The Right Ideas

By Nicholas Kowalski

As of Jan 12, Republican State Senator Scott Brown trails Democratic State Attorney General Martha Coakley, 49-47, in the race for Massachusetts’s open U.S. Senate seat, according to a recent Rasmussen Reports telephone survey.

Just last week, Real Clear Politics showed Coakley with a comfortable nine-point lead, 50-41, over Brown. Since that time, conflicting reports have surfaced thereby placing the race in the “too close to call” category with less than a week until Election Day.

The National Review has reported that Coakley made a bold statement at a private fundraising event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

“If I don’t win, 2010 is going to be hell for Democrats…Every Democrat will have a competitive race,” Coakley said.

A Republican victory next week could lead to sweeping success in November’s mid-term elections.

However, if the Republican Party has learned from its NY 23 debacle (i.e. Dede Scozzafava) this past fall, the individual candidates may make all the difference in determining huge success or mass failure at the voting booths this time around.

Red State Eclectic, a pro-liberty blog, has conducted an extensive background check of Brown’s voting history as a State Senator, other political beliefs, and media commentary.

For your viewing pleasure, here is RSE’s biographic snapshot of Brown:

On Nov. 23, 2008, Brown publicly urged Massachusetts citizens to vote against a measure, Ballot Question 1, which would have ended the state income tax.

On Fox News’s “Hannity” and during broadcasted U.S. Senate debates, Brown said, “I believe that every American is entitled to health care.”

In 2008, Brown voted for a northeastern states cap-and-trade law.

In a brighter look at the Massachusetts State Senator who represents Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex District, Brown claims to be an advocate for free-market economics and capitalist principles. Within the past month, Brown has said that he no longer supports any sort of cap-and-trade scheme. As well, Brown has stated that he disapproves of partial-birth abortions and, above all else, has pledged to vote against the so-called “health care reform” bill that is floating around Congress.

While aspects of one’s voting record or past endorsements may not serve as the sole make-or-break determinant for election success, a close examination of such may compel traditional Republican voters to stay home or sway the minds of independents – an important body of voters that have the power to tilt elections.

But let’s not be swayed by the glimmer of ‘hope’ (Nota Bene: I use the term loosely, not with an underlying political motive in mind) that has arisen from the seemingly-bottomless pit that is Republican success in the Bay State. Hence, here is an important array of information to bear in mind prior to Tuesday’s special election:

From 1962 to 2009, the Massachusetts Class 1 U.S. Senate seat was filled by life-long Democrat Edward “Ted” Kennedy.

Former Democratic President John F. Kennedy served as Senator from 1953 to 1960.

No Republican has been elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since 1979.

State electorate has not voted Republican since 1984 (Reagan).

Currently, all 10 of Massachusetts’s U.S. Congressional seats are held by Democrats.

In 2008, President Obama won the state’s electorate over Senator McCain, 62%-36%.

Republicans have had some success in the northeastern democratic haven. From 1991 to 2007, Republicans William Weld, A. Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift (Acting), and Mitt Romney held the Governorship.

Do not let the previous fact fool you, though. Massachusetts is one of the most – if not the most – politically liberal state in the U. S. Case and point: Democrats in Massachusetts outweigh Republicans by a three-to-one ratio. Moreover, the average margin of victory for a Massachusetts Democrat within the past twenty years is 26.032 percentage points – the highest MOV for a “blue” state in the country during that time span.

For more information regarding Scott Brown’s U. S. Senatorial campaign, please visit www.brownforusssenate.com.

Additionally, for a personal account of the Massachusetts U. S. Senate race, check out my blog at http://www.nicholaskowalski.wordpress.com.