Suddenly close Mass. race threatens national Dems

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/19/10 | Glenn Johnson and Liz Sidoti - ap

[NormsRevenge]

BOSTON – In a contest with major national implications, Massachusetts voters chose a successor to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on Tuesday in a down-to-the-wire election that became a referendum on President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul and his first year in office.

A loss — or even a narrow victory — by once-favored Democrat Martha Coakley to insurgent Republican Scott Brown in this Democratic stronghold could signal big political problems for the president's party this fall when House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot nationwide.

More immediately at stake was a critical 60th vote for Democrats to save their health care legislation and the rest of Obama's agenda. A 41st Republican in the 100-member Senate could allow the GOP to block the president's priorities with filibusters.

The election transformed reliably Democratic Massachusetts into a battleground state. One day shy of the first anniversary of Obama's swearing-in, it played out amid a backdrop of animosity and resentment from voters over persistently high unemployment, industry bailouts, exploding federal budget deficits and partisan wrangling over health care.

Days before the vote, White House advisers and other Democrats in Washington began making excuses for they called a poorly run campaign on Coakley's part. Obama flew to Boston for last-minute personal campaigning on Sunday.

Wall Street watched closely. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 116 points, and analysts attributed the increase to hopes the election would make it harder for Obama to make his changes to health care. That eased investor concerns that profits at companies such as insurers and drug makers would suffer.

[NormsRevenge]

FRom AP

ApoPlectic

[NormsRevenge]

Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate Scott Brown casts his vote in the special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Edward Kennedy in Wrentham, Massachusetts January 19, 2010. Massachusetts voters headed to the polls on Tuesday in a cliffhanger election for a new U.S. senator that could derail Democrats' dominance in Washington and scuttle President Barack Obama's top priority of sweeping healthcare reform. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

[wk4bush2004]

So now the vile press has stooped to calling anyone who dares to challenge the Democrats, “insurgents.”

Shows what kind of country we’re living in.

GO SCOTT, GO!

[Fu-fu2]

Go Scott!

[NormsRevenge]

scuppered and clouded. the Obama agenda.

sounds good to me.

US President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for US Senate candidate Democrat Martha Coakley in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17. Republicans hoped for a huge upset in a US Senate election in Massachusetts Tuesday, which could scupper Obama's health reform drive and cloud his entire agenda. (AFP/File/Saul Loeb)

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Hey ‘Rats! The East is Red!

Hopey Changey FUBAR!

[NormsRevenge]

As Goes Massachusettes.. so goes the agenda..

US President Barack Obama waves alongside the Democrat's Senate candidate Martha Coakley during a campaign rally at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Voters in Massachusetts have headed to the polls to decide on a new US senator, and possibly the fate of President Barack Obama's health care reform and other ambitious domestic plans. (AFP/Saul Loeb)

[Enterprise]

They call us insurgents. I call us freedom fighters.

[BigEdLB]

Geraghty at NRO campaign spot says the Boston turnout is only 56% of what it was in 2006...
Someone is backstage, warming up...

[NormsRevenge]

Got any Tums, Marcia?

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) attends a campaign rally for candidate for U.S. Senate Attorney General Martha Coakley at Northeastern University in Boston January 17, 2010. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

[boomop1]

Suddenly, HA HA

[max americana]

>>So now the vile press has stooped to calling anyone who dares to challenge the Democrats, “insurgents.”

It’s just the Ene-media/MSM who are vile, not the country. Insurgents LOL. Cant these Obama jock-sniffers have anything else to write..

[NormsRevenge]

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (L) speaks to supporters, with Senator John Kerry at her side, in Boston, Massachusetts December 8, 2009 after Coakley won the Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Edward Kennedy. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

[FlipWilson]

Right about now Arlen Specter's career dissipation alarm has to be kicking into high gear.

[musicman]

If I could Photo-shop, I’d find the right pick of Obamassiah and Photo-shop truck tire tracks on him.

Any ideas who to ping??

[throwback]

State-ist steam roller hits its first land mine. Lord willing, more to come.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“the vile press has stooped to calling anyone who dares to challenge the Democrats, “insurgents.”
Shows what kind of country we’re living in.”

A country at civil war. ~10% foreign-funded media & DC elite against the American people.

[utherdoul]

well I cast my vote for Brown I just hope to god he wins. We need some hope and change around here real quick.

[Star Traveler]

I did not campaign for "that woman"!