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Our new senator: Scott Brown

Dave Beard at boston.com tweets at 9:15 that Coakley has called Brown to concede.

Channel 5: 52-47 Brown with 92% of precincts reporting, 9:46 p.m.

Boston results - Coakley, 69-30 at 9:40.

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Comments

Let us all gather together and give thanks, that we may not have to hear another campaign commercial at least until all the snow melts. Our airwaves are free to return to their corporate overlords again!

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hehe

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and I can now turn the ringer back on

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4 and 7 are doing tickers, 25 not even that. Go Ed Harding and Heather Unruh (now can somebody get Ed a comb?).

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is doing election coverage.

Tweety was in Boston LIVE for both 1 hour segments at Doyles in JP. He interviewed Norah O'Donnell in front of Cheers, a guy from Politico at Doyles, etc. He was breathless.

Olbermann is covering the race from 30 Rock. He interviewed Maddow in Boston. She is also doing two 1 hour LIVE segments tonight from Boston at 9 and 11.

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Don't forget about the local cable news network... doing senate results and nothing else.

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AND giving Eric Fehrnstrom the platform to compare Scott Brown with Jeff Spicoli! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

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Which is that even if Brown wins, Demcorats will still have larger margins in both houses than the Republicans did while Bush was doing "whatever the fuck he wanted."

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I agree.

But, Dems worked with the GOP in good faith [or fear]

Kind of hard to govern when the only difference between passing legislation and a filibuster killing it is Joe Lieberman....

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But, Dems worked with the GOP in good faith

LMFAO

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Care to intelligently add something Dave?

Obama has both offered to let the GOP have a hand crafting it, and also courted specific GOP senators to get the bill to fit into something they would vote for. He's offered putting in quite extensive malpractice reform, and completely dropped his campaign promise of a public option. The list goes on.

Every time, hes met with a lockstep NO!

That's not governance. that's not working in good faith. and thats not what the minority party is supposed to do.

That's playing politics and betting on disaster that you can shovel off on the majority. How saddening of what the party of Lincoln and Reagan has become. Nihilists, the lot of em.

a little history, BTW. Nixon was a socialist!!!!

The current versions of health reform are the product of decades of debate between Republicans and Democrats. The bills are more conservative than Bill Clinton’s 1993 proposal. For that matter, they’re more conservative than Richard Nixon’s 1971 plan, which would have had the federal government provide insurance to people who didn’t get it through their job.

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Dems voted YES on stuff like

  • No Child Left Behind (even though Bush underfunded it later) and
  • Medicare Part D (even though Bush lied about it's cost) and the
  • Iraq War authorization (even though Bush said he needed the authorization to pressure Saddam to comply with weapons inspectors and later used it to invade.)

LOL

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LOL indeed.

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As much as I don't like Scott Brown at all, that disastrous Healthcare "Reform" Bill, Scott Brown rode on the coattails of people's anger and frustration with this disastrous HCR Bill and ended up getting elected. The Democratic Party has such a long history of self-destructing (more than 40 years), that it's no surprise that this happened.

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I arrived at the polling place at 7:55 pm. The weather sucked coming through much of Maine from Sunday River, but it let up as we crossed the Maine/New Hampshire border. Dave wouldn't let me go buy booze instead of voting.

There were five more people trickling in behind me. Poll workers were snickering because I was literally holding my nose.

Voter #1593 in a precinct that probably has about 1700 registered voters. Civic duty complete.

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who would have guessed? Kudos to Swrrly.

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Is boston.com just being overloaded? It won't load, and when it does there's nothing about the election (Spencer for Hire author death being at the top). I've now abandoned it for NYTimes (which has a much better interface and delivery anyway)

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that's why they had the 'winner' map on earlier - they knew their servers would crash. They always start gagging whenever some big news happens.

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working for me now, showing Brown ahead with 53%

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Ooh, look, 9:11 p.m. finally getting home page, no stylesheets, so looks like a 1995 Web site.

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I worked the polls today as a warden in Boston. I didn't go crazy with extrapolation, but I did allow myself some brief joy 25 minutes ago when we did our tallies. It was two to one for Martha -- 224 Brown, 449 Coakley, 11 Kennedy, 1 write-in.

Would that reflected the commonwealth...

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do they reveal the name of write ins? I think that would provide some humor.

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My thoughts? This is F'n great. Now the Democrats can kick that a-hole Coakley to the curb and run a candidate I can vote for next time. The Curse of the Amiraults in action.

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Mine too.

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Coakley concedes. Before a single new outlet called it. Couldn't have written a more poetic ending to her political career.

The line must have been busy when she tried to call this morning.

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Thanks Martha! For your indescribably crappy campaign! How does a state that went for Obama by a 20% margin only a year ago vote in the one guy who will torpedo his (and Ted Kennedy's) signature legislation?

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it was hers to lose, and that she did. Funny, they were playing some commercials during the live broadcast. She does have an attitude about here - "Of course, I'm going to win, I'm the democrat. What's your problem".

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Coakley brought Obama to Boston - almost like staging a Beatles concert! And in the process, she blew it with me.

I went to Northeastern on Sunday and found disoriented crowds milling around, nobody getting into an auditorium that I later found out was only 2/3 full. Nobody ever spoke to these thousands of supporters. We found our way to some student union to watch on closed circuit TV - but the TV showed an infomercial for a mop, and nobody could figure out how to fix it. Again, nobody spoke to the room, there was no one there to inspire these people who had traveled into Boston to see the campaign in action. A totally pathetic campaign. I voted for her to help Obama's agenda, but I was angry at this wasted opportunity even as I voted. Coakley should be ashamed of herself.

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I voted for Kodos.

Seriously, as a lifelong Democrat who sometimes votes Republican, I found myself facing a passionless, inept D and an empty-suit R. I ended up filling out the Kennedy balloon - throwing my vote away. Jeez, this is the best Massachusetts can do?

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there were better options in the primary. I can't believe the democrats chose Martha. Maybe people will actually take the primary seriously next time.

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...the areas of the state that pushed MC over the top in the primary are (mostly -- except the far western edge) the same areas that voted most strongly for Brown in the general election.

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i have not seen a more unorganized and badly run campaign in a long time. what a joke! disorganization was paramount. add to that unbelieveable negative ads and a complete disregard for traditional campaigning....

i blame the inexperience and lack of talent in the state dem party: http://www.massdems.org/Contact/mdp.cfm staff members like like john walsh and stephanie monahan should submit resignations immediately....its time to clean house.

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Am I the only one furious at the media for making this a "guaranteed democrat win" race?

Was there ANY coverage of the republican primary? I only remember being bombarded with democrat stuff.

Also, the democrats lose again by not mobilizing college students. From my experience, the majority don't realize that they can register in Massachusetts, and those that know they can think they'll lose their registration at home or be subject to jury duty (they already are).

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Probably.

Who pays attention to the media anymore? Apparently not those who voted for Brown.

Whats there to be mad about?

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Apparently his daughter is belting out some Dancin in the streets at the Park Plaza AND selling CDs. This is no message for and against him, just reminds me of those relatives who make you listen to their obnoxious kids during holiday parties....anyway, we'll get em next time fellow Libertarians.

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accept reasonable social safety nets and government regulation, and this progressive might just vote for you!

I'm already for entitlement reform and reducing spending on programs that have been proven ineffective.

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Booing Coakley as she got ready for her concession speech.

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Don't cry Adam, there will be other elections. ;-)

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I was a McGovern kid. Need I say more?

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Ten minutes before Coakley conceded, Ed Markey was predicting (insisting on) a victory. So you want me to give him a break for party loyalty? At the same time, he said that people in Middlesex County were still voting. At 9:00 PM. What a freakin' embarrassment he is.

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That was painful. Ed needs to get a better grip on reality.

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Roger Ebert (yes, that Ebert): Massachusetts voters say, "Our state has a great health plan that we love, but why should you have one?"

OK, I'll probably regret this, but:

Fuck you, Roger Ebert.

I voted for Coakley. I'm very depressed right now at the thought of Sen. McDangly and his off-key daughter selling her CDs. Yes, it sucks what this does to the idea of a national healthcare plan. But get off your high horse and don't you dare blame us for every last thing that's wrong. Why doesn't your state of Illinois have statewide health insurance? You have two senators. Scott Brown wasn't just elected dictator. He was elected one of 100 senators. The Democrats still have an 18-vote majority in the Senate (as that noted commentator, Jon Stewart reminded us). Yeah, sucks to be us perhaps, but if Obama (hmm, where's he from again?) can't get his agenda through with what is a larger majority in both houses than Bush ever had, there's something far more wrong with Democrats than the loss of a seat here in Massachusetts.

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Fuck you indeed {R.E.}

I do find it amusing that the MSM trolls seem to be wide eye fixcated on this being a national referendum.

The simple answer is usually the correct one. People really didn't like Coakley, and that only because more apparent with each and every gaff.

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Both candidates had comparable favorable/unfavorable numbers, even in polls that put Brown ahead, she was viewed favorably by close to 60% of respondents.

Brown was elected because he can do nothing except block Obama. If McCain was president Coakley would have won easily. Obama took the independent vote because he was against the war, that's all. The Dems decided it was because people wanted the Democratic program, and overreached.

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I find that hard to believe.

I saw a unofficial exit poll that said only 40% of Coakley voters were voting FOR her, as opposed to against Brown. Just a small sample of people I know all agree they felt nauseated casting a vote for her, but the implications on the national scale were to great [MSM blowback, Blue Dogs pissing their pants, ect].

I know really few people who actually liked her, thought she was running hard, and supported her 100%.

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It would be unbelievable if your friends came out and admit they liked her, if they knew that doing so would only lead to more sarcastic speeches from you. Though maybe you're different in person, and not the persona you've developed here, in which case your perception might have some merit.

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Seconded. This was not a national referendum. I remain confident that Occam's razor will ultimately reduce the discussion right down to Coakley herself.

In my case, I really didn't like it when she told Boston "there's nothing to see here people, please move along" during the Boston City Hall e-mail fiasco.

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and is he related to Roger?

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Or in the heat of the moment I got his name wrong ...

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Hey- look at it this way. At least now Massachusetts can't be blamed for the ills of the whole country- you know cause we be all "liberal" and stuff? I'm afraid I don't care either way. One fed stooge is like any another except around election time- then they make mountains over mole hills and call those minute differences the "issues". And then they wonder why there is such apathy?

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Brown made a couple of references to the "independent voice" and "independents." He gave a nice tribute to Ted Kennedy.

The campaign is over. He is beginning his term as senator and beginning the 2012 campaign. He'll be one of that dying breed, New England Republicans.

The race had little to do with health care or Obama, it was Coakley and her negatives that became more apparent.

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It'll be interesting to see if he pivots from his teabag brethren.

And if he does, to watch their head asplode.

My biggest gripe with him courting them in the first place. Was he leading them on, and was his speech tonight sincere?

Do you catch that uncomfortable applause when he spoke of Teddy from his supporters?

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Either he can prove he really has changed and is a moderate (HA!), or he can follow in lockstep. If he does the former, the nationals and the teabaggers (who he's already denied, by the way) will abandon him. If he does the latter, and in fact cuddles up to any of the higher elements of the GOP, he'll enrage half the state leading into what will be an absolutely brutal fight that he's not the favorite to win, especially if the House decides that a half-loaf beats losing completely and votes on the Senate bill (which I think is likely), which means he was ineffectual on health care.

Nate Silver thinks he'll become the new poster boy, which practically guarantees he'll be back in Wrentham in 2012. One photo-op with Sarah Palin and he's done.

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Give Scott Brown credit. Until he started to poke holes into Coakley's 30 point lead, his own national party had written him off. Lots of forces came together to cause this remarkable result, but it started with the candidate's willingness to pound the pavement and work hard when no one thought he had a chance.

As for Martha Coakley, it is sad to see a capable individual crash and burn in such a public way. She knows what her defeat means to her party, locally and nationally. No need to excoriate her; the results speak for themselves.

Those of us who wanted a different result have to figure out how to restore the promise of the 2008 election. It won't be easy.

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There is a need to excoriate her; she lost in large part because the public became aware of her record of injustice in the Amerault, "Mooninite," and heart-robbing "Hockey Dad" case.

She certainly put the "nanny" back in "nanny-state."

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Ma Dem's tend to look past teh stupid, which I'd classify those in.

They don't like a candidate that says on vacation, and asked why she isn't shaking hands and kissing babies coming out of Fenway park responds, "I know so and so, and she knows a lot of constituents... so why would I do that"

Don't get me started about Shill being a Yanks fan.

Let's not elect the ambitious, but politically inept to run a our major tickets from now on. Mmm K?

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I'd like to say it harsher, but I'll be polite in deference to Adam and his site:

* Thank You Very Little, Martha Coakley. You royally screwed up just about every step of this campaign. You didn't know when to open your mouth and keep Brown from filling it for you...and you didn't know when to keep it shut to not say something stupid which just became a moronic talking point for the other side. But that's not ALL entirely your fault, because...

* Thank You Very Little, MA Democratic Party. You people couldn't handle a professional campaign if hundreds of thousands of Americans' lives depended on it. AND THEY DID! Firstly, your primary was slap-dash and you basically coronated Coakley before the first debate had even aired. As Capuano mopped up during the debates, you still pushed Coakley as this "first female Senator from MA ever!" like it meant ANYTHING to ANYONE! You either provided NO handlers to turn Coakley into a primetime candidate...or you provided the worst handlers in the history of political spin doctoring! But that's not ALL entirely your fault, because...

* Thank You Very Little, DNC. As soon as the primary was over, this whole thing started sliding downhill! Where were you to step in and get people in line and working in order to pull out an extra 100,000 people (or at the very least stop 50,000 of them from flipping to Brown)?! By letting Obama come out like 2 days before the election, you basically kicked the chair out from under your candidate! OH, NOW the President is panicked that the Republican might win and shows up to support his 60-seat majority! Well, gee, do you think that might have just emboldened the Republicans!? But this isn't all your fault, because...

* Thank You Very Little, Republicans. You have ruined this country for 8 years and then you have been doing everything inhumanely possible to keep the Democrats from doing anything to fix it...AND THEN BLAMING DEMOCRATS for the lack of action in getting things done in DC! This has filled so many heads with crap about how the Democrats have failed...when they're failing because they won't just jam whatever they want through and are actually naive enough to think you'd work towards legislation that fits everyone's needs! Well hopefully, THAT is over now since they only have a normal majority, can ignore the "Blue Dogs" and still get 51% and will probably either fix or destroy the filibuster to obliterate your destructive, obstructive ways. But it's not all your fault, because...

* Thank You Very Little, Barack Obama. There's way too much to go into here, but your first year has been abysmal. You don't have to be an emperor like Bush...but you obviously can't be the strict Constitutionalist who pretends like Congress will accomplish anything in this day and age without having their hand held (or slapped!) throughout the process. Your leadership is NEEDED and the best we get is "Let's go back to Afghanistan!" and hand-wringing over whether Coakley will still give you a supermajority that can't get anything passed without bowing to EVERY CORPORATE SHILL IN THE SENATE! It's time to shape up and lay down some LAW, lawbringer! If you had been more forceful about big items like healthcare, then it never would have been a sticking point in this election and Brown couldn't have been an outlet for defeating it...which actually appealed to people MORE LIBERAL THAN YOU!!!

That's all I have to say. This stinks and it goes straight to the top. 2012 can't come soon enough. Neither can my vacation in Cancun next week. I need to get about as far away from 1.1 million of you as I can for a few days.

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...pretty much.

That does it: I'm voting Whig.

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god help us, each and everyone of us.

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That's his *written* speech.

The spoken one with all of the ad-libs, including the part where he pimps his daughters, was much more entertaining.

Also, allow time for the whole page to load...I think the speech clocked in at like 15 MB of text.

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his daughter is already tweeting about her songs from the victory rally being available on itunes.... this is a huge boost for her once failed singing career-- will Miley move to DC with dad or is she jockeying for local celebrity? yikes.

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But how many skeevy 42 year old Republicans are tweeting back to her with marriage proposals?? (thanks, Dad!)

Yikes!

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And the highest bidder for Scott Brown's policy priorities is... Wall Street.

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