…in MASSACHUSSETS of all places?
Can someone more familiar with the race enlighten me?
My guess: because even though Mass. is known as a blue state it’s more “machine Democratic” than it is particularly “liberal”. Warren is on the left-ish side of the Democrats and she’s probably turning off moderates.
Also, Brown is kind of dishy for a politician and the girls dig him.
She’s just a good old fashioned American liberal, not a Maoist or anything. I don’t get why that would be turning off moderates. I’m reading something about some “Cherokee ancestry” controversy? What’s that about?
He is also pretty moderate for a Republican
Ah, you missed that bit? Came out a few months back, I want to say, where she claimed 1/32 (iirc) ancestry. This was used by Harvard back in the 90’s to show how inclusive they were as they indicated she was a minority hire. Warren has stated she never gave them permission to label her as such, although she self-identified in such a manner in a law directory listing. Of course the big deal is that her ancestry has been questioned due to a lack of paperwork on these things, and she is therefore being painted as someone who claimed it to somehow get a leg up on others.
Ugh, 1/32?? Harvard using that ridiculously low number as some kind of proof of how inclusive they are just reeks. Anyone in the U.S. can be 1/32 ANYTHING and have no idea of it. At that point what matters, i.e. the minority language and culture, has long been lost. I don’t go around claiming I’m “part Moroccan” because it’s more than likely that one of my mom’s Spanish ancestors shared a little naked time with one of the Moorish occupiers of Spain during the 800 years or so that they were there. Sheesh!
Of course, I take Warren at her word that she wouldn’t have been ok with Harvard labeling her like that.
It’s more Brown being strong and the Reps doing everything to keep the seat and just as importantly, keep Warren out because she is one of the most anti-crony capitalism pols out there. They went apeshit over her heading the CPFB (Obama should have just recess appointed her)
I think it she wins this race, she’s a future potential presidential candidate. She could be the heir to the legacy Edwards squandered.
According to Wikipedia, Brown is easily the most popular politician in Massachusetts. I’ve heard him mentioned a few times in news stories on NPR as the only Republican, or one of two, who have supported this or that Democratic measure.
Brown is also the most heavily funded via Wall Street senator running this year.
Brown is a strong campaigner, who lays the “I’m the guy you’d like to have beer with” on thick. He originally sold himself as a moderate Republican who pledged to reflect the state’s blue beliefs, while at the same time acting as a check on the state Democratic machine. (This is also pretty much how Mitt Romney sold himself to Mass … though no one on earth has ever wanted to have a beer with Mitt, even if he drank beer.)
Brown is, in fact, explicitly selling himself to the state as a RINO, and will be a hard incumbent to beat if he can keep that up through November.
In just the last couple of weeks, though, it’s become much harder for Brown to stick to the course that got him elected. Instead of pivoting to the center, Romney instead went full-wingnut with Ryan. Now Brown is married to Ryan’s wildly unpopular budget via Romney.
And then of course there’s both Atkin and the fact that “rape victims who get abortions belong in jail” will be an official part of the GOP platform. Brown quickly rushed to say he wants Atkin to stand aside, but will he repudiate the GOP platform as well? (edit: to give him credit, it seems he called the plank “a mistake” in a letter to the RNC today.)
The same poll that shows Warren behind shows that Massachusetts wants the Democrats to retain control of the Senate by a substantial majority. If Warren can play up that, and tie Brown to the radical right part of the GOP (which, these days, is all of it), she still has an excellent shot at getting elected.
The problem she faces is money. Mass. is a solidly blue state for Obama, so it’s not like he’s going to be spending a lot here. Meanwhile, the GOP is pouring money into Brown’s coffers.
(Polls taken at the time show the whole Cherokee thing has had zero effect on the race. You wouldn’t know that from the wingnutosphere, of course, who believe it somehow proves that she’s history’s greatest monster.)
Well, I’m going to kick a few bucks her campaign’s way. I hope all good Democrats around the country follow suit if their circumstances permit it. She’s one of the good ones, I think, like Feingold (not angling for turning into a high-paid lobbyist after her Congressional career).
Please explain to me what is “moderate Republican” is in context of 2012?
I don’t know if this applies in Massachusetts, but some states are weird in that they vote differently in local vs. federal elections. Kentucky almost always elects a democrat governor, for instance. I think the general idea is that our Democrats are about the same as federal Republicans, or something.
Our Republicans are essentially RINOs in the rest of the country. There have been Dems on the local level that switch to the Republican ticket after losing primaries just to stay in the race. Also there is a LOT of money in the state and a large disdain for west coast liberals.
We may appear progressive, but a lot of our blue laws were only repealed in the last 20 years. Remember we ran the whitch trials in Salem, and are RACIST as fuck.
He claimed to be moderate prior to election, but I think since being elected he’s voted along the party line nearly 100%.
Voters are too stupid to care how he actually votes. Let’s see if Warren can bring that to light.
A moderate Republican in 2012 is a Republican who lost his or her primary election.
State polls in August? Yeah, they’re real great indicators of November polls.
He’s broken with the party a few times. I forget which but one early on was a big deal and the national tea party got all angry about being betrayed by him etc.
Just looked it up it was the Jobs bill
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/05/22/former_allies_tee_off_on_brown/
Ya… no.
According to a Congressional Weekly study, in 2011 Brown was the second-most bipartisan U.S. Senator, voting with his own party only 54% of the time.[91] By comparison, his partner in the Massachusetts Senate delegation, Senator John Kerry, voted with his own party 96% of the time, and the entire Massachusetts delegation to the House of Representatives voted with their party over 90% of the time.
Yeah, the VoteView guys have him as the most moderate Repulican Senator too. He’s not as moderate as those of yore, but for the new era quite so.