Obama Rallies Democrats in Massachusetts

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

BOSTON — President Obama swooped into Massachusetts on Sunday in an attempt to rescue the flailing candidacy of Martha Coakley, the Democratic Senate candidate in a special election on Tuesday that will determine whether the party will preserve its 60-vote majority in the United States Senate and keep alive its health care agenda.

“If you were fired up in the last election, I need you more fired up in this election,” Mr. Obama said, speaking over the loud applause of a packed basketball arena at Northeastern University. “Understand what’s at stake here Massachusetts. It’s whether we’re going forwards or backwards.”

The Democratic Party deployed its full political arsenal here for the final 48 hours of the battle between Ms. Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general, and Scott Brown, a Republican state senator, to fill the seat of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

As the race lurched to an unpredictable finish, Republicans worked to capitalize on an uneven campaign by Ms. Coakley and a strong air of dissatisfaction with Washington. Senior Democrats conceded on Sunday the real prospect that Ms. Coakley could lose the race, but they hoped Mr. Obama’s visit would rally the Democratic base.

Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/obama-rallies-democrats-in-massachusetts/?hp

[BunkerHill24]

1. I hope him showing-up there changes minds

Frankly, it's all about changing minds on healthcare reform.

[No Elephants]

32. I don't know if that is realistic at this point. IMO, now, it's about voter turnout, period.

[valerief]

34. Exactly, and the snowfall won't help turnout either. nt

[No Elephants]

46. Neither will the fact that this is a special election. And despite being bombarded with ads,

oddly enough, few ads have mentioned the date of the election. Though, I did see a Brown ad that did that yesterday.

Sadly, Democrats are likelier to stay home than Republicans, unless they are aware of reccent polls.

Folks who post on a political message board daily can easily forget that many are blissfully unaware of most things that get us all fired up.

[USA_1]

2. What Took So Long?

Why didn't the Democrats appear earlier and create a more positive atmosphere for her? Were they going to wait until the election was lost?

As always, it appears as if the Democrats want to lose this and every other election. But we'll see what happens.

[TomCADem]

3. Seriously? Coakley Has A Double Digit Lead A Few Months Ago

I think many of us would have been annoyed if President Obama was taking time campaigning for Coakley who had a double digit lead up until a few months ago. Plus, you can thank Fox News for essentially carrying Brown's campaign with frequent appearances and fundraising appeals by Fox hosts.

The fact of the matter is that Fox News is going to put the bulls eye on people like Coakley, and do you really expect the President to devote substantial time campaigning for local races, rather than governing?

[WileEcoyote]

14. Good point

However it'll be a hell of a lot easier for him to move the country forward with 60 votes.

[defendandprotect]

26. What happened to change things . . . ???

Looks like the health care legislation which privatizes riches for insurance,

pharma and "for profit" health care industry -- ????

Was that the pivot point?

I think we're being told very clear by many -- including Howard Dean - that it was this

walking away from MEDICARE FOR ALL -- and even the compromise "public option" which did it?

I was reading the comments by "Democrats" at the site of the article and WOW . . .

I had no idea it was that bad!!




And just a PS on Fox . . . in my entire life I've never seen more than 30 seconds of Fox News ...

however, the other night as I was checking channels I went by Fox and some female anchor was

stressing that every American wants health care -- but not this bill.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that Catholics want single payer, government run health care --

and favor insurance coverage for reproductive health care services by 73%/83% --

Higher when Latinos and Latinas are included.


Catholics also want CONTRACEPTION covered -- 63%/67%

AND GOVERNMENT OR PRIVATE INSURANCE FOR ABORTION . . .

When a pregnancy threatens the life of woman -- 84%/87%

When pregnancy results from rape or incest -- 76%/80%

When pregnancy poses long term health risks for woman -- 73%/77%

When fetus has severe abnormal condition -- 66%/71%

When a woman and her doctor decide appropriate -- 50%/53%


SO WHAT THE HELL ARE THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS DOING OTHER THAN ACTING IN THEIR OWN INTERESTS????

AGAIN, TRYING TO CONTROL WOMEN AND REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM -- !!!

[cap]

36. Amen to that!

In Philadelphia, we have only 2 Catholic Hospitals that have an obstetrics unit... all the rest of the Catholic hospitals have shut them down due to lack of business. We are short obstetricians here. No one is going to a Catholic hospital to have a baby. I wonder why?

I lived in MA, my dad's family is in MA, and I spent my summers on the Cape. My parents are buried on the Cape. The dynamics of Boston are similar to Philly. We don't take the whole abortion thing too seriously from the Bishops.

BTW, the nuns and the Catholic Health Care Association are fighting these stupid Bishops over the whole HCR and abortion.

And not every priest up there agrees with the Bishops, my mother died in D'Youville Hospital outside of Boston and I went to services there. The sermons those priests gave could have been written by Progressive Democrats.

[No Elephants]

29. Um, the primary wasn't until December. Facts much?

The President doesn't campaign for or against primary candidates. Once she became the nominee, though, that may have been the time. Or, when her poll numbers started skidding, which started happening fairly soon.

Even if they thought they had it in the bag, they should have realized the importance of the seat--and Republicans from all over the country were going to givve this seat all they could muster, in terms of money and effort. In Brown's rally yesterday, while President Obama was here for Coakley, were 1500 people, from as far away as Ohio and Iowa. Brown raised over a million in 24 hours. The first and last time I had heard of that happening before Brown was during Obama's campaign--but Brown is a vapid state senator who has always been in the minority party in the state.

Sorry, but Coakley blew it, and so did the rest of the Democrats and pulling rationalizations out of your ear when you don't even know what's going on here isn't going to change that.

[USA_1]

53. Where was everybody else?

Obama cannot do it alone.

Why didn't anybody in Massachusetts stand up for her and the Dem party??

This is a perfectly winnable seat. But things are not going to be handed to you or anybody else. You have to fight for it like the Republicans do.

[Mari333]

4. I honestly think they are disconnected from the general public and still think

that people will vote for them just because they are dems, like people voted for Obama in 2008. I honestly think they believe that. I saw it happen in my small town already. people voted in a GOP mayor over a Dem who has been here 2 terms. not good.

[The Green Manalishi]

5. As a Californian

calling it "Ted Kennedy's Seat" seems stupid. It's insulting. It's a job and the fact that the last scion of a charismatic and powerful family held it and used it to strong effect in progressive causes doesn't change the fact. If someone tried to tell me it was Dianne Fenistein's seat and thus I had some sort of moral or cultural obligation to vote on *ANYTHING* other than the issues I'd tell them to fuck off. Anyone who considers any position some sort of entitlement is doing more harm than good and needs to pull their head out of their ass.
Not that I want another wingnut GOP operative, of course I hope Coakley wins but it sure seems funny, stupid funny not ha ha funny.

[graywarrior]

6. Ted Kennedy's seat means a lot here in MA

We're still grieving the loss of Ted. It's an emotional time for us here, voting for someone to take his place.

[ooglymoogly]

10. Yes indeed

he was a great man.

[still_one]

20. If that is true, and I hope it is, then there should be no way they want a republican to occupy it

[No Elephants]

45. Somtimes, things are complex.

[still_one]

50. Not that complex. They would effectively vote for a tea bagger to take Kennedy seat

and that doesn't speak nicely of Mass

[DissedByBush]

24. No offense, but it is wrong that you can think that way

It's not about you personally or Kennedy.

Our representatives and senators, our elected public servants, were never meant to homestead in the office and make a career of it for long enough for people to be able to get so emotional about them.

They were supposed to get in, serve a few terms at most, and get out, back to being regular citizens. The "citizen legislator."

Instead they sit up there in the ivory tower as part of the established ruling class and after a few decades forget what it's like to be the regular citizen who is affected by the legislation they pass.

Kennedy had such a strong and loyal following that he could practically sleep through an election and win. It was a given. His presence was so strong that until recently the seat going to a Democrat was a given.

He didn't have to fight for the office anymore. Translation: He didn't have to follow the will of the people anymore in order to keep his job.

This is not a condition we can afford to have in this country.

Term limits now!

[No Elephants]

35. Even Kennedy v. Romney was a closer race than it ever should have been.

[defendandprotect]

27. Those who feel shocked and betrayed may be using this symbolic seat to

try to get a message over to Obama/Dems/DLC -- and corportists controlling this the

health care issue?

Rooting for Coakley . . . but from the comments I've read below the OP article ....

it's WOW!!

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[No Elephants]

31. It means a lot to Democrats in Massachusetts, who will vote Coakley anyway.

Many Republicans in Massachusetts hated Kennedy bitterly for years; and the less vitriolic considered him too liberal.

And I say that as someone who stood outside for two hours, waiting to see just his hearse pass by.

[No Elephants]

37. Ted Kennedy is a member of the Kennedy family, whose role in politics here began with his grandpappy

And a Korean War veteran.

He is also the broth of JFK, a beloved martyred President and a war hero. And the brother of RFK, another martyr and serviceman. And the brother of a dead war hero. That's a lot of appeal.

Also, Ted held that seat for 44 years, almost half a century. During that time, he brought so many jobs and so much money to Massachusetts, even the Republican arse who does TV political analysis here gave Ted kudos after he was diagnosed. It's not really comparable to Boxer.

That said, you call a seat whatever you think is going to win you an election. "Scott Brown in Ted Kennedy's seat" would kill the base here, but Republicans hate him and I have no idea about our independents (here technically called "unenrolled").

Anyway, if it was a gaffe, Vicki Kennedy has been correcting it in the ad she filmed, calling it the people's seat and focusing on the needs of the poor and middle class. Very generous of Vicki, too, since Martha geared up for Teddy's seat before he died.

In all cases, though, it has been maybe a case of too little, too late. We'll see Tuesday if it works anyway.

[TheEuclideanOne]

7. People did not vote for Obama because he was a Dem

It was the change he was going to bring to the table, not so much the "D".

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. Yea and that worked out well. NOT!

It was the change he was going to bring to the table, not so much the "D".


Fooled again.

[ooglymoogly]

9. You are wrong. The last election was anyone but a republican;

That is what got the majorities and the landslide for O. Now that dems are acting like Republicans, there is confusion in the grassroots and that leads to no enthusiasm and that ultimately spells doom and that is scary. Obama has got to stop his pug worship and favoring the bluedogs and pugs and start prosecuting the war criminals and profiteers and start living by and respecting our constitution; If he wants that enthusiasm back. What is happening here is ominous for us ongoing. If O needs a wake up call, this is it. Hopefully if we all get out and vote for the D she might just squeak through.

[TheEuclideanOne]

17. I don't agree, this was the first election where I actually voted for somebody because I liked him

I totally agree with your other points.

[No Elephants]

39. Yep. In 2008, I did not vote for the lesser of 2 evils. On election day, I was giddy.

[No Elephants]

38. Now Brown is running against "the old way of doing things." What a joke.

[defendandprotect]

54. Well, they continue to provide a "lesser of evils" choice . . . two party tyranny....???

As long as the only competition for the Democratic Party is the neo-fascist GOP

the party will continue to move to the right.

[USA_1]

55. You Are 100% Correct

All too often Democrats are out of touch with reality. Even though they far out-number RePUKEblicans in Massachusetts, they believe victories at the polling booth will automatically appear out of the blue. They refuse to understand reality and to realize that victories only come by strenuous campaigning and effort.

Campaigners must go out on the street and get people to vote. They must spread literature, post on web forums, write LTTE, openly speak up in favor of their candidates. You just don't sit there and passively wait for victories to come to you as this simply will not happen.

In politics victory is a choice. The candidate who wins tomorrow is the one who chose to win. The loser made the choice to lose. It's that simple.

[BunkerHill24]

28. I hope we win...else we are pickled in and further to come..nt

[No Elephants]

33. The Mass. and national Democrats misjudged and so did Coakley.

[SoapBox]

11. Mr. Brown is such the gem...

Mr. Brown is such a gem…see his lies here:

http://www.dscc.org/brownlies/

And then THIS lovely little nugget…Mr. Brown, you suck:

http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/2010/01/worst-person-in-world-at-scott-brown.html

What's that old saying? If it's yellow it's mellow...if it's BROWN, flush it!

[ooglymoogly]

13. He is a skunk

what seems to be happening is the "just another pretty but dumb face" vote; And may just bring him close enough to steal the election with Diebold in the wings. The stab in the back Herald is another factor.

[pundaint]

30. do they use diebold machines somewhere in MA?

[No Elephants]

40. Someone posted that, but Boston started using paper ballots in the 2004 Presidential.

Fool me once, fool me twice = 8 years of Bushco.

If our Democratic Governor, our Democratic state legislature and our many Democratic Mayors allow fixed machines to decide our elections, then shame on us.

[No Elephants]

44. On Diebold, please see Reply 40.

[wisteria]

12. Go Martha! And Yeah for President Obama!!! n/t

[totodeinhere]

15. CNN's Ed Henry is reporting that Obama advisers believe Coakley will lose.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/17/sources-obama-advisers-believe-coakley-will-lose/

[still_one]

21. Why would these "so-called advisors" even make that public to cnn? /nt

[No Elephants]

41. Who really knows if anyone actually said that?

As an insomniac, I was watching TV overnight the night Kennedy died. CNN could not wait to stick the knife in. All about Chappaquiddick. And our local station carries the CNN feed in the wee hours. All I could do was hope no one in the Kennedy family had turned on the TV.

[gorekerrydreamticket]

51. uncredited b.s....n/t

[Vermontgrown]

16. Hey yeah,

It's a good thing he finally went to Massachusetts. Why noy wait till tuesday morning. Yeah, great idea. Obama to me is a good speaker and in his own campaign he worked it hard, but this is just a day late kids. Our great savior is just not so great after all now is he.

[HillGal]

18. Why would Obama stump for Coakley a month ago? she was enjoying a lead

in the polls, it's only the past couple of weeks that she's gotten slammed and has gone down in the polls.

[No Elephants]

43. It's not as though Obama does not realize a lead can disappear.

He ran against Hillary in the primary, remember? She had a 30 point lead against him, just as Coakley had against Brown.

Sorry, but with an election this important--the 60th seat--no one should have taken ANYthing for granted. Yet, that's what they all did.

This is a party and a President to whom I've donated serious money (for an individual donor). I don't appreciate their messing up this badly re: my own state.


At some point, for our own good and for the good of the Democratic Party, we have to stop rationalizing and making excuses and hold people accountable when they mess up this badly. Or nothing will change.

[Cha]

19. Stupid post..you're going to have to up your game

a little.

[still_one]

22. If the Democrats in Massachusetts don't realize what the stakes are, and show up in large

numbers, then THEY are the ones who are not so great or intelligent

[Arkana]

23. You seem to have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Stormfront is 10 miles down on your left, Free Republic your next right off of Interstate 91. Have a safe trip!

[defendandprotect]

25. Understand the magic word "progressive" was mentioned . . ..

[ProgressOnTheMove]

42. It's an awesome stump for Coakley he's still got it. Check it out here...

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/01/17/HP/A/28527/Obama+To+Campaign+For+Coakley.aspx

[No Elephants]

47. How slanted is this article? Swooped? Flailing? Arsenal? Lurched? "Strong

air of dissatisfaction? The NYT measures air now? Besides, many of those who are so dissatisfied are carpetbagging Tea Baggers brought in from other states to cheer Brown, something the NYT either did not bother to find out or did not bother to mention.

The NYT has gone from

"All the News That's Fit to Print" to

All the News That's Fit to Slant."


Much like most mass media outlets, broadcast, broadband or print.

[Ian David]

48. Phonebank from home for Martha Coakley- Stop Scott Brown!

Phonebank from home for Martha Coakley- Stop Scott Brown!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x33906

[Blue Owl]

52. The R's simply CANNOT take Teddy's seat

No way.

No how.

Uh-uh.

Not gonna happen.