Pay Attention, Massachusetts

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The Massachusetts election for Senator Kennedy’s seat is inexplicably close. According to some polls, Democrat Martha Coakley and wingnut Scott Brown, who promises to kill health care reform if elected, are nearly tied. According to Nate Silver, opinion polls of voter issues in Massachusetts show that Coakley ought to be comfortably ahead, because the majority of Massachusetts voters favor her positions over Brown’s by a comfortable margin.

I can’t see the Massachusetts campaigns from here, so I assume that Brown is running a smarter race. Or maybe Coakley is running a stupid race. But please, Massachusetts, wake up and pay attention. Don’t saddle us with Scott Brown.

On the lighter side — the Weekly Standard‘s John McCormack, who seems to mistake badgering and intimidation for journalism, whines because someone trying to protect Martha Coakley from him actually pushed him. McCormack, naturally, portrays himself as the victim. Unbelievable.

Tbogg notes that McCormack has a history of frightening women candidates. “All lady candidates should just get restraining orders against John McCormack right now because they will probably need them one day. Also, pepper spray. Pepper spray is good too…”

Update: DSCC: Shoved reporter tape a GOP ‘dirty trick’ by Ben Smith, The Politico:

McCormack drew attention earlier this year when the husband of liberal Republican Dede Scozzafava called police after he followed her after an event asking questions.

“Asking tough questions is one thing, but acting like John McCormack did tonight shows a complete lack of decency. This self-described reporter repeatedly screamed questions while our candidate was doing what she is supposed to be doing: speaking with voters (remember, those who will decide this election?). And then this ‘reporter’ followed the candidate to her car, continuing to carry on in a manner that would make the National Enquirer blush,” fumed Scozzafava’s spokesman after the incident. [UPDATE: The audio subsequently seemed to show that McCormack had been fairly polite.]

ALSO: The caption on the video comes from McCormack, not me. He tells me the videographers wouldn’t identifiy themselves to him, but both he and Democrats say the appears to be from a GOP trackers.

6 thoughts on “Pay Attention, Massachusetts”

  1. There’s a little more detail on this at the Democratic Strategist:

    The special election in Massachusetts next week to fill the late Edward Kennedy’s Senate term is rapidly becoming the national Republican Party’s maximum goal. The occasion–a low-turnout-special election in which Republicans are pre-mobilized and many Democrats are indifferent–is highly favorable to the little-known GOP candidate, Scott Brown. The stakes are very large. Aside from the symbolism involved in winning Teddy Kennedy’s Senate seat in the home state of Barney Frank and John Kerry, Brown could and would personally derail final passage of a health care reform conference report in the Senate.

    The polls on this race show Brown closing on Democrat Martha Coakley, but only if turnout follows a heavily pro-GOP pattern, much like the pattern Republicans hope for all across the country this autumn. As Nate Silver notes today , a Rasmussen poll showing a virtual dead heat also shows likely voters in this race giving Barack Obama a 57% approval rating. So it’s clear: Republicans are nationalizing this contest among Bay State voters; so, too, should Democrats.

  2. What percentage of Brown’s campaign contributions have come from residents of states other than Massachusetts?

    • “What percentage of Brown’s campaign contributions have come from residents of states other than Massachusetts?”

      That is an excellent question, to which I have not seen an answer.

  3. McCormack must be auditioning for the job as the top video asshole interviewer/stalker for O’Reilly’s show. I mean, who’s going to pay better, Kristol or Orally?
    I hope Orally’s current video asshole/stalker is watching so that he can take his assholishness, or is it assholyness, to another level. Like stoning the person he wants to interview before asking a question, to you know, let you know who the target is?
    I wonder where the merry-go-round will eventually stop?
    It’ll stop dead eventually, like the country, is my guess….

  4. I think the big picture is still that Obama hasn’t been progressive enough or mean enough, leaving a huge void of populist rage that these weird teabaggers have consumed.

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