Althouse: "It's not the Kennedy seat, it's not the Democrat seat, it's the people's seat."

January 11, 2010

"It's not the Kennedy seat, it's not the Democrat seat, it's the people's seat."

Scott Brown looks great here:

(Via Instapundit.)

61 comments:

Fred4Pres said...: I was skeptical but God do I hope he wins.; 1/11/10, 10:33 PM
Joan said...: *swoon*; 1/11/10, 10:33 PM
Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...: Going viral...; 1/11/10, 10:36 PM
Irene said...: He sounds great, too. His voice--his "Massachusetts dialect"--rings well, and he is fast on his feet.; 1/11/10, 10:37 PM
vbspurs said...: David Gergen is a jackass. And Scott Brown is fantastic. That is all.

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/11/10, 10:38 PM
vbspurs said...: OH! Forgot the linkiepoo.

Red invades Blue. They went for a paltry 500,000 tonight and raised $1,117,747.46 so far.

COME ON GUYS, give whatever you can!; 1/11/10, 10:39 PM
sane_voter said...: I think he looks and sounds great. I also gave him a few bucks last Friday.

wv: trawn. They trawn for the sunken car driven off the bridge.; 1/11/10, 10:41 PM
Revenant said...: Nice response.; 1/11/10, 10:45 PM
Scott M said...: I didn't realize the guy was a welfare kid, a son of more than one broken marriage, and a lt colonel in the national guard.

Very impressive so far. I felt like the independent candidate trounced the D and R in the debate, but he'll never win in MA. Next best is Brown. Can you imagine the aftershocks if he wins?; 1/11/10, 10:46 PM
Christy said...: He's certainly appealing. Did he dominate the rest of the debate as he did in this clip?

I had fun watching his money challenge site today. When I first looked at 10a.m., he'd raised $90K. Now he has exceeded his 2nd revised goal of $1M.; 1/11/10, 10:47 PM
vbspurs said...: Scott M wrote:

Can you imagine the aftershocks if he wins?

Who was the genius that thought of holding this special election on January the 19th? The day before the first anniversary of Barack Obama's inauguration? Don't "they" realise that this is tailor-made for a poke in the eye by the Fates?

If he wins, NO ONE will be talking of Obama's first year anniversary as President.

I almost feel sorry for the guy. NAWT.; 1/11/10, 10:50 PM
J. Cricket said...: Welcome to the Althouse fantasy world!

Too bad I can't place a bet and make money on the fantasy that Brown might actually get elected.; 1/11/10, 10:55 PM
Methadras said...: Why in the name of fuck is that traitorous scum-sucking piece of putrefied whale-shit, David Gergen a part of these debates at all?; 1/11/10, 10:59 PM
Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...: Too bad I can't place a bet and make money on the fantasy that Brown might actually get elected.

If you want to put your money up, put your money up.

(Others put their money into the campaign tills...); 1/11/10, 10:59 PM
Wince said...: To recap:

Listen to Gergan "quack" (there really is no other word for it) as he tries to backtrack while Brown puts him in his place.

Gergan, who could hardly conceal his bias, called it "Teddy Kennedy's seat."

Brown to Gergan: Thanks for the opening I could drive my truck through, you Kennedy School of Government at Harvard meathead.

Christy said...
He's certainly appealing. Did he dominate the rest of the debate as he did in this clip?

Overall, I'd give Brown a B on the debate. I think he could have made some of the distinctions with Coakley clearer.

Still, I grow more optimistic every day from what I see and hear, at Brown HQ and just out and about. Brown raised over $1 million today.

Coakley's response: a high-priced out-of-state fundraiser for DC for lobbyists tomorrow.

That won't sell well if it's publicized.; 1/11/10, 11:04 PM
RLB_IV said...: "COME ON GUYS, give whatever you can!"

I donated $17.76 in honor of the Mineral City Coffee Club and more money to make a statement that we bear no styles or titles in this country yet the Dems think we do and that they have them. Although I was raised a silver spooner, snobs disgust me.

"Can you imagine the aftershocks if he wins?"

That is the point!; 1/11/10, 11:08 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: That's cute and everything and I'm sure he had that cute line all prepared. However, considering that some want to push a bill that will have a dramatic impact on the U.S., could anyone direct me to Instapundit (or Althouse or any other blogger) promoting a free and open debate about the details of the bill?

I won't wait, since you won't find anyone besides me doing that.; 1/11/10, 11:13 PM
Joe M. said...: Don't know much about the race or the candidates, beyond the headline stuff, but that was a great response from Brown.; 1/11/10, 11:13 PM
Lawyer Mom said...: Bravo, Mr. Brown.

He's quite right. It's not Kennedys' seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It belongs to the voters.

And our health care is not Congress's health care. Our "representatives" have purposefully written the law so that they are personally excluded from having to live under this debacle.

What's wrong with this picture?

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/TapscottsCopyDesk/Congress-has-already-exempted-itself-from-Public-Option-57822787.html; 1/11/10, 11:17 PM
Geetz Romo said...: "COME ON GUYS, give whatever you can!"

I donated $17.76 in honor of the Mineral City Coffee Club and more money to make a statement that we bear no styles or titles in this country

Hillbuzz rulz

Cool catz.. smooth dudz; 1/11/10, 11:29 PM
Kansas City said...: WOW. That was good. He spoke a little fast and the answer could have been more polished, but it did the trick. He also could have called Gergen out on the 15 years as a mindset stuck in Washington. But he squeezed a lot of good stuff in his answer and it will go viral. I assume it was planned and that Gergen walked into it, but it was delivered well.

It sounds like a perfect storm is forming for the upset of the century and, I might say, some poetic justice.

Gergen is probably well intentioned, but his is a dork so inbedded in the inside Washington world that he would not call that seat anything other than Teddy Kennedy's seat.; 1/11/10, 11:31 PM
Palladian said...: He's hawt.; 1/11/10, 11:35 PM
Jeremy said...: whoever wins will have to deal with a very impressive and successful president:

In his first year in office, President Obama did better even than legendary arm-twister Lyndon Johnson in winning congressional votes on issues where he took a position, a Congressional Quarterly study finds.

The new CQ study gives Obama a higher mark than any other president since it began scoring presidential success rates in Congress more than five decades ago. And that was in a year where Obama tackled how to deal with Afghanistan, Iraq, an expanding terrorist threat, the economic crisis and battles over health care.

Unprecedented Success Rate

Obama has been no different from his predecessors in that he's always ready to send a firm message to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue as he "urges members of Congress" to come together and act. All presidents demand specific action by Congress — or at least they ask for it. But when you look at the votes of 2009 in which Obama made his preference clear, his success rate was unprecedented, according to John Cranford of Congressional Quarterly.

"His success was 96.7 percent on all the votes where we said he had a clear position in both the House and the Senate. That's an extraordinary number," Cranford says.

The previous high scores were held by Lyndon Johnson in 1965, with 93 percent, and Dwight Eisenhower, who scored 89 percent in 1953. Cranford notes that George W. Bush's score hit the high 80s in 2001, the year of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. But Obama surpassed them all, Cranford says.; 1/11/10, 11:39 PM
Steve J. said...: Brown lost the election tonight:

“He said he supported the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.”

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100111/NEWS/100119957/1116; 1/11/10, 11:45 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "I think everybody deserves insurance,..."

Bullshit. Please call me when someone who knows what country this is runs.

Healthcare ain't a right, dickhead.

I'm actually waiting for Palin's run. It's sad to say but, so far, she seems to be the only politician sticking to the country's blueprint, and appreciates it for what it is. This Romney-lookalike is pandering, and if his delivery of that "people's seat" line is any indication of his speaking style (which y'all seem to think is so electric) then, please, don't wake me - I'll gladly miss the rest. (Hell, I can speak better, publicly, than that guy in my sleep.) I'm never getting out of this hell, am I?

Althouse is very disappointing today.; 1/11/10, 11:54 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: In his first year in office, President Obama did better even than legendary arm-twister Lyndon Johnson in winning congressional votes on issues where he took a position, a Congressional Quarterly study finds.

And look what he did with his almost unique filibuster proof majority in Congress bought through massive voter fraud on the part of his minions:
- flushed almost a trillion dollars down the drain paying off constituents in the "stimulus" package. Turns out it didn't create any real jobs, and most of the jobs "saved" involved government employees getting raises.
- followed by maybe a half a trillion in appropriations that included some 8.000 earmarks.

Obama and his Democratic minions in Congress have managed to significantly deepen and lengthen the recession by their massive, feckless, and irresponsible spending.

And don't know if this counts in those statistics, but they are headed towards destroying the best health care system in the world (exempting themselves from the legislation, of course), just to create another permanent dependency.

Somehow, I suspect that Jeremy is proud of what the Democrats have done so far.; 1/11/10, 11:57 PM
Beth said...: So there's hope for Levi Johnston.; 1/12/10, 12:03 AM
Peter Hoh said...: Good for Brown.

There was plenty about candidate Al Franken that I didn't like, but I found his talk of "the Wellstone seat" to be particularly grating.; 1/12/10, 12:05 AM
bagoh20 said...: ""His success was 96.7 percent on all the votes where we said he had a clear position in both the House and the Senate. That's an extraordinary number,"

And the majority of the public overwhelmingly disagrees with it.

Success is in the eye of the emboldened and absolute power corrupts...some faster than others; 1/12/10, 12:52 AM
Revenant said...: His success was 96.7 percent on all the votes where we said he had a clear position in both the House and the Senate

Indeed it is. It'll make it that much easier to crucify him for those positions in the 2012 elections. :); 1/12/10, 12:58 AM
Revenant said...: So there's hope for Levi Johnston.

That is one hairy man.; 1/12/10, 1:02 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Intrade has him far behind, but I like those odds.; 1/12/10, 1:06 AM
Christy said...: I'm confused. The Mass Senate race is touted as a referendum on Obamacare. But I'm hearing that Mass health care is very similar to the bill in Congress. So why do Mass voters care? What will change for them?

Will we see a very low turnout? Which is the only way I see Brown winning.; 1/12/10, 1:28 AM
Sir Archy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/12/10, 2:29 AM
Sir Archy said...: To Professor Althouse.

Dear Madam,

As the Ghost of a Gentleman, dead these 260 Years and more, you may know that I had long harbour'd an Ambition to once again become an Elector. Altho' my heritable Estate in Scotland was only worth 10l. upon the Death of my poor Father, with careful Management & arduous Labour, I was able to secure an income of more than 300l.; which taken together with the Improvement of Husbandry and the Erection of a small Manufactory upon my Estate, mark'd me out, if I may be forgiv'n the Boast, as one in my Neighbourhood who had mended his Circumstances by his Assiduity. With sufficient Property & Income, I was thus counted amongst the Five-Thousand Electors of Scotland in my Day.

I may tell you, Madam, that I always took my Responsblities as an Elector most seriously. Not once did I fail to return to my Estate to cast a Vote on Election Day; even going so far, upon an Occasion, as a Six Days' Ride from London, thru' the foulest of Weather, to be able to mount the Polling Booth Steps. As I habitually voted for Whig Gentlemen, it should not surprize you to learn that I was favour'd with the Ability to continue to exercise that Franchise for several more Years after my unfortunate Death. This was giv'n Effect by several of my Friends at Aberdeen; and, I cannot say I was, in my Spectral Way, at all displeas'd.

Having come to America, I had observ'd that neither my Foreign Origin, nor Ghostly State were any Disqualifications to becoming an Elector. I had thus thought to make an Application to this Effect; but, Alas!, my Insubstantial Hand could not lift a pen; nor could my Phantasmick Voice be heard by ordin'ry Mortals, such Powers of Ectoplasmick Haunting as I once enjoy'd, having lost all their Force in the Course of Two-and-One-Half Centuries and more.

That Mrs. Coakley will, in the End, prevail over Mr. Brown should not surprize an unbias'd Observer, especially one who has pass'd from Life. Whilst Mr. Brown may gain additional Votes from amongst the Living, Mrs. Coakley, as a Democrat, hath the inestimable Advantage to be able to call upon the Dead. I should vote for her with my own Hand, if it had not become as Shadowy as Smoak; for, she is a charming Irish Lady of considerable Parts, whose Looks remind me of my old Friend, Mrs. O'Farrell. Several Spectral Massachusetts Electors I had meet upon the Astral Plane recently told me they are well-pleas'd to cast such Votes for her as they may be allow'd. With the Favour of such Electors as these, there can be little Doubt about the Outcome of the Contest.

Begging your Pardon for the extream Neglect your old Correspondent hath shewn this, your Theare of Topicks (as I call it); and assuring you that, no matter the Cause, he should always vote in your Favour, I am,

Madam,

Your Humble & Obt. Servant,

Sir Archy; 1/12/10, 2:47 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: I believe that might be the first time I've ever heard the phrase "with all due respect" followed by something actually respectful.; 1/12/10, 3:05 AM
Gahrie said...: When you look at the details..it's understandable why Gergen and the other insiders consider this the Kennedy seat.

Since 1953, with the exception of two years in the 1960's, this Senate seat has been held by the Kennedys, first John, and then Teddy.

From Dec. of 1960 to Nov. of 1962, Kennedy loyalist Ben Smith was hand picked by the Kennedys to keep the seat warm after John resigned to become president, until Ted turned 30. (The minimum age to serve in the Senate) John was elected to a six year term in 1958, and resigned in 1960. Smith was appointed on the recomendation of the Kennedys, and instead of serving the remaining four years, was replaced by Ted in a special election as soon as Ted turned 30.

After Ted's death, he was replaced by Paul Kirk, who was again chosen by the Kennedy clan.

That means the Kennedy clan controlled that seat for the last 56 years.; 1/12/10, 4:05 AM
Anonymous said...: He has a wonderful voice-- intelligent but not aggressive, clearly untainted by modern Washington doublespeak.

When he said he would be an "independent thinker" it sounded like "impotent thinker".

But good golly, I hope he wins! He reminds me of JFK.

And-- even more importantly-- I hope every single fucking Republican is doing everything possible to support him. Here is their chance! It seemed to appear out of nowhere and they better take advantage of it. Those lazy white fat Christian basterds will probably fuck it up, though...

Where are you leading us, Althouse? I was with you in voting for Obama. Now I find myself with you in regretting that decision, although the clusterfuck the Democrats have created is entertaining in its patheticness. I don't want to go to the days of Republican-led corruption and the hypocrisy of crusty old men. I hope we are going somewhere else...; 1/12/10, 5:00 AM
Anonymous said...: Damn... it feels disrespectful to leave a comment after Sir Archy did... same thing with the cockroach when he appears...; 1/12/10, 5:02 AM
AllenS said...: LonewackoDotCom said...
"That's cute and everything and I'm sure he had that cute line all prepared."

I couldn't agree more, wacko. Can I call you wacko? Anyways, I'll bet every single day since Kennedy died, Gergen has called it Kennedy's seat.; 1/12/10, 6:38 AM
Opus One Media said...: In 8th grade I think it was I was one of the judges in our hometown's mayoral debate. I knew from nothing but they had people from all walks judge the candidates and get to ask them questions.

There was a woman running against a 6 term incumbant but I liked her because she was pretty, spoke well, wasn't condescending. I also felt sorry for her because everyone knew she was going to loose.

She lost. ... and after reading this board's posts on this topic, with folks deciding on performance like it was a talent contest (speaks well, looks good, love the voice bullshit), I am of the opinion that the framers, who measured substance over "pretty", are rolling over in their graves.; 1/12/10, 6:40 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: hdhouse said:

I knew from nothing...

And 100 years after the 8th grade you still don't know jack.; 1/12/10, 6:44 AM
KCFleming said...: Sir Archy's correct. You can't win against a party that can summon the dead, illegal aliens, noncitizens 'vouched for' by party hacks, and other specters to vote for them.

Love,
Another satisfied Sen. Al "Throw those extra ballots in the trunk" Franken consituent.; 1/12/10, 6:48 AM
Fred4Pres said...: George Doe said...
Welcome to the Althouse fantasy world!

Too bad I can't place a bet and make money on the fantasy that Brown might actually get elected.

1/11/10 10:55 PM

See the intrade prediction market above. While Coakly is greatly favored, I like the odds for Brown right now.; 1/12/10, 7:20 AM
KCFleming said...: What David Gergen meant was that Ted Kennedy actually owned the Senate seat, as in bought and paid for by the Democratic Party.

Entirely true. His daddy had it all done legal-like, long ago. Ain't no GOP stiff gonna set his kiester down on their private property.; 1/12/10, 7:24 AM
Anonymous said...: He used the phrase 'with all due respect' several times in the debate.

And everyone who watches 'The Sopranos' knows exactly what that means.; 1/12/10, 8:07 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: "I am of the opinion that the framers, who measured substance over 'pretty', are rolling over in their graves."

Or knocking me upside the head. Ann and Co. are determined to keep making the same mistake over and over again. Just as they did it with Obi-wan Baraki, they're already ready to do it with this guy. Let's face it:

Substance is a foreign concept to American Idol fans.; 1/12/10, 8:19 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: He used the phrase 'with all due respect' several times in the debate.

Sometimes people aren't due any respect.

So, saying "With all due respect" followed by a veiled insult is according all the respect that is actually owed.; 1/12/10, 8:21 AM
Der Hahn said...: But when you look at the votes of 2009 in which Obama made his preference clear...

No surprise that CQ would come up with results they did. Anyone with half an eye on politics for the last year has noticed that Obama is largely defering to Reid and Pelosi (the strategy was explict for the health care bill), and rarely expresses anything other than support for whatever bills are being written.

He'll do the same when the GOP takes control after 2012.; 1/12/10, 8:22 AM
vbspurs said...: Pogo wrote:

You can't win against a party that can summon the dead, illegal aliens, noncitizens 'vouched for' by party hacks, and other specters to vote for them.

Teddy already voted absentee. Twice.; 1/12/10, 9:08 AM
knox said...: Althouse is very disappointing today.

We can never seem to live up to the very high expectations of Lonewacko or Crack.; 1/12/10, 9:23 AM
knox said...: Pretty sad that, in many states, democrats can and will steal an election, if necessary. ACORN came very close to running the census: that would have made it hard to trust any election, anywhere.; 1/12/10, 9:43 AM
robinintn said...: ... and after reading this board's posts on this topic, with folks deciding on performance like it was a talent contest (speaks well, looks good, love the voice bullshit), I am of the opinion that the framers, who measured substance over "pretty", are rolling over in their graves.

Haha, just like they were rolling over in their graves last November.

The only reason I'm aware of the "bullshit" is because I decided to have a look after reading the kickass quote.; 1/12/10, 10:08 AM
Wince said...: He used the phrase 'with all due respect' several times in the debate.

It's the environment.

Conservatives have to say that a lot in Massachusetts.; 1/12/10, 10:09 AM
Anonymous said...: Great line!

Reminds me of the "and you're no Jack Kennedy" line. The family name is used in a new a different way here, but it's just as effective, and shows that the narrative has changed. Momentum!; 1/12/10, 10:46 AM
DADvocate said...: Show's how tied into the idea of an aristocratic ruling class Gergen is. How can anyone think of Democrats as the party of the people?

I like Brown's style. He's light skinned....; 1/12/10, 12:21 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "We can never seem to live up to the very high expectations of Lonewacko or Crack."

Even worse, you won't even try, even as you keep making the same mistake over and over again.

That's the definition of insanity, you know.; 1/12/10, 3:01 PM
El Presidente said...: "His success was 96.7 percent"

96.7 is not an indicator of a great political leader but of a great political coward.; 1/12/10, 5:05 PM
mariner said...: Sir Archy hath written in substance much as I, but with style more agreeable to the eye.

I'd LOVE to be surprised though ...; 1/12/10, 5:29 PM
From Inwood said...: David Gergen is always the supposed token “Republican” in a TV Talkinghead panel where panelists prattle as follows, say about the last decade:

Panelist # 1:“The GOP Candidates were idiots.”

Panelist # 2: “The GOP Candidates were anti-poor.”

Panelist # 3: “The GOP Candidates were anti-women.”

Panelist # 4: “The GOP Candidates were warmongers & Bush a torturer.”

Panelist Gergen: “Um, I think the GOP Candidates basically meant well but, um, because of their temperament and intellect, just didn’t, you know, always clearly foresee the consequences of their words & actions, taken in good faith, of course, &, um, why such words & actions can cause thoughtful, concerned people like here to feel frustrated at the unintended consequences of these words & actions &, well, OK, I feel your pain in what you see as idiotic, anti-poor, anti-women idiotic, war mongering-torture, results, which, I guess, can, too often, make Republicans, especially Sarah Palin types, seem somewhat unworthy to the rest of the world.”

Barf bag time. BS detecto-meter exploding.; 1/12/10, 10:00 PM
George M. Sipe said...: George Doe said on 1/11...
Welcome to the Althouse fantasy world!

Too bad I can't place a bet and make money on the fantasy that Brown might actually get elected.

Lucky for you, as it turns out...; 1/20/10, 4:54 PM