Massachusetts, Senate Seats, Private Insurance, Big Pharma and Health Care Reform

UncleBob

UncleBob

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So, there's a big special election coming up in Mass to replace Ted Kennedy's seat.

There's a Republican running. No one thought this guy had a cold chance in heck of winning.

Apparently, he's doing really well in the polls and the fund raising. And the Democrats are worried. First, this is die-hard Democratic territory. Second - a Republican win will end their 60-member filibuster proof majority.

So, both parties are pulling out all the big guns to get their pick elected.

But here's the question I have - without the 60-member filibuster proof majority, the Democratic idea of Health Care Reform is in danger.

So why is the private Health insurance industry and big Pharma up there helping push for the Democratic candidate?
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...and-HMO-lobbyists-to-the-rescue-81067542.html

Why is it that these evil, private, for-profit companies want such an important Democratic vote in power?
 
This just shows how deranged and mentally handicapped the Repubs are. This is Kennedy's seat in the bluest of the blue state and will remain Kennedy's seat, period. The notion that MA might elect a Repub to replace the recently decease Kennedy is just plainly stupid. Expect a 20-30 point landslide defeat for the Repubs and laugh in their faces.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']So... will Coakley be refusing the blood money from these ne'er-do-wells?[/QUOTE]
I don't know. I don't live in MA and she hasn't responded to my demands that she state in advance every vote on every potential subject that could come up in the years ahead.
 
[quote name='rumblebear']This just shows how deranged and mentally handicapped the Repubs are. This is Kennedy's seat in the bluest of the blue state and will remain Kennedy's seat, period. The notion that MA might elect a Repub to replace the recently decease Kennedy is just plainly stupid. Expect a 20-30 point landslide defeat for the Repubs and laugh in their faces.[/QUOTE]

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/01/massachusetts-its-not-just-about.html

There's a lot of different factors in play at Massachusetts, but to say the idea that the Dems might lose the seat is "just plainly stupid", is exactly the kind of complacency that WILL cause them to lose it. Sure, the odds are remote at best, but poll numbers have tightened this past week, and it will all depend on which party can get the bigger turnout. Weather in my opinion is going to play the largest factor, particularly bad weather, and may sway the whole election in the corner of the GOP.
 
In a state like MA where one party typically has historically overwhelming support over the other, voters will get complacent. With bad weather, particularly very bad weather, the kind we see frequently up here in New England, many people don't want to or are unable to leave their house.

I could easily see a situation where the weather is bad, and voters who would otherwise support Coakley don't make the effort to go out and brave the ice and snow and cold in order to vote because they feel that the election is simply a formality, and she's going to win no matter what.

Republican voters on the other hand will probably be more likely to understand how close the race could potentially be, and will be more likely to take any means nescessary to get to the polling place, even if that means having to get together a team of sled dogs or something.

If the Dems lose this election (and really, there's not much of a chance they will), then it's going to be because of complacency and over confidence.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']"Politics as usual" is the best way to sum up everything happening right now...[/QUOTE]
Welcome to America. You must be new here.
 
Massachusetts is not as liberal as you'd think it is, and its certainly not as liberal as Martha Coakley. There is a long tradition in New England of "Rockefeller Republicans", who are now derided by the party as RINO's. Lincoln Chafee, Chris Shays... But they were being squeezed on both sides. The Republican party began rejecting moderates, and their constituents began rejecting the Republican party based on their swing to the right, and started voting a straight Democratic ticket.

Scott Brown is rather moderate, to the point where the party didn't support him at all until very late in the game. I find it humorous that they're trying to paint him as part of the party establishment, he's the kind of guy they vilify on a daily basis. And I was embarrassed by Coakley's latest ad where he was portrayed as being against rape victims, she even misspelled Massachusetts. Brown's track record is similar to Bill Weld and Paul Cellucci, two former Republican Massachusetts governors, and he's much less conservative than even Mitt Romney, he voted to override several of his vetoes. He's a fiscal conservative and a moderate on social issues, even Democratic voters see him as a rejection of the stimulus and health care plan (both of which are unpopular here), while still acceptable on other issues that matter to them (abortion, etc).

Its also worth noting that he is the father of Ayla Brown, of American Idol and Womens College Basketball. He's also a Lt. Colonel in the Massachusetts National Guard.
 
In further news to show what an upstanding and great candidate we're dealing with in Coakley:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1225332

She's not privy to what happened though despite the fact that she was standing right there watching it happen, and there are pictures in the article to prove it.

The sad thing is she's still guaranteed to win, even if she doesn't get more votes then the other guy on election day. They'll just keep recounting until they "find" enough.
 
The bigger story is that she actually denied that there were terrorists in Afghanistan and that she thinks we should pull out immediately.

Scott Brown has a legitimate chance to win this thing, he'll just need a little help. Some more money, another blunder by Coakley... A number of things could put him over the top.

He needs to jump on some of these gaffes in his ads, I don't think he really has the money though. I recommend something like this, perhaps a little more professional:

bagdadcoakley.gif
 
I bet if you looked at the donations, big pharma has put big money behind the Republican candidate to. It's much better to say that Dems are the only ones that benefit from donations, right?

Big business has a long history of backing both horses in many elections. Then they can demand concessions and favors when one of them wins.
 
[quote name='depascal22']I bet if you looked at the donations, big pharma has put big money behind the Republican candidate to. It's much better to say that Dems are the only ones that benefit from donations, right?[/QUOTE]
You should check before saying that. It's easy to do.
 
The pharmaceutical companies aren't afraid of health care reform, not the type that is in the pipe right now anyway.
 
[quote name='depascal22']I bet if you looked at the donations, big pharma has put big money behind the Republican candidate to. It's much better to say that Dems are the only ones that benefit from donations, right?

Big business has a long history of backing both horses in many elections. Then they can demand concessions and favors when one of them wins.[/QUOTE]

Big pharma? The current healthcare plan proposal benefits them tremendously.
 
[quote name='depascal22']I bet if you looked at the donations, big pharma has put big money behind the Republican candidate to. It's much better to say that Dems are the only ones that benefit from donations, right?

Big business has a long history of backing both horses in many elections. Then they can demand concessions and favors when one of them wins.[/QUOTE]

Difference being that the Republican party doesn't generally try to paint the insurance industry as evil devils...
 
[quote name='rumblebear']This just shows how deranged and mentally handicapped the Repubs are. This is Kennedy's seat in the bluest of the blue state and will remain Kennedy's seat, period. The notion that MA might elect a Repub to replace the recently decease Kennedy is just plainly stupid. Expect a 20-30 point landslide defeat for the Repubs and laugh in their faces.[/QUOTE]


as Scott said...its the people's seat. It seems alot of liberals have forgotten the concept of being elected by the people.

and at this point for this race to have drawn this much attention and worry out of democrats means even in the end Republicans can laugh since so much money has been spent in Mass defending what most would assume is a safe seat.
 
Aren't they going to have to do this all over again in November? Because if that's the case, a slim margin win by Coakley now could mean the Republicans take the seat in November. Momentum is clearly not on the Democrats side nationally right now, and the closer the Health Care bill gets pushed towards November, the better it benefits Republicans.
 
Whomever is elected will finish out Kennedy's term which I think has 3 more years to go.

Regardless who wins, they will probably not be re-elected. If Coakley wins and rubber stamps health care reform, she'll be out due to backlash when it completely screws everyone over (see my blog for details). If Brown pulls it off and wins, I just can't see a Republican senator winning re-election; the Democrats will pull out all the stops to take it back and should easily reclaim the seat. Coakley is only choking because she thought it was in the bag and after winning the Democratic nomination, she disappeared from public view giving Brown an opportunity to claim some of the campaign spotlight unopposed.

However, this really should give Democrats pause about their health care reform travesty. If one of the most liberal states in the country is on the brink of electing a Republican senator because of opposition to the bill, then maybe they should think twice about it rather than rushing it through.
 
If you think health care opposition is the only factor, you are giving Coakley far too much credit, and not giving the information-age-based manufactured hysteria enough credit.
 
I live in MA so I can tell you, it's really a referendum on health care, nothing much more than that. That's the only way a Republican candidate would even have a snowball's chance in hell of getting Ted Kennedy's seat.

And BTW, based on all the campaign ad's and media reports, it's Coakley, not Brown who's trying to manufacture hysteria.
 
[quote name='Papa Neorev']Republicans can laugh since so much money has been spent in Mass defending what most would assume is a safe seat.[/QUOTE]
Someone hasn't been paying attention to the DNC and RNC financials lately. RNC supporters have long since gone Galt.
 
[quote name='Papa Neorev']as Scott said...its the people's seat. It seems alot of liberals have forgotten the concept of being elected by the people.

and at this point for this race to have drawn this much attention and worry out of democrats means even in the end Republicans can laugh since so much money has been spent in Mass defending what most would assume is a safe seat.[/QUOTE]

No it's KENNEDY'S SEAT, PERIOD! It's not yours, not mine, not the ignorant public "people's", and especially not Republican's seat! The Kennedies have held the seat for over half a century and is THE symbolic seat of the entire Democratic party. The seat belongs and is entitled to the Kennedies -- as if it's bonded to their family blood -- and their anointed ones only. To even dabble with the thought of giving THE Kennedy seat to a Republican is not only shameful, despicable, and a travesty, but very disrespectful to the late Ted Kennedy who JUST DIED, or have you forgotten about that? In fact, anyone who dares to vote for the Republican candidate (equivalent of pissing on Ted Kennedy's warm corpse) is not only heartless but deserves to be haunted by Ted Kennedy's spirit for the rest of their life. After all, Ted sure as hell is going to be very, very pissed off if his lifelong seat is given to a goddamn Republican who uses it as the 41st vote to bring down the entire healthcare bill -- the bill whose cause was championed by Ted his whole life.
 
Whether you think it's "the people's seat" or not, that's a damn good line to run a political campaign on.
 
Coakley is sending letters to the higher ups in the teachers unions to "do whatever they can" to help her get elected, it also says that she's down by a point to Brown in the polls.

The letter urges the recipient to keep it private and certainly not to show anyone. Its currently in a store window across the street from me.

Coakley has gone extremely negative in her ads. I'm actually shocked that Scott Brown hasn't at all, he never even mentions her. If I were him, I would hammer her on the "there are no terrorists in Afghanistan" line, maybe portray her as Baghdad Bob or something. But right now, her ads outnumber his 10 to 1 on all forms of media. He is just not getting the financial help from the party that Coakley is.
 
[quote name='speedracer']Someone hasn't been paying attention to the DNC and RNC financials lately. RNC supporters have long since gone Galt.[/QUOTE]


you seem to have missed the entire point, which was that the DNC has had to spend money in a *BLUE* state. Hell its basically "THE BLUE STATE" with a senate seat thats been held for what 40+ years? by democrats.


and i don't know about you but i know alot of RNC supporters that are long from out of money, and most of us handle who we choose to give money to and not letting the RNC handle it.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']What is the date of the special election?[/QUOTE]

January 19. The worst thing Coakley could be doing is going to Washington for a fundraiser, which she did. She should be staying home pressing her $$$ advantage with ads, and making sure Democrats turn out to vote for her. Still, even with the race tightening, it would be almost inconceivable that Brown could win.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']Coakley is sending letters to the higher ups in the teachers unions to "do whatever they can" to help her get elected, it also says that she's down by a point to Brown in the polls.

The letter urges the recipient to keep it private and certainly not to show anyone. Its currently in a store window across the street from me.

Coakley has gone extremely negative in her ads. I'm actually shocked that Scott Brown hasn't at all, he never even mentions her. If I were him, I would hammer her on the "there are no terrorists in Afghanistan" line, maybe portray her as Baghdad Bob or something. But right now, her ads outnumber his 10 to 1 on all forms of media. He is just not getting the financial help from the party that Coakley is.[/QUOTE]

His camp might not know the demographics there. Or they might be saving it for the weekend.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']Coakley is sending letters to the higher ups in the teachers unions to "do whatever they can" to help her get elected, it also says that she's down by a point to Brown in the polls.

The letter urges the recipient to keep it private and certainly not to show anyone. Its currently in a store window across the street from me.

Coakley has gone extremely negative in her ads. I'm actually shocked that Scott Brown hasn't at all, he never even mentions her. If I were him, I would hammer her on the "there are no terrorists in Afghanistan" line, maybe portray her as Baghdad Bob or something. But right now, her ads outnumber his 10 to 1 on all forms of media. He is just not getting the financial help from the party that Coakley is.[/QUOTE]

I agree. Brown should press forward with their differences in views on national security and health care which clearly, rather than turning off potential voters, is actually resonating with independents and even many moderate Democrats. However, he may be thinking to not risk rocking the boat and playing it safe and let the momentum of public sentiment build up until the say of the election. He should just go for broke and not leave anything on the table. There will be no better opportunity for a Republican to wrest control of a Senate seat than now.
 
[quote name='Msut77']http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/01/14/gop-senate-candidate-in-mass-rejects-obamas-bank-tax/

This might be a factor, that and the fact that he got caught out lying about his tea bagger connections.[/QUOTE]

Brown: "It's time someone had the courage to stand up and say: I'm against those things that everybody hates."

Coakley: "Now, I respect my opponent. I think he's a good man. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said."

Brown: "I say your three cent titanium tax goes too far."

Coakley: "And I say your three cent titanium tax doesn't go too far enough."
 
[quote name='SpazX']Brown: "It's time someone had the courage to stand up and say: I'm against those things that everybody hates."

Coakley: "Now, I respect my opponent. I think he's a good man. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said."

Brown: "I say your three cent titanium tax goes too far."

Coakley: "And I say your three cent titanium tax doesn't go too far enough."[/QUOTE]
I haven't heard anyone talk about the three day waiting period on doomsday devices. Today the mad scientist can't get a doomsday device, tomorrow it's the mad grad student! Where will it end?
 
[quote name='Papa Neorev']you seem to have missed the entire point, which was that the DNC has had to spend money in a *BLUE* state. Hell its basically "THE BLUE STATE" with a senate seat thats been held for what 40+ years? by democrats.[/QUOTE]
You have any data? Obviously the Republicans are also spending in a place they never would have imagined dropping coin in. I wonder what the totals look like.
 
I predict that all the Right wing media figures like the talking heads on FOX and WSJ are going to scare the shit out of liberals in MA. They're going to be afraid that it will be close so they will go to the polls even if Coakley had a safe enough victory. As a result it might be an even larger win than people expected.

All that said Brown is running a smart McDonnell type campaign, making himself look like a right of center candidate who doesn't care much about social issues.
 
Right wing media is right wing media.

Brown captures 40% or more of the vote but still loses? Fox will turn that into a memorandum on Democrats that November is going to be a bloodbath.
 
Lol it's already over. Bill Clinton is coming in today to campaign for Coakley. President Obama already sent in his campaign staff and fundraisers and is expected to personally come in this weekend to campaign for Coakley as well. Instead of the usual 20-30 point victory, we're now looking at a 40+ point landslide victory. Silly Repubs and their deranged fantasy of taking Kennedy's seat. Tsk tsk.
 
just read that obama is going to campaign for coakley this weekend and the race is now a statistical tie (well according to polls). should be interesting.
 
Coakley is in serious trouble if Obama himself has to come out here and stump for her.

There aren't that many high profile Republicans who wouldn't hurt Brown if they came in. Guiliani made an appearance, theres Curt Schilling...

The rape victim thing is a complete lie as well. There was a bill requiring hospitals in the state to dispense the morning after pill, Brown sponsored an amendment that would allow hospital workers with a religious objection to get another employee to do it for them. The amendment failed but he voted in favor of the bill anyway, and then voted to override Romney's veto of the bill.
 
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Boston Globe officially confirmed that Obama is coming. Looks like the Repub is going to lose in an even bigger landslide.
 
[quote name='rumblebear']Boston Globe officially confirmed that Obama is coming. Looks like the Repub is going to lose in an even bigger landslide.[/QUOTE]

just curious, how do you figure obama will turn it into a 40 point landslide?
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']just curious, how do you figure obama will turn it into a 40 point landslide?[/QUOTE]

I don't get this either, how is Obama, whose own approval rating is circling the drain, supposed to help her? It's not lke Clinton and Obama and these guys are just going to be appearing at public rallies across the state, are they?
 
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