Coakley ran against the banks and wall street. specifically.

[cali]

She tried to tie brown to those special interests. How come it didn't resonate?

[marylanddem]

1. Her DLC masters are in bed with the same crew, that's why.

[cali]

2. actually, people are frequently stupid

and there's no evidence to back up your claim. but you don't need no stinkin' facts.

[bread_and_roses]

6. ROFL, no evidence? Look at campaign coffers

And for "the wo/man on the street" they may not know the details of campaign finance, but they do know that all they see is Banksters getting richer, while ordinary people are being foreclosed, losing jobs, and now hearing they will be taxed on their already burdensome health insurance. And no, all the exemptions and exceptions and subsidies don't matter a whit - we study them and parse them out here, but most people just hear "health insurance tax."

So it didn't matter what Coakley "said." People are in a rage out here in ordinary worker land, where I live. Too bad our electeds don't get it.

[KittyWampus]

11. your reply is a perfect example of DU'ers who stick to their narrow scripted ideas

and insist on filtering EVERYTHING through it.

[KittyWampus]

12. xxx

[KittyWampus]

13. xxx

[KittyWampus]

14. xxx

[depakid]

3. Dr. Westen answers that rather clearly

What happens if you refuse to lay the blame for the destruction of our economy on anyone--particularly the party, leaders, and ideology that were in power for the last 8 years and were responsible for it? What happens if you fail to "brand" what has happened as the Bush Depression or the Republican Depression or the natural result of the ideology of unregulated greed, the way FDR branded the Great Depression as Hoover's Depression and created a Democratic majority for 50 years and a new vision of what effective government can do?

What happens when you fail to offer and continually reinforce a narrative about what has happened, who caused it, and how you're going to fix it that Americans understand, that makes them angry, that makes them hopeful, and that makes them committed to you and your policies during the tough times that will inevitably lie ahead?

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/obama-finally-gets-his-vi_b_429232.html

Answer: your candidates lack credibility.

[marylanddem]

4. Thanks for posting that - excellent analysis.

[katsy]

7. That makes sense.

Thanks for posting that.

[katsy]

5. Just guessing:

Maybe the voters just didn't like her. Maybe she was too hot/cold/smooth/there/not there/too NY Yankees/and fill in your own theories here.

There was a poll cited here last week about voters wanting principled people representing them as opposed to playing politics. Maybe voters didn't trust her. Maybe they no longer care who steers this ship of state into the iceberg. Jobs are gone. Credit is scarce. Hope is fading for many Americans. What can 1 senator from MA do to right that?

Maybe voters don't care if they lose their jobs and homes while being represented by republicans or democratics. These corporate whores are a zero sum game when you can't afford to raise your family or even take care of yourself.

I do not know.

[One_Life_To_Give]

8. Establishment vs Outsider

Think you will find Coakley was viewed as part of the Establishment. Linked to the Wall Street bailouts, Deval Patrick, Sal DeMasi etc.

[bemildred]

9. I think the voters did not believe her.

She doesn't look the role.

[TxRider]

10. Brown ran against HCR

He said "I will kill the bill"..

That did resonate.

[lukasahero]

15. She didn't run

I received one flyer from her, there were no commercials, no townhall meetings, no phone calls. She didn't define herself and no one tried to take Brown down.

She lost because she didn't even run.