1/4: Is Scott Sneaking Up On Martha?

Conservative bloggers are gearing up for the 1/19 special election to fill the MA SEN seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy (D). The rightroots are currently mocking AG Martha Coakley (D) for refusing to debate state Sen. Scott Brown (R) one-on-one. Robert Stacy McCain writes: "With the growing unpopularity of the Obama agenda, Martha is at risk of becoming that rare breed of loser -- a Democrat who gets beat in Massachusetts -- and so she's afraid to answer questions about her record." Righty bloggers are also citing a variety of anecdotal evidence suggesting that Brown has momentum. Patrick Ruffini argues that "conditions right now seem optimal: a fired up Republican / Tea Party base that is stirring beneath the surface, and a complacent Democratic Party." Conservative bloggers are clearly keeping a close eye on this race, but when will a poll be released that justifies their optimism?

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Liberal bloggers (Wheeler, Black, Yglesias) are blasting Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) for his criticism of Obama's response to the attempted Detroit terrorist attack. Other lefty bloggers (Ackerman, Drum, Kleiman, Yglesias) are debating whether or not the attempted attack constituted a major intelligence failure. Meanwhile, conservative bloggers (Erickson, Mirengoff, Allahpundit) are accusing Obama of failing to take the terrorist threat seriously.
• Liberal bloggers (Foser, Aravosis, digby, Benen, Cole, Black) are blasting FOX News pundit Brit Hume for urging Tiger Woods to give up Buddhism and "turn to the Christian faith" for redemption.

MA SEN: An Upset In The Works?

Conservative bloggers perceive momentum for Brown, and they're urging their readers to rally behind him:

• The Next Right's Ruffini: "I don't know that there is a scenario that would show Scott Brown ahead right now, but there are plenty of scenarios I could see that would show this within the margin. And conditions right now seem optimal: a fired up Republican / Tea Party base that is stirring beneath the surface, and a complacent Democratic Party."
• Michelle Malkin: "Sean Trende crunches the numbers and will be 'stunned if Brown wins.' But Patrick Ruffini sees 'evidence Scott Brown is within single digits.' And William Jacobson reports on the grass-roots conservative groundswell for underdog Brown. [...] You can do your part right now. Brown's campaign site is here. His donation page is here. There's a grass-roots 'moneybomb' fundraiser for Brown on January 11. Fight the SEIU and Demcare corruption. Help do the job the national GOP fund-raising organizations won't do. With two weeks until the special election date in Massachusetts, there isn't a moment to waste."
• Legal Insurrection's Jacobson: "Brown has gone viral, is gaining support, and money really is pouring into his campaign, which is astounding because just three weeks ago he was relatively unknown. [...] The best sign that Coakley knows she is in trouble is that she has gone negative, running television ads comparing Brown to George W. Bush. Just more proof that Coakley doesn't get it. The blame Bush tactic worked last year but now people are blaming Obama and the Democrats in Congress. We have seen what a year of Democratic rule means, and people are scared that the wheels are falling off. The political story of 2010? Martha Coakley's political house caught fire while she was on vacation. The only question is, will the house burn to the ground by January 19?"
• McCain: "When even the liberal Boston Globe is complaining about Coakley's disappearing act, you know that reporters are scenting fear. With the growing unpopularity of the Obama agenda, Martha is at risk of becoming that rare breed of loser -- a Democrat who gets beat in Massachusetts -- and so she's afraid to answer questions about her record."
• Dan Riehl: "I don't care what wing of the GOP they're from. If we are going to get America on the right track via Tea Parties and grassroots activism of all stripes, so the people, not the usual politicians are running things, then we have to make history in 2010. Have you checked your calender lately? That's the year we're in, folks. If we're going to make history when we need to, now seems as good a time as any to try and make a start. You can support Scott Brown here via the web."

NRO's Jim Geraghty is more skeptical: "All of these anecdotes might make Republicans think that one of the upsets of the century is in the works. But I'd note a bit of counter-evidence: There's no way the national party committees on both sides don't know the stakes in this race, and so far, neither side has dumped much cash into this race. Also, no one should forget just how steep a climb the GOP has in this race: If Republican Scott Brown doubles his number of votes in the GOP primary (145,465) and if Democrat Martha Coakley gets only the votes that she got in the primary (310,227) ... Coakley still wins by almost 20,000 votes."

Meanwhile, RedState's Moe Lane wants ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to endorse Brown: "I've been thinking about it a bit; and while I can see the arguments both pro and con, I think that it's time that Sarah Palin did [endorse Brown]. You have to speculate to accumulate, after all. So let's light this candle."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: 2009 Words To Banish

Political Wire's Taegan Goddard:

"The 35th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness has been released by Lake Superior State University. Among the 2009 'winners' that played roles in American political discourse: shovel-ready, czar, teachable moment, stimulus, in these economic times, and the Obama-as-prefix construction (Obamacare, Obamanomics)."

LEST WE FORGET: Bush Calls Last Decade 'Tough Act to Follow'

The Huffington Post's Andy Borowitz:

"CRAWFORD, TX (The Borowitz Report) -- The decade just past was 'an awesome one in just about every way' and will be hard to top, according to former President George W. Bush.

In a new interview with the former president, Mr. Bush reflected on the highlights of what he believes will be known as 'The Greaterest Decade.'

'We won the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we made the dream of home ownership available to millions of Americans who couldn't afford their monthly payments,' he said. 'That's going to be a tough act to follow.'

Mr. Bush also said that of all his accomplishments over the past decade, he was proudest of 'improving America's standing around the world.'

'Anywhere you go, people love America,'he said. 'I see this in Crawford every day.'"