Tim Cahill: US Senate Race Tied After First Quarter

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Tim Cahill, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

With college basketball taking center stage this past weekend I thought it would be illustrative to basketball (invented here in Massachusetts) to determine where the race for the US Senate is now that the first quarter has ended.

In the beginning, the game see-sawed back and forth between the two for most of the quarter with Elizabeth "Pokie Okie" Warren leading until Senator "Downtown Scotty" Brown came up big by hitting a bunch of three-pointers at the buzzer. Warren had a very strong start by raising significant money from all over the country and methodically wiping out virtually all of her Democratic primary opponents. She hit the ground running and gunning, picking up key endorsements and showing the people of Massachusetts that she was prepared to get "bloody and lose teeth" diving for loose balls.

Initial polls showed her opening a sizable lead on her opponent by hitting all of her mid-range shots and successfully boxing out her taller, more established opponent on the issues that mattered to middle-class voters. Then the mainstream press started fawning all over her with puff pieces about her "difficult" upbringing in Oklahoma and her "amazing connection" with middle-class voters. Brown called a time-out to regroup.

When play resumed he played tighter defense and started hitting his own shots beyond the three-point line. He resumed the mantle of independent, which had won the senate seat for him in the first place. He and his team reminded the media and the voters that he was not in lock-step with with "Washington Republicans," but was committed to playing his own game. He dusted off the old, barn coat, got back in the pick-up truck, and closed the gap. Soon the polls had reversed and Brown was in the lead and Warren was forced to call a time-out.

When play resumed Warren went on a roll using the issue of women's contraceptive rights to paint a picture of Brown as anti-woman. The tactic worked, as in typical fashion, the Republican party had over-played the issue of the Catholic Church's refusal, on religious grounds, to pay for birth-control pills and abortions. Instead of making the issue about the separation of church and government, they made it, with help from Rush Limbaugh, about the right of women to control their own reproductive rights.

Warren went on the attack and had Brown back on his heels and rushing his own shot. Another time-out for Brown. When play resumed "Downtown Scotty" Brown brought in reinforcements: the Brown women. On the front page of one of Boston's newspapers was a flattering, campaign-style photo of Brown and the beautiful women in his life; wife Gayle, and daughters Arrianna and Ayla. Swish! Then he comes back down the court with his younger sister, detailing the domestic abuse both faced as teenagers. This to highlight his support of a piece of legislation that protects women from domestic violence. Swish again!

Finally, just this past week, Brown got an endorsement from who else, but retiring US Senator Olympia Snow from Maine. A strong female presence in a mostly men's club in Washington and one of the most independent members of the Senate. Another swish!

So the first quarter ended with the score tied. Elizabeth Warren starting strong and then fighting back after Scott Brown found his scoring range. After falling behind, going back strong at Brown and posting him up on what she feels will be her strength for the rest of the contest-women. But Brown came right back and showed Warren that he is not ready to concede any territory to the Democrats. The one thing Brown did not have in the first contest was his wife Gayle on the court with him as she was banished from the campaign by her employer, Channel 5. Now that she has opted for free agency, and joined her husband's team full- time, we will see how much of a difference it makes to how this game ends.