Scott Brown, Populist Extraordinare
If only MA AG Martha Coakley (D) had not portrayed herself as inevitable. A key theme over the past year has been a strong anti-incumbent sentiment, and by appearing as the de facto incumbent, Coakley offered herself up as a pinata for disaffected voters who would ordinarily vote Dem.
Not only has state Sen. Scott Brown (R) been working to portray himself as a "regular" guy, but -- aside from his event with ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani -- has been campaigning pretty much solo, delivering his stump speeches via megaphone, often outdoors, standing on a platform next to his pick-up. In other words, he's nailed the populist-style retail politicking.
Coakley, meanwhile, has wrapped herself up head-to-toe in elected-official-dom, from Pres. Obama's visit to the Kennedy clan, right down to a conf call yesterday p.m. with women mayors across MA. A glance at her official schedule shows that she's been accompanied by elected officials at nearly every campaign event.
It's hard to see how that kind of campaigning helps her shake off the image of being part of the establishment. She talks the talk in her stump speech of fighting on behalf working families -- and her record as AG and Middlesex DA gives her a good platform from which to do so -- but when it comes to campaigning, Brown walks the walk much better than she does, and seems to have a lot more fun doing it.
Part of this wasn't her choice -- from Day One, she was always going to be the candidate who was handed the Kennedy torch and laden with the Obama agenda.
"Kennedy picked up where Martin Luther King left off," a woman remarked after yesterday's MLK breakfast. "And Obama is picking up where Kennedy left off."
So where does that leave Martha Coakley?
"Martha Coakley is picking up the whole plate, because Obama can't do it all," she laughed. "He can't come to Massachusetts and run Massachusetts. He can't. But I think he's doing a great job."
Even so, judging from conversations with voters in the past few days, Coakley's linking herself Obama and Kennedy served more to fire up Brown voters against her than it's done to get Dems excited to vote for her.
Her camp could have done more to chip away at Brown's image. For instance, despite all his talk about his pick-up truck and the miles he's racked up on the odometer campaigning around the state, it happens that Brown actually hired a personal driver about five weeks ago.
The driver, Nick Taylor, a 28-year-old who had been volunteering for Brown when the campaign asked him to be Brown's driver, has been driving Brown's pick-up from event to event during his recent bus tour, while Brown himself has been riding in the campaign bus.
But the pickup truck served as a larger meme for the race. As the crowd was dispersing after Brown's North Andover stump speech, a middle-aged man and woman approached the passenger's side of Brown's pick-up and asked Taylor to roll down the window.
"You know, bud," the man said, the excitement evident in his voice, "I hope when he gets driven to this seat in the Senate, that he comes in this truck. I really do."
To all in Massachusetts, show up to the Boston Tea Party Part II and begin to vote these criminals out of office. The taxes that they favor, dwarf the taxes that the colonists rejected so long ago. The whole country is watching and waiting. Let's throw out every deaf and compromised incumbent in the country and get liberty back on track. We are a constitutional republic which is ruled by law, not by a few elites. We are currently in a tyrannical government which refuses to hear the people and just goes about doing the will of the masters on high. Throw the tea overboard today my fellow patriots and we will throw the bums out in our states when the time comes. Go Scott Brown and remember who has voted you into office.
mayeeden- you're crazy- absolutely 100% insane- don't worry, the neanderthals you support will laugh all the way to the bank as you delude yourself that these corporate republicans actually care about you at all- the dems aren't perfect but they care about the public interest while the people you support think you're a sucker since all they need to do is ride a pickup truck and pretend to be a regular guy to get your vote. You really should pay attention to the details- they matter a lot.
J.S.-You're the one who is crazy. The dems do not care at all about the public interest. They get your vote by making class war fare to have you hatin the rich person. What do they do for you other than say we will take people's money and give it to those who aren't willing to work. You are such a fool. Question the propaganda that you learned growing up. Go work for yourself and don't take from others. It's shameful.
"Go Scott Brown and remember who has voted you into office."
HAHAHA! Good luck with that. The GOP has SUCH a strong record of looking out for their constituents. YEAH RIGHT. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Anybody who votes for a Republican -- especially after the last 8 years, the worst decade in modern history, economic disaster, 7 million jobs lost, over $2 TRILLION spent on a War in Iraq for no reason at all, warrantless spying by OUR government on OUR own people, Katrina debacle, Torture, etc -- is simply a weak-minded idiot who has no regard for America or our future. Or who has a lack of interest or a lack of understanding in the important issues.
There is no reason to support the Republicans unless you are ultra-wealthy and want the upper crust to succeed while everyone else slips behind. The rest of us get a big ol' SCREW YOU.
Case in point idiot Debra who thinks that taxes equate to STEALING from America.
Hey Debra:
do you use interstate highways?
should we not have a military?
do you eat food guaranteed safe by the FDA?
do you drink clean water?
do you want there to be social security when you retire?
do you want medicare when you retire?
do you want cheap goods, cheap food, cheap energy?
Shameful idiots like Debra hurt my brain.
We have 3 million Haitian refugees sitting there without food, clothing, water, or shelter -- not to mention the psychological trauma of witnessing 200,000 of your friends and loved ones crushed under the weight of an entire city -- but oh no no no, DEBRA IS MAD at the very government that makes HER ENTIRE LIFE POSSIBLE.
YOU ARE A F__KING IDIOT DEBRA.
Do you think you can dialog without using profanities? Obviously you are upset if you have to result in slinging vulgarities.
Come on, let's be honest but respectful with each other.
If you believe the government helps people in everything they touch, then go build a big government. If the government comes to your rescue, you can be glad. If they don't, where will you turn? Will you have the fortitude to stand on your own?
If you believe that the government only does a few things right (like interstate highways and national security), but should not be large beyond a few key items, then vote out the libs and get conservatives in there who will reduce the size of the US government. You won't depend on the government and I hope you know how to stand on your own without the help of elected officials. I myself know how to do that. Do you?
Where do you put your trust? What makes your "entire life possible"? The government or something else? Some trust the government and some don't. And that's okay.
Can't we please understand and respect those who trust the libs implicitly and those who don't trust the libs at all? We don't need to throw around accusations. Go with your convictions and vote accordingly and let the chips fall where they will.
Don't you dems get it? The point is to make government 'not' work. When the right wins, the rich steal from us. When the left wins they tell us that they need to take our money for our own good.
Hurray for populism tonight -- by electing a conservative -- they struck a blow for the little guy -- and screwed up government -- just like the vote for Obama a year ago. Now if only they are unable to get stuff done -- as designed and planned by our founding fathers.
Tom Tell Truth
That sure is hot. I wish I could afford something like this! BTW, has any heard any word on the new 2011 Dodge Charger?.
Great Read. I hope you don't mind me posting here. I love your site, I'm looking forward to your next article
I suppose I'm gonna need to look up a couple more things but this is a good spring board.
This is a terrific little website, I can not believe that I didn't find it already!
The above site was well done. This article was very helpful.Thank you for this information.