Why the Brown / Coakley Senate race in Mass is so close

The Senate race in Massachusetts has become so close because it has become a national race rather than a state race.  Money from both sides is pouring in as this has become the first referendum on Obama and his proposed healthcare policy.  National Republicans have convinced Massachusetts State Republicans and independents that the things they have grown to like support in Massachusetts healthcare reform such as a universal mandate and an insurance exchange are things that should not be replicated nationally.  That, and from what I hear, Martha Coakley barely ran a campaign after she won the Democratic nomination earlier last year.  Considering I have met both of these candidates, I thought I would give my rough opinion of the two candidates.

I used to work for the Republican Leader's Office on the House side and I met State Senator Brown a couple of times.  He is a very nice man and has a nice family.  He's not ridiculously socially conservative, he's moderately pro-choice and he's a fiscally prudent legislator in the State Senate.  He's a tad hawkish and is becoming more so as he morphs into a national candidate which I do not like, as he endorsed waterboarding during his debate with Attorney General Coakley. I would consider endorsing him were it not for his stance against the Healthcare Bill which is essentially a less aggressive mirror of the Massachusetts Healthcare plan, which he supports.

I met Martha Coakley once while attending a seminar on internet fraud and identity theft.  She was a very bright woman and very nice and knew a lot about the growing threat identity theft and financial fraud.  She also used the seminar to talk about emerging topics such as cyber bullying and how law will have to evolve with technology to make sure that the immense power of the internet will be used for good purposes rather than scamming an old lady or shaming some 13 year old girl into committing suicide. She is a social liberal which I appreciate, but showed a resolute toughness on law and order issues, especially with election law and ethics reform.

Anywho, Martha Coakley is smart as a whip and not a crazy liberal on law and order issues.  We've come too close on healthcare to have it squashed now.  If Scott Brown supported nationally what he supports in his own state, he might have gotten my endorsement, but he caved to the national party.  Ernie's first rule of politics: "Know where you live."  We'll see on Tuesday whether Massachusetts Democrats are active enough to get out and vote and prove whether or not I know where I used to live.

Ernie Crossing The Line endorses Martha Coakley for Senate. Please vote on Tuesday the 19th.