Michael Meehan

Stuart Rothenberg today cites Dem "desperation," Coakley's inability to own "change" message as annointed Democratic successor to Kennedy, and Brown's winning of "earned media" as reasons to change the race from "Narrow Advantage for the Incumbent Party to Toss-Up."

In response to continued momentum for the Brown campaign, Democrats are leaning hard on negative advertising and the Kennedy card. Kennedy's widow has reportedly cut an ad for Coakley, and the Senate Democratic Communications Center has released this 6-minute snoozer of a web video urging everyone to do it for Teddy. 

Brown, on the other hand, released this ad today, which has the same above-the-fray tone as his kitchen ad, and is entitled "Momentum:"

Jim Geraghty wonders if Scott Brown will teach other GOP candidates to make good commercials, and adds:

Massachusetts readers say they've never seen the airwaves so suddenly and totally inundated with negative ads as they have in the past day or so. Maybe this will work for Coakley; on paper, in a heavily Democratic state, it should. But in the end, an avalanche of attack ads could only help Jon Corzine so much, and in the case of Creigh Deeds, it probably was counterproductive.

A remorseful Michael P. Meehan called today to apologize (see here for background).

He said: “I just want to say to you that I’m sorry. And I’d just like to apologize. I appreciate your calling me back. I don’t want to make a big federal case out of it.”

He continued: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were a reporter because you didn’t have any credentials, so I apologize for not knowing you were a reporter.”