Drum roll.
Number 10: Many voted for Martha Coakley in the Democratic Primary without considering her electability in the gen(d)eral election.
US Congressman Mike Capuano is a man in Massachusetts, where no woman has ever been elected Governor or Senator before, and may have had a better chance to best Scott Brown. (Me man. Me drive truck. Me watch Red Sox, etc.)
Also, Capuano, having been tested as a candidate might have challenged Brown more on the issues important to Bay State voters (Curt Schilling) during the debates and campaign.
Number 9: Martha Coakley was an Attorney General and as such prosecuted a lot of cases that could be exploited by Republicans.
A Coakley case Republicans caught in their fine tooth comb was a child rape case, in which some saw Coakley as lax, about which Republicans agitated their basest base's mob mentality, who wreaked violent vengeance against Martha, verbally brandishing curling irons instead of clubs.
Martha Coakley prosecuted cases in which the losers had an ax to grind.
For example, I received an e-mail, which was a whine by a wine distributor, who was sour grapes (pardon my puns) about Martha defending Massachusetts in a case against direct shipments of wine to consumers, which he viewed as helping a few wine merchants maintain a monopoly and price fix. He accused the Massachusetts Democratic party of having accepted a large contribution from a firm that controls 63% of the wine market in the state.
Corporate Wines Announcement
Press Release
IF YOU LIKE WINE IN MA WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT VOTE FOR MARTHA COAKLEY ON TUESDAY JANUARY 19, 2010!
[snip]
Number 8: Gay Marriage.
Gay Marriage was a major campaign issue when Angus McQuilken ran against Scott Brown for Mass. State Senator in my district, because Angus had worked for Cheryl Jacques, our former State Senator, a prominent gay marriage advocate.
Number 7: Abortion. There are a lot of Catholics in Massachusetts.
I got a creepy robocall a few days before the election that contained disinformation about abortion being funded by the health care bill supported by Martha Coakley for a reason: to go after the Catholic vote.
Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. issued this statement:
for immediate release January 20, 2010
Pro-abortion advocacy has cost another woman her election.
[snip]
"Exit polls consistently find that voters who vote on the abortion issue vote two to one pro-life. This pro-life differential hurt Martha Coakley.
"Pundits agree that Shannon O'Brien lost her race for governor when she advocated abortions for 16 year old girls without their parents' knowledge or consent. Pro-abortion advocacy has cost another woman her election.
Number 6: Scott Brown drives a pick up truck. IMHO, Scott emphatically made the point that he drives a pick up truck on TV ads as code words for "I am part of the suburban battalion of fuel inefficient trucks, SUVs, and vans, not a CharlieCard carrying, Prius driving liberal, so you know that I will support whatever it takes (wars) for you to score cheap fuel."
When Scott Brown made his acceptance speech, the crowd yelled at him to gas his truck, presumably to triumphantly drive down to DC to challenge Barack Obama to a game of B-ball on the White House courts. However, after a cursing pro Iraq War passenger tossed a hot cup of Dunky D coffee at me from a gas guzzler while I attended a Town Common peace vigil in Scott's district, I believe his supporters are really saying:
Kick their ass and take their gas.
Number 5: Scott Brown not only knows who Curt Schilling is, but had him on his team stumping for him in Red Sox Nation.
Number 4: Lower taxes. A Scott Brown google advertisement highlighted "lower taxes" in its short blurb.
Many of the little ranches, capes, and bungalows near my own humble abode have been torn down and McMansions have been erected in their place, and the lifestyles of their new owners are literally on the line, the bottom line, that is, of their state and federal income tax returns. Many suburbanites will have to sell their humongous homes if state and federal taxes (or the cost of heating oil, for that matter) goes up.
Number 3: Scott Brown is a man. Hillary and Martha did very well in the Massachusetts Democratic Primaries.
But, when you add Republicans and Independents into the mix, women in Massachusetts politics crash and burn, because most of these men vote for the man, even when a woman candidate matches their viewpoints better (such as supporting a public option: read AdamGreen's POLL: Scott Brown Voters Even Wanted Public Option).
Here is a list of women, both Democratic and Republican, who didn't Make it in Massachusetts: Kerry Healey, Jane Swift, Evelyn Murphy, and Shannon O'Brien. The Dems were attacked on abortion, particularly partial birth abortion, and Jane Swift, the Republican, was attacked for being a working mother, who many believed should not have been holding public office, as Governor of Massachusetts, but should be sent home to raise the kids. Jane Swift: No More Governor Mom.
Number 2: Change.
Change for which Massachusetts could have the audacity of hope.
Just like Barack Obama, Scott Brown offered the voters of Massachusetts "change." Only here in dyed in the wool Democratic Massachusetts,
Change = Republican
Don't forget that Massachusetts voters have elected three Republican Governors from 1997 to 2007 as a change from Michael Dukakis and America's first African American Senator since Reconstruction, Republican Edward Brooke in 1967.
Many Brown voters voted for Obama, but noticed that there has been little "change" from the incessant costly wars in the middle east, torture, bank bailouts, unemployment, etc. from the dismal Bush years.
AdamGreen's POLL: Scott Brown Voters Even Wanted Public Option last night discussed how recent polls indicate that Brown voters support health care reform, and in particular, the public option, which Brown does not.
This vote for a Republican Senator was a way Independent voters could tell the Obama administration that it did not deliver "change" that they could believe in.
Drum roll.
And the Number 1 reason Scott Brown will no longer be my State Senator, but my US Senator:
Scott Brown won over more voters than Martha Coakley.
He is a likable, handsome, and charming man.
He is the epitome of what many male voters would like to be.
He's well educated, a former Cosmo pin-up, has a trophy teevee reporter wife, talented daughters, one of whom, Ayla, was a semi-finalist on the popular T.V. show, "American Idol," which helped give Scott national name recognition, a nice house in the 'burbs, and drives a pick up truck.
I live in his district. I volunteered for Cheryl Jacques, who unseated an entrenched Republican State Senator in my district in 1992. Twelve years later, when Cheryl stepped down, I volunteered for Angus McQuilken, who lost by less than 1% to Scott Brown, a formidable foe, indeed, who would go on to win by bigger and bigger margins in the following 2 elections.
Scott Brown was everywhere, shaking hands, looking you in the eye, and introducing himself.
He extended his hand to me while I was holding a sign for his rival and complimented me for getting involved. He found common ground with me, a supporter for his opponent, in that we both cared enough to serve the public and be part of the democratic process.
You could not not like him.
You could oppose him, but you opposed him based on the issues, not Scott Brown.
Scott Brown made sure that he was the main issue in this Senatorial election, and he won.
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The Democrats are asking, "how did we lose?"
But, maybe what they should be asking is, "how did Scott win?"
I have volunteered on many campaigns from State Representative to President. Many candidates are great legislators, but are mediocre to lousy campaigners. They don't feel comfortable meeting and greeting, and their displeasure shows through and dampens enthusiasm.
For example, I volunteered in New Hamphire for John Edwards. I felt that John was just going through the motions, but couldn't leave the rallies for us troops quick enough. When he hurried past the lines of volunteers, he mechanically shook hands and looked past us. His wife, Elizabeth, on the other hand lingered and showed us all that she really cared and was into the race even more than her husband.
Another Democratic candidate displayed the most candid and heartfelt desire to serve We the People in New Hampshire by breaking down into genuine tears and won the primary.
There are some candidates who are naturals and look as though they enjoy mingling with their electorate. Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Scott Brown fall into that category.
I commented in a diary on the DailyKos that when Barack Obama addressed West Point to explain the surge in Afghanistan, he didn't appear to be the same Barack Obama who instilled hope in me when he came to Boston, but looked uncharacteristically angry and forbidding. His words rang hollow to me.
I got flamed for that honest observation.
Maybe, Democratic hopefuls should dig deep into their own hearts and do what is right for this country's future and the majority of citizens, and no longer listen to the lobbyists and their hacks who have infiltrated the party's leadership and have betrayed our principles and thus our candidates' chances.
We the People can tell the difference between a leader who believes in change and one who just talks about it, but is actually doing the bidding of the status quo crowd in Washington.
Losing Teddy Kennedy's seat is a wake up call.
Barack Obama needs to deliver us the change he promised and kick out the backstabbers in his cabinet, who are advising him to go along with their pet special interests, not the interests of the American people ....
or someone like Scott Brown will challenge him for far more than a basketball game at the White House.