In Bluest Of Blue States, Scott Brown’s Impressive Win Strikes “Huge Blow” To President Obama, Congressional Dems And Their Health Care Experiment

Democratic Pollster Celinda Lake: “[T]here's A Wave. And That Wave, It Hit Virginia; It Hit New Jersey; It Hit Massachusetts.” (Ben Smith, “Lake Defends Coakley: No Money For Tracking, And 'A Wave,'” Politico, 1/19/10)

National Journal’s Hotline On Call: “A Brown Victory Will Be Seen As A Huge Blow To The WH. It would also signal to Dems in Congress that the party is not safe, even in a state that hasn't sent a GOPer to the House since '94 and hasn't sent a GOPer to the Senate since '72.” (Reid Wilson, “Why Obama Must, And Shouldn't, Go To MA,” Hotline’s On Call, 1/15/10)

• On Call: “‘Obama is radioactive in polls,’ said one senior Dem operative who has seen the campaign's internal numbers.” (Reid Wilson, “Why Obama Must, And Shouldn't, Go To MA,” National Journal’s “Hotline On Call” Blog, 1/15/10)

• “Dem Operative” To On Call: “‘Every time they dropped his name in a poll, it was awful. So you just can't take those kinds of chances.’” (Reid Wilson, “Why Obama Must, And Shouldn't, Go To MA,” National Journal’s “Hotline On Call” Blog, 1/15/10)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): "If Scott Brown wins, it'll kill the health bill." (“Frank: GOP Win in Massachusetts Senate Race Will 'Kill the Health Bill,’” The Associated Press, 1/15/10)

“[Rep. Carolyn] Maloney [D-NY]: Health Care Dies If Coakley Loses” (Michael McAuliff, New York Daily News’ Mouth Of The Potomac, 1/19/10)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY): “I think you can make a pretty good argument that health care might be dead …” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 1/19/10)

Paul Begala: "If it's the end of health care, it's the end of the Democratic majority." (CNN, 1/19/10)

Stu Rothenberg: “If Brown wins … it will be the biggest political upset of my adult life.” (Rick Klein, “Brand in Crisis: Will Hub voters bid Obama agenda adieu?” ABC’s The Note, 1/19/10)

• Rothenberg: “[A] Republican victory, will add to the increasingly dominant narrative about the cycle, which holds that Democrats are headed for defeat during the midterms.” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “Massachusetts Senate Race: Thinking the Unthinkable,” Roll Call, 1/19/10)

• Rothenberg: “This could put Democrats further on the defensive and spell the end to much of the president’s ambitious agenda for the rest of 2010.” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “Massachusetts Senate Race: Thinking the Unthinkable,” Roll Call, 1/19/10)

• Rothenberg: “If you are looking for an analogy for a Republican victory in Massachusetts, the best one for Democrats may well be the stock market crash of 1929. Come Tuesday night, you could have Democrats jumping out windows and off roofs ...” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “Massachusetts Senate Race: Thinking the Unthinkable,” Roll Call, 1/19/10)

George Will: “The fact that the President is flying to Massachusetts indicates this is, A) a referendum on him, and B) that he's already lost the referendum.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 1/17/10)

MSNBC’s First Read: “[I]f Coakley loses, this would be the third major election in a row (New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts) where the Democratic candidate has lost the very independent voters who put Democrats and Obama in victory lane in both 2006 and 2008.” (Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg, MSNBC’s First Read: First Thoughts, 1/19/10)

Roll Call: “[T]he race between state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) and state Sen. Scott Brown (R), which has evolved into a national political referendum.” (Emily Cadei, “Coakley Allies Try To Avoid Mass. Disaster,” Roll Call, 1/13/10)

ABC News: “Martha Coakley: A Democratic Canary in a Coalmine?” (Jake Tapper, ABC News, 1/18/10)

• ABC: “Obama faces the prospect of a significant defeat if Brown wins…” (John Berman And Huma Khan, “Are Democrats Headed for Defeat as Massachusetts Voters Head to Polls?” ABC News, 1/19/10)

• ABC: “Obama's entire domestic agenda could be on the line in the special election, experts said.” (John Berman And Huma Khan, “Are Democrats Headed for Defeat as Massachusetts Voters Head to Polls?” ABC News, 1/19/10)

ABC’s The Note: “A year after that frigid day on the Washington Mall, a cold season is enveloping the White House brand.” (Rick Klein, “Brand in Crisis: Will Hub voters bid Obama agenda adieu?” ABC’s The Note, 1/19/10)

The Hill: “If Coakley falls to Republican Scott Brown, it could have a devastating impact on Obama’s agenda for the rest of the year.” (Ian Swanson, “President Obama Revives Fiery Rhetoric For Campaign Season,” The Hill, 1/16/10)

The Boston Globe: “Brown’s Run May Be Model For GOP” (Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “Massachusetts Has Become Ground Zero In The Struggle Over A National Health Care Overhaul Pending In Congress…” (Brian C. Mooney, “Outside Groups Fund Attack Ads,” The Boston Globe, 1/14/10)

• BG: “If Obama does go to Massachusetts, and Coakley loses, he risks being called weak.” (Susan Milligan, “Campaign Visit To Bay State By Obama A Tricky Prospect,” The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “If Obama visits Massachusetts and Coakley loses, it would signal that Obama’s ability to motivate rank-and-file Democrats has slipped.” (Susan Milligan, “Campaign Visit To Bay State By Obama A Tricky Prospect,” The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “It would buoy Republican efforts to take back the House and Senate this fall. And it could fuel criticism that he made a political trip while pressing issues awaited in Washington.” (Susan Milligan, “Campaign Visit To Bay State By Obama A Tricky Prospect,” The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “Brown is tapping into a general dissatisfaction about the state of the country and what many view as the Democrats’ misplaced response to its problems ...” (Lisa Wangsness, “Brown’s Run May Be Model For GOP,” The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “Brown has portrayed the Democratic health care bills as bloated, tax-stuffed mistakes that would do little to solve Massachusetts’ biggest health care challenge.” (Lisa Wangsness, “Brown’s Run May Be Model For GOP,” The Boston Globe, 1/15/10)

• BG: “Massachusetts came to exemplify the nation’s political divide in recent weeks, as Brown caught fire with voters - including many independents - who are either disenchanted with Democratic leadership nationally or not sold on the Democratic nominee.” (Stephanie Ebbert and Donovan Slack and Jeannie Nuss, “All Eyes On Bay State Ballot,” Boston Globe, 1/19/10)

The New York Times: “Republican victory in Massachusetts could fundamentally alter the outlook for the 2010 Congressional election season by sparking retirements among vulnerable Democrats.” (Carle Hulse, “Narrow Senate Race Unnerves Democrats on Health Care,” The New York Times, 1/15/10)

• NYT: “Still, Mr. Obama’s decision to tear up his weekend schedule to come here reflects concern in the White House that a defeat of Ms. Coakley would be seen as a repudiation of the president’s first year.” (Adam Nagourney, “Democrats Fret That the Public Is Dissatisfied,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

• NYT: “It would also raise the question of whether Mr. Obama squandered political capital by focusing so much on health care at a time of rising unemployment.” (Adam Nagourney, “Democrats Fret That the Public Is Dissatisfied,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

• NYT: “There might be no better place to measure the shifting fortunes of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party than in the race being fought in Massachusetts …” (Adam Nagourney, “Massachusetts Senate Race Bedevils Democrats,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

• NYT:  “Democrats across the country are starting to wonder whether they misjudged the electorate over the past year, with profound ramifications for the midterm elections this year and, potentially, for Obama's presidency.” (Adam Nagourney, “Massachusetts Senate Race Bedevils Democrats,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

• NYT: “Polls suggest that those [independent] voters have flocked to Mr. Brown, as they did to Republican candidates for governor in Virginia and New Jersey last year.” (Adam Nagourney, “Democrats Fret That the Public Is Dissatisfied,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

• NYT: “Conservatives are enjoying a grass-roots resurgence, and Republicans are talking about taking back the House in November.” (Adam Nagourney, “Democrats Fret That the Public Is Dissatisfied,” The New York Times, 1/17/10)

The Associated Press: “[A] potential disaster for President Barack Obama and his Democratic political agenda in Tuesday's special election.” (Glen Johnson, “Mass. Senate poll shows shift toward GOP candidate,” The Associated Press, 1/15/10)

• AP: “Mass. Senate Race Becoming Proxy On Health Bill” (Glen Johnson and Liz Sidoti, The Associated Press, 1/12/10)

• AP: “The swift rise of Brown has spooked Democrats who had considered the seat one of their most reliable.” (Steve LeBlanc, “Voters flock to polls for Massachusetts election,” The Associated Press, 1/19/10)

Chuck Todd: “If Coakley loses, health care's dead and it would make 2009 seem like a domestic policy disaster, both for this White House and the Democratic Party.” (MSNBC, 1/13/10)

Real Clear Politics:  “Yet much of the responsibility will have to rest with Barack Obama, who has guided his party so poorly that it is having trouble making an appeal to voters in Massachusetts.” (Jay Cost, “The Political Blunders Of The Obama White House,” Real Clear Politics, 1/18/10)

• Real Clear Politics: “To put it bluntly, the Obama White House has been politically inept in the last year. It has made serious miscalculations, and today it is paying a price.” (Jay Cost, “The Political Blunders Of The Obama White House,” Real Clear Politics, 1/18/10)

The Washington Times: “A discernible ‘enthusiasm gap’ has emerged in Massachusetts ahead of Tuesday's Senate special election, leaving Democrat Martha Coakley wheezing as Republican Scott Brown races toward the finish line, powered by passionate crowds enraged at President Obama's health care plans.” (Joseph Curl, “Coakley struggles against enthusiasm for Brown,” The Washington Times, 1/19/10)

Politico: “The defection of independent voters and some Democrats in one of the nation’s most liberal states would deal a stunning, and possibly fatal, blow to the centerpiece of Obama’s first-year agenda, health care reform …” (Ben Smith and Josh Kraushaar, “Obama makes risky bet on Mass. Race,” Politico, 1/15/10)

• Politico: “[A] Loss In Massachusetts Would Be A Body Blow To Democratic Reform Efforts In Washington.” (Chris Frates, “GOP Looks To Mass. For 2010 Map,” Politico, 1/12/10)

• Politico: “[D]emocrats were pointing fingers at the White House and the DSCC, both of which treated the Massachusetts contest as a safe seat until just a few days ago, allowing Coakley to sit quietly on what polls suggested was a large lead.” (Ben Smith and Josh Kraushaar, “Obama makes risky bet on Mass. Race,” Politico, 1/15/10)

• Politico: “Some Democratic strategists lay the fault at the feet of President Barack Obama, saying he should have done more to sell the party’s agenda.” (Manu Raju and Jonathan Martin and John Bresnahan, “Finger-Pointing Begins For Dems,” Politico, 1/19/10)

• Politico: “But the White House itself is facing a barrage of criticism among Democrats, with many saying that Obama has let the GOP frame the issues — particularly health care — in the minds of many independent voters...” (Manu Raju and Jonathan Martin and John Bresnahan, “Finger-Pointing Begins For Dems,” Politico, 1/19/10)

• Politico: “A Massachusetts embarrassment would strongly increase the pressure Obama was already facing to retreat or slow down the ‘big bang’ agenda he laid out a year ago.” (Mike Allen, “President Obama Plans Combative Turn,” Politico, 1/18/10)

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “If Coakley comes up short on Tuesday in a state that strongly favors Democrats, it will send a chilling message to the party about the mood of the electorate nationally.” (Chris Cillizza, “Can Nationalizing The Special Election Save Martha Coakley?” The Washington Post, 1/14/10)

• Cillizza: “From the White House's perspective, a Coakley loss has the very real potential to derail health care …” (Chris Cillizza, “Obama to stump for Coakley,” The Washington Post’s The Fix, 1/15/10)

• Cillizza: “[C]oakley is representative of the status quo that they are unhappy and, in some cases, downright angry about.” (Chris Cillizza, “Obama To Stump For Coakley,” The Washington Post’s “The Fix” Blog, 1/15/10)

• Cillizza: “Strategists on both sides of the partisan divide acknowledge that the Massachusetts electorate is mad as hell, fueling a throw-the-bums-out mentality.” (Chris Cillizza, “Can Nationalizing The Special Election Save Martha Coakley?” The Washington Post, 1/14/10)

Christian Science Monitor: “In fact, Coakley’s support of the healthcare reform bill might hurt her with independents, 56 percent of whom oppose the proposed national legislation.” (Tracey D. Samuelson, “Massachusetts senate race hinges on independent vote,” Christian Science Monitor, 1/16/10)

UMass-Amherst Political Science Professor Ray La Raja:  “It’s a goal-line stand for the Democrats … They’re scared out of their minds.” (Brian C. Mooney, “Outside Groups Fund Attack Ads,” The Boston Globe, 1/14/10)

• La Raja:  “President Obama doesn’t want this to be a referendum on his health care policy, especially in Massachusetts, which has the archetypal policies he’s trying to use in Washington.’’ (Brian C. Mooney, “Outside Groups Fund Attack Ads,” The Boston Globe, 1/14/10)

Reuters: “At one point Coakley led by 30 percentage points over Republican state senator Scott Brown. But her lead has narrowed amid an anti-incumbent mood and a backlash against the Democrats' healthcare plan and high unemployment.” (Ros Krasny, “Massachusetts Senate race unnerves Democrats,” Reuters, 1/11/10)

• Reuters: “[A]n upset in Massachusetts, or even a narrow win for Coakley, would raise the specter of large losses for Democrats in midterm congressional elections in November.” (Ros Krany, “Massachusetts votes in crucial election for Obama,” Reuters, 1/19/10)

The Las Vegas Sun: “A Republican victory in Massachusetts would imperil the anticipated conclusion to the hard-fought health care reform battle and cast doubt on whether Obama, who swooped into Massachusetts with an eleventh-hour campaign stop, can propel foundering candidates to victory.” (Lisa Mascaro, “Tight Massachusetts Race Threatens Obama’s Agenda, Harry Reid’s Political Future,” The Las Vegas Sun, 1/19/10)

CBS News: “The cost to Democrats if they should lose the seat is high: Losing their 60-vote edge in the Senate, which would allow Republicans to filibuster health care reform, a tax on bailed-out banks, climate change legislation, or any other key item on President Obama's agenda.” (David S Morgan, “Steele: Democrats Don't Care About Voters,” CBS News, 1/19/10)

Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson: “If Massachusetts, that bluest of blue states, goes Republican, say goodbye (or good riddance) to health-care reform and any chance that the Democrats will be able to pass much of anything in the Senate.” (Margaret Carlson, “True-Blue Massachusetts Is Red Alert to Obama: Margaret Carlson,” Bloomberg, 1/19/10)

• Carlson: “Senator Blanche Lincoln was already a nervous wreck. If a Kennedy-endorsed candidate can lose in Massachusetts over health care, what could the voters of Arkansas do to her?” (Margaret Carlson, “True-Blue Massachusetts Is Red Alert to Obama: Margaret Carlson,” Bloomberg, 1/19/10)

ABC’s John Berman: “The president campaigned in New Jersey and Virginia for candidates -- and lost. He campaigned for the Olympics in Copenhagen -- and lost… And now, he’s campaigned here.” (ABC’s Good Morning America, 1/19/10)

Politico’s Morning Score: “[P]olling has consistently shown independents fleeing Coakley, as they did Democrats Jon Corzine in New Jersey and Creigh Deeds in Virginia.” (Alexander Burns, “Zero hour in Massachusetts,” Politico’s Morning Score, 1/19/10)

Congressional Quarterly: “If, however, Brown manages to pull out the win despite all of the Democrats’ built-in advantages in the state and their all-out efforts for Coakley, it will be hard for Democrats to ignore the intensity of the anti-establishment fervor.” (Emily Cadei, “Massachusetts Special Goes Down To The Wire,” Congressional Quarterly, 1/19/10)

• CQ: “[W]hile some of Brown’s most rabid supporters may indeed be extremists, polling shows that many are former Obama voters who have turned against the administration and its agenda.” (Emily Cadei, “Massachusetts Special Goes Down To The Wire,” Congressional Quarterly, 1/19/10)

Clark University  Institute For Public Enterprise Director James Gomes: "There's an anger, a frustration that's being felt in Massachusetts.”  (Ros Krany, “Massachusetts votes in crucial election for Obama,” Reuters, 1/19/10)

CNBC’s Vince Farrell: “A Republican victory, or even a very close election, would raise the question of whether Mr. Obama has squandered political capital by focusing so much time and energy on health care with economic stress and high unemployment pervasive.” (Vince Farrell, “Farrell: If it's Tuesday It Must be Massachusetts,” CNBC, 1/19/10)

Donnie Deutsch: “The real reason [Brown’s] winning is … for a rebuke of the policies. All he had to do was say, ‘I’m a good, I’m your guy next door, and no more business as usual.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 1/19/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: “A GOP Win Would Shock The Liberal Democratic Establishment That Dismissed The 2009 Gubernatorial Setbacks In Virginia And New Jersey As Mere Flukes.” (Richard Dunham, “Ten Reasons Why The Massachusetts Senate Race Is Very, Very Important,” San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/10)

• SFC: “If independents continue to flee the Democratic Party -- as they did in New Jersey and Virginia last year -- the midterm elections could be an absolute disaster for the ruling party.” (Richard Dunham, “Ten Reasons Why The Massachusetts Senate Race Is Very, Very Important,” San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/10)