Reply #1: This is interesting

[karynnj]

Brown will likely be very hard to beat. He has positioned himself incredibly well. One new thing is Obama backing Wyden's proposal that changes the date from 2017 to 2014 for a state opting out of the 2010 HCR if they have a way to achieve the same goals.

I wonder how Brown co-sponsoring Wyden's bill, which the right hates, but which could be great for VT and other states, like MA, will impact Brown's favorability. (I know the concern of some is who will define if the requirements are met in 2014, when there is no benchmark with the mandate in place, but it would seem that that could be defined in some reasonable way - and if it were Kerry, we would be calling it the gateway to single payer - as many in VT are.) If that actually passes, could it hurt Brown with the right enough to lead to a primary challenge?

Setti Warren might be able to beat Brown on his own "turf" - as he is very engaging and is really more "of the people" than Brown - and his service in Iraq might make it impossible for the MA media to completely blow up Brown's national guard service - ending comments like having been "in the military" for 30 years.