Scott Brown: With All Due Respect, It's Not the Kennedy Seat, It's the People's Seat
Coakley: No Taliban Left in Afghanistan So We Can Pull Out 'n Stuff

Good exchange here (video).

Brown also hammered Coakley on terrorism (print only).

On the subject of Afghanistan, Brown attacked Coakley for being in favor of trying terror suspects in civilian criminal courts. "And I've got to be honest with you folks," said Brown, "I'm scared at what I've hard with your policies of giving terrorists constitutional rights and clamming them up." He also said he supports President Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan, which Coakley does not.

Gergen asked Coakley how it's possible to succeed in Afghanistan without the surge -- and Coakley gave a very risky answer for a politician. "I'm not sure there is a way to succeed," said Coakley. She explained that her concern was with the definition of the very mission there: "If we went in because we decided the Taliban was giving harbor to terrorists, we supported that, I supported that. They're gone."

Brown called her thinking "naïve."

They're gone? Really? That comes as a surprise to our troops, fighting them every day.

In related news, there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

More on the debate:

Brown scored a few points and managed to come off as likable, in contrast to Coakley's, at times, prosecutorial manner. Her aggressive style was most clearly on display when each candidate was given a chance to ask the other a question. Coakley spent her one shot asking Brown if he accepted the endorsement of a Massachusetts pro-life group and then attacked Brown for sponsoring what she said was an amendment "that would allow hospital rooms to deny emergency room care to rape victims." (Brown had supported a conscience clause that would allow medical workers the right to choose not provide abortions or birth control.)

In his response, Brown said that he was proud of all of his endorsements and drew distinctions between himself and Coakley on federal funding of abortion, partial-birth abortion, and parental consent laws. "I want to be a jobs crusader. I don't want to be a social crusader," he said.

Interrupting Brown the fourth or fifth time, Coakley's voice grew more stern and she demanded that Brown tell her "What does that bill do?"

"I'm not in your court room, and I'm not a defendant," Brown replied with a smile as he pushed back against her question.

Coakley ad attacking Brown says that Brown isn't right for Massachusettes (sic). I guess she's running for Senator, not Speller.

Desperate Democrats try to draw Sarah Palin into the Brown/Coakley race, relying on Palin's putative unpopularity to throw the race to Coakley:

Early Monday afternoon, [top DNC spinner] Sevugan sent out an email to reporters featuring a link to a story on the lefty website TPM. The headline: "Is Sarah Palin Avoiding Mass Senate Race?" The story quoted a Democratic strategist saying that "it's interesting" that Palin is "nowhere to be found in this race." TPM conceded that GOP sources say there has been "no talk" about Palin visiting Massachusetts. But that didn't stop Sevugan, who is quoted declaring that Palin's supporters "are anxious for her to weigh in." At the top of his email to journalists, Sevugan wrote, "Come on, Sarah, why are you being so shy?"

A couple of hours later, Sevugan was emailing again, with a message entitled, "Has the Pit Bull lost her bark?" What followed was a statement from Sevugan on "the surprising silence from Sarah Palin on Republican Scott Brown's bid for the U.S. Senate." Sevugan demanded to know: "Where on earth is Sarah Palin herself? Clearly her supporters are anxious for her to weigh in."

Not long after that, Sevugan sent out another email to reporters, this one with a link to a post by TPM alumnus Greg Sargent, who now writes a lefty blog for the Washington Post. Sargent's post featured Sevugan's question with the headline, "Dems on Palin: 'Has the Pit Bull Lost Her Bark?'"

I trust Palin will come up with a clever response. Maybe she can even endorse Coakley.

And: Moneybomb tally now at over $1.3 million.

The Democrats have begun quietly spending in Massachusetts. (Or Massachusettes.) Quietly, because they don't want to give the signal that Coakley is threatened.

Thanks to EdwardR and AHFF Geoff for different items.

Bonus: Democratic Strategist Jennifer Donahue Cries on HuffPo. Waah.

Mind you, this race is not about Ted Kennedy, and there is no way he is resting in peace.

This is about how in one year, the day before Obama's first inaugural anniversary, Democrats have gone from Superpower status to beating back anything moderate or Republican in philosophy.

Even when Coakley had a chance to talk about the case to pull troops out of the Middle East, a position she goes abruptly against the President on, she bungled it.

No more troops to Afghanistan is a popular idea in Massachussetts. So how did she fail to deliver that message?

Coakley spent more time commending her opponent's military and judicial experience than explaining what an exit strategy would look like.

Make no mistake about it, this Special Election is about, as Scott Brown put it, whether voters want to give Democrat Martha Coakley the 60th vote in the Senate. He wants to be the 41st vote for "the people. For you."

At a time when jobs are scarce, terror is back at orange, and heating oil is expensive, not to mention the rent, guess what: after one year, Coakley and the Democrats can give up talking about Bush-Cheney-McCain. They need to develop and focus on a clear consistent message that comes from the leadership and transparency voters mandated a year ago. Change can mean anything. But voters did not mean more of the same.

Give up talking about Bush-Cheney-McCain? The Deuce you say!

Oh, by the way, where is Sarah Palin? Her supporters are desperate to hear who she supports in this race, because they're like not sure 'n stuff.

Coakley Finally Cracking Down on Ladies' Gardening Clubs. Also known as "The Green Scourge."

File complex financial records for your hobby or Coakley will lead you off in handcuffs.

Thanks to hhanna.
Brown's Ad Rebutting Coakley's Negative Ads. Not really a rebuttal. Just basically saying "I'm handsome and awesome and you should vote for me if you're 'independent-minded.'"

He's a former JAG by the way.

Via ginaswo/MiM. Brown picked up another endorsement, this time from the Lowell Sun.

posted by Ace at 10:29 AM

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