“Tea-bagger.” Now being used by U.S. Senators. Not even in private conservation either, a la Reid or Chuckles himself when he dropped the word “bitch” on a flight attendant a few weeks ago.

This comes from … a fundraising e-mail.

I got the message below from Ted Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, and I wanted to make sure you saw it.

Martha Coakley is running to fill the rest of Ted Kennedy’s term, and her opponent is a far-right tea-bagger Republican.

It would be bad enough to lose this seat — and Democrats’ sixtieth vote in the Senate — right before the final health care reform vote. But it would be even worse for the decisive “no” vote to come from Ted Kennedy’s old seat.

Please note: This is the same guy who spent weeks wetting his pants during his first Senate run when Al D’Amato called him a “putzhead” in a private meeting. I know Durbin’s probably next in line for majority leader when, not if, Nevada finally takes care of Reid, but Schumer’s really his heir apparent. Same nastiness, same cynicism, same snide, two-bit demagoguery. The difference is that Reid apologized for the “negro” comment whereas this will be defended with “who, me?” little-boy fake innocence about the double meaning of the word.

Bill Kristol’s spot on: “The Democratic campaign now consists to a remarkable degree simply of screaming that Brown equals Bush/Republican/right-wing.” Via Weasel Zippers, below you’ll find the latest manifestation of that strategy, such as it is. We all saw it coming and now it’s here. Exit question: At just $77.89 per donation, there sure are a lot of “teabaggers” out there, huh?