A new fundraising letter from Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts gives a strong hint about how Democrats may try to stir their base to action during the 2010 election season: scare them with the prospect of a Sarah Palin nation."Think GOP obstruction is bad now?" Senator Kerry asks in a fundraising letter sent out Tuesday morning by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Just imagine what Washington would look like if a bunch of new senators -- inspired by Sarah Palin and the tea party crowd -- took over."
In recent months, the political right has been energized by Ms. Palin, whose "Going Rogue" book tour has boosted her favorability rating, and by the Tea Party movement, which has channeled the anger of fiscal conservatives outraged by Obama administration spending. Together, they kindle the worst political fears among many liberals, summoning visions of gun-toting, Glenn Beck-watching, right-wing radicals.
With the Democratic caucus holding 60 seats in the Senate -- exactly the number needed to defeat a Republican filibuster -- Kerry suggested in his letter that "the loss of even one or two would flip crucial votes in their favor and doom President Obama's agenda."