FITCHBURG, Mass. -- St. Anthony of Padua
Church has traditionally served an Italian blue-collar
congregation and the politicial views of those in the pews at 8
a.m. mass may not be indicative of all Catholics in
Massachusetts. With that disclaimer, however, Martha Coakley may
be on the verge of the most brutal Catholic backlash
since the Inquisition.
The Democratic attorney general's
adamant support of late-term abortion obviously puts her at
odds with faithful Catholics, but many of those attending morning
mass -- including lifelong Democrats -- were harshly critical of
Coakley in other ways. Her round-the-clock
negative ad blitz against Republican Scott Brown was
repeatedly mentioned as "awful" and "horrible."
Other parishioners expressed indignation at
Coakley's remark to WBSM radio host Ken Pittman about the
"conscience clause" for pro-life healthcare workers: "You can
have religious freedom but you probably shouldn't work in the
emergency room." And not a few Red Sox fans were outraged by the
Democrats' ignorant assertion that Boston baseball legend
Curt Schilling is a Yankees fan. (My
host here has his own blog post about this morning's
reaction.)
This was an unscientific survey, of course, and the
latest polls (reportedly including
Coakley's own interal polls) indicate Brown just beginning
to establish a narrow lead, but the plural of anecdote
is data and there is abundant evidence that the Republican's
supporters have far more enthusiasm and energy than
Coakley's demoralized and gaffe-prone campaign.
More than 500 Brown boosters turned out Saturday night in
Middleboro, cheering the candidate as he concluded the first
day of a three-day "Bold New Leadership"
bus tour.
