Are Dems this worried about losing the Massachusetts special election?
For a party that should be coasting to victory in a Senate election they never lose, the Democrats seems mighty worried about the prospects of the hand-picked replacement for Ted Kennedy. A few weeks ago, no one would have thought for a moment that Republican Scott Brown would come within 20 points of Martha Coakley, the Kennedy family-approved heir to the “Liberal Lion’s” seat in the US Senate. Yesterday, Democrats got so rattled that they began speaking openly of keeping Brown out of the Senate for as long as they could once he wins: The longtime aide and confidant of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was handpicked by Gov. Deval Patrick after a controversial legal change to hold Kennedy’s seat, vowed to vote for the bill even if Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, who opposes the health-care reform legislation, prevails in a Jan. 19 special election. “Absolutely,” Kirk said, when asked if he’d vote for the bill, even if Brown captures the seat. “It would be my responsibility as Un
