More Fear and Loathing in Massachusetts

Housekeeping note: My daughter had surgery yesterday so I have been behind in posting here. She's home now and resting so I have time to catch up a bit.

From PPP, a left leaning pollster mind you:

At this point a plurality of those planning to turn out oppose the health care bill. The massive enthusiasm gap we saw in Virginia is playing itself out in Massachusetts as well. Republican voters are fired up and they're going to turn out. Martha Coakley needs to have a coherent message up on the air over the last ten days that her election is critical to health care passing and Ted Kennedy's legacy- right now Democrats in the state are not feeling a sense of urgency.

-Scott Brown's favorables are up around 60%, a product of his having had the airwaves to himself for the last week. By comparison Bob McDonnell's were at 55% right before his election and Chris Christie's were only at 43%. Coakley's campaign or outside groups need to tie Brown's image to national Republicans and knock him down a notch over the final week of the campaign.

This has become a losable race for Democrats

Word of caution:  the post goes on to say it is also winnable if Coakley gets her act together.  Fivethirtyeight gives PPP a decent rating as a pollster but we have no polling info here just the headlines from the polling they have mostly completed but not yet released.  They appear to be sending a message to light a fire under Coakley but in doing so they are also lighting a fire under those who might not turn out for Brown for fear a Republican can never really win in Massachusetts.

 Coakley has played a dream hand very badly but is it enough to lose?   I believe she can lose and NRO has done something unusual; they're asking readers to contribute to  Scott Brown:

Yet it’s still possible Brown could pull off a stunning upset. Since Reid managed to get the health bill through the Senate, we’ve heard the plaint of so many conservatives, “Is this really happening? Is there any way we can still stop it?” Anyone who has asked those questions in recent weeks should go to Scott Brown’s website and contribute, eroding at least one of Coakley’s key advantages. We don’t ordinarily make fundraising pitches for candidates, but these are special circumstances. The way the health-care debate is projecting right now, the Democrats will get their bill and Republicans will exact their retribution in the fall. It’d be even better if retribution arrived early this year.

Early retribution would be a very good thing.  We have a good health care system in this country and letting Democrats tinker with it scares me senseless.  Scott Brown's election is about the best hope of stopping that garbage legislation from becoming law, I am praying for David win over Goliath here.

Thanks to American Power for linking to this post!  Memeorandum has more links on the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts.  Also big thanks to Reaganite Republican for linking as well.