A challenge in this situation could be a win for the Dems in the sense that it will get them time to ram through the healthcare bill before there's a winner certified.

Quote :

"I don't see a 1% victory as going unchallenged though, and it will likely cause repercussions within the DP as far as moderate Senators like Lincoln possibly backing out of the final bill. I don't see Coakley winning in a state which is 3:1 Democratic being evidence of the DP "pulling some shit" though."

i can agree with that - the tide is hugely against incumbents right now and the moderate dems will likely turn on the WH on this one if they feel like it would jeopardize their re-election further.

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 4:42 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 4:41:25 PM

^true. But most polls showed Brown up almost 10%. You would expect that to close. But when you look at the numbers its 11% repubs, 34% dems, the rest independents who prefer Brown 3-1.

Plus you have the boston globe already called it for Coakley 8 hours before the polls closed. They have since pulled it from their website. The fix could be in.

This would be a serious blow to O if Brown won. Which is why Im suggesting they might "pull some shit" to secure the seat. I would hope not, but it doesnt surprise me if it happens.

1/19/2010 4:42:27 PM

Quote :

"Plus you have the boston globe already called it for Coakley 8 hours before the polls closed. They have since pulled it from their website. The fix could be in."

ha

dumbasses

what could happen because of a stunt like that is that it causes dems to stay home because now they think it's in the bag.

what i bet happened is that they had the story ready (just like the had the story ready for if they called it for brown) and some low-level dumbass published the story accidentally.

1/19/2010 4:45:42 PM

Quote :

"Darkness is falling in Massachusetts and only a few hours remain before polls close -- at 8 pm -- across the state. Rumors and anecdote run like wildfire on an election day and today is no different. But, there are at least three developments worth noting. First, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, a Democrat, is predicting that turnout will be between 1.6 million and 2.2 million. What's less clear is which candidate that helps. In a traditional Democratic state like Massachusetts, one would assume that it would be a good thing for Coakley. But, Brown is the intensity candidate and, therefore, a larger turnout might benefit him. Second, Galvin has indicated that he will not block the seating of Brown if the Republican wins tonight -- a major point of contention as Brown would represent the 41st GOP seat, giving the party, theoretically, the ability to block major Obama Administration agenda items including health care. Third, the knives are officially out on the Democratic side about who is to blame for the current state of the race. Politico's Ben Smith got his hands on a memo from a Coakley adviser blaming Washington Democrats for their failure to provide her with the financial and infrastructural aid she needed in late 2009 to ensure this race never developed into something real. A Democratic party official shot back in an email to the Fix; "It's just a bunch of lies," the source said of the Coakley memo. For the next few hours, we'll be tweeting our reporting, observations and random thoughts about what we are seeing and hearing in Massachusetts. You can either follow along below -- where the ten most recent tweets will appear -- or sign up to follow "TheHyperFix" on Twitter [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/twitter-time/www.twitter.com/thehyperfix]. Heck, while you're at it follow "TheFix" [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/twitter-time/www.twitter.com/thefix] too!"

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/twitter-time/tweeting-the-massachusetts-senate-special-election.html


there is going to be a major issues with the democrats after coakley crashes and burns.

from what i've heard their field operation was a joke and their campaign manager was not the best person for the job. sounds like coakley is going to blame washington - but girls got nobody to blame but herself for this one.

1/19/2010 4:54:09 PM

I read some interesting statistics on the entire race: how Brown had three times as many campaign stops as Coakley, how Coakley spent perhaps three times as much in advertisements especially in the eleventh hour when the DNC realized the situation. From everything I read, it seems that Coakley never took the threat seriously enough, giving a very dangerous Brown the room to take the initiative.

Even if the Democrats squeak by this election, heads are going to roll for the debacle that should have been an easy Democratic victory. This is a case of either tremendous weakness or sloppiness by the Democrats, either of which only makes the party look weaker for the upcoming midterm elections.

1/19/2010 5:14:51 PM

i'm gonna have to go with:

Quote :

"sloppiness by the Democrats"

1/19/2010 5:24:40 PM

Regardless of which way this goes in the next couple of hours, you have to bet that the democratic party has been shocked awake, and that every democratic campaign for the 2010 senate races starts in earnest tomorrow morning.

1/19/2010 5:55:58 PM

GET THE EXCUSE ENGINE RUNNING YOU FUCKING LIBERALS.

1/19/2010 6:05:06 PM

^^ disagree

they're going to keep going the way that things have always been done and write it off to a fluke occurrence

1/19/2010 6:19:24 PM

This election is clearly based on local issues and it would be a serious mistake to think that this has anything to do with the national mood

1/19/2010 8:15:55 PM

i might actually break my TV having to listen to the stupidity that is Wolf Blitzer

"at some point, we might be able to predict a winner"

wow, really?

1/19/2010 8:21:38 PM

Blitzer is a douche

1/19/2010 8:24:49 PM

LOL at dude walking across the screen

1/19/2010 8:31:49 PM

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2010/senate_race/

shows what precincts are reporting

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 8:35 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 8:35:42 PM

come oooonnnn GRIDLOCK!

1/19/2010 8:41:44 PM

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2010/by_county/MA_US_Senate_0119.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS

Quote :

"Precincts reporting: Total 445/2168 216,117 Coakley: 46% Brown: 53% Kennedy: 1%"

Looks like its going towards a Brown victory at this point.

1/19/2010 8:46:19 PM

25% of precincts reporting is WAY too low to judge who's going to win this.

polls in the last few days would agree with you - but you can't tell yet from early results.

1/19/2010 8:47:26 PM

Town-by-town results
45% reporting Complete results »

Brown (GOP)
52%
514,370 votes

Coakley (Dem.)
47%
459,949 votes

Kennedy (Lib.)
1%
9,865 votes

1/19/2010 8:57:48 PM

Well, that's some shit.

Fox are kingmakers. This is not a good thing.

1/19/2010 9:01:14 PM

1/19/2010 9:02:57 PM

Boone are you out of your mind

clearly fox kingmade Obama last year

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 9:08 PM. Reason : s]

1/19/2010 9:07:49 PM

65% reporting.
Brown 53%

Coakley 46%

1/19/2010 9:13:47 PM

Oakley strongly takes Martha Vineyard ...the turn-around begins!

1/19/2010 9:14:57 PM

Coakley concedes, Scott WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thank God almighty, suck it Obama


Oh, and FIRST to post it



[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 9:24 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 9:22:53 PM

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/scott-brown-wins-massachusetts-senate-race.html

Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race

State Sen. Scott Brown won a remarkable upset victory over state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) tonight in a Massachusetts Senate special election, a victory likely to spawn broad-ranging political and policy consequences heading into the midterm elections.

With 71 percent of precincts reporting, Brown held a 53 percent to 46 percent lead over Coakley. Coakley called Brown to concede the race moments ago, according to a Democratic aide.

Brown's victory is the first for Republicans at the Senate level for Republican in Massachusetts since 1972 and he becomes the lone GOPer in the 12-person federal delegation from the Bay State.

While it is a historic win within Massachusetts, the implications of Brown's victory for the national political scene are even more critical.

Brown will give Republicans a 41st seat in the Senate, robbing Democrats of the filibuster-proof majority the party had used to pass President Obama's health care plan late last year. In the immediate lead-up to tonight's vote, Democrats -- including the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) -- insisted that the party would move forward on health care but it is unclear whether that bravado will carry over in the coming days as the party seeks to deal with Coakley's stunning upset.

Congressional strategists had warned in the closing days of the Massachusetts Senate race that a Coakley defeat had the potential to trigger a series of retirements within the Democratic ranks as members flee a political wave that could wash out dozens in the House and high single digits on the Senate side.

"My message to my clients? Jump ship now," said one Democratic operative who advises a number of targeted Members of Congress. "Obama can't help you."

Democratic leaders spent much of Tuesday reaching out to vulnerable Members to convince them that the circumstances that led to Coakley's demise were unique to her and the state and not indicative of the general political environment in which they will have to run in November.

It's not clear whether these efforts will pay off as Democratic Members of Congress were already fearful of what is coming in 2010 -- particularly after five retirements and a party switch over the past two months in competitive districts around the country.

The high stakes for Democrats were apparent in the final week of the campaign as the national party poured resources and manpower into Massachusetts in hopes of saving what was clearly a flagging campaign.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent nearly $1.5 million on ads in support of Brown and President Obama made a hastily-scheduled visit to the state on Sunday -- his wife's birthday -- in hopes of energizing a lethargic party base.

As Tuesday wore on, and it became clear that Coakley was likely to come up short, the finger pointing within the Democratic party began in earnest with the candidate's advisers insisting that they had not received nearly enough support in the past month from national Democrats and DC-based strategists alleging that the blame for the loss lie entirely on Coakley.

"The campaign failed to recognize this threat, failed to keep Coakley on the campaign trail, failed to create a negative narrative about Brown [and] failed to stay on the air in December while he was running a brilliant campaign," said one Democratic party official, adding that it is "wishful thinking" from Coakley to blame the national party for "one of the worst debacle in American political history".

Republicans, meanwhile, were gleeful -- touting the Massachusetts victory on top of wins in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey in 2009 as evidence that the political pendulum was swinging quickly in their direction.

"Democrats will try to play this race off as an isolated incident, but the recent spate of polling in swing districts across the country proves that Massachusetts isn't the exception of the 2010 election cycle, its the rule," said National Republican Congressional Committee communications director Ken Spain. "Any Democrat who voted for the health care bill now knows how big of an albatross they will have hanging around their necks."

1/19/2010 9:23:41 PM

God Bless the People of Massachusetts ... especially the Democrats!

1/19/2010 9:23:47 PM

I can't wait to see if Keith olbermann has a big show on 1920s baseball tonight like he did when nj and va went republican

1/19/2010 9:25:48 PM

Teddy is rolling in his grave, nice job Mass......I am now a red sox fan

1/19/2010 9:29:38 PM

Mary Jo Copechne could not be reached for comment

1/19/2010 9:35:13 PM

lmao

1/19/2010 9:35:47 PM

Democrat Health Care Bill ... R.I.P.

Cap n Tax.... R.I.P.

1/19/2010 9:39:21 PM

^

don't count your chickens...

1/19/2010 9:42:32 PM

Quote :

"I can't wait to see if Keith olbermann has a big show on 1920s baseball tonight like he did when nj and va went republican"

Rachel Maddow is on the brink of committing suicide. It is a good thing...

1/19/2010 9:45:53 PM

I think its crazy that a district in Mass can basically be a referendum for the health care bill.

1/19/2010 9:47:07 PM

Quote :

"Democrat Health Care Bill ... R.I.P."

actually the house can just approve the senate bill and it goes to obama to sign into law. not the best case for them, but it gets healthcare reform kicked off regardless of what happened today

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 9:49 PM. Reason : ,]

1/19/2010 9:49:01 PM

Quote :

"don't count your chickens..."

I'll bet a bunch of democrat politicians are thanking their lucky stars that Brown won. They're desperately looking for a way to get off the hook of these horrible bills.

1/19/2010 9:50:27 PM

goalie, maybe you didnt know, but if the senate bill gets passed as it, it is still just as much a defeat for the democrats, because it resembles next to nothing that they wanted...

For me, the only thing I was hoping to see done is pre-existing conditions covered. I think that is the type of reform we need. Not more massive government programs.

1/19/2010 10:00:24 PM

Yeah, the House will just suck it up and pass the Senate version.

1/19/2010 10:04:07 PM

It would be very difficult for the house to pass the senate bill. Even more so now that dens have cover from this election to tell pelosi to go f herself

1/19/2010 10:04:10 PM

you do realize that pre-existing conditions alone could destroy the insurance industry, right?

1/19/2010 10:04:11 PM

That's kind of the point Aaron.. Then the gov comes riding in with single payer

1/19/2010 10:06:42 PM

I liked the you can stay on your 'rents insurance a little longer thing which can help young adults, first job seekers, those waiting for their new jobs probationary period to end, and the like. Granted it wouldn't help me now, but I did go insuranceless for a while, luckily nothing bad happened during said period, and it could probably help a lot of college aged young adults.

1/19/2010 10:07:32 PM

doubtful, seeing that 20-30 some Dems will retire (because they will loose reelection due to being from conservative districts), they dont have anything to loose, something is better than nothing....expect the House to pass it with a "promise" by the Senate of adjustments down the road....



[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 10:12 PM. Reason : w]

1/19/2010 10:07:37 PM

Quote :

"I think its crazy that a district in Mass can basically be a referendum for the health care bill."

and it was Ted Kennedy's seat, to boot. Long time champion of health care reform.

Huge blow for democrats. Obviously. To suggest otherwise is dishonest.

1/19/2010 10:11:32 PM

destroy the insurance industry???? I guess that is why their stocks have taken off ever since the Senate version was annouced....the Bill is pretty weak......

so now we will just have the NO GOP party.....that should be a great 3 more years! Nothing will get done at all.....

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 10:15 PM. Reason : w]

1/19/2010 10:14:45 PM

Tomorrow is the 1st year anniversary of Obama's inauguration.

The GOP better not mess up this momentum. There probably won't be a health-care bill or cap n tax bill anymore to beat on democrats with. They're going to have to come up with a reason to vote for repubs.


DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen, in his prepared statement on Brown's victory...still blaming Bush...

Quote :

"“President George W. Bush and House Republicans drove our economy into a ditch and tried to run away from the accident. President Obama and congressional Democrats have been focused repairing the damage to our economy."

Yea keep up with that theme. Trying to convince independents that Democrats (who held the congress for the last two years of Bush) had nothing to do at all with the economic meltdown.

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 10:27 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 10:22:07 PM

As usual, EarthDogg hits on the central point. It's nice to win b/c the democrats are screw ups, but the Republicans need to seize the battle for ideas and not just run on the ineptitude of the other party, like the dems did when they ran on the "look at us, we're not Bush!1!!" ticket in '08.

1/19/2010 10:27:31 PM

I don't think we can really treat this as a referendum on the Health Bill: Massachusetts after all already has a very progressive health care system. No, this event is a general strike against the Democratic Party's hubris, karma biting the Massachusetts Democratic Party in the ass, and an early warning that the Democrats are not safe in the upcoming elections.

1) HUBRIS - Coakley ran a terrible campaign with the assumption that she would slide right into the seat. She can blame the national Democrats, but ultimately, it was her failure. We have a lot of entitled politicians, but at very least, you need to step out and pretend like you actually care about the masses as Brown did.

2) KARMA - It was mentioned before, but the Democrats in Massachusetts changed the election laws back in 2004 to ensure that then-Republican governor Mitt Romney did not select a Republican if Senator Kerry were to win the election. Now, with a Democratic governor, what seemed like a good decision at the time hits back... HARD.

3) NO ONE IS SAFE - If there is any consolation, it is that the Democrats now have a clear and early warning that they are NOT safe. Hopefully, this will encourage them to treat the midterm elections with more respect, stay in the center, and focus on the economy. They can only blame the Republican boogyman for so long: in the end, they're the ones that had the supermajority and control of the White House, and they don't have a lot to show for it. This really was less about Brown and more about Coakley and the Democratic establishment.

1/19/2010 10:27:44 PM

Quote :

"Nothing will get done at all"

That's pretty much the best case scenario, in the real world at least.

1/19/2010 10:29:21 PM

Quote :

"destroy the insurance industry???? I guess that is why their stocks have taken off ever since the Senate version was annouced....the Bill is pretty weak......"

Their stock took off because every other stock has taken off, for one. As well, the prospect of guaranteeing insurance companies customers out of every American didn't hurt, either.

What would destroy the industry would be making it illegal to price based on risk, the very thing that makes insurance insurance. Can you imagine if a life insurance company couldn't charge a daredevil more than they charge a regular soccer mom?

Quote :

"so now we will just have the NO GOP party.....that should be a great 3 more years! Nothing will get done at all....."

And I'll take that if the alternative is the proposed Democratic policies that are destined to bankrupt the nation and run off all of our businesses

1/19/2010 10:30:37 PM