actually talking about anything of substance.

The lack of understanding in the difference between the role of a U.S. Senator and a that of a Governor is also something that I was shocked to find in my conversations with people.

[Doofus]

03:35 PM on 01/11/2010

Here are the totals as of 2008 from
the MA Sec of State. 490K Repos is a lot ,
but there are still 3 times as many Demos.

Total 4,220,488
Democrats 1,559,464
Republicans 490,259
Unenrolled 2,141,878
Greens 6,728
Working Families 5,534

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/st_county_town_enroll_breakdown_08.pdf

[tinwizid]

07:00 PM on 01/11/2010

The unenrolled are the ones that will send Scott Brown to Washington. There are many life long time dems that are going to vote for Brown too. We elected 3 Republican Governors in a row. Martha Coakley thought she would just waltz right in because of the "D" after her name.

[keepemhonest]

12:22 AM on 01/12/2010

Alex

Can I remind you of your comment after the election?

[Altruth]

02:49 PM on 01/11/2010

The MEDIA S/U/C/K/S, since when a 15 to 20% lead a bad thing - just the media trying to sell something.

[dgvb]

02:18 PM on 01/11/2010

The Dems. ought to be blaming themselves for Coakley's problems. First they put together a crappy healthcare bill and leave Brown an opening the size of a Mack truck to rightfully oppose it. This leaves Coakley the option of either also opposing a horror of a bill, or staying "loyal" and having to say, with a straight face, that this insult to our collective national intelligence is better than nothing.

[Altruth]

02:51 PM on 01/11/2010

Just media hype, 15% - 20% lead is a win!

[ProgressiveAndProud1]

12:54 PM on 01/11/2010

What a joke! .... Talk about incompetent media!

One outlier PPP poll and the sky is falling?

Coakley wins by 20% easily ..... This is Mass not Miss!!

[keepemhonest]

12:30 AM on 01/12/2010

GREAT POST

[minigun]

01:27 PM on 01/13/2010

There are alot of bitter, unemployed or barely employed folks in MA. Don't count your chickens until they hatch.