Daily Kos Diary: MA-Sen Ground report: Dems in trouble

[WI_DEM]

anyone else on the ground that can counter this anecdotal report? i'm seeing a lot of these and the TPM post below pretty much summarizes most of what i've been reading about the race.

lmenshevik's diary :: ::
I'm a Mass. resident and a Coakley volunteer. I too think she's at risk of losing---and, in fact, that she stands a greater chance of losing than wining. I've been phone banking for the past ten or so week nights, and many reliable D voters are undecided or leaning the other way. I'm referring to 70-year-old Democratic voters.
And to be clear, those are NOT the people RD is talking about. Coakley is struggling in this race not because she's an establishment candidate. She's struggling because she was invisible from the day of the primary to the middle of last week. Meanwhile, Brown was up and visible---on TV, and with plenty of signs in yards accross the Commonwealth. He's campaigned hard, in visible way; she has not. (see today's Boston Globe coverage for specifics).
Brown is an empty suit---look at his record, he's has literally zero accomplishments as a state senator. When asked why he differs from Bush and Cheney he says its because he drives a truck. You'll rarely find a jaw made of thinner glass, but Coakley didn't throw a punch for a month.

Now she's fighting. And it looks like bitter nervousness. It's been a case study in how not to run a campaign; and Romney's guys are running Brown's and doing a damn good job at it. They simply waited too long. Massachusetts is a state of establishment Dems---you needn't look farther than Hillary crushing Obama in the primary and Mayor Menino's five terms as proof of that. Coakley hadn't even reached out to them. No she is at the last minute. And if it's too late---and it looks like it might be---her failure could spell the end of any progressive policy successes for this White House.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/13/824773/-MA-Sen-Ground-report:-Dems-in-trouble

too bad Coakley didn't show any fight from the start. This is beginning to remind me of the '08 MA primary where EMK and the Kennedy machine came out for Obama but Hillary won overwhelmingly.

[gateley]

1. Tweety is talking about the MA situation right now, if you're interested. nt

[Bluebear]

2. Too bad the President couldn't come up and campaign for her

[WI_DEM]

3. Would it help or hurt at this point?

I don't mean in terms of Obama unpopularity--he still has high popularity in MA, but if he comes in isn't that an acknowledgement that she is in trouble?

[Bluebear]

4. I think it would have motivated Democrats to come out and vote

This is all about turnout, it's the only thing on the ballot and the Republican teabag whatevers are motivated.

[RedRubberBall]

5. Hurt

IMO

[Forkboy]

8. Why?

[seaglass]

13. Wouldn't you think Obama is too closely associated with Deval Patrick

and Deval is not Mr. Popular in MA right now?

[Forkboy]

15. Possibly. I didn't vote for Patrick (voted for Grace Ross) but the connection doesn't bother me.

I think on the whole it would be more helpful than hurtful, but you may have a point.

[RedRubberBall]

16. Obama isnt feeling the love right now

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125033/Obama-Approval-Terrorism-Up-49.aspx

[WI_DEM]

10. I will say this if Obama doesn't campaign for her they should send in VP Biden

Biden did well in the NY race which elected Owens. He has a way with the type of pols and Dems that are in MA and speaks their language possibly better than Obama.

[Cincinnati Kid]

12. Are you saying

That Obama has a Negro dialect that the people of Mass would not like?

The President needs to be in Mass right now to keep that 60th vote, Senator Kennedy would want him there.

[DJ13]

6. Im not a fan, but I dont blame Coakley

This is the result of the Democratic party failing the people.

Of all seats Kennedy's should have been safe from Republicans.

But our party has been screwing over the average person since they won in 2008, so the voters are going to let them know they wont stand for it any longer.

This is just a warning shot across the bow, wait until the midterms.

[WI_DEM]

7. Sorry I do blame her. She thought it was in the bag and did nothing until recently

if we had a better candidate we could have avoided this. Not every dem is going to be defeated in November. Polls show the ones most vulnerable are in red/purple districts and states. MA is a blue state and our candidate did a lousy job establishing herself.

[meegbear]

9. Yes, and if she actually CAMPAIGNED instead of assuming people will vote for her ...

this shit wouldn't have happened.

If Teddy's seat goes repug, I hold her responsible.

[DJ13]

11. Its still the party's fault

Show of hands.....

How many thought there was even a slight chance a Republican could win Ted's long term seat in Congress when he died?

This is akin to a liberal Democrat winning a long term Republican Senate seat in Idaho.

Our party needs to do some soul searching and ask themselves why this could happen.

Yes she could have done more, but shes a Democrat running for a seat occupied by a Kennedy for 40 years, so why dont the voters want another Democrat?

[cali]

17. no, this is all on her. she ran a piss poor campaign. this race shouldn't have been close

despite the political environment.

[goldcanyonaz]

14. Not a fan of Coakley ever since the Louise Woodward trial.