The 'Scott Brown Effect' from the heart of his district.

Everyone, it seems, is talking about the Scott Brown victory. He lives in the town next to me. I have met him a couple of times at our Town Meeting and at the Senior Center here in my town. (No, I am not a senior, but was a member of the Council on Aging Board) He was very nice and personable, nothing too outstanding, nothing of too much note. Except for one thing I did notice. He was nice. And he really listened. He didn't act like you were wasting his time nor did he act as though you couldn't possibly have a thought in your head. He even made jokes. I liked him immediately. In our town, his nickname is "Scotty the hottie." But I digress.

When he announced he was running against Martha Coakley, our own AG, I thought, he does not have a chance. She will win just by virtue of the fact that she is a democrat. But then Martha disappeared. And people started to see Scott Brown. And hear Scott Brown. And see his truck. And hear his message. And they saw something remarkable. A guy who seemed to listen! How exciting. And he was not bashing his opponent. But the listening thing, we loved that here. Maybe he just understood how well your ears work when your mouth is closed. Anyway, he caught fire.

Then Martha came out swinging. Except, she was punching air. Nothing worked. She made mistake after mistake. Her worst mistake? Lying about the reporter on the ground. If she had had a human moment and had actually gone over to him and asked if he were okay and then made a statement that said perhaps things got out of hand and I am sorry, she may have been the new Senator. But she didn't do it. Then she lied. And it was over. Couple that with not knowing who Curt Schilling was and add in the statement she made about the Taliban in Afghanistan, and you have a losing combo right there. Personally, I did not find her worthy of Ted Kennedy's seat. Say what you will about the Kennedys, but Ted was a legend.

So all Scott Brown really had to do, which he did brilliantly, was to show up, stay on message, stay out of the mud-slinging, and continue to be himself, goofy and all. And it worked. Congrats to him. I wish him even greater success.

The thing people who run campaigns should remember is that people vote for people. So be a good person on top of your message. And don't fake it. Moms can see a fake from a mile away.