Top 10 Reasons Brown Won MA Election

10.  Famous Daughter.  Scott who?  Oh, Ayla Brown’s father.  If MA had allowed text voting, he’d have won in a landslide.

9.  Williams.  A liberal arts college- one of the most highly selective in the country, maybe the most selective.  Martha Coakley’s alma matter.  Elite.  By contrast, Brown graduated from Tufts University – selective yes, but not as selective as Williams.  And his BC law degree and BC basketball playing daughter bring him instant credibility in Boston circles of influence.

8.  The Economy.  High unemployment and loss of jobs…and loss of a little bit of hope and optimism in the progressive baystate.  A baystate turned impatient and independant and to Scott Brown.

7.  Health Care.  Who cares?  MA has it.

6.  The Democratic Establishment.  Didn’t help Coakley to be associated with it.  Obama, Patrick, Kerry all establishment figures unfairly blamed for the economic malaise created by 8 years of Bush.

5.  Personality.  Brown has it.  Coakley doesn’t.  You have to take the campaign to the streets, make connections, shake hands, reference a barking dog in Southie.  MA residents you know what I’m talking about.  Coakley did not connect to the electorate or to their pets.

4.  Negative Ads and Robo Calls.  No need for them.  Coakley’s use of the attack ad may have backfired.  And people actually said that they voted for the candidate from whom they received fewer calls.

3.  Snow.  Low urban turnout.  High suburban SUV turnout.

2.  Hoops and Red Sox.  The Baystate likes basketball players.  And the Browns got game.  That Coakley accused Curt Shilling of being a Yankees fan made it seem that she had no idea who he was.  You just can’t make that error and expect Red Sox nation to forget.  Now if she had just said that Shilling should stick to sports, that would have been an acceptable answer.

1.  No Party.  Republican in name only.  He’s as likely to caucus with Max Baucus.  He’ll anger both parties before long, like Senator Lieberman.  Independent, but not an ideologue  – not welcome to a tea party either and too much of a damn Yankee to find a home with the blue dogs.   But he’ll find a home on Fox with his own show soon enough.  You watch.