Today, last year, George W. Bush left the Presidency. What a strange trip it’s been since.

One would think the repudiation of the President Obama’s direct personal plea would make him the biggest loser in the wake of Tuesday’s stunning victory by Republican Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special Senate election. But one would be wrong.

The biggest loser, of course, is Martha Coakley. It takes a choke-job of epic proportions for a Democrat to lose statewide, no less to fill the legendary Ted Kennedy’s seat. Next on the list would be the Democratic establishment, which failed to find a workable candidate under what’s as close to idea conditions as it comes. (Coakley’s spin machine was certainly happy to cast blame in that direction.)

Though the Republicans are ostensible winners, the meaning of this victory may be lost. The vote, by most accounts, was anti-Coakley and largely in opposition to D.C. Democrats’ over-reaching plans to regulate and legislate our economy into the ground.

But that buck won’t stop at the president’s desk.

(more…)

The polls have closed, the votes are counted, and Massachusetts voters have sent the “Scott heard ’round the World”.  All day long, pundits have been giving their assessment regarding why Scott Brown would win.  All day long, too many of these pundits have proven that they still have not learned to listen to the clear message being sent by the American people.

Like rats fleeing a sinking ship Democrat pundits have been blaming Coakley for running a failed campaign.  While it is true that the path to victory checklist laid out by her strategists probably did not include insulting Catholics and Red Sox fans, to blame a Democrat for losing in the bluest blue state in this environment is a convenient oversimplification.  Further, it is incredibly insulting for the political class to dismiss the voters as being that petty.

For their part, Republicans who argued that it is not about Coakley’s gaffs offered up disturbingly similar alternative explanations.  Mitt Romney speaking on Fox news said it was:

Overwhelmingly an outpouring of support for Scott Brown and his vision”.

No, it is not about Scott Brown.  Or his vision.

(more…)

Martha Coakley’s campaign team began leveling charges against DC Democrats as it became increasingly apparent the wheels had fallen off her campaign wagon well before Election Day.  DC operatives, including those in the White House, of course, couldn’t withhold return fire.  Politico reports:

And in private conversations, Hill sources say White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has blamed Coakley, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake for failing to see Brown’s surge in time to stop it.

Coakley advisors, meanwhile, say DC operatives stepped in too late, so the blame lies with them.  A memo, obtained by Politico, said in part:

National Dems Failed to Aid Coakley Until Too Late

— Coakley campaign provided national Democrats with all poll results since early December

— Coakley campaign noted concerns about “apathy” and failure of national Democrats to contribute early in December. Coakley campaign noted fundraising concerns throughout December and requested national Democratic help.

— DNC and other Dem organizations did not engage until the week before the election, much too late to aid Coakley operation

(more…)

With 70% in, Brown leads Coakley 53-46%. From what we’ve seen, there is no scenario where Coakley can win. Also no scenario to prolong the race with a long legal fight. Ladies and Gentlemen, Senator Scott Brown.

**Update**

Full text here.

The polls have closed in Massachusetts. Check back for updates throughout the night.

From Kansas City Star:

The Massachusetts secretary of state is discounting reports of voter irregularities in the state’s Senate special election.

A spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said Tuesday two reports of spoiled ballots could not be verified or found to be widespread.
(more…)

This afternoon, the Coakley campaign convened a press conference to say they had received reports of voters receiving ballots, pre-marked for her opponent, Scott Brown. It would be a serious charge.

But we’re skeptical. Below is a screenshot of Coakley’s website taken this afternoon. The press release making the ballot fraud charge is dated yesterday, before any ballots were issued to voters. (Click Full Screen to view properly)

(more…)

From the Boston Herald:

Neither rain nor snow in dead of winter could keep voters away from the hottest special election in living memory, as elections officials today reported high voter turnouts across the state in the 11th-hour nailbiter to choose a successor for the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Steady streams of voters have been heading into the polls to have their say in the bitter contest between GOP state Sen. Scott Brown and Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley – a fight to determine the fate of the controversial health care bill, President Obama’s agenda, and one-party dominance in Washington, D.C.

(more…)

I believe that Scott Brown will win the senatorial election being held in Massachusetts today and that he will do so not by an eyelash but by a landslide. We are about to witness the Massachusetts Miracle.

I have three reasons for being so confident. First, the polls — with admirable consistency — suggest that he is ahead. Second, the Coakley campaign and the Democratic Party nationally have panicked. Coakley’s minions have sent out a flier accusing Scott Brown of wanting to turn rape victims away from Massachusetts hospitals, and the DC apparatus has sent in Bill Clinton and Barack Obama for last-minute campaigning. Both moves are likely to backfire.

First, the claims in the flier are ridiculous and demonstrably false, and voters in Massachusetts have the wit to recognize that fact. Second, the bloom is off the rose. Clinton is a has-been, and Obama inspires little in the way of adulation these days. Their appearance in Massachusetts under these circumstances is a public confession that Martha Coakley is herself a loser. In special elections, turnout is everything. Scott Brown commands enthusiasm; no one — even within the Democratic establishment — has expressed any genuine excitement regarding his opponent.

(more…)

I’ve been involved in politics for longer than I usually care to remember. I’ve been in and around countless campaigns at all levels of government. One of the more intense times in political campaigns is the period immediately following a campaign; when operatives are busy taking credit or assigning blame. And let me tell you, they take this spin-battle very seriously.

That said, this is a battle that takes place AFTER the returns are in. Politico has a “leaked” memo from the Coakley campaign blaming national Democrats for their poor showing:

National Dems Failed to Aid Coakley Until Too Late

— Coakley campaign provided national Democrats with all poll results since early December

— Coakley campaign noted concerns about “apathy” and failure of national Democrats to contribute early in December. Coakley campaign noted fundraising concerns throughout December and requested national Democratic help.

(more…)

Yesterday, I introduced myself and told my story about a half-dozen Californians who decided, at the last minute, to travel to Massachusetts to campaign for Scott Brown. Below is video from today’s activity on the Brown Campaign.

This video is quickly making the rounds across the Internet. It show’s Coakley staffers or volunteers throwing some reporters out of a Coakley office. Aside from the humor of a bunch of leftists and progressives suddenly discovering and asserting private property rights, the video has a classic display of the left’s quick resort to the N-Bomb, as in Nazis.

The video is just about a minute long and they can still work in a comparison to Nazis? Sheesh.

(more…)

According to a Washington Post story, Obama wants to be the anti-Reagan, a President who permanently changes the American people’s attitude about big government. Obama’s efforts to make statism popular, however, are not exactly working out as he hoped.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC poll, the American people have become much more libertarian when asked if that want a bigger government with more services or a smaller government with fewer services. But this is just part of the story. As David Boaz points out, more accurate polling data, which mentions that bigger government also means higher taxes, reveals that support for small government becomes even more pronounced. Here’s an excerpt from the Post story:

(more…)

I reached out to Andrew Breitbart over the weekend with a simple plea: Haiti needs assistance. Can you help? Within seconds, I had the answer I was hoping for — a resounding “Yes!”

I own a jet charter service that operates a fleet of Boeing 737s. Haiti needs medical supplies, surgeons, nurses, rescue workers, food, water and the only way to get it there quickly is by air.  Haiti needs to Medevac the critically injured to US hospitals, and orphans need to be flown to homes in the US. The vital link in all the countless ways people are providing help in Haiti is air transportation.

This is our mission, to support the ongoing relief effort in Haiti with air transportation logistics.

We have three Boeing 737’s and two King Air turbo props. What we don’t have is fuel (yet).

We need you. We need immediate donations to cover our fuel and related expenses. Fuel costs money.

Please visit www.airlifthaiti.org and give. Time is of the essence and many lives are precariously hanging in the balance.

(more…)

There has been much speculation that today’s Massachusetts Senate race is a referendum on health care. That may be an understatement.  My guess is that this senate race could have even larger repercussions.

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” this past week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put it well when he said that President Obama’s plan to bring about “change” to America wasn’t merely limited to health care.  As McConnell noted,

“This arrogant attempt to have the government take over one-sixth of the economy on the heels of running banks, insurance companies, car companies, taking over the student loan business, doubling the national debt in five, tripling in 10. You’ve got … sort of widespread public revulsion.”

Indeed, health care is not all that hangs in the balance.  A September Wall Street Journal columnoutlined President Obama’s next move (presumably, after passing health care): A $100 billion a year government takeover of school loans.

(more…)

Why is Rep. Jan Schakowsky trying to use Illinois taxpayers’ money to bail out ShoreBank?

Rep. Schakowsky and fellow Illinois Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, have pressured state officials to meet with the bank to discuss a $100 million bailout.

This would apparently be the first bank bailout by a state government–not just in Illinois, but in any state.

The reason ShoreBank is in trouble is quite simple: it made too many bad real estate loans, and fell below the capital requirements required by regulatory authorities.

Its political supporters point to its mission of helping borrowers in low-income communities. But ShoreBank is hardly the only struggling bank to serve those customers.

(more…)

The folks at  Election Journal caught up with Isabel Melendez handing out absentee ballots in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She also helpfully explains how she can mark the ballot for the voter:

“My candidate is Martha…so I can mark it”

(more…)

Often people write to me asking, “Pamela, what can I do? The problems are overwhelming.”

Well, here is an easy and immediate fix: if you are in Massachusetts, vote for Scott Brown. If Brown makes it, the Democrats lose their super majority. Scott Brown in the Senate would break the filibuster-proof Congress. He can save America from imminent ruin from statists and socialism.

Yes, the election in Massachusetts today is that big. The Brown/Coakley face-off is arguably the most critical and historic race in the already monumental 2010 election year. We can stop, with one election, America’s race off the cliff, a race that comes to us courtesy the Obama Administration. The stakes could not be higher.

(more…)