Martha Coakley is a REAL Democrat

[rox63]

She wasn't my first choice in the primary. (she was my #2 choice) Perhaps she is not your idea of a "perfect" candidate. (Clue: There is no such thing.) But those of you who are portraying her as some sort of DINO are talking out your ass. She has been the AG of my state for several years. Yes, she's a bit of a dispassionate technocrat. But we have a tendency to elect those types here in Mass.

Unless you really want to see "Cosmo boy" Scott Brown in the Senate, do something to help elect Martha, ok?

[Ohio Joe]

1. K&R - Very well said - nt

[FBaggins]

2. She's not a DINO... she's just a truly awful campaigner

She was also egotistical (or short sighted or whatever) enough to think that she would just be handed the seat and didn't have to work for it.

Here's hoping the lesson isn't politically fatal.

[rox63]

4. She has won statewide elections here twice already

Although Teddy was the exception, we don't tend to elect showy types here. (See Dukakis, Mike and Tsongas, Paul)

[FBaggins]

7. You don't have to be "showy" to be a good campaigner...

...you just need to show up. She didn't.

As for winning other statewide races... I think it was once (primaries don't count), and she didn't have to do it on her own merits. Democrats showed up to vote for the upper end of the ticket and picked the "D" for her race. Note that the other down-ballot democrats (Galvin, Cahill, DeNucci) were in the low-to-mid 80s.

[rox63]

8. She's on her 2nd term as AG

I think she first won in 2004.

[eridani]

13. She reminds me of WA State governor Christine Gregoire

She was a successful state AG first, but ran a poor campaign in 2004, winning by a handful of votes. An LTE written by a typical low information voter said that he voted for Gregoire as AG because she had a "pit bull personality," but that he voted for her opponent as governor because of his "sunny personality." I'm betting that Coakely is dealing with this kind of crap.

[FBaggins]

14. I believe that she was a DA until 2007. N/t

[rox63]

15. No - She has been AG since winning in 2004

She used to be DA of the county where I live. I know my own elected officials, thank you.

[FBaggins]

16. Maybe you know your elected officials and just don't know your years?

She was first elected as AG in November of 2006. Thomas Reilly (who she also replaced as Middlesex DA in 1999) was AG until 2007.

MA didn't even have a state office election in 2004.

[shopgreen]

3. I hope that Obama can get the Dems to the poll with his rally tomorrow.

[Blaukraut]

5. Yes she is

Capuano was our choice in the primaries, but once Martha got the nod, we were squarely behind her. Yes, she ran a bad campaign, but blame needsto go to the Dem leadership, too, in-state and nationally. They were all asleep at the switch and let Brown slip under the radar. Be that as it may, we need to do all we can now to bring her across the finish line, because crappy campaign notwithstanding, she will be a fine Senator.

[rox63]

6. Capuano was my first choice as well

But I agree, Coakley will make a fine Senator.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. A Democrat MUST win in Mass not a nude far right winger

[Nikki Stone1]

10. And real Democrats right now are supporting a disastrous health insurance giveaway

That's all.

[BzaDem]

12. That statement should make you think

"Hmm. I thought that the current bill is a disastrous health insurance giveaway. But wait a minute. Every single Democrat in the Senate supported it. Even Bernie Sanders supported it. Maybe instead of every single Senate Democrat being wrong, maybe I am the one that is wrong, and maybe the bill is actually a reasonably good bill."

But I doubt it. You will probably continue thinking that you are right, every single Democratic elected official is wrong, and that all the evidence to the contrary is mistaken. To you, the more Democrats that vote for the bill, the more Democrats are wrong/corrupt/whatever (as opposed to each additional progressive voting for the bill indicating that you are more and more wrong).

[Ian David]

11. Scott Brown vs Martha Coakley on the issues

Scott Brown vs Martha Coakley on the issues
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7483204