I really don’t understand why people and pundits are having such a field day with the Massachusetts Senate race. Of all the places I have lived in my life, I have logged more years in the Bay State then any other. That makes me feel qualified to add one more piece of punditry, and here it is.
Massachusetts is a liberal state only to a point. It has had Republican governors such as William Weld and Mitt Romney. It was also the first state to legalize gay marriage and it has the nation’s lowest divorce rate. It is a state that prides itself on rugged New England individualism and that means its resident don’t think that they have to tow any specific political line all the time -- be it liberal or conservative.
Martha Coakley is in trouble for three reasons:
1. She does not have a warm and fuzzy personality.
2. She did not work hard at campaigning for the job. She figured that once she won the Democratic primary the seat held by the late Senator Edward Kennedy would be hers.
3. Massachusetts has its own insurance plan and it has already cost much more than anyone anticipated. The Bay State citizens are wary of any more government health care plans because they don’t trust the numbers as they relate to the cost.
I think Martha Coakley is going to pull it out and win the Senate race. I do not think this election is about President Obama or even about his health care plan taking over the private sector.
As the famous Massachusetts Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said, “ All politics is local”. He was right then and right now. This race is about Massachusetts and not a national referendum on who is in the White House.
Ellen Ratner is Washington bureau chief for Talk Radio News Service and a Fox News contributor.
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