That Insider Advantage poll notwithstanding, I still think it was a smart move for The One to go up there. What could it hurt? She’s already getting destroyed among independents; anyone fired up enough to send him a message on ObamaCare was already fired up before he started campaigning for her. Plus, she’s such an awful retail politician, it can only help to have someone who knows what he’s doing throwing a little energy into her side.
On the other hand:
Because Democracy Corps was founded by Democrats James Carville and Stanley Greenberg, the firm’s findings have significant influence in national Democratic circles.
Democracy Corps surveyed more than 1,000 voters nationwide, including more than 800 likely voters. The group asked voters to identify themselves as “warm” or “cool” on parties or proposals. Fifty-two percent of likely voters described themselves as “cool” on the president’s health-care plan, against just 34 percent were “warm.” When it came to the president’s economic plan, 35 percent were warm against 49 percent cool. The findings are consistent with other national surveys, which show the health-care plan currently under debate to be widely unpopular…
Other questions cast doubt on the ability of Democrats to make up lost ground by tying their opponents to polarizing conservatives. When told that “Democrats are working to pass mainstream, pragmatic solutions and win broad support. Republicans take their lead from extreme partisans like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney,” 43 percent were more likely to vote for the Democrat candidate, against 53 percent who were not.
Rasmussen likewise has ObamaCare support at 38/56 today, matching the lowest numbers yet. The assumption from day one was that Massachusetts, being Massachusetts, would be immune to wider national trends; that’s why Coakley didn’t bother campaigning until the last few weeks. It’s a testament to how immune it actually is that she’s still got a shot: It took a good Republican candidate, a terrible Democratic candidate, a massive recession, and a poisonous piece of national legislation championed by Democrats just to make the race a toss-up. In light of that Democracy Corps survey, if Scotty B pulls it out tomorrow, I wonder if the big media narrative won’t be “Massachusetts isn’t so different after all.” Given the national polling on Brown/Coakley — 49 percent for the Republican, just 34 percent for the Democrat — there’s evidence to think so.
Here’s the clip. I imagine each of them thinking at the end, “I can’t believe this loser’s ruined everything for me.” They’re both right.
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