So WHAT HAPPENED to the Coakley campaign?
Befuddlement. Anger. Shock.
Democrats were feeling lots of things yesterday, none of them very good, as they woke up to a new political reality: They had lost the Senate election, given up a seat they had owned for six decades, and were forced to accept that a Republican, Scott Brown, is headed to Washington, D.C.
What went wrong? A lot, according to a portrait of Democrat Martha Coakley’s campaign painted by people who either closely observed it or were involved in some fashion.
They described a campaign that was too sure of its own success, that waited too long to call in the cavalry, that made key missteps, including focusing on abortion at the expense of the economy, and that did little to court voters in the communities that led Governor Deval Patrick and President Obama to huge victories.
Yeah, THANK the AGENDA-PUSHING GLOBE and ITS REPORTING on that one!!!!
Coakley and her advisers also lost the new media war, allowing Brown to generate far more attention online through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And by many accounts, they paid insufficient attention to the bread and butter of political campaigning, such as blanketing the state with signs and getting out and meeting voters.
SHAMEFUL for a DEMOCRAT! SHAMEFUL!!!
The lapses were particularly noticeable in minority communities, traditionally bastions of Democratic votes, which did not turn out in high numbers Tuesday.
“She came in late, at the last minute, and people were frustrated,’’ said one Democratic activist, who, like most people interviewed, agreed to talk without being named. “They’re not happy with that kind of campaigning. If you get in there early, people feel respected.’’
In addition, people familiar with the campaign say, Coakley aides made no concerted effort to involve her three primary rivals or their networks and included the Kennedy family in the campaign only after the Kennedys themselves pushed the issue.
Was she flying on auto-pilot or what?
Coakley declined to comment yesterday, other than to say through aides that she plans to run for reelection as attorney general.
Good luck with that!
Two of her top aides, senior strategist Dennis Newman and campaign manager Kevin Conroy, also declined to comment. Some close to the campaign say they were overtaken by national events beyond their control, including prolonged health care negotiations in Washington and an attempted jet bombing on Christmas Day....
Even though ALL POLITICS is LOCAL, as a famous Bay-Stater once said.
The LYING EXCUSES are REALLY BAD, too!
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Over the six-week race, Coakley did very little retail politicking, relying on endorsements from mayors, lawmakers, and unions. She went for a weeklong stretch, from Dec. 23 to Dec. 30, during which she held no public events....
She DID KNOW she was RUNNING for SENATE, right?
Some people involved in the campaign said Coakley did not appear to have a clear sense of who her constituency was, while Brown clearly identified his voters, including many independents and even Democrats who chafed at the party’s policies in Washington. He campaigned outside Fenway Park and Bruins hockey games and surrounded himself with everyman sports heroes such as Curt Schilling and Doug Flutie.
By many accounts, the Coakley campaign lost the television ad war, too. Brown had put up two ads, both of which drew attention, before Coakley took out her first on Jan. 6, less than two weeks before the election. Local and national Democrats began casting blame for the outcome even before polls closed.
State Senate President Therese Murray, who helped lead fund-raising efforts for Coakley, said Monday night that they ran out of money after the primary and that the national party organizations did not do enough to help. “We couldn’t get any of our Democratic organizations to give us any funds,’’ she said. “They kept saying, ‘She’s going to walk in.’ ’’
Interesting:
"Coakley has received more national party aid than Brown"
I love LIES in my NEWSPAPER, don't you?
But Murray said the campaign knew several weeks ago that it was in trouble. A pivotal moment came Jan. 4, when a poll showed Coakley’s lead evaporating. “It wasn’t until that poll that everyone outside of here woke up,’’ Murray said....
As for Marty's next campaign:
Attorney General Martha Coakley will return to work this week and seek reelection in the fall, aides said yesterday.
Maybe it is time for something new since the message-sending is NOT DONE until we see results. ALL INCUMBENTS OUT!
“She loves her job,’’ said spokesman Corey Welford. “It allows her to take on issues she feels passionately about, to fight for the people in the state.’’
No wonder she ran such a lousy campaign. Didn't really want it.
Still, for someone who had been preparing a Senate run for years, the political landscape is certainly disappointing.
Yeah, that sure is confusing.
And not only for her. Tuesday’s election also upended the plans of many ambitious prosecutors, state lawmakers, and lawyers who had been plotting their campaigns for attorney general in the fall....
So?
Privately, though, some lawmakers and political operatives said they were not convinced she could win again, and they marveled at her swift fall.
Me, too!
“This is the woman who for years has been the star pupil in the Massachusetts political class,’’ said one operative. “To see it come apart like this is amazing.’’
If this is the Democrats' star pupil -- yikes!
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