There will be endless theories floated as to why Martha Coakley lost the special election in Massachusetts, from opposition to healthcare reform to the glass ceiling that favors male candidates in supposedly liberal Massachusetts.
But one thing is clear. Just showing up isn’t enough any more. By one count, Martha Coakley made 19 campaign stops between the December 8th primary and the Sunday before the election; Scott Brown made 66.
Arrogance, complacency, hubris – whatever you want to call it, it no longer works for the tone-deaf automakers in Detroit or for old-style machine politicians who take the voters for granted. That such a hands-off campaign was run in this time of great anxiety is astonishing. Makes you wonder what those well-paid political consultants were doing to earn their pay.
Really, this is not hard. Treat your customers, voters, fellow citizens with contempt and disdain (and if you’re only willing to make a campaign appearance every couple of days, that’s what you’re doing) and you’re likely going to regret it.
