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| Brown: This Isn't the 'Kennedy Seat' |
| 2010-01-12 |
| In a debate last night, Republican state Sen. Scott Brown sought to knock the assumption that as the Democrat, Attorney General Martha Coakley is the rightful successor to the Massachusetts Senate seat long held by Ted Kennedy. Asked by moderator David Gergen how he'd feel should he take over "the Kennedy seat" and become the deciding vote against health care reform, Brown said: "With all due respect, this isn't the Kennedy seat. It's the people's seat." The comment was additionally noteworthy because the debate was held at UMass-Boston and sponsored by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, which will be housed on campus. Coakley said she'd "be proud to be the 60th vote" to allow health care reform to pass Congress this year. The candidates entered the debate with momentum on the GOP side, as a poll released over the weekend found Brown ahead by 1 point. Although another poll found Coakley ahead by 15 points, and an internal Coakley campaign poll reportedly showed her ahead by a similar margin, the race appears closer than most expected. Brown refused to take the bait as Coakley cited rising deficits under the "reckless" Bush administration and the latter stages of Republicans' 12-year control of Congress, saying he's "not looking to address the mistakes of the past." Instead, he focused on the need for tax cuts, the existing health care reform in Massachusetts and his support for Obama's decision to send additional troops into Afghanistan -- a move Coakley criticized. "You can run against Bush-Cheney, but I'm Scott Brown," he said. "I live in Wrentham; I drive a truck that has 200,000 miles on it now. You're not running against them -- you're running against me." To end the debate, Coakley sought to dispel any whispers that she was cruising through the campaign as the heir apparent to "the Kennedy seat." While admitting she took Christmas Day off, Coakley turned to the cameras and insisted she was taking nothing for granted. Although he usually agrees with Brown on the issues, Joe Kennedy (no relation), the third party candidate, delivered a better blow to Brown than Coakley could. Kennedy, who centered his longshot campaign on cutting spending, called out Brown for not practicing what he preaches -- specifically, voting against a tax cut last year in the state Senate, then running on a platform for the U.S. Senate that includes a similar tax cut. The night was capped off by news that Brown raised $1.3 million in 24 hours -- an important boost in his attempt to pull off a big upset. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #9 thank God for bureaucratic inertia, no? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-01-12 21:03 |
| #8 Well then they better hustle it up. Bacause they've only got a week... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-01-12 21:00 |
| #7 They'll show up to vote. I don't think I can say the same for her. "throw a billion dollars at that new shovel-ready project in MA, Joe" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-01-12 19:54 |
| #6 Yeah, Menino's got his machine. But it could only turn out 38% of the electorate for his own election. Capuano took Boston in the primary. Coakley'll take the major cities, but not by as much as she has to, and the Moonbat enclaves (Cambridge, Amherst, etc.) but everything else is up for grabs or leaning Brown. He owns the independents. Right now he's got the momentum and his supporters are highly motivated. They'll show up to vote. I don't think I can say the same for her. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-01-12 19:52 |
| #5 I wonder how Ted Kennedy will vote? Along with the rest of the Kennedy clan - John, Bobby, Rose, and the rest. If it is close - if Brown doesn't win by at least 10%, the Dems will hold it up with recounts, challenges, and found votes just like in Minnesota. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-01-12 19:26 |
| #4 Boston machine is at least as good as the Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia machines ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-01-12 15:01 |
| #3 I wouldn't get my hopes up. Never underestimate the power of the machine. |
| Posted by: Fred 2010-01-12 14:08 |
| #2 The trend in the polls gives Brown a shot at an upset. |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2010-01-12 12:06 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2010-01-12 12:02 |