Scott Brown to campaign with Governor Bill Weld on Bold New Leadership Bus Tour Saturday.

Building on his campaign's momentum, Scott Brown announced the Saturday agenda for his Bold New Leadership bus tour. The Bold New Leadership bus tour will kick off the three day tour with stops in Quincy, Plymouth, Hyannis and Middleboro on Saturday, January 16th. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld will join Brown for his Quincy stops.

Saturday, January 16, 2010:

• 9:30 a.m. - Brown will campaign with Governor Bill Weld at Craig’s Cafe, 1354 Hancock Street in Quincy. 
• 9:55 a.m. - Brown and Weld will greet voters at the Thomas Crane Public Library, 40 Washington Street in Quincy. 
• 11:30 a.m. - Brown and Republican State Rep. Vinny deMacedo will join supporters at Brown Campaign Plymouth Headquarters at 74 Long Pond Road in Plymouth.      
• 12:40 p.m. - Brown and deMacedo will head to Water Street Cafe at 25 Water Street in Plymouth. 
• 1:10 p.m. - Brown and deMaceo will greet voters at Mamma Mia’s Restaurant at 122 Water Street, Plymouth.
• 2:40 p.m. - Brown will greet volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Hyannis, 645 Main Street, Hyannis.
• 3:20 p.m. - Brown will provide live entertainment (karaeoke?) at Tommy Doyle’s, 334 Main Street in Hyannis.
• 5:00 p.m. - Brown will greet voters at Flat Iron Cafe, 444 Center Street in Middleboro.

Martha Coakley kicks off the "Fighting for You Tour."

Kicking off a four-day tour with rallies in Boston and Worcester featuring President Bill Clinton, Martha Coakley’s campaign for the United States Senate announced today that she will launch a campaign tour with more than 20 individual stops across the Commonwealth in the final days of the election.

The “Fighting For You” tour will include a series of rallies, community visits, and other campaign events across the Commonwealth from Friday through Monday.  According to a campaign press release, Coakley will highlight her unique qualifications to serve as our next Senator, including her proven record of tackling big challenges and getting real results for the people of the Commonwealth.


Saturday's events will include:

• 9:30 a.m. - A canvas kick off with Vicki Kennedy at IBEW, 256 Freeport Street, Boston.
• 10:00 a.m. - Coakley will address SEIU Leadership Assembly at SEIU Local 615 Assembly Hall,                                    26 West Street, Boston.
• 10:45 a.m.- Coakley will greet supporters at a breakfast in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at 105 Canal Street in Malden.
• 11:10 a.m. - Coakley will hold a rally with Melrose area supporters in Melrose Memorial Hall at 590 Main Street.
• 12:30 p.m. - Coakley will greet and address Lynn area supporters at Brothers Deli, 41 Market Street, Lynn.
• 1:40 p.m. - Coakley will hold a rally with Gloucester area supporters at Free Flow Power, 33 Commercial Street, Gloucester.
• 3:15 p.m. - Coakley will hold a rally with Newburyport area supporters at Michael’s Harborside Restaurant & Bar, 1 Tournament Wharf, Newburyport.
• 4:40 p.m. - Coakley will hold a rally with Haverhill area supporters at Maria’s Family Restaurant, 8 Locust Street, Haverhill.
• 6:00 p.m. - Coakley will hold a rally with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and Lowell area supporters at Caffé Paradiso, 45 Palmer Street in Lowell. 

Scott Brown releases new radio ad targeting conservative Dems; independents.

Take a listen:



The script reads:


ANNOUNCER: People on the street talk about Scott Brown.

MAN #1: I was raised a Democrat so was my family and the Democrats of today are not the Democrats I grew up with and I vote for the candidate I don’t vote for the party.

WOMAN #1: I’m supporting Scott because I don’t want people down in DC making decisions about my health care. I want to keep my health care. I want to keep it for my children and my parents.

MAN # 2: Scott Brown is a man that shares the same ideals that I do. He’s all for fiscal responsibility and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to vote for Scott Brown.

WOMAN #2: He’s a regular person. He doesn’t owe anyone anything. He’s an independent voice and he will do wonderful in Washington.

MAN #3: As an American citizen, national security is the biggest concern I have. And I think Scott Brown is the best choice for the people of Massachusetts.

WOMAN #3: I’m supporting Scott Brown. I’m a young person and I really believe in everything that Scott Brown stands for -- his values, his integrity and his commitment to the people.

So let's see:

• Conservative/former Democrats - check
• Anti-health care voters - check
• Fiscal conservatives - check
• Independent voice - check
• American citizen - check
• Young people - check

Yup, that pretty much touches every demo Scott Brown needs to win. 

Will Scott Brown get Obaminated? Plus more in the afternoon roundup.

There is such a ridiculous amount of news on this race right now that I can't keep up with all the links.  I am going to focus on a few of the more interesting stories, and you can check out Massroundup.com for the rest.

So the big stories I want to touch on:

--I'm sure you've head by now, but President Obama will come to Massachusetts on Sunday in an effort to save the Coakley campaign.  The gang at Politico outlines the risk to the President, as does The Fix.

Can a personal appeal by the President of the United States (in one of the states where he remains popular) convince voters to make the trip to the polls on Tuesday?  If Democrats aren't convinced by Coakley at this point she is unlikely to persuade them before voting time, so she better hope that Massachusetts residents who still love Bill Clinton (who is in town today) and Barack Obama decide to do them a favor and cast a ballot for her.  Otherwise, she could be toast.

--Coakley's camp is under fire today for two campaign gaffes (as if they needed more at this point).  During an interview on WBSM yesterday (I have never heard of that station), Coakley got into a back and forth about emergency contraception during which she said, "You can have religious freedom but you probably shouldn’t work in the emergency room."  Conservatives are making a huge deal of her comment, especially in light of the large number of Catholics in Massachusetts.

--On top of that, the new DSCC ad that I saw (but couldn't find online) this morning, Scott Brown is portrayed as "opposed to cracking down on greed and corruption."  Just one problem - that headline was pasted over Scott Brown and a picture of the World Trade Center.

(The DSCC pulled the ad from YouTube, but a Brown supporter made this grainy version available):

Unsurprisingly, Coakley's opposition went ballistic.  That includes former NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani, who just happened to be in town today campaigning for Brown.

“Martha Coakley must immediately denounce the partisan political television advertisement sponsored by her Democrat allies that inexplicably uses images of the World Trade Center to unfairly attack Scott Brown," Guliani said.  "This is among the most desperate campaign tactics I have ever seen. Martha Coakley and her Democrat allies owe an apology to the families of the nearly three thousand Americans killed on September 11th."

This Coakley campaign is truly one for the ages.

Coakley releases Vicki Kennedy ad.

The much discussed Vicki Kennedy ad for Martha Coakley was just released by the Coakley campaign.

Kennedy tells voters: "Tuesday’s election is to fill the term my husband didn’t have a chance to complete.  But it’s not the Kennedy seat.  It’s the people’s seat – the mother struggling to make ends meet, the father trying to find a job.  My husband fought for them, and so does Martha Coakley. Cracking down on Wall Street and insurance company abuses. Fighting for working families.  That’s what Martha Coakley stands for, and I’m proud to stand with her."

New Scott Brown ad attacks Coakley's ties to lobbyists.

I saw this ad on NECN this morning.  The Brown campaign hasn't put it on YouTube yet, but Politico managed to get a copy yesterday.



Given all the negative buzz that surrounded her ill-advised and ill-timed DC fundraiser, it was only a matter of time before Brown's team took advantage.

Morning roundup.

As I sit here putting together the morning roundup (and watching NECN's morning show now in HD), the campaign ads are piling on.  So far today I have seen new attack ads from Martha Coakley, Scott Brown, and the DSCC, none of which I can find on YouTube yet.

I will keep posting the ads as I come across them.

On to the morning roundup:

--The Herald's Jessica Van Sack reports on last night's poll showing Brown with 50%.  She also adds a piece in which the Democratic anti-Coakley spin begins in earnest.  Van Sack notes that, "Martha Coakley’s six-day break from the campaign trail may go down in history as the most poorly timed respite by any candidate in recent memory," and quotes one Democratic consultant who calls Coakley's campaign strategy, "breathtakingly ignorant."

--Scott Brown is currently headlining Politico.com in Alex Isenstadt's story on the rising tide of nationwide GOP support, Ben Smith has Brown's statement on Obama's bank fee proposal, and Josh Kraushaar has the latest DSCC fundraising email, which asks supporters to, "do this for Senator Kennedy."

--In a Washington Post story on the race today, Brown adviser Eric Fernstrom says the race changed the week Scott Brown released his JFK ad.

--The Fix talks to a Democratic strategist about what the two sides need to do to win.

--In today's Wall Street Journal, WSJ editorial page writer Dorothy Rabinowitz outlines the Fells Acres case, and says Coakley's actions in that affair raise serious questions about her judgement.

--The Globe's Lisa Wangsness reports on the 'Scott Brown campaign as national GOP model' idea.

--The Herald's Hillary Chabot and Peter Weir provide updates on Coakley and Brown's plans, and the Globe's Stephanie Ebbert and Matt Viser report from the campaign trail.

--The Herald's Peter Gelzinis says Rudy Guliani is bringing the "taxes and terrorism machine" to campaign for Scott Brown today.

--Brian McGrory writes about everything Coakley didn't do - and says that's why she finds herself in the position she's in now.

--The New York Times wonders about Joe Kennedy's impact on Tuesday's outcome.

--Susan Milligan notes that a visit by Obama could have negative ramifications for the President if it doesn't help Coakley win.

--Jessica Heslam outlines the Vicki Kennedy ad set to begin airing today, and says that Democrats are "pulling out all the stops."

--Scott Lehigh throws cold water on the notion of Scott Brown as an independent voice in Washington.

--And Wayne Woodlief says the negative tone the campaign has taken is disappointing, and Coakley could have done herself a huge favor if she had helped the Weekly Standard Reporter to his feet.

While you are digesting all that, I will try and find some of these new ads.

Suffolk poll puts Brown at 50%, Coakley at 46%.

The poll results continue to be all over the place, but the latest from 7 News and Suffolk University puts Republican Scott Brown at 50% versus Martha Coakley's 46%, a development that has to worry Democrats.

According to the poll, Monday's debate turned out to be a disaster for Coakley, with just 25% of respondents saying she had won, compared to 49% for Brown.

You can view the full poll results here.