Is there anything to talk about except the election tomorrow? Is there anything left to say? Really the only thing left to do now is the voting. Still, a few last thoughts on the campaign:
- No matter how it turns out, at least the campaign wasn't the snoozer everyone predicted it would be. For sheer entertainment value political junkies have to harken back to the Weld/Kerry 1996 battle of the titans to find anything of similar excitement in Massachusetts.
- But this is even more interesting because Scott Brown is no Bill Weld. Brown is a nobody who came from nowhere to come within grasping range of the prize. Whether you support Brown or not, it is always a thrill to see the longshot underdog come from behind.
- Martha Coakley ran an arrogant campaign in which she acted like she was entitled to the seat. I remember years ago in Springfield when Frankie Keough ran for State Senate against Brian Lees. I attended a meet the candidates forum at the Pine Point Library, and Keough spent the whole time ignoring Lees and talking as if he were already elected. On the way out after the forum I heard an elderly man walking ahead of me tell his wife, "I don't know anything about Brian Lees, but I wouldn't vote for that arrogant bastard Keough if he was the only person on the ballot!" On Election Day Lees won an upset victory. Nothing angers the electorate quicker than a candidate that behaves like they take the voters for granted.
- Today on the bus I overheard a guy tell his friend that Martha Coakley "seems just like the type of female boss I would hate to work for." Kind of an irrational reason to vote against her, but such personal impressions often carry far more weight than the most detailed policy position paper.
- On the other hand, I won't believe that Scott Brown is the next senator until I see it in the vote totals. Despite final polls showing Brown comfortably in the lead, this is still Massachusetts.
- Ignore the chatter about Democrats attempting to delay Brown's swearing in until after the health care vote. That kind of skullduggery will be unnecessary, because in the days after a Brown win the moderate Democrats in Congress who have supported the healthcare takeover up until now will be lining up to give press conferences announcing their newly found opposition.
- Because of the all-consuming importance of stopping the healthcare takeover it was impractical to support the one candidate who was truly right on the issues - libertarian Joe Kennedy. Let's hope we haven't seen the last of him.
Fresh Snow
Newly fallen snow on the woodland way this morning.
The snowplow knocked these paper boxes every which way.
Strange chalk being.
Jimi in the window of Faces.
Happy Valley Song
Here's a delightfully strange video that's sorta kinda like a tribute to our region. How many Pioneer Valley landmarks can you identify?
Here's the psychedelic version of the same song that was aired recently on Amherst Cable TV.
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