The Local Take on the Massachusetts Senate Race (July 18, 2012)

Earlier this year, I asked my man in Boston, Wick Sloane, who he thought would win the Massachusetts Senate race.  He said Scott Brown, because he was not impressed with how Elizabeth Warren was running her race in the early going….she seemed to lack the common touch.  Last week I asked him:  are you still calling the race for Brown?  Here is his reply….

Yes.  Because I'm disgusted with Warren's crazy issues.  I do not claim any hard data that would win be lucrative campaign consulting deals.  This is emotion. 

For crying out loud, with all the economic woes crying out for a Democratic New Deal, how hard is it to put the Native American crap behind her?  {Warren had claimed a Native American heritage on several job applications.}

Warren did wake up at the party convention and crush what even party elders thought would be a certain 85/15% split with a primary against a decent challenger.  That was some practical fight at last.  But evidence also strong that (Obama cabinet hopeful) Deval Patrick showed up and did the head knocking.  Brown connects with the Bunker Hill Community College audience with good old fashioned empathy.  He does his homework and knows what to say to the crowd, even if he's going to go vote against federal student aid. 

Warren is raising a lot of money, but I don't know if this is her asking or desperate Democrats begging her to wake up. 

I just don't see an ability to connect with voters.  Brown has his machine working.  If you send an email to his office on an issue, you hear from him all the time.  Agree with him/disagree with him -- he's a very intelligent, hardworking, decent man.  As you say, he's only voted with Republicans 50+% of the time.  I suspect this is a premeditated, and smart, deal between him and the national Republican party just so that he can win reelection in Massachusetts. 

True U.S. Senate/Massachusetts nightmare scenario: 

Obama wins.  Brown wins.  Kerry goes to be Secretary of State.  With Martha {Coakley} then Warren, we know too well that Massachusetts Democrats have no bench.  Republicans take the other Mass Senate seat, too. You heard it here first. 

This last bit is a variation on a theme I offered earlier this year that goes this way:  Obama wins.  Warren beats Brown.  Obama names Kerry Secretary of State.  Another special election occurs…and Scott Brown wins again!

And don't forget to vote in the Republican VP poll....