Update: Well that was quick, huh? It is official. Scott Brown will drive his pickup truck to Washington. Here's guessing he trades it in for a nice black town car and a driver when he gets there.
It is hard to call this a surprise, given that the last few days have made it clear Martha Coakley was in trouble. If Martha Coakley wants someone to blame, her name is Martha Coakley.
She, along with the people running her campaign, didn't take this seriously from the beginning. Coakley was never the best Democratic candidate and even an election that saw more than two million voters in a deep blue state, she paid for it.
While it may seem trivial, to gaffs relating to the Boston Red Sox really sum up how badly this campaign was. In one she referred to Curt Schilling, a revered man in Boston who considered running for the seat himself, as a Yankee fan. Later, when asked why she wasn't connecting with voters through impromptu campaign events like Brown, she said, "like shaking hands outside of Fenway Park? In the freezing cold?" YES! YES MARTHA COAKLEY! YES! It was literally surreal seeing those kinds of ridiculous and avoidable things happen.
Now, the fallout/implications begin to take shape. Obviously, health care is in trouble. But more immediately is how quickly Brown is seated as a Senator. Should he not be, it remains unclear whether the current appointee to the seat would even have a valid vote. These questions will be answered in the coming days.
In the coming months, watch out Democrats. No, this is not a referendum on Dems chances in the fall. Sure, it shows that some people are upset with the president, but we already knew that given he had the second-lowest polling numbers after one year ever. That happens when you do things that are difficult and unpopular, but necessary.
What it says is that nothing can be taken for granted. No matter who are where you are. But these are politicians. Heads are thick, egos the size of Texas. If they don't heed, however, plenty of them will be unemployed this time next year.
More tomorrow.
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I'll use this post to update throughout the night, although there won't be much official news for a while. The reason this is that there are no exit polls, so while I may very well know at least something of what is going on due to knowing some people on the ground up there, there will be little to report, because it just won't be official. However, I'll try to keep you posted.
Start with the prediction by the Mass. Sec. of State that the turnout will be between 1.6 and 2.2 million, about half of the electorate.
The Fix is live tweeting at his alter ego, the Hyper Fix, with his most recent comments being fears among Dems of low black turnout. Remember, this is a state Obama won by 26 in 2008.
Probably the most interesting thing that has happened today is a leaked memo, from the Coakley team, about the failures of the national Democratic party's handling of the campaign - hours before the voting even ended. Really strange timing.
More on this later.
PS: Couldn't resist - it has been a HUGE day for the Seattle Mariners.
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