No matter what happens in the Bay State today, we are witnessing what may be a milestone in American politics. A Republican candidate for federal office may well turn Massachusetts red by doing what the Gipper once did, getting the groups, which sixty years ago helped transform Massachusetts into one of the most reliably Democratic states in the union, to vote Republican.
Even as Massachusetts Democrats embraced the cultural left in the 1960s and 1970s, the working class voters remained within the fold. While those voters opted for the Gipper in the 1980s and helped the Democrats nominate a (brainy) social conservative as their gubernatorial standard bearer in 1990 (who lost to a libertarian Republican), the state GOP never developed a strategy to wean them away from the party of George McGovern and John Kerry.
Now they seem to be rallying to Scott Brown:
In fact most of Massachusetts comes from ‘hearty stock’, or in other words a Catholic, blue-collar background. And while perhaps not as conservative as other places in the country, as a voting block it is certainly more mainstream than the liberal crowd pulled in and retained by the magnet of Harvard/Radcliffe/Brandeis/Tufts.
What this really means is that a mildly conservative, blue-collar candidate has a lot of unrecognized and untapped reserve to draw upon when running to tweak the nose of Massachusetts’ limousine-liberal elite. Call them the ‘Will Hunting’ voters.
Unlike the past when a liberal who lives in Beacon Hill, and the plumber who fixes his sinks and lives in Somerville could generally be relied upon to both vote for Ted Kennedy, this year the plumber from Somerville has a choice that easily appeals to *him* and will stick it to all those Ha-vahd snobs who have always looked down at him.
Via Instapundit. Perhaps, it was Ted Kennedy’s last name which kept them within the Democratic fold for so long. Union leadership may be ginning up the turnout machine for Martha Coakely, but many of the union rank and file are breaking for Scott Brown.
Democrats would be wise to witness what is going on in the Bay State and instead of doubling down on their own left-wing agenda, might try and figure out why people who once regularly voted Democrat are now pulling for the GOP.
Sure everyone on the left, from pundit to pulpit, is gonna hammer Coakley rather than place the blame where it belongs…..squarely on the doorstep at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the agenda of the man inside.
The ramifications of this election are going to be epic…. yet in a last ditch effort to rally the troops, the governor of Massachusetts is on TV right now continuing with the Left’s inept preoccupation of health care making it appear not as a policy but instead a non sequitur most Americans aren’t willing to buy into anymore.
I’m not at all surprised by the right-wing media’s spin that Brown will win. The votes aren’t counted yet and with that faulty Diebold voting system your election may be rigged anyway.
Coakley wasn’t the best politician in the campaign but her record has demonstrated she is the best Statesman for the job. I hope and pray that the good people of MA are not swayed by the hate of the Cults of Jesus and their fear-mongering.
Brown is a right-wing nut and we see it.
We also see the right-wing media spin that wants to paint this as a MA referendum on the Presidency of Barack H Obama but you’ll have to wait for the next Presidential election to try to steal the White House back. After 8 years of Bush this Obama Presidency is a welcome change.
Yes… ObamaCare must die, that human beings may live.
The Democrats have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, an 80 seat majority in the House, and the most radical left president in American History. Why did they not just pass a Single-payer, nationalized health care system on their own? If they are so sure that the public will love it, and they have the absolute majority to pass it… then why did they not just pass it?
I’ll agree with Beck. Anything less than a 5 point margin of victory, and the Dems steal it.
Tangental: Apparently the President is already working on a reply to a Brown victory, per Politico. A strong responce. (HT The Campaign spot).
Why does President Obama hate free people?
12:34pm EST latest word I’m hearing is its looking good for Brown with strong turnouts. Could def be a “referendum” -ey vote after all
What’s more, why did they not include coverage in the Porkulous? They could have covered an ass load of people for $787 BILLION.
On another note, with Coakley’s foot-in-mouth disease, I have to wonder if Plugs Biden wasn’t secretly running her campaign.
I think we should what to see what caused people to vote than to just say this is a referendum on Obama, especially since it does hold pretty good ratings in the state. I think Coakley is a factor in if the Democrats hold the seat or not, she matters more to the voters than Obama does. Brown has a good job, whether he wins or not, he has run a much better campaign than Coakley did. It could just be that machine driven politics is just no longer effective in the face of the a new media and grass roots connections
I think the exit polls will be interesting, especially if Brown wins. I’d like to see what the turn out was and what was the main driving force for the voter.
If Brown beats Coakley, another key reason could be that the Kennedys never got behind Coakley – in fact, they hate her:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Massachusetts-Dem-attacks-on-Coakley-get-personal-82006947.html
The voters of Massachusetts may be Obamacare’s death panel.
Dan, although we (M-M partner and I) love the Bay State and her people –well, except for the rotund ghost of Tip ONeil and his stooge, Chrissie Matthews– we weren’t able to vote for Scott Brown… even though I spoke with 2 of Michigan’s ACORN ex-leaders and inquired how they might be able to get us the opportunity to vote 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 times in the election. They wouldn’t tell me; fancy that.
We did send $1,500 to Brown’s campaign and signing that check made me very, very happy. I’m personally content to be able to say I helped the president fail… now, we (GOP loyalists) have to keep up the pressure and do it to the House and Senate & governors in 2012 and the president, House and Senate and governors in 2014.
This ought to be the fastest political comeback of any political party in American –nay, world– history!
I wonder if MSNBC will cover the GOP ComeBack Story. Nawh. Hey, I’d be happy if they’d cover the stellar performance of the Libertarian Party candidate in the race… haven’t heard much of that guy… was it Joe Kennedy?
A candidate should be finished if they can’t spell the name of their state in campaign ads.
Argghh no exit polls for this race, well thats crap.
Rush reported Rasmussen is taking one, Darkeyed.
Sorry, let me correct that. Rasmussen says it’s not a real exit poll.
I can’t wait for tonight. I’m euphoric. Paul Revere is riding and riding hard, from Virginia to New jersey…now to Massachusetts….let freedom ring!!!
Throw off the yoke of tyranny.
Even in MA Obama and his policies are too much to swallow.
A great article on how a 30 point Coakley lead has turned into a Republican rout…
1. The Obama arogance.
2. Pushing unpopular policies…Obamacare and cap n tax.
3. The horse trading surrounding Obamacare…esp Nelson and the cornhusker fraud. Added to the Lincoln LA Purchase. Have even liberal Democrats humiliated.
4. The Christmas bomber proved Obamas administration was unprepared to seriously counter terror attacks.
5. The detachment of Obama and Coakley from the real people.
If it’s a Brown victory tonight…any bets on who’s head EXPLODES first over at MSNBC??
Matthews____
Olvermann______
Maddaw_______
Schultz________
Schuster________
Right now everyone of them is duct taping their heads from their ears all the way around their chins trying to prevent what brain mass they have from exploding all over the MSDNC studios at 8:05pm.
Is this a great time to be alive or what!
Kevin Andrews @3:
How does that crow taste? Need some salt?
LOL
What I dont get is that working class families tend to be more traditional than the rich but the party that supports economic interests that favor the working class are less traditional on social matters than the one favoring the rich.
It seems like being socially conservative but economically liberal would be a slam dunk so why hasn’t that become a grand political strategy? Most conservatives care more about traditional values and foreign policy over economic policy anyways while liberals care more about the economy and the environment than anything.