So said one of two Martha Coakley supporters drowning in a sea of 500 Scott Brown fans in the center of Middleborough Massachusetts at the last stop of an all day Bus Tour.
The lady, a visitor from Florida up for a triple christening (congratulations!) joined her sister-in-law, a local grade school teacher who went down to see what kind of numbers Brown was drawing. They were amazed and frustrated at what they saw.
They had reason to be frustrated. The long silence of independents and republicans was over as Everett Square was filled with a crowd that dwarfed the Attorney General’s Worcester Rally yesterday. The presence of Lt. Governor Tim Murray, Springfield Congressman Richard Neil, Worcester’s congressman Jim McGovern and even the former President of the United States Bill Clinton was inadequate by comparison to the drawing power of Scott Brown in his campaign bus.
The large but well behaved crowd were there for the republican candidate. People like Robert Baylr from Lakeville came with his wife and son to see the candidate who he considered in touch with his views. Arlene Polivnen Liked Brown (and graciously gave me a pen when mine was nowhere to be found). Her Husband was vocal in both his disdain for the Late Ted Kennedy and the current administration at the state and federal level.
However in a state where only 38 months ago Ted Kennedy took 69% of the vote, the support of republicans and independents who were part of the 31% that opposed him in that election would not be enough to take Brown over the top. What the campaign needs to win are voters from that 69% that would be voting the other way.
The first evidence of this came from a server from the Hideaway restaurant taking a break to watch the spectacle. He expressed disinterest in this and all elections but noted that customers who were previously supportive of Coakley had been turned off by her repeated gaffes and negative ads and now supported Brown.
As hearsay evidence is not admissible I looked for further evidence. I found some from Brown volunteers who had shared his bus through Quincy, Plymouth and particularly Hyannis home of the Kennedy compound where according to them, the crowd consisted of over 1000 people in Ted’s own home town.
Ah but these were Brown partisans telling me this, could it be that they were padding the numbers for a person reporting who was not there? After all our Coakley supporting school teacher considered Brown a fraud who would support the rich bankers big bonus’. He wasn’t driving any truck, a “campaign run by driving” you can quote me, said her visitor.
So could I find that elusive voter in the crowd who voted for Kennedy in 2006 but was a Brown supporter in 2010? The guy holding a Democrats for Brown sign alas admitted he had never voted for Kennedy, I figured my quest was over …
…then I met Valerie LaCasse of Acushnet
She and her husband were were forever canceling out each others votes but Ted Kennedy and his legacy was gone and now Martha Coakley stood asking for her support. Although she had supported her for Attorney General she had never warmed to her as a Senate candidate. She resented the time off Coakley took after the primary.
With the Kennedy name before her she had never dived deeply into the issues, voting for the man who did so much for her state, now with her disappointment growing with the president she voted for just 14 months ago she decided to look deeper into the issues and found for the first time she and her husband were on the same side.
Our teacher shared her disappointment with Coakley, saying she had preferred Mike Capuano but was ready to hold her nose and vote for her but it may just be that without the clout and name of Kennedy that willingness can’t be taken for granted in the electorate anymore.
Update: Looking at my writing I think I might have massacred Robert’s last name in this post. If I have let me apologize right now.
Update 2: Stacy has video up. That “Holy Crap” is a direct quote.
Update 3: Welcome Hot air readers, Check out my coverage of the Senate race that I’ve done in conjunction with Robert Stacy McCain at his blog and the American Spectator blog. And if you are Electioned out there are always the Amazon Reviews and some classic literary re-writes and Tucker and co, if you are reading this; my $800 a week offer still stands!
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