Democrats Anxious Over a Once-Safe Seat: Ted Kennedy’s Vacancy

The above headline is from today’s New York Times. The article by Abby Goodnough notes the Democratic Party nominee “seemed so certain of winning the special election on January 19 that she barely campaigned last month. . . even in this bluest of states there is a sense the balance of power has shifted dramatically from just a year ago. . . A Brown win remains improbable, given that Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3 to 1 in the state and that Martha Coakley, the state’s attorney general, has far more name recognition, money and organizational support.
“But a tighter-than-expected margin in the closely watched race would still prompt soul-searching among Democrats nationally, since the outcome will be the first real barometer of whether problems facing the party will play out in tangible ways at the polls later this year.”
Coakley continues to have solid support from Democrats, but half the voters in Massachusetts are independents. Some of the reasons those independents might consider the GOP candidate are outlined in the below article by Howie Carr of the Boston Herald.
Feeling blue? Take a second look at Scott Brown
By Howie Carr http://www.bostonherald.com |
You may be a Scott Brown voter if:
• Your federal income taxes are going through the roof in 2011 when the Bush tax cuts expire – and Martha Coakley thinks that’s just wonderful.
• Your local property-tax bill is rising almost as fast as the value of your home is dropping.
• You did at least some of your Christmas shopping in New Hampshire to beat the 25 percent sales tax increase the Democrats imposed on working people.
• You own a package store and you’re getting killed by the new 6.25 percent sales tax on alcohol, on top of the 37 percent excise tax.
• You’re still waiting for that property-tax relief that Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) promised you in 2006.
• You’re in a union, and you’re going to have to pay a 40 percent tax on your “Cadillac” health-care plan if Martha Coakley gets a chance to vote for Obama’s health-care rationing bill.
• You’re on kidney dialysis and you have to pay for your treatment . . . but illegal aliens don’t.
• You watch the crime wave emanating from the State House and wonder why the attorney general can’t seem to find one single solon to arrest. The feds have no difficulty whatsoever nailing lawmaker after lawmaker on serious felonies.
• You believe that if the governor’s appointees rubberstamp a utility-rate increase, and then the next week Gov. Deval pockets campaign contributions from the same power company’s executives, perhaps the attorney general should at least have a comment.
• You’ve had to wait hours in line at a Registry office to renew your driver’s license after they shut down your local branch because of the state’s alleged fiscal crisis – but they still want to give free tuition at state colleges to illegal aliens.
• You would like to send a message to the limousine liberals who are driving this state and this country off a cliff.