Even after Obama's visit, Republican Scott Brown won Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts. It is being called a historic upset. But I don't think it was so much a triumph for Brown as it was a failure for Martha. You have to actually campaign for office. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat in the bluest state running for the "liberal lion's" seat. You still have to convince voters that you are going to represent their interests in Washington. After winning the primary, Coakley essentially stopped campaigning until days before the election. When she found out Brown has raised $1.3 million in 24 hours, she ran to a room full of lobbyists in Washington. In reality, hiding may have been the better strategy. When Coakley did come back onto the public's radar, it was with slanderous attacks against Brown that included some blatant lies. This, combined with her record of tragic misspeaks and misspellings, ruined her chances of winning. The only real reason she had any support was because she was the Democratic candidate and could be the 60th vote for health care. Obama certainly aren't lamenting the loss of Coakley, but the loss of his majority.
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