Shoot me. I don't have a problem with President Obama giving paid speeches.

[frazzled]

80. I don't live in Massachusetts anymore

but when I did I was involved in Democratic political groups fairly actively, so I kind of know what the MO is there. In typical New England fashion, Massachusetts Democrats (which includes a very wide gamut of positions, from way conservative to Chomsky radical) want to see their legislators work nose to the grindstone on legislation and constituent services (this last is very important to them--you expect your legislators to show up at your Democratic Town Committee meetings and listen to the local needs, to help out groups with their pet projects, etc.). It's very community based.

Unlike Hillary Clinton when she first came to the senate, and kept her head down and listened and worked and kept traveling all around her state to get stuff done for them in Washington, EW came in and wanted a place on the national stage right away. My guess is that the New England ethic does not feel comfortable with showy orators or grandstanders and really wants to see workhorse, Massachusetts-focused representatives. Teddy Kennedy was absolutely revered for the amount of time and resources he put in to working on local projects and showing up at local meetings to listen ... and then followiing through with allocations of staff assistance and going back to Washington to try to get legislation through for some of these local concerns. My guess is that Elizabeth Warren is seen as putting too much time into big, broad national issues, and securing her place in the limelight, and maybe too little time on Massachusetts residents in particular. It's not very New Englandy. Well, I'm just guessing. As I said, I haven't lived there for a dozen years, and I don't know what's going on on the ground with her there, just what I see from afar.