YES and YES and YES and yeah, baby...Ed Markey to run for Kerry's Senate seat

[MADem]

69. Big picture, not a downside. An irritant but not a game-changer.

Abortion is the law of the land; it's unlikely even someone to the right of Scottie on that particular issue is going to have to vote on that in any conceivable (pardon the pun) scenario. Further, the junior Senator from MA, assuming we can pull this out and get someone in there with a (D) after his/her name, will take instruction from the majority leader, or be a one-term senator. Only the very, very wealthy can afford to be "independent mavericks"--the rest of 'em still gotta serve somebody, and they serve the ones who bankroll their campaigns, or who direct other senators to break out their PAC dough in support.

The primary will be a VERY truncated exercise--there won't be a lot of time to spend like crazy. The big draws will be the debates. And of course, that's if the two "others" -- who haven't declared, they're still "exploring"--even bother to run.

They'll have to do a little polling and see how that goes.

I think the two biggest worries in this by-election are getting out the vote, and doing the "name recognition" game outside of eastern MA. And that applies no matter which Dem (unless Deval decided to run) ends up on the ballot.