While Obama was campaigning for Martha Coakley in Boston this afternoon, January 17, 2010, Scott Brown was campaigning in Worcester, MA.
From the Boston Herald.
“Energized Brown mocks desperate Dems”
“GOP upstart state Sen. Scott Brown took aim at Democratic opponent Attorney General Martha Coakley’s presidential bailout this afternoon, telling a packed hall of rowdy supporters he would stay connected to them and not embrace Washington, D.C. insiders.
“They put in a distress call to Washington, and the next thing you know, Air Force One is landing at Logan,” Brown said of President Obama’s Boston visit today. “The party bosses gave the president some bad information. This Senate seat belongs to no one person and no one political party, it belongs to the people of Massachusetts.”
Brown, bolstered by a last-minute campaign surge in the polls, reminded the crowd of over 2,000 people that he is their candidate.
“I’m Scott Brown, I’m from Wrentham, I drive a truck and I’m asking for your vote,” he said. Then he referenced Obama’s come-from-behind presidential campaign. “After all, who ever heard of a guy from Wrentham getting elected to the U.S. Senate? But as the president might remember, upsets like that have been known to happen.”
Brown was serenaded by his daughter, former “American Idol” semi-finalist Ayla Brown, backslapped by Red Sox [team stats] ace pitcher Curt Schilling [stats], and pumped up by former “Cheers” know-it-all John Ratzenberger during the electric rally.”
On January 10, 2010, this blog reported:
“Given the MA statutes, state ethics laws and the precedent of swearing in Representative Niki Tsongas one day after the election, the Democrats have a major problem trying to perpetrate another illegal act, especially after they have advertised it ahead of time.” Will MA Democrats try to delay Scott Brown certification?
Now we learn that temporary MA Senator Paul Kirk can’t vote for the Health Care Bill after next Tuesday.
From The Weekly Standard, January 16, 2010.
“Kirk Can’t Vote After Tuesday
GOP lawyers say Paul Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day.”
“Appointed Senator Paul Kirk will lose his vote in the Senate after Tuesday’s election in Massachusetts of a new senator and cannot be the 60th vote for Democratic health care legislation, according to Republican attorneys.
Kirk has vowed to vote for the Democratic bill even if Republican Scott Brown is elected but not yet certified by state officials and officially seated in the Senate. Kirk’s vote is crucial because without the 60 votes necessary to stop a Republican filibuster, the bill will be defeated.
This would be a devastating loss for President Obama and congressional Democrats. The bill, dubbed ObamaCare, is the centerpiece of the president’s agenda. Brown has campaigned on becoming the 41st vote against ObamaCare.
But in the days after the election, it is Kirk’s status that matters, not Brown’s. Massachusetts law says that an appointed senator remains in office “until election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy.” The vacancy occurred when Senator Edward Kennedy died in August. Kirk was picked as interim senator by Governor Deval Patrick.
Democrats in Massachusetts have talked about delaying Brown’s “certification,” should he defeat Democrat Martha Coakley on Tuesday. Their aim would be to allow Kirk to remain in the Senate and vote the health care bill.
But based on Massachusetts law, Senate precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, Republican attorneys said Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day, period. Brown meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements in the Constitution to qualify for the Senate. “Qualification” does not require state “certification,” the lawyers said.”
From American Research Group, January 15, 2010. Scott Brown leads Martha Coakley in the MA Senate race 48% to 45%.
“January 15, 2010 – Massachusetts US Senate
Massachusetts US Senate
1/14/2010
Brown
Coakley
Kennedy
Undecided
Likely voters
48%
45%
2%
5%
Registration:
Democrats (44%)
20%
71%
1%
8%
Republicans (20%)
94%
1%
–
5%
Unenrolled/
Other (36%)
58%
37%
4%
1%
Sex:
Men (47%)
54%
39%
2%
5%
Women (53%)
44%
50%
2%
4%
Age:
18-49 (43%)
52%
42%
2%
4%
50 plus (57%)
46%
47%
1%
6%
Republican Scott Brown leads Democrat Martha Coakley 48% to 45% in the special Massachusetts US Senate race to replace Senator Ted Kennedy in a telephone survey conducted January 12-14 among 600 likely voters in Massachusetts saying they will definitely vote in the special election on January 19.
Brown leads Coakley 94% to 1% among registered Republicans and he leads 58% to 37% among unenrolled voters. Coakley leads Brown 71% to 20% among registered Democrats. A total of 8% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans remain undecided.
Brown leads 54% to 39% among men while Coakley leads 50% to 44% among women.
Brown leads 52% to 42% among likely voters age 18 to 49 and Coakley leads 47% to 46% among voters 50 and older.
A total of 9% of likely voters say they have already voted by absentee ballot, with Brown leading Coakley 58% to 42%.”
Scott Brown and Martha Coakley campaigning Saturday, January 16, 2010
From Fox News Boston.
“Coakley counts on union muscle to win Senate race”
“Democrat Martha Coakley is counting on union muscle to help her win Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.
She kicked off the final weekend of campaigning Saturday with a stop at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Boston to encourage a group of canvassers.”
“Brown Leads Coakley 58-42 in Absentee Ballots– Coakley Losing 1 in 5 Dems to Brown …BIG UPDATE: BROWN PRESS CONFERENCE- PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST DEM PARTY”
“One in five democrats in Massachusetts is going with Scott Brown.
And, there’s more bad news for democrat Martha Coakley…
Scott Brown is leading in the absentee voting 58-42. 9% of registered voters said they have already cast a ballot.
Real Clear Politics reported:
Coakley loses one-in-five Democrats to Brown, while the Republican state senator has 94 percent of Republicans behind him. Brown has a commanding 58-37 advantage among “unenrolled” voters, mainly independents and those who prefer not to register affiliation with the major parties.”
“Dan Winslow, counsel for the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate campaign, will hold a media availability to announce the filing of a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democratic Party regarding a recent mailing paid for and sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Winslow will make a statement and take reporters’ questions at MassGOP Headquarters in Boston TODAY at 4:00 PM.”
“Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”…Robert E. Lee
I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee…Ellen Stugis Hooper
I was discussing politics, the internet and news reporting during the past several years with an older friend of mine yesterday. The word and concept of duty came up and I was instantly reminded of one of my favorte quotes spoken by Kathryn Hepburn in the movie “Rooster Cogburn”, one of my favorite movies.
Scott Brown is running for US Senator from MA. Scott Brown is a fine example of living a life of duty. From the Scott Brown for US Senate website.
“Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004. He is currently in his third Senate term.
In 2004, Senator Brown received the Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state’s sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.”
We all have important duties to fulfill. Certainly, voting is one of them. We must do more than simply voting ourselves. We must stay involved, stay informed and encourage others to do the same. We must help elect Scott Brown for the good of the country and the good of the citizens of MA. Six degrees of separation
“Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. ”
Contact everyone you know, ask them to do the same and contact people in MA. Urge them to vote for Scott Brown. Let them know we are beside them.
“Obama to stump for endangered Mass. Dem
Poll shows GOP candidate up; race could tip Democrats’ 60-vote majority”
“BOSTON – His health care bill at stake, President Barack Obama plans a trip to Massachusetts to campaign for endangered Senate Democratic candidate Martha Coakley amid release of a poll showing an edge for the Republican Party in the race to fill a Senate seat Democrats have held for over a half-century.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama would appear at an event for Coakley in Boston on Sunday.
A Suffolk University survey released late Thursday showed that Brown, a Republican state senator, with 50 percent of the vote in the race to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in this overwhelmingly Democratic state.
Coakley had 46 percent. That amounted to a statistical tie since it was within the poll’s 4.4 percentage point margin of error, but it was far different from a 15-point lead that Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general, enjoyed in a Boston Globe survey released over the weekend.”
“Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race”
“Riding a wave of opposition to Democratic health-care reform, GOP upstart Scott Brown is leading in the U.S. Senate race, raising the odds of a historic upset that would reverberate all the way to the White House, a new poll shows.
Although Brown’s 4-point lead over Democrat Martha Coakley is within the Suffolk University/7News survey’s margin of error, the underdog’s position at the top of the results stunned even pollster David Paleologos.
“It’s a Brown-out,” said Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. “It’s a massive change in the political landscape.”
The poll shows Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, besting Coakley, the state’s attorney general, by 50 percent to 46 percent, the first major survey to show Brown in the lead. Unenrolled long-shot Joseph L. Kennedy, an information technology executive with no relation to the famous family, gets 3 percent of the vote. Only 1 percent of voters were undecided.
Paleologos said bellweather models show high numbers of independent voters turning out on election day, which benefits Brown, who has 65 percent of that bloc compared to Coakley’s 30 percent. Kennedy earns just 3 percent of the independent vote, and 1 percent are undecided.
Given the 4.4-point margin of error, the poll shows Coakley could win the race, Paleologos said. But if Brown’s momentum holds, he is poised to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy – and to halt health-care reform, the issue the late senator dubbed “the cause of my life.”
Yet even in the bluest state, it appears Kennedy’s quest for universal health care has fallen out of favor, with 51 percent of voters saying they oppose the “national near-universal health-care package” and 61 percent saying they believe the government cannot afford to pay for it.
The poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, surveyed 500 registered likely voters who knew the date of Tuesday’s election. It shows Brown leading all regions of the state except Suffolk County.
“Either Brown’s momentum accelerates and his lead widens, or this becomes a wake-up call for Coakley to become the ‘Comeback Kid’ this weekend,” Paleologos said.
And with 99 percent having made up their minds, voters may be hard to persuade.
The poll surveyed a carefully partitioned electorate meant to match voter turnout: 39 percent Democrat, 15 percent Republican and 45 percent unenrolled.”
From the Boston Herald, January 14, 2010, at approx 1:00 PM EST.
“If Scott Brown pulls an upset in the U.S. Senate race, how should his swearing-in proceed?”
14% – Wait 10 days for the votes to be certified
36% – Bypass it all and swear him in right away
3% – Wait for certification until Feb. 20, to be safe
47% – Get it done by the Jan. 20 U.S. Senate session
Total Votes: 17,593
Why is this so controversial?
Reported here, January 9, 2010.
““This is a stunning admission by Paul Kirk and the Beacon Hill political machine,” said Brown in a statement. “Paul Kirk appears to be suggesting that he, Deval Patrick, and (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid intend to stall the election certification until the health care bill is rammed through Congress, even if that means defying the will of the people of Massachusetts.” Scott Brown Certification delayed for Health Care Bill
The MA Republican Party has a new video out accusing Martha Coakley of taking money from health insurance lobbyists.
“Martha Coakley says she holds health insurers accountable, then one day later, takes money from the very same health insurance lobbyists at a Washington fundraiser.”
Was this a fair portrayal of Coakley’s ties to lobbyists and drug companies?
You decide.
From the Washington Examiner, January 8, 2010.
“Coakley in trouble? Pharma and HMO lobbyists to the rescue”
“With Democrat Martha Coakley in trouble in the Massachusetts special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat, Democrats could lose vote No. 60 for President Obama’s health-care bill. In response, an army of lobbyists for drug companies, health insurance companies, and hospitals has teamed up to throw a high-dollar Capitol Hill fundraiser for Coakley next Tuesday night. The invitation is here.
Of the 22 names on the host committee–meaning they raised $10,000 or more for Coakley–17 are federally registered lobbyists, 15 of whom have health-care clients. Of the other five hosts, one is married to a lobbyist, one was a lobbyist in Pennsylvania, another is a lawyer at a lobbying firm, and another is a corporate CEO. Oh, and of course, there’s also the political action commitee for Boston Scientific Corporation.
All the leading drug companies have lobbyists on Coakley’s host committee: Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Astra-Zeneca, and more. On the insurance side of things, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, HealthSouth, and United Health all are represented on the host committee.”
“Here are some of Coakley fundraiser hosts with some of their current health care clients:
Thomas Boggs, Patton Boggs: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies: Amgen, BIO, Merck, PhRMA
Susan Brophy, Glover Park Group: Blue Cross, Pfizer
Steven Champlin, Duberstein Group: AHIP, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis
Licy Do Canto, Raben Group: Amgen
Gerald Cassidy, Cassidy & Associates: U. Mass Memorial Health Care
David Castagnetti, Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti: Abbot Labs, AHIP, Astra-Zenaca, General Electric, Humana, Merck, PhRMA.
Steven Elmendorf, Elmendorf Strategies: Medicines Company, PhRMA, United Health
Shannon Finley, Capitol Counsel: Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, Blue Cross, GE, PhRMA, Sanofi-Aventis.
Heather Podesta, Heather Podesta & Partners: Cigna, Eli Lilly, HealthSouth
Tony Podesta, Podesta Group: Amgen, GE, Merck, Novartis.
Robert Raben, Raben Group: Amgen, GE. ”
“Fox News Reports On Martha Coakley’s “Controversial” DC Fundraiser With Health Care Lobbyists”
“It won’t be the first time but Martha Coakley smeared Scott Brown tonight outside of her big Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser.
Martha Coakley is a smear merchant.
She already tried to tie Republican Scott Brown to Rush Limbaugh even though the two have never met.
Now tonight Martha Coakley tried to tie Scott Brown to “extreme right groups” who she says are pouring money into Massachusetts. She says this despite the fact that Brown raised over $1.3 million, mostly in small donations, in an online money bomb yesterday. And, she had the gall to say this outside of her Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser where 22 big-time lobbyists from drug, health care and insurance companies met tonight to help bail her campaign out.
Brian Maloney has more on Coakley’s big money fundraiser tonight.
As if Martha Coakleys support from the corrupt establishment wasnt already clear enough, now comes word that a coalition of sleazebag industry lobbyists have teamed up with Bay State Democrats for an eleventh-hour bailout of her faltering campaign.
Many of those involved in this hastily-organized rescue attempt have no Bay State ties, their only allegiance is to piggish K Street – Beltway lobbying firms.”
Catholic Families for America, CFA, has endorsed Scott Brown for the MA senate seat.
From the Christian News Wire, January 13, 2010.
“Catholic Families for America Endorses Scott Brown for Massachusetts Senate Seat”
“CFA Executive Director: “For voters of conscience in Massachusetts, the choice is clear: Scott Brown is a traditional values public servant who would bring a refreshing voice of common sense to the U. S. Senate. We applaud him for reminding the political class in Washington that this is not ‘the Kennedy seat — it’s the people’s seat.'””
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 /Christian Newswire/ — Dr. Kevin Roberts, executive director of the Catholic grassroots advocacy group, Catholic Families for America (CFA), announced the organization’s endorsement of Scott Brown in next Tuesday’s special election for the U.S. Senate.
“”Scott would be such an upgrade on every major issue from the late Teddy Kennedy,” Roberts said. “Furthermore, his opponent, who espouses the same anti-life, anti-family, anti-values agenda that made Kennedy such a tragic figure to the Church, should give Catholic, Christian, and values voters an easy choice next Tuesday.””
“”Our republic cannot withstand a long period of liberal, anti-family super-majorities in Congress,” Roberts explained. “If Scott Brown surprises the pundits next week, then we know that the end is near for the abject failures of Pelosi, Reid, and Obama.””
Citizen WElls 