Vacation blunder looms large but didn't sink Coakley

[FarCenter]

By Aaron Blake - 01/19/10 10:21 PM ET
Martha Coakley’s New Year’s vacation may reign as one of the costliest political blunders of all time. But it is hardly the whole story.

With all kinds of blame being shoved on Coakley’s shoulders, her campaign fought back by saying it warned national Democrats about the peril that lay ahead.

Its claim is undercut, though, by the fact that Coakley took a weeklong vacation between the primary, Dec. 8, and the general election on Tuesday.

Vacations during campaigns are generally seen as a no-no, even if just for appearance, before an election. In Coakley’s case, she came back and found herself in a completely different race, and she never recovered.

GOP state Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign was catching fire around the turn of the New Year and successfully closed the deal over the final two weeks of the campaign, once Coakley returned.

Democrats began making excuses days before voters even went to the polls.

<SNIP>http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/76973-vacation-blunder-looms-large-but-didnt-sink-coakley

[lonewolf579]

1. Democrats deserved this loss

I am a democrat, and I am really tired of the party excuses. Maybe they will get their heads back in the ball game now.

[FarCenter]

2. Who were her supporters in Massachusetts?

One story identifies Senate President Therese Murray, who represents Plymouth/Barnstable.

But she must have had others?