The Other McCain

Martha Coakley’s own internal polling reportedly shows her having lost nine points in one week? Rasmussen shows a 2-point race, Coakley 49% and Brown 47% percent among likely voters.

Yeah, it’s cold in Massachusetts, but the Democrats are starting to sweat now.

Da Tech Guy lives in Massachusetts and just got a pro-Coakley mailer from the state teachers’ union. And the purple people-beaters at SEIU are reportedly planning a $685,000 ad buy attacking Brown.

This comes on the heels of the DNC sending its press secretary Hari Sevugan to spin for Coakley and Brown’s $1.3 million money bomb.

Democrats have just sent a letter to donors admitting, “We have a battle on our hands” and urging contributors to “max out” to the Coakley campaign.

Since I’m planning to go to Massachusetts later this week to cover the campaign, I hope you’ll “max out” to the Shoe Leather Fund. Thanks to Roseanne in Houston, Jeff in Walla Walla and Andy in L.A. for their contributions today.

UPDATE: Donald Douglas at American Power comments that Coakley’s response in Monday’s debate reveal her to be utterly clueless about the war on terrorism.

UPDATE II: Sean Miller of The Hill reports:

DNC deputy political director Maureen Garde has been dispatched to western Massachusetts, state party officials said. DNC press secretary Hari Sevugan and DSCC media consultant Michael Meehan are now based in Boston until the Jan. 19 vote. . . .
Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO held an urgent conference call Monday with its national and Massachusetts-based political operation. . . .

Yeah, make ’em sweat it. Win, lose or draw, the mere fact that Democrats are having to go all-out to hold onto Ted Kennedy’s seat is a conservative victory. And Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.

Byron York of the Washington Examiner reports that Democratic campaign operative Hari Sevugan is trying to “Palinize” the special Senate election in Massachusetts, where polls show Republican Scott Brown gaining ground on Democrat Martha Coakley:

Sevugan directed journalists to his response to the “blatant dodge by the Scott Brown campaign on the issue of whether he is seeking and/or if he would accept an endorsement from Sarah Palin.”

Clifton at Another Black Conservative says, “The whole thing reeks of desperation,” and it certainly looks like Sevugan and the Democrats are trying to change the subject from Martha Coakley, her record and her stance on the issues.

So, who is Hari Sevugan? He’s the 35-year-old press secretary at the Democratic National Committee, which makes him the de facto deputy to the DNC’s communication director. In the 2008 presidential campaign, Sevugan worked for the Chris Dodd campaign and joined Team Obama after Dodd dropped out:

Initially, he received the “Hillary Clinton Account,” and was in charge of rapid response against the former first lady. After the primary, he took aim at GOP nominee and vice presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Alaska Gov.Sarah Palin (R).

That’s from a Washington Post profile of Sevugan, which was promoted by Greg Sargent when it was published in March 2008. York’s story indicates that Sevugan is having some success using TPM and TPM alumnus Sargent to push his “Where’s Sarah Palin?” message to national media covering the Massachusetts campaign.

If you’re guessing that Sevugan, Sargent and the TPM crew are beer-buddies, you’re not alone. But there’s no indication that that the Palin angle is being picked up by local media in Massachusetts, so the Sevugan/Sargent/TPM connection evidently isn’t having much effect.

Meanwhile, Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey sees more evidence that Democrats are pushing the panic button, dumping more than a half-million dollars into last-minute TV ads to support the sinking Coakley.

Fausta Wertz dubs Scott Brown “sexiest man of the year.” Hey, $1.3 million in one day — that’s sexy. More at Memeorandum and NTC News.