Coakley vs. Brown

[KSigkid]

I was waiting for someone to post about this - it's HUGE news, and would be completely shocking if Brown came all the way back and won. I've been a Brown fan for quite some time, since he originally ran for state senate back in 03/04. My wife worked with some people who are now on the campaign, so I'd be happy for them as well.

Coakley has run one of the worst campaigns in recent memory. She had a lot of momentum going into the election, having been a successful District Attorney and being the current AG. Boston-area lawyers are heavily Democrat, and Coakley was getting a lot of money thrown her way. She sat back at the beginning of the campaign and was a little lazy in her campaign strategy, and for some reason allowed Brown to get out in front on issues. By the time she adopted an active campaign strategy, she's ended up leaning towards attack ads, and it hasn't really helped.

Plus, she's made some unfortunate statements (including referring to Curt Schilling as a Yankees fan), which haven't helped.

If Coakley loses this race, she has no one to blame but herself - she ran a horrible campaign (on the level of the Dukakis Presidential campaign and Tom Reilly's campaign for MA Governor).

[ThetaPrincess24]

Go Brown!

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

I was waiting for someone to post about this - it's HUGE news, and would be completely shocking if Brown came all the way back and won. I've been a Brown fan for quite some time, since he originally ran for state senate back in 03/04. My wife worked with some people who are now on the campaign, so I'd be happy for them as well.

Coakley has run one of the worst campaigns in recent memory. She had a lot of momentum going into the election, having been a successful District Attorney and being the current AG. Boston-area lawyers are heavily Democrat, and Coakley was getting a lot of money thrown her way. She sat back at the beginning of the campaign and was a little lazy in her campaign strategy, and for some reason allowed Brown to get out in front on issues. By the time she adopted an active campaign strategy, she's ended up leaning towards attack ads, and it hasn't really helped.

Plus, she's made some unfortunate statements (including referring to Curt Schilling as a Yankees fan), which haven't helped.

If Coakley loses this race, she has no one to blame but herself - she ran a horrible campaign (on the level of the Dukakis Presidential campaign and Tom Reilly's campaign for MA Governor).

I agree completely!

And Coakley's claim that there are no longer any terrorists in Afghanistan probably didn't help her cause, either.

[UGAalum94]

One of the things I think is entertaining about this campaign is watching the right-y bloggers that I read try to find the right amount of enthusiasm.

First, they don't know how realistic chances for the win are and then they have to constantly keep themselves from overheating by reminding themselves that he's likely to be a liberal Republican, but they'll definitely take what they can get in Massachusetts.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

One of the things I think is entertaining about this campaign is watching the right-y bloggers that I read try to find the right amount of enthusiasm.

First, they don't know how realistic chances for the win are and then they have to constantly keep themselves from overheating by reminding themselves that he's likely to be a liberal Republican, but they'll definitely take what they can get in Massachusetts.

He's not that liberal though...he's conservative on economics, gun rights, the death penalty, and on marriage laws (i.e. he thinks marriage should be limited to a man and a woman).

He's not on the far right, but he's definitely not a liberal Republican.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

He's not that liberal though...he's conservative on economics, gun rights, the death penalty, and on marriage laws (i.e. he thinks marriage should be limited to a man and a woman).

He's not on the far right, but he's definitely not a liberal Republican.

I wasn't thinking so much that he was actually liberal in comparison to the whole electorate, just in comparison conservative bloggers.

ETA: I haven't looked at his record at all really before today. The bloggers weren't anti-Brown at all, but were just noting kind of where things stood that the right was this fired up over a fairly moderate guy and was it wise to be.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I wasn't thinking so much that he was actually liberal in comparison to the whole electorate, just in comparison conservative bloggers.

ETA: I haven't looked at his record at all really before today. The bloggers weren't anti-Brown at all, but were just noting kind of where things stood that the right was this fired up over a fairly moderate guy and was it wise to be.

Oh, I definitely understand what you're saying. Brown is probably more moderate than the most vocal conservatives (which is another topic that I can get fired up about). But, it's not like MA would be electing a RINO if Brown were to win.

I think people tend to make the same mistake with MA that they do with NY. They put a lot of emphasis on the most liberal areas (around NYC and around Boston) and forget that both states have areas that are heavily conservative (upstate NY and western MA).

It's true that the conservative areas have less population, but they're still large enough to make a difference when properly mobilized. This election has been a interesting combination of circumstances: Brown has run an excellent campaign, and Coakley has run a terrible campaign. Unlike the Kennedy/Romney race in 1994 (where Kennedy mounted a great charge near the end), Coakley may have waited too long to actively work for the job.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Unlike the Kennedy/Romney race in 1994 (where Kennedy mounted a great charge near the end), Coakley may have waited too long to actively work for the job.

Absolutely. I know some professional politicos who are absolutely beside themselves with her self destruction. This was a race that was hers to lose, and it shouldn't even have been this close.

The rest I'll save for when the votes are counted.