———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Adam Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Subject: Urgent: A Republican in Ted Kennedy’s seat?
To: [Redacted]

Democrats are at risk of losing their 60th Senate seat putting a right-winger in progressive champ Ted Kennedy’s seat and allowing Republicans to block every piece of progressive legislation. The Massachusetts special election is in just 11 days and Democrat Martha Coakley needs your help immediately. Can you contribute $5? Contribute now

Dear MoveOn member,

In 11 days, we could lose progressive hero Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat—and with it, any hope for passing major progressive legislation this year.

A new poll Tuesday showed Democrat Martha Coakley’s lead in the special election to succeed Kennedy is at the edge of the margin of error, and the non-partisan Cook Political Report now says it’s very competitive.¹ And today, some of the people behind the infamous Swift Boat and racist Willie Horton ads are spending $400,000 on a new attack ad. Republican Scott Brown and his extreme right-wing supporters are significantly outspending Coakley on TV.²

A Republican victory here would be a catastrophe—Democrats would lose their 60th vote in the Senate, health care could die, and the Republicans could block pretty much anything they want.

We can’t let a right-winger take over Ted Kennedy’s seat because not enough progressives are paying attention. Coakley urgently needs help before it’s too late. Your contribution in the next 24 hours will help her expand her all-out campaign for victory. Can you contribute $5 to Coakley’s campaign right away?

https://pol.moveon.org/give/coakley_martha.html?id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=3

Martha Coakley will carry on Ted Kennedy’s progressive legacy. In endorsing Coakley, Vicki Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s wife, said, “My husband fought for healthcare reform for more than 40 years. Martha Coakley shares those critical beliefs.” Coakley has also been outspoken against restrictions in the bill on women’s right to choose.³

As Massachusetts Attorney General, Coakley was aggressive in challenging the Wall Street titans who helped bring on the financial crisis, and she recovered tens of millions of dollars for taxpayers and victims of Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and UBS for their deceptive activities.⁴ She’ll be a strong fighter in Washington for tough regulations on the financial industry.

And Republican Scott Brown? He’s a “free enterprise advocate”⁵ who thinks the system works just fine. But he’s giving Coakley a serious challenge. He promised, “As the 41st senator I can stop a lot of this stuff in its tracks….I can actually force them to go back to the drawing board.”⁶ And there are rumors that the Republican Party and the Club for Growth will also begin attack ads on Coakley soon.

And the race is further confused by the presence of a 3rd candidate, named Joe Kennedy, who isn’t related to Ted Kennedy, but is a tea-party extremist. Martha Coakley needs our help to cut through the clutter and get her message out—on TV, at the doors, and on the phones.

At this moment, when Ted Kennedy’s greatest goal in life is within reach, we cannot afford to let Republican extremists snatch away his legacy. Can you help with an urgent contribution of $5? Click here:

https://pol.moveon.org/give/coakley_martha.html?id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=4

Thank you. Sincerely,

–Adam, Kat, Wes, Daniel, and the rest of the team

Sources:

¹ “Election 2010: Massachusetts Special Senate Election,” Rasmussen Reports, Jan. 5, 2010. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85948&id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=5

“Massachusetts Senate: Looking for a Massachusetts Miracle,” The Cook Political Report, Jan. 7, 2010. http://www.cookpolitical.com/node/5698 [subscription required]

² “Brown decries conservative group’s anti-Coakley ad,” Associated Press, Jan. 7, 2010. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85949&id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=6

“Secrets of the American Future Fund,” The Iowa Independent, Aug. 19, 2008. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85950&id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=7

“Massachusetts Senate: Looking for a Massachusetts Miracle,” The Cook Political Report, Jan. 7, 2010. http://www.cookpolitical.com/node/5698 [subscription required]

³ “Coakley basks in political blessings,” The Boston Globe, Jan. 8, 2010. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85951&id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=8

⁴ Martha Coakley, U.S. Senate, accessed Jan. 8, 2010. http://www.marthacoakley.com/about/Issues/details/21

⁵ Scott Brown, United States Senate, accessed Jan. 8, 2010. http://www.brownforussenate.com/issues

⁶ “Health bill at issue in Mass. Special,” Politico, Jan. 7. 2010. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85952&id=18516-17459928-BvwF3Kx&t=9

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Authorized by:
Martha Coakley for Senate
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