It is not just a Senate seat in Massuchessetts that we could very well lose in a week, it is Ted Kennedy's old seat. Ted Kennedy was for years, an icon in the Democratic party. Even in the worst of times for Democrats, like during some of the Reagan years and during the 1990's, Ted Kennedy was there fighting the good fight. Now that he is gone, could this liberal icon really be replaced by a conservative Republican in one of the most Democratic states in the country?
My big question here is, why isnt Obama trying to keep Kennedy's seat in Democratic party hands by campaigning for Coakley? Does he believe that his unpopularity would be a liability for her? Maybe he remembers Richard Nixon trying to campaign for Republicans in early 1974 special elections and seeing them lose, leading to calls by Republicans for his resignation. I doubt this is the case, since Obama is more popular than Nixon in 1974.
I dont understand why Obama wont campaign for Coakley. If she loses, the rest of his agenda is down the toilet. Nothing he wants will pass. Healthcare reform will be dead and so will a jobs bill and any hopes of getting a climate change bill. He will be a dead duck of a President.
I cant even fathom what would happen to the Democrats in November if the climate is bad enough that they lose Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. If Obama doesnt work to keep this seat Democratic, Coakley's loss and his status as a lame duck will be partly his own fault.