I appreciate Joe Lawler for linking to the video showing Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats vying to face off against Scott Brown next year unable to answer the simplest of questions. In what years, this century, did the Red Sox win the World Series? What self-respecting New Englander doesn’t know the answer to that? For the benefit of non-baseball fans, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series twice this century – 2004 & 2007. While Warren was correct to say that the Sox triumphed in 2004 she told the audience much to their horror that they also won the Fall Classic in 2008. I wish it were so. I was at Fenway Park for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in which, on the brink of being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox came back from a 7-0 deficit in the 7th inning to win the game 8-7 on a single by J.D. Drew . Unfortunately for the Sox, the Rays won that year’s ALCS in seven games. But Warren and her fellow Dems were merely adhering to a time honored tradition of being completely clueless when it comes to baseball. As Joe mentioned there was Martha Coakley who claimed Curt Schilling was a Yankees fan
President Obama’s nomination of former Ohio AG Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau raises the question of what will become of Elizabeth Warren, who had played a leading role in designing the CFPB. A number of commentators are suggesting that she will challenge Scott Brown for the Senate in Massachusetts, as Democrats have few other strong candidates. But setting aside the fact that Brown remains popular in Massachusetts, it’s an open question whether Warren would be a good campaigner. She’s widely regarded as a “progressive hero,” but mostly because she, perhaps by default, has been the standard-bearer for the anti-bank sentiment of the left wing.
At a rally in support of Wisconsin public sector unions in Boston Common yesterday, Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Michael Capuano told union supporters, “Every once in a while you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.” Now Capuano has since walked back his remarks. O.K. Fine. Yet this is the same Capuano who recently said , “Nothing wrong with throwing a coffee cup at someone if you’re doing it for human rights.” Ah yes, the ends justifies the means. Of course, could you imagine the holy hell that would have been unleashed if Capuano had been a Republican Congressman who had told a Tea Party rally they needed to get out on the streets and get a little bloody? Capuano would have got the Paul Krugman treatment a la Michele Bachmann . Such treatment would have consisted of not placing Bachmann’s “armed and dangerous” remarks in their proper context . But therein lies the difference between a Minnesota Republican and a Massachusetts Democrat. It should be noted Capuano, who was bested by Martha Coakley for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, is being touted as a possible opponent for Scott Brown in 2012. It could get bloody interesting.
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A Bloody Double Standard
Jim is certainly correct when he says that Massachusetts Democrats can beat competitive Republican candidates when they are not taken by surprise. Yet I cannot help but think that Mass Dems aren’t going to take any chances in 2012. I have said it before and I
Despite a mediocre term in office, Massachusetts voters easily re-elected Deval Patrick to a second term as Governor last night. While Republicans were triumphant throughout the country, they were shut out in the Bay State. This will no doubt embolden Democrats as they look to regain “Ted Kennedy’s seat” from Scott Brown in 2012. The question now, of course, is who will challenge Brown in two years time. I would put my bet on none other than Deval Patrick. He is surely no Martha Coakley. One might not think a great deal of his legislative achievements, but Patrick is a first class campaigner and Massachusetts Democrats are going to need that when they face off against the personable and popular Brown. Just as Patrick isn’t Martha Coakley, Brown is neither Charlie Baker nor Kerry Healey or for that matter any other Republican in Massachusetts. A week before the vote, I attended a forum for Massachusetts GOP congressional hopefuls including Sean Bielat and Jeff Perry. While Bielat and Perry the other candidates made a good accounting of themselves in front of a friendly audience, there was something missing. They all lacked Brown’s populist touch and innate charisma. It should be noted that Brown nearly closed the gender gap with female voters. His good looks certainly didn’t hurt him. I mean even Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg wouldn’t walk out on him. Or put another way, I don’t think Bill Hudak could have gotten away with posing nude for Cosmopolitan. Even if Coakley did run the most inept senatorial campaign in American electoral history one could still make the case that she might have pulled it off had she run against anyone other than Brown. All of this to say that Democrats in Massachusetts will need a big bat against Brown and as of right now Deval Patrick carries the biggest stick.
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Brown vs. Patrick ’12?
