John Edwards, already ranking as the most unpopular person ever in North Carolina, makes the least surprising baby-daddy anouncement in history.

As Chris Cillizza points out, the announcement has zero political impact. It's simply tabloid fodder.

Meanwhile, in other news about formerly popular people whose lives were destroyed by a lack of zipper control, Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times has some deets on Tiger Woods' stay at sex rehab:

Woods has been calling his wife, Elin Nordegren Woods, daily at her new, rented home in Florida. According to a source close to the golfer's estranged wife, she grills him at length during each call -- asking him about his daily progress in therapy -- before she lets him talk to their children.

• While at Pine Grove, Woods has been reading a lot of books dealing with spirituality -- mainly Buddhist and Christian, but also at least one book on Kabbalah.

Hellooooo! Madonna!

Tiger should probably keep his distance from Madonna. Just sayin'. Thus concludes the tabloid portion of our program today.

Even some of the most partisan liberals understand that voters in Massachusetts sent a pretty clear message on Tuesday night. Rep. Anthony Weiner got it. Even liberal columnist Joan Vennochi of the Boston Globe, who served throughout the campaign as an extension of Martha Coakley's press office, got the message.

But if you peruse the various statements coming out of the White House, up to and including the President himself, it's not nearly as clear that members of this administration have gotten the message from Tuesday night.

Yesterday morning David Axelrod made a number of media appearances where he declared that stopping the push for health care would be "the worst possible outcome" and "was not an option."

At the press briefing yesterday Robert Gibbs responded to questions about Tuesday night's vote by saying things like the following:

"the President hears and understands the anger.  It's very similar to what he heard and understood -- has heard and understood for many years.  It is important to the President that we continue to push forward on the priorities of fighting for what's important to the middle class...

...it's a lot of what we heard in Iowa, right?  It was a lot of what we heard in the general election.  It was a lot of what, quite frankly, he heard as a U.S. senator...

...we can and should get health care reform done this year...

...the President would be the first to tell you that the pace in changing the way Washington works he is not satisfied in.

Mitch Stewart, the director of Obama's grassroots organization, sent out an email to supporters on Wednesday that began, "Yesterday's disappointing election results show deep discontent with the pace of change."

And the President himself, in an interview yesterday with George Stephanopoulos, seemed to subscribe to a similar interpretation of Tuesday night:

OBAMA: The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But it sounds like you're saying -- no second thoughts on your fundamental strategy?

OBAMA: Well look, what I would say is that first of all, I wish we had gotten it done faster because I think that if we had gotten health care done faster, people would have understood the degree to which every single day George, health care is part of a broader context of how am I going to be able to move the middle class forward in a more secure and stable way...

Put all of these things together and it certainly seems that the lesson the White House appears to have taken away from Tuesday night is that voters are not upset with Obama's policies, they are upset with the slow 'pace of change' coming out of Washington and the fact that those policies (like the stimulus, for example) have not manifested themselves in a positive way in people's everyday lives.  Ergo, the best thing the White House can do in the aftermath of Tuesday is to continue to move forward as fast as possible with its agenda - including passing health care - and do a better job of communicating the benefits of that agenda to the public.

The problem, obviously, is that the real message from Tuesday night is almost exactly the opposite: the man who ran explicitly to provide the 41st vote to stop the jamming through of health care and to be "an independent voice" won by five points in one of the most reliably blue states in the nation against a woman who was 100% behind Barack Obama's agenda.

Maybe this is all just the President and his staff spinning, putting the best possible face on a politically disastrous loss.  But - and this is what should scare a lot of Democrats who are up for reelection this year - maybe it isn't.

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Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched parties on the eve of President Obama's 100th day in office, maintains a strong lead over Democratic primary foe Joe Sestak in a new Rasmussen poll (421 LVs, 1/18, MoE +/- 5%) released on this one-year anniversary of Obama's taking office.

Primary Election Matchup
Specter 53 (+5 vs. last poll, 12/8)
Sestak 32 (-3)
Und 11 (-3)

On the topic of health care reform, Rasmussen finds this interesting nugget inside the poll:

While Sestak opted to challenge Specter from the political left, arguing that he was the “real” Democrat in the race, 70% of those who Strongly Favor the health care plan support Specter, while 56% who Strongly Oppose it support his opponent.

Favorable Ratings (Democrats Only)
Specter 67 / 31
Sestak 54 / 24

Specter had a 16 point lead over Sestak in the RCP Average prior to this poll's release.

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CBS News Radio's Mark Knoller, the unofficial statistician of the White House press corps, has posted some great nuggets on President Obama's first year in office.

One especially timely one is the notation that the campaigner-in-chief attended 28 political fundraisers and seven campaign rallies since he took the oath. Those seven rallies were for three losing candidates, of course -- four for former NJ Gov. Jon Corzine (D), two for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, and one for Martha Coakley, the losing candidate in the Massachusetts special election.

Before Tuesday, the White House had advertised that Obama would have a vigorous campaign schedule in 2010. The question now is how many candidates are eager to bring the president in on their behalf.

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When we last heard from former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R), he said the results of the New Jersey governor election were encouraging to him as he considered a potential rematch in 2010 with Gov. Martin O'Malley. Surely the result in Massachusetts last night give him further reason to jump back into the fray in equally blue Maryland. But a new poll from Gonzales Research (816 RVs, 1/13-17, MoE +/- 3.5%) shows that Ehrlich would start with some ground to make up.

General Election Matchup
O'Malley (D) 48 (-1 vs. last poll, 9/8-17)
Ehrlich (R) 39 (+1)
Und 13 (unch)

Independents, which have swung overwhelmingly to Republicans in the elections in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia, still narrowly favor O'Malley by a margin of 39-36 percent. When Ehrlich was elected governor in 2002, he received support from 30 percent of Democrats. This poll shows only 16 percent would cross and support the Republican this time.

Both President Obama and O'Malley have maintained positive job approval scores, though O'Malley remains below 50 percent -- a red flag for any incumbent. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D), also facing re-election this fall, remains immensely popular.

Job Approval
Pres. Obama 56 / 30
O'Malley 46 / 36
Mikulski 64 / 23

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Claire McCaskill joins Jim Webb in saying the Senate should not rush anything through until Scott Brown is seated.

The electoral fallout of the Massachusetts special Senate election won't crystallize for several months, but its effect on health care could be known as soon as today.

Before the polls closed last night, House Democrats were steadfast in their belief that Congress would pass health care even if Republican Scott Brown won. However, Senate Democrats will meet today to discuss their options going forward.

There were rumors before Tuesday that Democrats could attempt to ram through a bill before Brown's election became official, which could take at least 10 days. However, there does not appear to be support for that within the Democratic Caucus.

"It would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated," Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) said last night.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), no moderate, agreed with Webb: "I feel strongly that the Democratic majority in Congress must respect the process and make no effort to bypass the electoral results."

Senate Republicans are holding a press conference at 11 a.m., and will likely say the same thing.

11:35pm -- A somewhat stunning statement from Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): "If Coakley had won, I believe we could have worked out a reasonable compromise between the House and Senate health care bills. But Since Brown has won and the GOP now has 41 votes in hte Senate, that approach is no longer appropriate. I am hopeful that some GOP Senators will be willing to discuss a revised version of health care reform because i do not think the country would be well served by the health care status quo. But our respect for Democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a health care bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened. I hope there will be a serious effort to change the senate rule which means that 59 votes are not enough to pass major legislation, but those are the rules by which the health care bill was considered and it would be wrong to change them in the middle of this process." - Mike Memoli

10:56pm -- PA Sen candidate/Rep. Joe Sestak: "The message to Democrats is clear. People have had enough of establishment politics on both sides, such as Senator Specter's party switch after 30 years as a Republican in order to save his job. The people are looking for a new generation of accountable leadership." - Kyle Trygstad

10:42pm -- Brown gives big shout out to Mitt Romney. Some props to McCain as well. - Tom Bevan

10:38pm -- Reax from Harry Reid: “The people of Massachusetts have spoken. We welcome Scott Brown to the Senate and will move to seat him as soon as the proper paperwork has been received. I want thank Senator Paul Kirk for his tremendous service over the last few months. His service to the people of Massachusetts in the place of his friend, Senator Ted Kennedy, was brief but honorable.

“While Senator-elect Brown's victory changes the political math in the Senate, we remain committed to strengthening our economy, creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access affordable health care. We hope that Scott Brown will join us in these efforts. There is much work to do to address the problems Democrats inherited last year, and we plan to move full speed ahead.

“Regardless of the size of their minority caucus, Senate Republicans have always had an obligation to join us in governing our nation through these difficult times. Today's election doesn't change that; In fact it is now more important than before for Republicans to work with us rather than against us if we are to find common ground that improves Americans' lives.” - Tom Bevan

10:31pm -- Twenty bucks says the GOP replaces its slogan "Drill, Baby, Drill" with "Gas Up the Truck." - Tom Bevan

10:27pm -- Democratic polling firm PPP's 3 takeaways from tonight: 1) This was a repudiation of Barack Obama; 2) Republicans win when they nominate mainstream candidates; 3) Voters hate both parties right now and that's to the GOP's advantage. - Tom Bevan

10:25pm - Interesting to see Mitt Romney gets a speaking slot before Brown tonight. He looks to own Brown win -- Mike Memoli
10:22pm -- Sarah Palin posted a congratulatory note to her Facebook page a few hours ago anticipating a Brown victory: "Congratulations to the new Senator-elect from Massachusetts! Scott Brown's victory proves that the desire for real solutions transcends notions of “blue state” and “red state”. Americans agree that we need to hold our politicians accountable and bring common sense to D.C." - Tom Bevan

10:18pm -- Adding insult to injury, WBZ-TV reports that Scott Brown carried Ted Kennedy's home precinct in Hyannis -- Mike Memoli

10:14pm -- The piling on continues. Gilbert Baker, the Republican challenging Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas, issues a statement saying, "“Congratulations to Scott Brown for his impressive win in Massachusetts. Even President Obama himself couldn't stop the will of the people, painting the bluest of the blue states red. The huge voter turnout is a clear indication that the wave of discontent among voters is at an all time high. Bay State voters, like people across America, are fed up with Obama's big-government agenda and are speaking from the ballot box. I will be a check and balance to the democratic leadership in Washington. Blanche Lincoln should look at this and realize if Democrats can't win in Massachusetts, she can't win in Arkansas.” - Tom Bevan

10:08pm -- Norah O'Donnell reports that just about every Democratic House member she's talked to says they do not have the appetite to pass the Senate bill as is. - Tom Bevan

10:07pm -- A question for Coakley, clearly humbled by tonight's loss: does she run for re-election in November? Will Democrats even let her run unopposed? -- Mike Memoli

10:02pm -- From Robert Gibbs: "This evening the President spoke to both candidates in the hard-fought Massachusetts Senate race. The President congratulated Senator Brown on his victory and a well-run campaign. The President told Senator Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation." -- Mike Memoli

10:01pm -- Coakley concession speech: "I will never forget the energy, and the passion, and the soul that we brought to this." Also thanked President Obama, who called her and said, "We can't win them all." - Kyle Trygstad

9:59pm -- More from Rasmussen's election day poll: 52% of Brown voters say health care was the most important issue in determining their vote. 63% of Coakley voters say the same. - Mike Memoli

9:56pm -- Watching Martha Coakley all I can wonder is what Deval Patrick is thinking. Probably something like, "Holy crap. My days are numbered." - Tom Bevan

9:53pm -- The statement from Webb and the earlier comments from Evan Bayh indicate moderate Senate Dems have seen enough. But what about Pelosi? Is she going to continue with the "full speed ahead, business as usual" shtick? It's hard to imagine that we won't see some House Blue Dogs come out with some serious push back after they digest what just happened in Massachusetts. In other words, it's hard to see how the entire health care push doesn't collapse. - Tom Bevan

9:48pm -- And boom goes the dynamite: here's a statement from Sen. Jim Webb: "It would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated." -- Mike Memoli

9:47pm -- Norah O'Donnell of MSNBC reports the Brown campaign says Obama just called to congratulate the new junior Senator from Massachusetts. - Tom Bevan

9:45pm -- Speaking of 2012, Ed Carson says tonight was a big victory for Mitt Romney as well. - Tom Bevan

9:44pm -- From 2012 ranks, Tim Pawlenty: "[Brown's] victory is an inspiration to conservatives across the country to continue our fight for freedom from an overbearing federal government." -- Mike Memoli

9:43pm - From the ranks of other long-shot Republicans, Rick Lazio tells supporters in an e-mail tonight: "I am proud to let you know that the same campaign team that handled Scott Brown's race in Massachusetts is intimately involved with our campaign here in New York." -- Mike Memoli

9:40pm -- EMILY's List: "Every one of us who believes in President Obama's agenda and progressive change got a real wake-up call today." -- Mike Memoli

9:38pm -- Well, for now I am going to call it a night. Tonight in many ways gives more questions than answers. I think the biggest one is: Are there other Democratic Senators in trouble that we don't know about yet? I wonder how Evan Bayh, Russ Feingold and Patty Murray are doing. Their opponents are all pretty obscure (and Feingold's opponent has legal troubles), but their states are all a lot more Republican than Massachusetts. Recruiting over the next few days should be interesting, as I'm guessing there's a lot of state Senators out there who think they could be the next Scott Brown. - Sean Trende

9:36pm -- Spin cycle on full blast: "We only had 59 senators to start with, and that's what we have now." That was Howard Dean on MSNBC, noting Arlen Specter's party switch. - Kyle Trygstad

9:34pm -- Is there any doubt who the GOP asks to deliver the State of the Union response? Brown seems like a slam-dunk choice. -- Mike Memoli

9:32pm -- It's still hard to figure out how Coakley lost. She appeared to be hitting her targets or even doing better in places like Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, etc., and she did well in a lot of the outer suburban towns. She didn't look so strong in the more blue collar towns; that probably made the difference -- Sean Trende

9:31pm -- GOP reax from RGA chair/Gov. Haley Barbour: "On the heels of Chris Christie's win in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, Scott Brown's breakthrough in Massachusetts proves that Republican candidates can be successful throughout the Northeast and across the country this fall." -- Mike Memoli

9:28pm -- Reaction and spinning begins. First to bat is DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen. "House Democrats have been preparing since day one last year for what we knew historically would be a very challenging election cycle. After winning five straight competitive Special Elections, the DCCC knows first hand how difficult they are and we are not taking anything for granted this cycle."

DSCC chair Robert Menendez: "“In the days ahead, we will sort through the lessons of Massachusetts: the need to redouble our efforts on the economy, the need to show that our commitment to real change is as powerful as it was in 2008, and the reality that we cannot take a single thing for granted and cannot afford even a second of complacency." -Kyle Trygstad

9:23pm -- Scott Brown's daughter Ayla, of American Idol fame, just announced to the ballroom that Martha Coakley conceded. The crowd exploded -- Mike Memoli

9:21pm -- AP calls it. Coakley has apparently called Brown and conceded. With 71% in, Brown leads 53 to 46. - Tom Bevan

9:19pm -- Here's a question: Would Rep. Michael Capuano have fared any better in the general than Coakley. Remember what he told the House Dem Caucus when he returned to Congress after losing the primary: "You're screwed." -Kyle Trygstad

9:18pm -- The Boston Globe reports that Coakley has called Brown to concede the Senate race -- Mike Memoli

9:14pm -- A bit of history: only 2 states have had all-Democratic Senate delegations longer than Massachusetts: Hawaii (since 1977) and West Virginia (since 1959). - Mike Memoli

9:08pm -- Mitt Romney, speaking on Fox News from Brown HQ: People are responding to the "attitude of arrogance" from "neo-monarchists" in Washington -- Mike Memoli

9:05pm -- Ouch. O'Brien beat Romney 67%-29% in working class Fall River. Coakley was 57%-41%. Double ouch. New Bedford is 59%-39% Coakley. These working class towns are making up for relatively mediocre Brown showings in the suburbs. - Sean Trende

9:03pm -- With close to 60% in, Brown is up 53%-46%. Boston is 1/3 of the way in. Coakley's going to start running out of votes soon. - Sean Trende

9:00pm -- Good county-by-county results map at the NYT. - Tom Bevan

8:51pm For what it's worth, Bostonian Howie Carr says on Fox that Brown is a lock to win. - Tom Bevan

8:50pm -- Wow, Dracut loves them some Scott Brown. 70%-30%, versus 59%-36% for Romney. - Sean Trende

8:48pm -- So much for Joe Kennedy as a spoiler. He's getting barely 1% of the vote right now. Cook Report's Jennifer Duffy points out on Twitter: There are NO uninformed voters turning out -- Mike Memoli

8:47pm -- About 1/4 of precincts are in, and Brown is back down to a 52%-47% lead. Boston is about 10% in now, and Coakley is still running behind there. I wish I knew where these precincts are located. -- Sean Trende

8:46pm -- Ben Smith obtained an internal Coakley memo today, blaming national Democrats for the loss. It's basically talking points for why the (potential) loss is not the campaign's or candidate's fault. -Kyle Trygstad

8:44pm -- With 21% in, it is a 53%-46% Brown lead. Brown is running a few points ahead of Romney's total out in Woburn. - Sean Trende

8:40pm -- Interesting. Boston precincts are starting to trickle in. With about 5% reporting, Coakley's up 51%-48%. - Sean Trende

8:39pm -- 363 of the 2168 precincts are in, and Brown is holding steady at a 52%-47% lead. - Sean Trende

8:39pm -- The Doug Flutie Band is playing at Brown headquarters in Boston. The candidate himself is watching returns in his hotel room. Also on site: Mitt Romney, who figures to capitalize on a Brown win. - Mike Memoli

8:36pm -- Numbers. Blurring. Together. In Concord, Brown is running well BEHIND Romney. 61%-38% for Coakley versus 48/45 Romney. Incidentally, the focus on Romney's coalition is because that's the only close race that CNN has up on its website. Quick access to data. Obviously, if Brown overperforms in Boston or Worcester, it might not matter if he runs behind Romney in the 'burbs. -- Sean Trende

8:33pm -- Nancy Pelosi told reporters earlier today that Congress will pass health care no matter what happens in Massachusetts. -Kyle Trygstad

8:30pm -- The Caucus reports that "Democrats were studying turnout models and disappointed by what appeared to be lower-than-expected turnout in minority precincts, which typically trend Democratic." - Tom Bevan

8:28pm -- Romney won Sudbury 58%-37%. Coakley just carried it 51%-48%. 52%-47% Brown with just under 10% in. But Boston hasn't started reporting yet. - Sean Trende

8:27pm -- Liberal Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) says just the possibility that Coakley could lose should be enough of a sign that Dems should step back and say the party hears what the voters are saying. - Kyle Trygstad

8:26pm -- In suburban Framingham, Brown is running 57%-42%, which is a bit ahead of Romney's 2002 showing. Only about half the precincts are in, though. - Sean Trende

8:23pm -- Incidentally, Olbermann WAS joking about apologizing to Brown. - Tom Bevan

8:22pm -- With 4% in, it is down to a 52%-47% lead for Brown - Sean Trende

8:21pm -- In Concord, Brown is running well ahead of Romney. 61%-38% for Coakley versus 48/45 Romney. - Sean Trende

8:19pm -- Results are tricking in. With 36 precincts -- almost 2% ! -- Brown is still at 55%-45%. Ashland is in, giving Brown a 54%-45% lead. Romney won it 59%-36%. Unless Brown is putting together a different coalition than Romney's, he's in trouble. - Sean Trende

8:18pm -- County by county results here. - Tom Bevan

8:16pm -- Keith Olbermann about to issue apology to Brown on MSNBC. It doesn't appear he's joking. - Tom Bevan

8:15pm -- The town of Bolton is all the way in. It is 57%-42% for Brown. In 2002, it went 61%-32% for Romney. Not a great sign for Brown. - Sean Trende

8:14pm -- We have our first results. Scattered precincts in some smaller towns are showing a 55-44 Brown win. Seven down, 2,161 to go. By the way, Massachusetts, like most New England states, reports by city, not county. That makes election analysis especially painful, unless you know the state really well. - Sean Trende

8:12pm -- An election-day poll from Rasmussen found that 22 percent of Democrats voted for Brown. A hint of good news for Coakley: among those who decided in final days, she leads 47-41% -- Mike Memoli

8:07pm -- High turnout across the state which most think benefits Brown but could also theoretically be helping Coakley as well. - Tom Bevan

8:03pm -- What will be the bigger headline tomorrow in Boston? Coakley/Brown Wins. Or Red Sox Re-Sign Jonathan Papelbon. --Kyle Trygstad

8:01pm -- No election would be complete without charges of ballot tampering. - Tom Bevan

7:56pm -- The polls haven't even closed yet but already we've heard some talking heads put "Scott Brown" and "2012" in the same sentence (and not because he'd have to run for re-election then). Politico (link) flags this item putting Brown as a 20-1 shot to win the GOP nomination. And for the record, by election day 2012 Brown will have served in statewide office for longer than Sarah Palin (depending on when Democrats would seat him, of course) -- Mike Memoli

7:55pm -- As we wait for the polls to close, it's worth taking a moment just to marvel at the fact that it is worthwhile to conduct a liveblog of the Massachusetts special election. Obviously the polling has been kind to Scott Brown, but predicting turnout in these elections is notoriously difficult. This should be a fun, fascinating night. - Sean Trende

7:53pm -- The Coakley campaign called a press conference earlier today to raise voters' awareness of voting irregularities -- ballots pre-marked for Brown. However, Sec. of State William Galvin said only a half-dozen around the state were found. The Brown campaign called them "reckless accusations." - Kyle Trygstad

7:48pm -- The polls don't close for another 10 minutes or so, but ABC News reports that Evan Bayh is warning his fellow Democrats that ignoring the lessons of the Mass race could “lead to even further catastrophe” for his party. - Tom Bevan

7:45pm -- Welcome to what is bound to be an exciting evening. - Tom Bevan

The mood of the country was as low as possible a little more than a year ago, just before Barack Obama was elected president. By April 2009, however, three months after he took office, the number of people who felt the country was headed in the right direction actually equaled those who felt it was on the wrong track. Since then, though, that number has been moving back in a negative direction, as a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey finds.

According to the poll, 34% say the country is headed in the right direction and 54% say it's on the wrong track. The poll shows voters may take out their frustration in the midterm elections, as they are split evenly at 41% between wanting a GOP- or Dem-controlled Congress -- the first time Republicans have tied the Dems since Dec. 2003. And for the fourth survey in a row since September, 49% say they would prefer a new person represent them in Congress.

For the second month in a row, Obama's job approval rating is below 50% -- 48% approve, 43% disapprove. Fewer approve of the way he's handling the economy (43%) and health care (38%), while more (50%) approve of his handling of foreign policy.

Obama now has a 49.3% RCP Average job approval rating.

Just 33% say "Obama's health care plan" is a good idea, while 46% say it's a bad idea. That's mostly unchanged from last month.

The public's approval of Congress continues to decline -- it's now 21% after peaking at 31% in February 2009, the highest it had been in nearly two years. On health care, 26% approve of the way Republicans in Congress are handling the issue.

Both parties continue to be viewed unfavorably -- 38% hold a positive view of Democrats, 30% view Republicans positively. Obama's positive rating remains below 40% for the second month in a row.

Pollster John Zogby, seeking to clarify a prediction he made on Sean Hannity's radio show yesterday, says his statement that Martha Coakley might win was just a "hunch." Here's the original clip.

In a statement to RCP, Zogby now says he has "no idea what is going to happen." The full statement:

You all know the story of the seven blind men and the elephant. It all depends what you feel and how you sense it. I have seen some blogs following my discussion on Sean Hannity's Radio Show yesterday (January 18) where he asked what I “think” is going to happen in Massachusetts. I told him I didn't know. I don't think that the polls that are out have gotten to measure the full impact of President's visit. But I also think that the Democrats have a better get-out-the-vote operation. There are lots of variables but at the moment I thought Martha Coakley “might win” by less than a point.

That, my friends, is a hunch. I have not polled Massachusetts on this race and I have stated that Coakley has run an arrogant, aloof campaign – while Scott Brown has defied expectations.

In the full interests of truth: I have no idea what is going to happen. Actually no one does. Some have data that suggests – that often enough has been me. Others have no data and still suggest. This time that is me.

I am so proud of my record over the years. I am so gratified that so many people care what I think. But this particular time it is based on a hunch. We will see.

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