As Election Day moves beyond the mid-point, there seems to be little optimism – or excitement – in the voices of Democrats here. Early field reports for Democrats suggest turnout is falling below expectations in several key areas, including precincts that are dominated by black voters, the party’s traditionally reliable sector of the electorate. So the president is weighing in through a last-ditch appeal to supporters across the country, asking them to make telephone calls to Massachusetts voters. ... New York Times
Hoyer said he was making “no judgments” about the merits of the Senate legislation over the House, but said emphatically, “I think the Senate bill is clearly better than nothing.” ...The Hill
...On the Street, it's a dollars-and-cents bet by traders that Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, whom less-than-charitable pundits have begun calling "Choakley," is going to lose and the Senate seat will go to Republican candidate Scott Brown. Which is why health stocks are shooting through the roof, leading the major indexes higher.Health stocks such as Aetna, Humana, Merck, Eli Lilly Pfizer and United Health Group all are sharply up today, as traders believe a Brown victory will sap Democratic power in the Senate and dim the prospects of a health-care reform bill they deem costly to health companies. ...WaPo Economy Watch
Caller to liberal talk show quotes a progressive friend: "Obama? He's better than Bush..."
InTrade has Brown at $82 and Coakley at $20.
A little while ago, I got off the phone with one of the smartest and most experienced Massachusetts Democrats I know, and he was not confident that Coakley can pull this out. The race, he said, felt like the 2002 Governor's race between Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Shannon O'Brien, when O'Brien tried and failed to rally the Democratic base in sufficient numbers at the end of the campaign. Romney won that one by five points, picking up many votes along the outer suburban belt near I-495. My informant's fear is that even a big Democratic turnout may not be enough to counter Brown's apparent strength among Independents in the state's middle-of-the road and more conservative suburbs. "I pray that I'm wrong," he added. ... EJ Dionne, WaPo
By midday Tuesday, turnout was reported to be steady in many cities and towns across Massachusetts, as voters go to the polls to fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by the death of Edward M. Kennedy. Phones were ringing off the hook with voter inquiries in Framingham. In New Bedford, election officials expressed disbelief at the constant stream of voters. Similar turnout was reported in East Weymouth, as the parking lot at Pingree School was full as the polls opened at 7 a.m. “This is like a presidential election!,” a poll worker in East Weymouth said. ...WBUR, NPR Boston
