Why Martha Coakley lost my support.

I was astonished when I watched the Colbert Report the other night and he basically said that Massachusetts voters told the nation, "We got ours, so @#*% you." He was talking about healthcare, of course. And he was wrong.

I do not think for one minute that this was how voters here felt. I am not sure that most of the voters in Massachusetts really even understand how the healthcare that we passed actually works.

Anyway, as an Independent, I voted in the primary. And I voted for Martha Coakley. She seemed no-nonsense and she did a pretty good job as AG, so I liked her better than the other candidates. I knew Scott Brown was running as the Republican candidate and the only other choice was Robinson, so that primary was not really a primary, in my opinion. Scott Brown had the guts to try to win in a blue state, and you have to admire that.

Martha then started her campaign. And that is where she lost me. I could not figure out what she was all about. I looked at her web-site. Nothing really jumped out at me. I watched her on TV. She appeared wooden and out of her league.

Then she all but disappeared.

Scott Brown then captured my attention. I was getting to know him. He was clear and concise about what he stood for. I looked for Martha for rebuttal. Where was she? No where. So, I looked more at Brown. He was out there talking and buzz was building.

Finally Martha came out of hiding. And I looked for some substance from her on the televised debate, moderated by David Gergen. She did not fair well. She certainly lost me when she said that the Taliban were no longer in Afghanistan. She should have made a better point about why she did not support President Obama's decision to send more troops there. Instead, she made that ridiculous statement, and I thought, how could I possibly support her for a Senate seat. She does not have a clear grasp on international issues. Gergen also did her no favors by bringing up the "Kennedy Seat". Scott Brown jumped on the chance to call it the "People's Seat" and then he was off and running with that slogan that turned even more voters away from her.

She continued on her path of ruin. Not knowing who Curt Schilling was, lying about the reporter on the ground, not showing any personal warmth at all. And then the negative ads. They were bad. And turned people off.

So that is why Martha lost. Sure, some voted against her because they just did not like her regardless of what she said or did, some voted against her because they truly wanted to send Obama a message, and some just simply did not vote for her because she was a Democrat and they vote Republican. But it is clear that she, and she alone, lost this election. 52-48 is not a landslide for Brown. He ran a good race, he kept on message and he made sense. He won votes on his own accord. People liked him.

Independents are just that, independent. We vote on what makes sense, not party rhetoric. And that should be the lesson here. President Obama needs to understand that. All the Democrats need to as well. And the Republicans. They did not win here. Let's be clear on that. Senator Brown may wear the Republican moniker, but that is not why he won.

Here is some unsolicited advice for the Coakley campaign when she again runs for AG. Talk about your accomplishments. Stay focused. Shake hands with people. Smile more. Take your dogs on the campaign trail with you (this is crucial). Show your husband more. Allow yourself to be little goofy. Understand Boston sports. Surround yourself with positive people. Do not wear black so much. Do not get a truck, it will not help. Talk about yourself, let us get to know you better. Tell me about growing up in North Adams. Remind us why you want to be the Attorney General of our state.

And by all means, apologize to Curt Schilling and to the reporter that was clearly knocked down. Admit to us that things truly did get out of hand and that you were sorry about that.

And move forward. Learn from the past, but keep moving forward. I know this sounds like simple advice. And it is. But sometimes keeping it simple is is the path to victory.