Video-Senator Kerry & Brown

[wisteria]

What do you think?



http://www.necn.com/Boston/Politics/2010/01/21/Brown-meets-with-Kerry-on/1264090686.html


Watch the video with Kerry and then catch this one with McCain.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Politics/2010/01/21/Brown-meets-with-McCain-says/1264093247.html

There is a link to the interview on TPM where Brown says this,

If I see a bill that is good for my state, I'm gonna vote for it. And that's my first priority. Other senators represent other states. My initial job is to protect the state of Massachusetts, and I don't owe anybody anything. In the legislature in Massachusetts, I look at the bills first, determine what -- how much they cost, and if they'll benefit my district and the state, and you know, I'll take it that way and continue to be the same type of voter I always have been."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/kerry-alongside-brown-i-would-think-scott-wouldnt-want-people-denied-insurance-for-preexisting-condi.php

[ProSense]

1. TPM piece

posted here

Also, an Alito reminder.

[wisteria]

5. Your link to TPM isn' t working. Your other posts are great. n/t

[ProSense]

29. Oops, sorry.

Mass also posted the piece.

[ObamaKerryDem]

2. I thought Sen. Kerry was beyond gracious here..

Class, pure class. (as usual) :) I did find it interesting, though, how Brown said his daughter had biked with JK and what..had a picture with him? Is this the same daughter who shouted "Kerry's next!" at his election night speech? Wow, talk about having it both ways! lol. Kerry's a real class act for being so hospitable to them (even though, now that they are both Senators of the same state, and Kerry in his role as its Senior Senator, he probably has little other choice in the matter), I don't know if I could've been after that nasty campaign. But I admire that about Kerry and I did like how he kind of put Brown on the spot, by saying this:

"I would think Scott would not want people to be denied health insurance for a pre-existing condition," said Kerry. "There have got to be some basic things here that we can all agree on."

That was pretty brilliant on Kerry's part, I thought. :D I thought Brown looked a bit uncomfortable here. I think again he's going to be put between a bit of a rock and a hard place here, politically as I think no matter what he ends up doing in terms of his votes, he's either going to alienate the RW element of his base or the better part of the electorate there...or possibly both. It'll be interesting to see what he does, though it does still sicken me to hear of him visiting and getting ready to take over Teddy Kennedy's old office...I'm sorry but it just feels all wrong..:(

[wisteria]

6. I think this is going to be the Dem's new strategy. Put Repubs on the spot

regarding parts of the health care bill that all American's can support and dare them to vote against the peoples' best interests. Go Kerry!!!
And yes, it still does seem all wrong. Hopefully we can regain it in a couple of years.

[ObamaKerryDem]

8. If that's the strategy, I like it. :)

And I'm already ready to support *InsertnameofDemocraticBrownopponenthere* 2012. :evilgrin: I'd seriously come down there from all the way over here in AZ to help do it, too. (Just as I would for JK's next campaign). :)

[MBS]

35. surely they won't give him Teddy's office?

any DC-savvy people know?
Typically, a prime office would go to someone with seniority and clout. .. yes?

[wisteria]

49. Yes, I remember this question coming up when H. Clinton first became a senator.

He should have an office in the basement.

[Mass]

3. TMP piece posted here - I liked he challenged Brown to vote for healthcare.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x142681

Now, can we have a leadership that leads rather than the pitiful show the Democrats are giving?

[wisteria]

7. Oh yes, me too! And you are right Democrats now need to lead!

The new and improved Democrat Party.

[ObamaKerryDem]

10. It might be a long shot, but I kind of wish JK was our Majority Leader in the Senate..

..No offense to Reid..

[wisteria]

13. I could see him in this position, but I think it takes a lot of time & effort to herd all the Dem's

in, and JK is busy as Chairman of the SFRC. But, yes, he seems to understand what is important to the people. Reid did what he had to do to get 50 votes, but that deal with Nelson left a bad taste in my mouth and it is hard to defend the Dem's on this one.

[ObamaKerryDem]

15. That's true.

I just think JK would be a better, stronger leader (even though I personally don't have anything against Reid; I think he's tried, though I didn't really like that deal much either..I don't think very many did). How long do you have to be in the Senate to be considered for that anyway?

[karynnj]

19. No requirement

Kerry has been in the Senate longer. I think the difference is that some Senators opt for party leadership roles - Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Menendez etc - and others opt for the leadership roles in the Committees. Kennedy was never Majority leader, nor was Leahy. Lugar is the longest serving Republican and he was never majority leader.

[karynnj]

18. He would have to give up SFRC

If you look at how he has acted on SFRC, he could be an extraordinary majority leader in the future. It is fascinating seeing the respect he gets in the committee from Corker (but not DeMint). The key difference I see is that he truly wants to hear others and he is always courteous to everyone. There is a calmness and collegiality that many of Lugar's hearings had, but Biden's didn't.

That same maturity, integrity and respect could go a huge way if the Republicans ever tamped down their anger.

[wisteria]

22. DeMink is a jacka** obstructionist Tea'er. His only purpose within the party

is to give Dem's a hard time and to hold up appointments. I would love to see his sorry a** out of the Senate.

[karynnj]

26. He's from SC - I think he is there to stay

[wisteria]

28. Yeah, I know. I lived down there for a while. They keep the electorate ignorant.

Look how long they kept voting for Strum Thurman.

[ObamaKerryDem]

23. Definitely. I'd love to see him in that role, though he is doing

a great job on the SFRC and probably wouldn't want to give that up, at least not just yet. But perhaps in the future? :)

[wisteria]

11. Thanks for posting in DU. n/t

[karynnj]

4. Thanks, these are fascinating

If you did not know the party affiliations and comments on the election itself were removed, you would think he was a junior Democrat, looking up to his Senior Senator. It is also interesting that Kerry very very clearly dominated the news conference in that clip - and the comments that, seemed sincere that Brown has long respected Kerry seemed real. It is interesting that his daughter MIGHT have supported Kerry at some point - 2008, given her likely age?

The McCain interview was interesting as McCain did not really seem to have as much a connection - he supported him and he honored his service and MA has independents (who mostly voted against McCain). There was actually more interaction with Kerry. I wonder if that reflects the reality that if he went down to DC and pretended to be Rush Limbaugh and attacked Kerry in the ways they did, it would not be favorably received by all the people who elected Kerry 6 times to a state level office.

Many expressed his dilemma - and this really does suggest that he will opt to represent MA, not Sarah Palin. I doubt we will soon hear the RW play either of those clips. Their hero saying "he long respected Kerry(!!) and his comments on what he did support in the HCR bill.

I think NO ONE really likes those backroom deals. It seemed clear that Kerry doesn't, but what was the choice? One interesting option is if those special agreements were turned into fairer ones that were equitable, especially as Nelson was backing off his embarrassing deal, I wonder if the unions could be pushed to remove the exemption or if that could be done even without their agreement leaving the rest of the improvements. The fact is that exclusion is not defensible. It would be interesting if the Senior and Junior Senators from MA could work to see how what Brown would be willing to vote for and see if there is something between the House and Senate that could get 60 votes in the Senate and pass the House. It would be an incredible coup for the most Junior Senator to actually correct some of the really unpalatable features of the bill. He did say he would be the 41st vote, but if many bad things are changed - it is not the bill he said he would defeat. (I think MA is smart enough to understand 2 bills, unlike the nation as a whole.)

That would immediately make him hated by the Republicans, but loved by the media. Oddly, if he were like this on too many things, he could become the third independent. (If he stayed in the Republican party, the fact that your primaries are open would help him as all the unenrolled could vote - so if the state liked him, the Republicans could lose a primary challenge. )

Now, even as I type this, I know there will be enormous pressure on him and this is wild speculation, but it could be interesting if he is a vote to court on various things.

[wisteria]

9. In the TPM piece he says he doesn't owe anyone anything- more or less, but

the people of Massachusetts. I loved how Kerry dominted and cornered him in a way. And, Brown has got to decided what is in his best interests in getting elected again. Is he going to serve Massachusetts or is he going to serve the Tea Party and the Repubs. I doubt he can please everyone here, so he has a big decision to make.

[Blaukraut]

16. He's already made his alignment clear with this endorsement

Read it and weep.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=158x15746

[wisteria]

21. This could backfire on him. The repub is a kook. n/t

[Mass]

24. He also registered a robocall for McCain.

This said, I just hope the Democrats will decide to at least try. You cannot beat the GOP by sitting and whining you only have 59 votes. Please propose bills. Ask for a vote, and let it be clear who the problem is. Otherwise, 2010 will be a total loss.

Another example of great leadership

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/schumer-well-make-no-reform-before-its-time-and-time-is-running-out.php?ref=fpa

Schumer: We'll Make No Reform Before Its Time. And Time Is Running Out

[wisteria]

27. This is to be expected. But, hey McCain is not a favorite of the Tea'ers n/.t

[ObamaKerryDem]

12. "It is interesting that his daughter MIGHT have supported Kerry at some point - 2008.."

I wonder why she made that snarky comment about him at their Election Night rally, then? Unless he was talking about the other daughter? :shrug:

I'd love to see Brown turn into a "RINO" who ends up pissing off and alienating all the RWers who shilled and pushed for him in this race, but then again I want him out and a Dem in in '12...but that could still happen either way, I think, as I really believe that if we run a better candidate/campaign, we could beat this guy, probably easier than a lot of people might think.

[karynnj]

17. I suspect that her comment was that she was caught up in

the enthusiasm of the crowd she was with, which would not be surprising given her age.

I suspect that Kerry was teasing Brown when he spoke of support - I also think the photo that Brown was speaking of was from the bike race that Kerry later referred to. Obviously a group shot of people in the race. (Seriously, I doubt even among Democratic MA college kids there are many with a photo of Kerry. Last year, many might have had Obama, but I doubt it is all that common now. She also was a daughter of a Republican official. If she is legally sane, she likely voted for Kerry in 2008 - after all Beatty himself REALLY was a Yankees fan :) joke )

I assume the Democrats will go for better in 2012, but in the interim I would far prefer he be as good and reasonable as possible, even if that means he becomes impossible to beat. This time is too important and there are too many things that need doing.

[ObamaKerryDem]

20. That could be true. I've just never really seen the kid of a candidate..

, of any party, be that brazen or ungracious. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as, even though she is young, she's old enough to have better manners, to know better. *shakes head*

Oh I definitely got the impression that Kerry might've been teasing--and I think it was effective. Kerry definitely outshone him here I think. I also think Brown toned it way down from the campaign. In one way I agree with you in that a part of me hopes he acts more like a "RINO" ('Republican in name onl'y), as I'd much rather a Republican like that is in that seat than a full blown, Tea Party/Palinesque one...though I'd of course prefer no Republican at all. :) But we'll have to wait 2 more years for that, I guess. *sigh*

[Mass]

25. I'd prefer a Tea Party guy. It would make reelection much more problematic.

[wisteria]

43. She now says he was very nice and she voted for him.

From the Boston Herald.


"Ayla voted for ‘incredibly nice’ Kerry"

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1227561&format=comments

[wisteria]

44. She is now saying she voted for him saying he was incredibly nice.

From the Boston Herald.

Ayla voted for ‘incredibly nice’ Kerry


http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1227561&format=comments

[ObamaKerryDem]

45. Wow, talk about a change of tune! lol I bet she was told to do this..

..to cover/make up for her sheer rudeness towards him Tuesday night. But if she did indeed vote for him..well, then good on her for that I guess. :)

I still don't trust her dad, though..

JK really seems to have a way of making kids of Republican politicians vote for him, lol. Meghan McCain voted for him for President in '04 (though she's never dissed him like Ayala Brown did that night, not from what I've seen anyway).

[wisteria]

46. Me either. I can't put my finger on it yet, but Kerry had better watch him. n/t

[ObamaKerryDem]

47. There's just something that rings so false about him..

I predict that he'll implode (politically) sooner or later. And not just because I don't like his politics either. Just a feeling I'm getting...you know?

[MBS]

51. I hope his implosion is sooner rather than later.

I hope we can mount a really strong candidate in 2012.

[karynnj]

48. I think there is a difference there

It sounds from this as if Ayla is not very political, in spite of being a politician's daughter. She also seemed blind sided here - as the video had Kerry joking that MAYBE she was a closet supporter. (I also think the writer is being needlessly unkind in "correcting" that it was last year. It is only January and it obviously had to be 2008 - she was too young in 2004.) Her answer showed her to be someone who votes for a politician she likes as a person, rather than based on the positions he/she takes. While obviously character and integrity matter, politics matter too for all of us or we wouldn't be here.

But, while surprising in a politician's daughter, I think there are many many people who do vote that way. Seeing the Kerry/Brown video, I suspect that the margin of victory here could even be that many voted for Brown might have voted for him as he seemed nicer especially because if they looked up his positions on his web site, they were moderate for MA and liberal in most other places. This is not that different than an older neighbor of mine, whose daughter told me her mother voted for Kerry, impressed by the values he and his daughters showed even though the woman was a life time Indiana Republican. (Strangely, this neighbor and I grew up about 20 miles apart in Indiana) My friend voted to peserve the Bush tax cuts which she felt helped the economy.

The post I liked best was from a Republican, who knows Kerry and thinks he is nice and sincere, but wouldn't vote for him. This is where we need to get back to rather than each side demonizing everyone on the other side.

[ObamaKerryDem]

50. That makes sense. There are a lot of people who do that (voting..

..based on a candidate's (perceived) personality, over the issues). I myself (and I get the same feeling from most everyone here) go for the policies first (though personal attributes do contribute to my admiration of certain politicians, JK being foremost among them :), but I know that's not everyone. I know I must seem like I'm harping on this, lol, but I still wonder why, if she likes JK so much as a person, she started that whole nasty "Kerry next!" chant, especially if she voted for him? I know she's young, but still that strikes me as odd. I guess because I'm only like 2 or 3 years older than her myself, lol, so I guess it's harder for me to see it through the "she's just a kid" lens and understanding that she got caught up in the moment that others might be able to, though I guess that could be true. I agree that from the little bit we've seen of her at least she doesn't seem to be as personally political as Meghan McCain seems, though they of course have in common that they both campaigned for their dads. Meghan is a bit older and seemingly a bit more experienced than Ayala though, so that might make a difference.

I agree that it would be nice if we went back to a less personally abrasive political atmosphere in this country. I think a lot more would get done, though folks like Limbaugh and the Tea Partiers make that difficult..*sigh*

[karynnj]

52. i think it was the excitement of the moment and the group think of the people she was with

you wonder if that moment, she thought of JK more as a symbol than as the man he is. The chant is really not that nasty for a group of Republicans, who want to win. I agree with you, that I would never vote for even the nicest, most honorable politician if he was extremely far from my values. (For example, I respect Lugar far more than Bayh, but if I lived in the state I was born in, in the general election, I would vote for Bayh and likely against Lugar. As a NJ resident, I was prepared to vote for Torrecelli, but was glad Lautenberg replaced him.

With Meghan, I think her support of JK was totally understandable. She was old enough in 2000 to know what Bush did to her dad and she very likely had read her dad's book or knew from the events themselves that Kerry was extremely kind to her father and really held him together through the POW/MIA stuff that had to be incredibly tough for both her dad and JK.

[ObamaKerryDem]

53. "she thought of JK more as a symbol than as the man he is"

--This is a really good point, as is what you said about the group think of that crowd. I mean, I'm sure as with anything, there were exceptions to the rule within it, but that crowd really seemed (to me at least) like an in-person manifestation of Free Republic, lol. So she could've very well been riding the wave of the excitement of her father's victory (ew, I'm sorry but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth to have to say/write that..:()as well as the attention/adoration of the crowd. And maybe as she was doing that interview afterwards and praising JK, she felt bad about that? :shrug: I still think it came across like she was a "sore winner", though I can understand some of the things that may have went on to trigger it. It says a lot that she voted for him, though--I think it's yet another testament to JK's overall effectiveness, both on the issues and just the total "package" (how he expresses himself, how he can reach out and relate to people, his just overall appeal--enough to reach even the kids of Repub pols :)). So much for "stuffy" and "aloof"..

I think you might be right about Meghan, too--plus the fact that, at least up until recently (and maybe even now..) JK and McCain were pretty good personal friends, so she probably got to know JK a little bit from that, which could've swayed her too. Plus the whole Bush thing. I don't support McCain politically at all, but he was treated very badly by the Bush folks in 2000..on a very personal level and I'm saying this as an outsider of the other party, so imagine how that must've made his kids feel? So I couldn't blame Meghan at all if that was even the sole basis of her vote then, though I'm sure other things went into it too.

[wisteria]

14. LOL, you are right, the Repubs and Tea Party'ers will not be posting this meeting any time soon. n/t

[ProSense]

30. Brown is already having trouble

with a teabagger (or birther or whatever these nuts are called).

[wisteria]

31. Yeah, what is he? I am beginning to think he is an opportunist -

a republican when it helps him and a self-described independant when it assures him recognition. Ug, could he be the new John McCain?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_massachusetts_senate_brown

[Mass]

32. Concerning this morning, does somebody have an exact quote

of what Kerry said that led to the paraphrasing in the first sentence. I am personally shocked, if he is not, and if he is not, why was not anything done to change the outcome. I am seriously PO by the meltdown among Democrats in DC at this point. If we will soon have a Democratic house, Senate,and White House that refuse to engage the problems they were sent to solve (healthcare, climate change, finance reform, ...) because we sent an idiot to DC in large part because of the incompetence and corruption of our state elected officials, why vote Democratic? (Other questions: how much did the UMASS board of trustees cost to Coakley with their announcement, Tuesday morning, to increase UMASS chief's salary to $ 1/2 M a year (by 15 %)in a time where tuitions are increased and classes are cut/teachers salaries cut).

Let's just say I am in a bad mood today, and seeing the local media playing American Idol with our junior senator's family rather than asking what he will do for the state in not improving my mood. (Learn that he went to see his daughter's basketball team tonight, as if it was important).

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1226572&srvc=business&position=2

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22brown.html

Senator John Kerry, the now senior Democrat from Massachusetts, said that Mr. Brown personified the desire of state voters for change and that he was not shocked by the outcome.

“He’ll have his chance to vote for Massachusetts many times over the next few years,” Mr. Kerry said. “And that will define him.”

[wisteria]

33. I remember reading that "quote" somewhere and thinking it didn't sound

like something Kerry would say after campaigning so hard for Coakley. It is not part of the video I provided, so I have no idea where it came from.
I want to believe the Dem's are not really going to behave like a defeated party. I think, they are going to ultimately introduce portions of the original HC bill separately and challenge the Repubs to vote against these separate bills. Frankly, it is up to Obama to lead and he has got to get tough. I liked what Rendell said the other night, if we are going down, go down fighting for the things we believe in, but he added that he thought we really weren't going down. I remain hopeful that Obama will take charge and get tough with the handwringing senators. We still have the majority and we can still get things done.

[wisteria]

34. I found mention of this supposed quote on twitter.

http://twitter.com/jamiedupree


Kerry was asked why he wasn't shocked by Brown's win and he simply said, "Because I saw it coming"
about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck John

John Kerry on Scott Brown's win: "I hate to say this to my fellow Democrats, but I wasn't shocked"

[Mass]

36. Thanks.

[Luftmensch067]

37. My take on this has been

that JK felt he shouldn't get involved openly during the primary, not to show favor to any one candidate. Don't know whether he advised Martha privately once she was the candidate. Perhaps he tried, perhaps he felt it wasn't his place unless asked, we'll never know, because JK would never tell tales outside of school. But we all know how incredibly hard he worked to get her elected, at the end, when it was clear exactly what was being thrown at her from the other side by the national GOP. I'm sure he gave her the benefit of his own experience in terms of advice at that point, though I have no proof, I just can't imagine him being able to not do anything he could to turn things around. We were all expecting the worst here, so I'm not surprised that he was, too. And, also, he saw that anger last year during his own campaign and I'm sure his office hears it every day.

[Mass]

38. Thanks. I was asking my question along this line

Was he not surprised because he saw the lousy campaign

OR

Was he not surprised because he saw how much people were angry

If the first one, I am not sure there was a lot more he could have done than what he did.

In the second case, as I have said in other occasions, what do you do? She lost the unions families' vote, for example. I seriously wonder why :sarcasm:. What do you do to show these people you care enough to fight for them? She lost the middle class and the lower income people did not show up to vote. It is not all because Coakley was lousy. If they felt supported by the Democrats in general, Coakley's communication skills would have made little difference.

And if he did not see the second case, I would say: really? (I know he did).

As you can see, I am seriously frustrated. At this point, the good guys in the party must stand up and be counted.

[MBS]

40. from 2006, I understood that JK, as a general policy, does not

work for primary candidates unless they are veterans. I also remember him being quoted as saying that the various primary candidates were "his friends", which increased the reasons not to get involved.
The Globe * this morning mentioned yet another mistake on the part of the Coakley campaign -- something I had suspected myself: bizarrely, the campaign did not ask for help with the general election, or perhaps even refused offers of help , from any of the 3 Democratic primary challengers -- they didn't make use of their mailing lists, or fund-raisers, or experience, or support. This totally fits with a related notion that the campaign also didn't ask for help from national/DC figures, including the Kennedys, until very late in the process, and/or only when various parties pleaded to help.

Truly, it was the worst campaign I have ever witnessed.

*Sorry-- no time to look up the link. But I'm 90% sure it's today's paper.

[Mass]

41. She has an interview in today's Globe.

I read it and yelled. "She did the best she could", according to her. She still does not think that retail politics is worthwhile, either, because there was not enough time, and complains that in the 66 to 19, Brown's pressers are counted while her spontaneous discussions were not.

Please, dont renominate her at any position that will require any campaigning. She may be a great public servant, but as a campaigner, she stinks.

[karynnj]

42. Given that she opted no to go to the Boston fundraiser/Obama birthday party

and she was one of the people who insisted on voting for Hillary after Hillary freed her delegates, was she one of the very angry at JK people - if so, (on her side) could that still linger? It just seemed weird that with JK at the concession, the top Democrat in the state, who went out on crutches a bit over a week after surgery, that she didn't include him in the thank yous.

[karynnj]

39. i think it depends on the time period he was speaking from

I assume that as he watched things in MA after his operation, he knew she was a) running a pathetic campaign and b) there was a huge amount of anger and hurt - and that is usually against the dominant party and c)Brow was personable and he was working very hard. I would bet that he feared Brown had a very good chance of winning when he began campaigning as soon as he humanly could.

When he was convalesing, I assume he was speaking to MA friends, likely seen the ads and read of the campaigning ... and found that she was in the Cayman Islands. (Note that Kerry's comment after she lost spoke of the Cayman Islands in a different context - he could simply have said "offshore") The fact is that Kerry worked far harder in 2008 on his own general election against a truly weird unlikable man although he was a 4 term incumbent than she did with her 19 events. Had he done just 19 events, there would have been outrage that he was taking people's votes for granted, though he likely would have still won easily. In each place he specifically asked people for their vote. I would assume that he would have read her comment about not thinking shaking hands in the cold was important - a truly strange comment for a politician. Remember that he was the guy who returned to South station to shake hands and say thank you - after he won in 1984 (I think that story was the Senate not the Lt Governor race) Not to mention, Curt Schilling was actually, not by his choice, in the excellent ad Kerry had with Scott Bannon(?), the wounded Iraq vet. He was also, in 2003, the man willing to stay until everyone had every question they had answered in Iowa.

I would doubt that there would have been the flurry of activity on Kerry's part if he didn't think she was in trouble - in fact, I would not be surprised if it was him (it was not her) who told the DSCC things were bad - leading to the Obama trip. i would guess the concern started well before he was out there. His campaigning was very soon after he was out of the hospital and likely the most his doctor thought reasonable.

So, if he was speaking of whether on election day he was shocked, I doubt he was - nor were any of us, I suspect he would have answered in September that we were the heavy favorite to win, but I doubt even then he would have said the Republicans had no chance. After all he refused to say in 2008 that he was an absolute shoo in. I remember an early Tay Tay post on the general election, where she wrote of the 2 parts of the Democratic party and the independents. The entire message was saying MA was not as liberal as people thought. He likely knows that a Senator less good than he was would have lost in 1996. One less revered than Kennedy would have in 1994. Had that happened, the idea that a Republican could win would have been a no-brainer. MA had 2 exceptional Senators - Kerry obvious knows this with regards to Kennedy and I hope himself.

The anger in 2009 is likely worse than 2008, things are worse (I remember Kerry answering I think at a school in Lynn ?) that things would get worse as we were only seeing the first steps of this economic crisis and he spoke of the likely future - and he was unfortunately as accurate as he was pessimistic. Whichever Democrat ran, would start as the favorite, but they were new - at least in that role - and would have to work hard in a short election to define themselves, their opponent and what was at stake. Coakley apparently thought the nomination was the only fight.

I would bet the Democrats could have won in either a year where everything is good or when they have at least close to as good a candidate as the Republicans in terms of running for office. This is an awful time and she ran an awful race.