A horrible series of blunders and missteps by Martha Coakley is what is going to be the exclamation point on a victory today by Scott Brown. If Coakley had only made half the mistakes she has made, she would probably be a U.S. Senator by this evening. Things didn't work out that way, and it seems very likely that voters are going to send Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate to replace Ted Kennedy.
Powerful reasons why Scott Brown wins today:
1) Anti-Healthcare sentiment. Massachusetts voters already have decent healthcare coverage, and can only see a government option as costing them more money. Conservative voters are offended by the corruption of the Democrats in buying votes from Senators Nelson and Landrieu in order to pass the program.
2) Taxation. Massachusetts voters are some of the highest taxed individuals in the nation. With the economy slumping, the tax bite hurts even more. Nobody can pay those types of rates and be happy about it.
3) The terrible non-campaign run by Coakley. Once she won the Democratic Primary, she acted like a Queen measuring the drapes for her Senate Office. Scott Brown was out there in the cold outside sports arenas shaking hands with blue-collar workers. Coakley really didn't even campaign until she realized she was in danger of losing.
4) Boneheaded mistakes by Coakley. During a debate, she claimed there were no terrorists left in Afghanistan. She ran a TV ad that had the name of the State mis-spelled. She criticized Red Sox pitching hero Curt Schilling by calling him "a Yankee fan." She had gotten him mixed up with Rudy Giuliani, but the result was devastating among men. You don't criticize the hero pitcher who helped the Red Sox win the World Series!!
5) Personality. Brown is a more likable guy. He drives a pickup truck. He serves in the military. His daughter became somewhat famous by singing on American Idol. Coakley has been cold and distant in her non-campaign, and seemed to be losing voters everyday. She may lose by a large margin today.
Voters have good instincts. They know what they like, and they don't like Martha. They like Scott Brown.
