There’s only so much an Alinsky machine can do. Obama’s “Organizing for America” has evidently worn out it’s less than personal welcome in MA. Despite “volume” activism, timing and message missed the mark by a wide margin.
Coakley’s campaign was aided by Obama-offshoot Organizing for America and voter-turnout wizard Lynda Tocci, who orchestrated Hillary Clinton’s New Hampshire primary upset. But many Democrats privately complained that the organization did not begin to focus seriously on the ground game until late last week.
Meanwhile, field workers furiously recruited party operatives in Worcester, Quincy and Boston, where Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s vaunted organization was called to action at the last minute, several insiders complained.
“They didn’t reach out ’til late,” said one top Democratic operative. “They hadn’t even been in the field and they didn’t know (Brown) was closing in.”
Menino was blunt when asked how the contest is going.
“It’s going,” he said.
When it came to volume of phone calls, the Democratic machine hit it’s stride… making more than 1 million calls to targeted voters in the last 48 hours of the election. The problem? According to recipients, it was hard to discern the thrust of the message from sheer harassment.
Coakley’s camp features an automated dial-out system that eases the job of volunteers who manned the lines at 60 regional call centers yesterday. But some irritated Coakley voters complained they were being bombarded by calls.
Part of the hazards of success… especially that which came so effortlessly to the Dems with the Obama machine… is that it can make you complacent. What worked so well, and was casually implemented on the belief that everyone agreed with the O’agenda, now isn’t working so well.
What the O’machine didn’t bargain with is human’s opinions “change” and are not a status quo slogan or situation. And right along that that alteration of opinion comes a deterioration in their perceived “mandate”.
When, late in the game, they realized what was easily presumed theirs was slipping from their grasp, the WH resorted to previously successful methods – never accommodating for the people’s “change”. They were oblivious to media, tea party protests, and polls, and yet expected the same results as in 2007-08.
Their self-perceived error? If the campaign machine didn’t start indoctrinating early, slowly, and regularly, they were no longer in control of the message.
Instead the “change” campaign machine found the results of status quo methodology “changed” before their eyes. All which begs the question, at what point do they realize that humans are simply not that programmable friendly?
In the meantime, the Brown campaign… sans the big DNC money machine… depended upon old school: face to face, pavement pounding volunteers that previously were the hallmarks of the Obama campaigns. And despite not having the coffers of Coakley, they went the extra mile and hired 100 temp workers to put extra personnel on the ground.
Brown’s get-out-the-vote push centered on the Web initiative voterbomb.com, urging supporters to bring supporters to the polls.
The Brown campaign called about 125,000 voters per day this weekend, while a group of 150 volunteers knocked on doors in 75 cities and towns, officials said.
Make no mistake, the Coakley campaign out numbered, out financed, and out manned the Brown team. It’s the classic money/manpower vs principle/issue in MA today today.
Now what remains to be seen is what makes a bigger impact on the MA voters. But despite the voter tallies, the erosion to the Obama/Axelrod/Alinsky machine is indelible.
In the event of a huge Dem failure, all efforts at power redemption fall into the lap of Al Franken election and Dem attorney, Marc Elias. It will be his task to pull another victory out of election failure, without destroying what’s left of Dem credibility.
Taking bets now…. because “franken’ly”… it’s not looking so good this time around.
Vietnam era Navy wife, indy/conservative, and an official California escapee now residing as a red speck in the sea of Oregon blue.
Suprise me Mass.!!!
A double-digit Brown victory ought to keep the DNC lawyers in their office-
Bring it on home, Scott…
‘Organizing For America’ has worn out its welcome in America. The Democrats need to reorganize with new leaders and a new message: Obama Socialism has become like fish that has gone bad, no one wants it anymore except for the most brainless ideologues. After Mass, candidates will realize that inviting Obama to help out a campaign is a self inflicted coup de gras.
If Obama can’t swing a campaign in Mass, the Dems better start looking for those lobby jobs; but I doubt if the Lobbies are going to be interested in yesterday’s power brokers. Go home Dems, go back home where you belong and write memoirs about how even you were fooled by the Brown Communist and how his ‘Hope and Change’ broke the back of The Democrat Party.
Heh! This is RICH! (Hat Tip to Instapundit and Althouse) : AN UNFORTUNATE KENNEDY REFERENCE: “Why would you hand the keys to the car back to the same guys whose policies drove the economy into the ditch and then walked away from the scene of the accident?” Oops. http://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-would-you-hand-keys-to-car-back-to.html
It is called “Arrogant.”
While the rank and file has voted for them because they are Democrats giving lip service to the cause. In reality the cause is more important to them than actually solving problems.
i pray that scott brown wins this election. please pray for this man and the future of our country.
Hey Southernsue, it just so happens that Scott Brown has the “prayer department” covered, no less than by monastic Benedictine nuns, who pray 3 times a day for him (and the entire Brown Family).
From what I understand, he and his family helped the nuns raise millions of dollars to keep their candy business going with solar panels (FYI, Benedictines always support themselves with their own work of their own hands, often by making and selling some type of food).
I say, never underestimate the power of prayer, especially from holy nuns with a special devotion to Mary, the mother of life, from a state that led the way in the protection of the almighty abortion with many thanks to Ted Kennedy. If Brown wins, as I predict, a thank you to the nuns of Mt. St. Mary’s Abbey will certainly be in order. I suspect their candy sales will soar!
Here’s an interesting quote from Scott Brown
In Quincy, the Dem mayor endorsed Brown. There won’t be any help from him for Coakley:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/01/dem_mayor_of_quincy_ma_endorse.html
It’s odd that Obama and spam would be mentioned in the same sentence. Both are very nasty and make me want to vomit.
Davey, spam and Obama are both big in Hawaii. Try it sliced thin, skillet-fried like bacon, and put it in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Congress should be served the same way.
Sorry, Carl, they don’t care about The Cause either. They care about The Power and The Money. The Cause, aka The Grievances, must be kept raw and angry as the easiest path to The Power and The Money. You can track a political skunk by following their money to the sources, unless they turn off the identification feature on their website like Obama did, taking in hundreds of millions of dollars of untraceable cash. The Massachusettes Democratic Machine will not go down without a dirty, ruthless fight. If ACORN, SEIU, and other assorted union thugs could pull off an Obama theft in 2008, followed by a Franken fraud, then a little Coakley larceny is just a minor political misdemeanor that won’t rise to the level required to trigger a Dept. of Justice investigation. Someone should check to see if Ted and Mary Jo have voted absentee.
It never felt so good to cast my vote. I spend a few hours this morning holding my Scott Brown sign in front of our voting station and my non-scientific poll shows support Scott Brown 5-1 easily (probably more). This is still a close race and EVERY vote counts.
@ED:
Your comment reminded me of this, which I read over at Ace’s place earlier:
Heh!
One of the biggest questions I heard from people exiting the pools this morning (while I was holding my Scott Brown sign) was
“where are we celebrating tonight?”
to which the answer was “all over this great country!”
@ED: If we get enough folks who want to have an online Brown party as the results pour in we’ll have a chat here. See this post:
And you’re right, the entire country will join in the party!
Thanks for your on the scene reports. Please pass along any other news as it comes in.
Obama won the election because the last buffoon was so horrible, and the Grandpa and Barbie were never serious contenders.
The media today claims that the only viable alternatives are mikey mouse and donald duck, and people in this country are so stupid, suddenly, they ARE the only viable candidates.
They were also the worst candidates, and they incidentally had identical Senate records in anything that mattered.
@Richard Wicks:
I take it that Richard Wicks is partially responsible for electing Obama aka Trainwreck and still has no clue of the damage to this country he, Richard Wicks contributed to.
Wondering, how does one make it to the voting booth with their eyes closed and a brain so full of fog that it’s wafting out of their ears? Was it difficult to stay conscious while in the booth? Did the folks standing in line to vote find it offensive? Oh, you wouldn’t know, eyes shut, brain impaired.
Also wondering if you, Richard Wicks, even give a crap about what you have done to hamper the future of my children, grandchildren and great-grandchild by helping to put that idiot into office? Buffoon? that, would be you!
Richard Wicks when you say “people in this country are so stupid” it sounds like you speak from experience. You and people like you are the problem in this country but don’t worry we will make sure come November that our voices are heard loud and clear. What happened in MA is just the beginning. In November heads will roll, so prepare yourself. I guess if you still have your head up your azz then you won’t even notice.
@Richard Wicks: .. “… the media claims…?? LOL That and a used tissue wouldn’t even confirm you have a common cold.
But speaking of stupid… you may want to explain this comment of yours…
Scott Brown had six years in the MA Senate, and six prior years in the MA House.
Coakley was a DA and an AG… Never a member of either MA chamber.
Which makes them having “identical Senate records” how?
Oh wait… were you speaking of Obama and McCain?? You mean Obama’s pure party line votes (when he wasn’t voting present) in the 140 some odd days he actually worked?? Hard to compare Senate votes when Obama was barely there, compared to McCain’s decades.
And why are you rehashing the 2008 Prez election in a Scott Brown thread? Too much for you to resist a swipe at Palin and McCain?