this for ted kennedy's senate seat. the republican scott brown maintaining a significant lead, 53% to 46%. he's got a lead of about 100,000 votes, larry, so far. there are still plenty of precincts left out there, but it's become increasingly more and more difficult to see a way she can narrow that 100,000 gap right now. but we'll wait. we'll count the votes together with everyone else and see what happens. but this republican is getting ready, it looks like, for a huge upset, larry. >> larry: i'm not an expert, but it's going to take something in that last 30%. back we go to port-au-prince and ivan watson. we had a bad signal earlier, ivan. what were you telling us about that body coming out? >> this was a priest that was pulled out, and it was a very touching moment, larry, where the mexican rescue team which helped save a woman earlier today at this very location, they knelt and prayed along with the participation of a catholic nun over the body of this priest with a rosary placed on his body. the procession is under

on health care, brown wants to be the deciding vote to kill ted kennedy's legislation. >> warner: but brown appeared to get another boost from monday night's debate with coakley and third party candidate joe kennedy, no relation to the late senator. coakley painted brown as a conservative in the mold of george w. bush. >> he wants to go back to the drawing board. he wants to go back to those bush/cheney policies that provide for the wealthiest. >> warner: brown painted coakley as a liberal rubber-stamp for president obama. >> you're in favor of cap and trade. it's a tax. >> it's not a tax. >> it's a tax. you're in favor of a bill that will cost a billion dollars... >> warner: moderator david gergen asked brown if he'd use "ted kennedy's seat" to block health care legislation that kennedy had championed. >> with all due respect, it's not the kennedys' seat, and it's not the democrats' seat-- it's the people's seat. >> warner: in the closing days, senior massachusetts senator john kerry has emailed supporters for donations to coakley's campaign. and president obama recorded an internet

. >> senator ted kennedy. >> monica. >> four towering conservative minds, bob novak, jim kemp, and billapphire. >> two of the journalistic figures and fortunately, they didn't live to see the decline of newspapers in america. i'm sorry to see them go. >> i would echo all of the above and sorry to see you go, senator ted kennedy. democrats and republicans feel his absence. okay, 15 minutes of fame. pat. >> the salahi's. >> now, they were the gate crashers. >> the unwanted guests at the white house. >> eleanor. >> i would agree, the red sorry. >> monica. >> tiger woods numerous extramarital friends. >> tom delay dancing on dancing with the stars, saying it is connecting him to his feminine side. >> 15 minutes of side has to go to the salahi's. the gate crashers of the white house. their story is going to be spun out further. we haven't heard the end of them. best spin of the year, pat. >> i am resigning because i want to spend more time with my family. >> eleanor. >> president obama and his nobel speech, swearing the circle between committed more troops to afghanistan the just war. it was

kennedy and his brother ted.oudly -- let me say proudly take up the duty you have given me, i promise to do my very, very best for massachusetts and america every time the role is called. [cheers and applause] i go to washington as the representative of no faction, for no special interests, answering only to my conscience and to you, the people. [applause] however, i know i have a lot to learn in the senate: but i know who i am and who i serve. i'm scott brown. i'm from wrentham. and i drive a truck! [cheers and applause] let me just say in conclusion, first of all, thank you from the bottom of me and my family's hearts for your continued support. i'm nobody's senator. i am nobody's senator except yours. thank you! [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> ♪ i got a feeling that tonight's going to be a good night tonight's going to be a good, good night a feeling that tonight's going to be a good night that tonight's going to be a good nigh

. >> in massachusetts, the numbers are narrowing -- >> for ted kennedy apostasy. -- ted kennedy's sea. >> the pennsylvania seat held by all inspector could be in jeopardy, to -- heldy arlen specter could be in jeopardy, too. >> we have republicans -- have a bunch of republicans leaving. >> chris van hollen, you had on, democratic chairman of the house campaign committee -- when republicans had a big year in 1994, picked up 52 house seats, 30 of those seats were open seats -- that is, they were retired in spirit 95% of incumbents still get reelected, and in bad times were good times. the good chance for the party to take over a seat is when there is open -- when it is open, no incumbent. up until now, democratic retirements are limited. >> could i add one thing on chris dodd and his swan song? i thought it was a gracious speech, and unusual in a classy way that he admitted that one of the reasons he is leaving is because he is in trouble, and secondly, where he said help that it is one of the people who step out of politics -- how pathetic it is that other people is about politics say

ted kennedy's seat in the u.s. senate which he occupied for 46 years until his death last year has been won by a republican, scott brown, defeated democrat martha cokely in a special election which changed a lot of things including the balance of power and president obama's agenda, which could well be in jeopardy. with us in this first segment of this special hour, wolf blitzer the anchor of "situation room" and john king the anchor of "state of the union," jessica yellen is at the coakley headquarters at the scherr ton hotel in boston and dana bash, cnn's senior congressional correspondent. how did brown win, wolf? >> he got out the independents. he was impressive in doing that, convincing a lot of independents and probably a lot of democrats at the same time that he would be a better united states senator. it was an uphill struggle. it was only a few weeks ago, larry, that everybody assumed that ted kennedy's seat would be -- remain in democratic hands, martha coakley was a pretty popular attorney general. she ha

and republic has taken ted kennedy's senate seat. democrats, call 202-737-0002, republicans, 202-737-0001. if you are an independent, call 202-628-0205. some of the other headlines on the front page here say, frustration with the status quo fuels emotions and turnout. a rebellious air sweeps even kennedy turf, a story from hyannisport there. scott brown 1, 51.9% of the vote. martha coakley, 47.1%. and joe kennedy won that one percent -- that 1%. that is from "the boston globe." if you look at the "boston herald," their right that a revolution begins. it was the second time in massachusetts history, the shot heard round the world from coast to coast and surely in the halls of congress. scott brown won this one fair and square with his down-to- earth charm, hard work, and his forthright position on issues. with the help of that much disparaged by the opposition pickup truck. he was the right candidate at the right time with the right message, and that message is one that the white house and congressional democrats can no longer ignore.

ted kennedy was always on your side. and so many of the battles that led to this commonwealth and this nation forward. martha knows the struggles that massachusetts working families face because she has lived those struggles. those stories are her story. you heard her. she was raised one of five kids, her father had a small business. her mother was a homemaker. she worked her way up. she became a lawyer not to cash yen but to get hard working people a fair shake. she became a lawyer to fight for families, like the one that she grew up in, families who are the backbone of this commonwealth and of this nation. and that is what she has done. look at her record. as a prosecutor, she took on cases most of us don't even want to think about. putting murderers and child abusers away. as attorney general, she took on wall street and recovered millions for the massachusetts taxpayers. took on predatory lenders that are taking advantage of massachusetts families. she went after big insurance companies that misled people into buying

in a ted kennedy seat. that's a travesty.: why do you think that martha coakley lost the wide lead that she had coming into this race? caller: honestly this weekend i was pretty much all around the state and it just seemed like all you heard on the -- especially the radio, was nothing but scott brown ads. but scott brown adds. everything was him all weekend. and i think what helped it, too, was that we have -- three weeks ago she had a 40% side lead. so, nobody ever expected to say, i don't think, to ever go republican. i don't think nobody really in massachusetts thought that scott brown had a chance. but i would like to say to the people of massachusetts, we put scott brown in and definitely you are telling people that we are giving away a woman's right to choose. everybody remember this in massachusetts when you are voting today that this vote is really important. and we need to keep the democrat in so we can get health care. host: here is the piece in of "usa today." it says -- but texas, james on independent line. good m

the democratic party you might have had eastloand of mississippi and ted kennedy.Ñííthe coalitions were made up n the basis of philosophy and public policy. that is to say, the conservative element in the democratic party worked with the conservative element of the republican party. similarly, on the progressive side, both parties and coalitions and there was a moderate middle of worked together. you had people that work across the aisle by necessity in order to advance the political agenda. now, regrettably, on one side of the aisle, it is basically we will not reach across the aisle. we want to take this legislation down. the difference is, there is a different view from the minority point of view. they are very narrow. the breadth of political ideology is in the democratic party. russ feingold saione and at one end. it is much easier to discipline the republican party, particularly if their agenda is to stop any legislation rather than to constructively work with the majority party and try to improve whatever faults they five in the legislation. i say it is wall

most people expected that a democrat would just roll into ted kennedy's seat has ted kennedy has year after year. massachusetts is not as monolithic a liberal state as people think. they voted for reagan twice, elected a republican governor 16 straight years. right now there's a lot of anger among independents in particular about the obama health care plan. what are seeing is people are flocking to scott brown. he has narrowed the race it is a single race now. he's raising money from across the country. he could very well win this thing. he's an independent-minded republican not a rubber stamp kind of guy. but he brings energy, passion and experience that i think is galvanizing support in massachusetts. >> greta: it is interesting, should he win, suddenly the senate isn't filibuster proof it is so much more profoundly important to the nation not just to massachusetts whether you are a democrat or republican you have got to be watching this race. >> massachusetts would be in the catbird's seat the senator from massachusetts would be able to make key calls on key pieces of legislation.

the blue states, but is there actually a chance that a republican might win a seat once held by ted kennedy? new polls show a much tighter race than anyone expected. i'm brian wilson, i'll ab the news headquarters live from the nation's capital starts right now. it's a frightening message from the grave. a short time ago a videotape surfaced of the suicide bomber who killed seven cia employees in afghanistan. in it he calls for militants to attack u.s. targets. this is what we are up against. caroline shively joins us from washington with details. hello, caroline. >> hello do you, brian. revenge in a just released videotape released the jordanian says that's why he killed operatives in afghanistan because they killed a pakistani taliban leader with a missile strike in august and says he turned down millions of dollars from the u.s. and jordan who wanted him to spy on other militants and the authenticity of the tape hasn't been confirmed by officials, but the father says it is his son. the man thought to be him taped the video shortly before he went on the u.s. base and blew up seven cia emp

as soon as one dies, including ted kennedy, we have to lirksionize them.on has to be just perfect. >> bygones can be bygones. >> death can be a good career move. >> my first reaction with the michael jackson death was to be critical of him as a person for all those reasons. i got slammed by my listeners. i realized that the music was really important to a lot of people. >> absolutely. i don't want to denigrate that. let me move on to the creeping influence of the reality show culture. jon and kate wound up being interviewed on the tv show. it started as a fun, entertaining thing, and then it ends up on nbc. >> let's go back to the king to the personal who found touchdown "national enquirer." in the beginning he started in the 50s with these gory headlines and murders. all of the sudden, ding, he decided people, the personalities were the thing that were going to sell. by the '70s he had more than six million people were reading that -- magazine every week. so the point is here, it is what sells. >> the media went crazy, jessica, of the salahis, the white h

ted kennedy held that seat for many decades.r, and we fully expected the senator seat in massachusetts would be filled by a democrat, but the fact is we are all temporary occupants, and the people of massachusetts have their own idea of the people they wanted to send here at this moment. fist i think in many ways it is a wake-up call. the american people want to send a message to congress. i think all of us understand that message. we have got to get the fiscal policy in order. we have to find ways to give people confidence over the future of this country. >> hereñr comes president in abt -- president obama in 2009. we have 1.60 votes. we have all the popularity in the world. he couldÑi not get health care done. he could not give financial reform. if you could not get those things done under those circumstances, why is there any chance you could get anything done with the reduced majority heading into a tough election. >> first, we have no cooperation on anything. those of you that cover capitol hill understand, even on noncontr

i had a number of conversations with ted kennedy in the last years of his life. even ted kennedy, his key issue of health care, had become an incremental list -- incremental ist. let's start with this first part. health care for children. let's get it done. i am hopeful because even people in the administration have begun to talk not about health care reform about health insurance reform. that is a good place to start. covering a pre-existing conditions, better portability, allowing parents to keep their post-college age children on their policy until they can get health insurance on their own. those are all things that can make a big difference without turning health care system on its ear. especially in a state like massachusetts where we are insuring 94.8% of our population, but we do not want overtures. host: if you want to read more about what the president said, you can read their reaction in "the boston herald." reaction to state of the union, focusing on education. let's listen to what the president said about the education proposal. >> to make college mo

i lost a beloved sister in july, and in august, ted kennedy.he midst of all of this, found myself in the toughest political shape of my career. let me be clear. i'm very aware of my present political standing here at home in connecticut. but it's equally clear that any certain prediction about an election victory or defeat nearly a year from now would be observed. strange as it may sound, i'm not confident that i would be standing here today making this announcement, if these situations had not occurred. none of these events or circumstances, either individually or collectively, is the cause for my decision not to seek re-election. yet together these challenges have given me pause, to take stock and to ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do. why am i running? on a cold morning, two weeks ago tomorrow, i asked myself that very question. in the early frigid dawn of december 24, christmas eve, with snow piled high along the streets of our nation's capital, i cast one of the most important if not the most important, votes o

the first person who would agree with that was ted kennedy. [applause] the only thing he loved more than the people of this commonwealth was serving the people of this commonwealth. he waged a personal battle on behalf of every single one of you, even if you do not know it. for seniors who are living off of fixed income, families struggling to get health coverage for their children, for students, those who dream of a college education. [applause] he fought for the working men and women, longshoremen in new bedford. he was always on your side. for so many battles, he led this commonwealth. martha knows the struggles massachusetts working families face because she has lived those struggles. their stories are her stories. she was one of five children. her dad owns a small business. her mother was a homemaker. she worked her way up. nothing was handed to her. she became a lawyer, not to cash in, but to give people a more perfect state. [cheers and applause] she became all lawyer to fight for families, like the one she grew up in, the families who

and you have to acknowledge even senator ted kennedy worked his last days to make this something for the people this was a genuine man in politics for over 40 years, and as his last year in office tried his very best to push this off. i also wanted to say that now, you know, that we lost the filibuster, the democrats of course, there's hopefully something inside where they can push something through before mr. brown gets his hands into this any further meeting in the next week or so. president obama might be able to do something that will help the people. i believe that mr. brown winning and saying things about taxes and what have you really go to the crutch of scare tactics. >> host: he has his first thought post only a few pieces went to light by scott brown, a stunning political upset over state attorney general martha coakley ranks as one of the biggest shockers in modern political history. and is likely to set off a will to the repercussions both large and small. chris cillizza says martha coakley lost in the rearview mirror the attention of the political world will turn to the

now the final debate for the open seat formerly held by ted kennedy. the candidates are scott brown and joseph kennedy. this event was held at done edward kennedy institute in boston. independent candidate joe kennedy is not related to senator ted kennedy, who died last summer. >> good evening. i want to welcome all of you to this closing debate among the candidates for next week's elections to the united states senate. tuesday will be a crucial time here in massachusetts. voters will go to the polls and select a person who may well determine the outcome of a long fight over health care legislation in washington. at stake it well is jobs, energy, the environment, abortion, the war's oversea. we have much to talk about. moreover, the candidates are seeking to fill a seat that is legendary in american politics. among the giants of the past, ted kennedy and his brother john, to henry cabot lodge, charge sumner, daniel webster, and john quincy adams. those are some shoes to fill. this debate is sponsored by the edward m. kennedy institute for the united st

and democrats are stunned, left scrambling on health care after an upset republican winning ted kennedy cease seat. what's the message from massachusetts? is the president listening? next on "larry king live." >> larry: good evening. we begin first with john king, the anchor of cnn's "state of the yinon" back in new york after his night last night in boston. listening to scott brown today, he sounded, john, much more like an independent than a republican. >> he hopes to keep that it way, larry. here is a guy that campaigned on the team of being the 41st vote in washington. he know he needs to keep support on the independent voters, the very same vote that's gave barack obama hayes large margin 14 months ago and gave scott brown the improbable victory last night. he opposes the president's health care plan as it stands. he knows she from an independent minded state. and he can't be a senator from south carolina. south carolina republicans are different than massachusetts republicans. it will be fascinating to watch his first trip to d.c. tomorrow. >> larry: the president said he doesn't

applause] >> the special election to fill the massachusetts senate seat of the late dan gaddy -- ted kennedy is today. you will see the results tonight on c-span. we spoke with a reporter about the outlook for the race. >> jonathon martin it is in massachusetts covering the senate race. several polls were released today about the race, including one for the politico. >> it shows scott brown has a sizable lead that is outside the margin of error, which is to say it surpasses the three or four-point margin. it is shocking. few democrats weeks ago thought that he had a chance to win. they thought the race would be closer than expected, but barry to people --and even -- very few people --even democrats were expecting him to win like this. he could pull off one of the most shocking upsets in recent political history. >> how are the campaign's reacting? >> the democrats are scrambling to sound the alarm, to shake up the democrat out of their complacency, by emphasizing the less favorable elements of his record. running as a republican in this state. democrats are trying to point out why that is. t

caller: i find it mega-byronic ted kennedy plus seat could be the one vote that shuts down the prideand joy which was health care. i think it goes to show something much more bigger which is -- look at nelson and the lieberman and why did byron dorgan walk away from the senate, or is about to. maybe it is because the u.s. senate has become kind of dysfunctional. with the 60 rule for passage, maybe they should revisit this. it seems like u.s. senators do not engage any more. they are more isolated with big step. they don't go to the dining facility. how many deals were cut in the old days at cocktail parties or at lunch or something? that is not happening anymore. we need to maybe revisit the rules of the senate because we will get nothing done. i pray that clinton and obama and all those guys can say that senate seat. host: to give you a sense of the ads that have been taking place. >> i am martha coakely and i approve this message. he will block tougher oversight of wall street, give more tax breaks to the wealthiest, oppose new prescription coverage for millions of seniors,. brown

that is what it would do to the if they can't keep ted kennedy's seat and if they lose to a little knowne senator up here, what does that mean for democrats who come interest more competitive districts? it would really throw a scare into a lot of folks in the party. >> we've seen reports that this is the biggest single american election outside presidential politics in decades. how important is this race? >> well, i think it is very first because of what it means for the democrats' majority and secondly because of what it would say about the kind of year that we're going to have. all too often we read too much they mean. but because of the elect rat and how they are behaving, i think it says something for democrats apparently nowhere is safe. if they can't win here, where can they win? >> jonathan martin of politico. thank you. >> the u.s. house returns this afternoon at 2:00 eastern to debate a number of minor bills. later in the week a measure to let haiti donations count on 2009 tax returns. for contributions before march 1. congress passed similar legislation after the indian ocean t

long-time senator ted kennedy and superstar michael jackson. from wall street to main street, we faced the biggest recession since the great depression, resulting in millions of people losing their jobs nationwide. and what many people would consider the historic moment that capped off this decade. >> i barak obama. >> the election of the first black president of the united states. so a decade filled with unforgettable, unimaginable and unpredictable events. looking ahead, an economic situation that is not in our rearview mirror yet. and elections and debates that will change the halls of congress, 2010 begin has new year and a new decade with more to add to the history books. >> what a decade. our thanks. >> charlie sheen, new twist in the latest domestic case. turns out that his wife now wants to try to work things out in their marriage. >> yeah. but there is the little thing of that protective order and allegedly. >> the 911 call. >> may have been a knife involved. >> he held a knife to her throat. here is the question, how much harder will

champion of healthcare reform from president roosevelt to our good friends who is with us in spirit, ted kennedyis is why we came here and hired up for jobs, to pass something historic and important like this. >> glenn: very historic. starting with theodore roosevelt, a progressive. notice he wasn't referring to the g.o.p. there, because they weren't invited to this. even though there are progressives in the g.o.p. they can't stop it. the g.o.p. can all vote no, but they can't stop it. the struggle has been within the democratic party. the traditional democrat and the radical uber progressives. how did they bring the democrats together with the democrats? how did they do it? well, it's easy, toal the things we learned in the early 20th century. like hillary clinton said. first, there were the bribes. >> a deal has been cut in senator reid's office as the deal was cut with the pharmaceutical companies and the deal was cut with the ama and the deal was cut with the hospital association. >> i don't know what the deal was, but we'll find out what the deal was, just like the deals were cut with -- >>

kennedy and his brother ted. as i proudly take up the duty you have given me, i promise to do my best for massachusetts and america every time the roll is called. i go to washington as the representative of no faction or interest, answering only to my conscience and to the people. i've got a lot to learn in the senate, but i know who i am and i know who i serve. i'm scott brown, i'm from wrentham, i drive a truck, and i am nobody's senator but yours. let me to say in conclusion, thank you from the bottom of me and my family's heart. thank you for your continued support, but i am nobody senator except yours. [applause] thank you prada thank you very much. ♪ i've got a feeling that tonight is going to be a good night at tonight is going to be a good night that tonight is going to be a good night ♪ that tonight is going to be a good night that tonight is going to be a good night that tonight is going to be a good, good night i feel it ♪ that tonight is going to be a good night. that tonight is going to be a good nin

patriarch of the first family of democratic politics as they were known, massachusetts senator ted kennedyied august 25th after a battle with brain cancer. the so-called lion of the senate was a champion of liberal causes for most of his five decades. he was 77 years old. a.b., a lot of focus when this happened. health care, obviously, his big push. >> senator kennedy passed away at the end of august at the most painful time for democrats last year. they had not passed health care reform by august as the president had hoped and the leadership had hoped, they had not been able to do that while senator kennedy was alive. they went into the august recess with this incredible-- faced this incredible anger of this grass roots energy of these town hall meetings. they walked into it like a buzz saw, they didn't know what was going to happen and then senator kennedy's passing was sad at so many levels, not only because they felt they might not be able as a party to pass health care, but senator kennedy's passing really closes out a chapter in american history we won't see again. a chapter, a time

i was going say, quoting somebody in the white house, a tragedy of greek pro portions if ted kennedy's successor is responsible for the delt of health care. they think as soon as it passes, they'll be able to argue it's terrible. the tax issue, the cadillac tax, the more likely of the two two come out of congress, is going to be so unpopular. we're already, the white house is preparing to try to sell this as something that is more positive than what the american people have heard. that people, up to -- children up to age 26 will be covered. children pre-existing conditions no longer an issue. there's a lot positive in here that people have not heard out. >> the health care, even if passed, will not be effectuated for another three years. the spin machines, because the public cannot feel health care reform for three or four years, the spin machines will be active effect upon passage. i don't think it will help or hurt the democrats. i think the jobs issue is issue number one. >> it will be who tells the better story over the next nine months. >> i'm not sure lit pass. the argument stwee

left scrambling on health care after an upset republican wins ted kennedy's seat. what's the message from massachusetts? is the president listening? next on "larry king live." >> larry: good evening. we begin first with john king, the anchor of cnn's "state of the union," cnn's chief national correspondent, back in new york after his night last night in boston. listening to scott brown today, he sounded, john, much more like an independent than a republican. >> and he hopes to keep it that way, larry. that's one of the fascinating challenges. here is this guy who campaigned on the theme of being the 41st vote, meaning 41st republican senator in washington. he knows he needs to keep support among the independent voter, the very same voters who gave barack obama his big margin just 14 months ago gave scott brown his improbable upset victory last night. he goes to washington with that challenge. he'll caucus with the white house. he says he opposes the health care plan as it now stands, opposes the big spending in washington, but he knows he's from an independent-mind

nomination of the supreme court's first latina justice and saluted history after the death of senator ted kennedy, a political tour de force, one of the most accomplished lawmakers of the 20th century. >> the work goes on. the cause endures. the hope still lives. and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: beyond history, there were the politics of the moment, the president made nice at a beer summit with the harvard professor an the cambridge cop and won a nobel peace prize even though he didn't think he earned. it wasn't always about the president. >> only dead fish go with the flow. >> reporter: who could quit their job as colorfully as sarah palin who left the governor's office short of her first term. she promptly wrote a best-seller, slammed mccain aides for bungling the campaign and laughed all the way to the bank. not laughing -- >> i won't begin in any particular spot. >> reporter: two family value conservative republicans, south carolina governor mark sanford and nevada senator john ensign. they looked like presidential material in january, and toast by december. >> last year i had an a

. -- ted kennedy. you'll see and hear the candidates tonight on the c-span networks. we talked about the reporter of the significance of the race. >> jonathan martin of politico is in massachusetts covering the senate race there. you write that the race could reshape the balance of power in washington. how would it do that? >> well, if scott brown, a republican, is elected that means that the gop would have 41 seats ending the democrats filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the senate. effectively what would mean democrats in the senate could not push legislation through in a fashion that they've been able to in the past few months since minnesota's senator al franken gave them that 60th seat. so it would basically be something of a roadblock, you know, before the democratic majority could stymie not just an immediate issue but a number of issues the democrats are hoping to pursue. >> what other agenda items are you talking about? >> well, for example, financial regulation of wall street. if they can get to an energy bill, if they can get to an immigration bill. those

. >> i lost a beloved ster in july and in gust, ted kennedy.ttled cancer over the summerand in the midstf all this, i found myself in the toughest politicalhape of my career. ne of these events or circumstances, either individually or colltively is the cae of my decision not to seek relection. yet together, these chalnges have given mpause to take stk and to ask questions that too few of us in ected public lifever do. why am i running? >> ifill: news of dd's decision camon the heels of nator dorgan's statement tha he plans to reti, too. like dodd, he was facing potentially tighrace in the fall. but s decision caught political servers by surprise. in a statement, he said: e twin retirement announcements endangered democrats' prospectsor maintaining thr veto-proof, 60-vote margin in the sena. >> didn't expect it, i don't think anyby did. >> ifill: strong republican candidate is more likely to ep up in north dakota, where popular governor jn hoeven is considerg a run. in cnecticut, a popular democrat, ate attorney genel, richard blumenthal, announ

. >> i lost a beloved sister in july and in august, ted kennedy.ttled cancer over the summer, and in the midst of all of this, i found myself in the toughest political shape of my career. none of these events or circumstances, either individually or collectively is the cause of my decision not to seek relection. yet together, these challenges have given me pause to take stock and to ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do. why am i running? >> ifill: news of dodd's decision came on the heels of senator dorgan's statement that he plans to retire, too. like dodd, he was facing a potentially tight race in the fall. but his decision caught political observers by surprise. in a statement, he said: the twin retirement announcements endangered democrats' prospects for maintaining their veto-proof, 60-vote margin in the senate. >> i didn't expect it, i don't think anybody did. >> ifill: a strong republican candidate is more likely to step up in north dakota, where popular governor john hoeven is considering a run. in connecticut, a

among the giants of the past, ted kennedy and his brother john, to henry cabot lodge, charge sumner, daniel webster, and john quincy adams. those are some shoes to fill. this debate is sponsored by the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. where it gathered at the boston campus of the university of massachusetts, on whose land the kennedy institute will eventually be built. in an order determined by lottery, let me introduce the three candidates that are with us. scott brown, the republican candidate, is in his third term in the state senate welcoming -- representing the north folk district. martha coakley, the democratic candidate, was elected in 2006 after serving eight years as district attorney of middlesex county. joseph kennedy, no relation to the late senator, is an independent candidate who was a member of the national libertarian party pretty worse in information technology. in preparing questions, i consulted with members of the media and other peoples whose judgment i trust. the questions themselves are known only to me. to the audience, once again, hol

among the giants of the past, ted kennedy and his brother john, to henry cabot lodge, charge sumner, daniel webster, and john quincy adams. those are some shoes to fill. this debate is sponsored by the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. where it gathered at the boston campus of the university of massachusetts, on whose land the kennedy institute will eventually be built. in an order determined by lottery, let me introduce the three candidates that are with us. scott brown, the republican candidate, is in his third term in the state senate welcoming -- representing the north folk district. martha coakley, the democratic candidate, was elected in 2006 after serving eight years as district attorney of middlesex county. joseph kennedy, no relation to the late senator, is an independent candidate who was a member of the national libertarian party pretty worse in information technology. in preparing questions, i consulted with members of the media and other peoples whose judgment i trust. the questions themselves are known only to me. to the audience, once again, hol

among its occupants have been john nance of the past from ted kennedy and his brother, john, to henry cabot lodge, charles sumner, daniel webster and john quincy adams. those are some shoes to fill. this debate is sponsored by the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. we are gathered at the boston campus of the university of massachusetts, on whose land the kennedy institute will eventually be built. and in order determined by lottery, let me introduce the three candidates here with us. scott brown, the republican candidate is in his third term in the state senate, representing the norfolk bristol and middlesex district. he previously served three terms in the house. martha coakley, the democratic candidate is the attorney general of massachusetts. she was elected in 2006 after serving eight years as district attorney of middlesex county. joseph kennedy, no relation to the late senator is an independent candidate who's a member of the national libertarian unit party. he works in information technology and. in preparing questions, i have consulted with members of th

on the other hand, i have heard not that i'm disputing you, people like ted kennedy and maybe michael dukakis and others being ones that have been in there to help the underdog, the immigrants, giving out free food stamps or freeway to those people. you agree or disagree with that? >> agree with? >> the fact that kennedy and the other people are sort of on the other end of what you're saying with the government service in the rich rather than -- >> i see. >> and thirdly, who you see as a good president -- >> you are skipping one. >> the book was the other one. >> ic. >> to do like to see beyond ex-president? >> i would just as soon have a lottery and two somebody from this audience. [laughter] [applause] i would gamble that anybody in this audience would probably do a better job than whoever is elected by the democratic party. [applause] so i am have serious. but to answer your question about kennedy and a caucused doing good things for the poor. there are congressmen who are better than other congressman, who are more liberal and congressman who have a better idea of what our tax str

government is for the wealthy and the upper but on the other hand, not that i am disputing people like ted kennedy and maybe michael dukakis as once you are there to help the underdog, the immigrants, a free food stamps, but do you agree with that or disagree? >> the fact that kennedy and some of the other people are on the other end were the government serves their rich? >> and to do see is a good president? >> i am i heard one. [laughter] you are skipping one. >> the book? i see. who would you like to see be our next president? >> i would just as soon have a lottery and chooses somebody from the audience. [laughter] [applause] i would gamble that anybody in this audience would do a better job than whoever will be selected by the democratic party. [laughter] i am have serious. but with your question of kennedy and dukakis doing good things for the poor, yes there are congressmen that are better than others and some are more liberal and some have a better idea of what the tax structure should be and it is nice to have those congressmen and we should do encourage them and support them. but they alw

. >> senators ted kennedy who was diagnosed with brain cancer last may 21 apparently had some kind of are excluded from having an opportunity to debate this because of the power of the insurance industry. >> as long as i have a voice in the united states senate, it's going to be for that.... >> the cause endures. the hope still lives. and the dream lives on. ( applause ) >> the cost of a complete collapse of our financial system would be incalculable. >> let me be clear. the united states government has no interest in running g.m.. >> we can't afford to let this country be in a position again where you could suffer this much damage. >> we will rebuild. we will recover. and the united states of america will emerge stronger than before. tonight i return to speak to all of you about an issue that is senseless. that is the issue of health care. >> this man would be given no care whatsoever. the reforms i'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie. >> my statements were inappropriate. >> i've come here to cairo to seek a new beginning. between the united states

people sense the new senator ted kennedy very well as a human being.e was senator for a long time. he had a lot of connections. they have a lot of respect for the three of you. they do not sense they know you very well. they have had a hard time penetrating that. can you tell us beyond what you have said in your advertising in to reject some insight into what you would like the voters to think when going into the polls? >> i think that is a great question. we are constrained by these forums. my husband and sisters are here tonight. i come from a big family. my father owns an insurance agency and did not have much use for politics. he would be proud of the work i have done. i am driven by the work i do. i am passionate for victims of domestic violence, children, keeping them safe. those who know me well, i cannot take myself too seriously. i can actually be funny, believe it or not. i enjoyed my life outside. i love to ski and cook. i feel blessed that i can work every day on behalf of the public and have a great personal life with a tremendous husband.

i lost a beloved sister in july and in august, ted kennedy. i battled cancer over the summer and in the midst of all this, found myself in the toughest political shape of my career. let me be clear. i am very aware of my present political standing here at home in connecticut. but is equally clear that any certain prediction about an election victory or defeat nearly one year from now would be absurd. strange as it may sound, i am not confident i would be standing here today making this announcement if these situations had not occurred. none of these events are or circumstances, either individually or collectively was the cause for my decision not to seek reelection. yet together, these challenges have given me pause to take stock and ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do. why am i running? on a cold morning to weeks ago tomorrow, i asked myself that very question. on the early frigid dawn of december 24th, christmas eve, with snow piled high along the streets of our nation's capital, i cast one of the most important,

democratic party, which ted kennedy represented, followed more of the teachings of jesus with concern for the poor, for those in prison, the widow and orphan and even jesus -- they call the principal socialist, where -- christian principles are socialists. host: here is the editorial in "the financial times." it says, whatever the results on tuesday, massachusetts already said mr. obama and democrats a message of discontent. that is the editorial in "the financial times" this morning. " the wall street journal" also talked about the make -- talking about the race. the message of massachusetts. it says the lesson of mr. obama's loss. is an economic crisis is a terrible thing to exploit. as they have each time in the last 40 years when they had total control of washington, democrats are proving again that america cannot be successfully govern from the left. if that is the lesson mr. obama learned from massachusetts he might still salvage his presidency. paul on the independent mind. how are you voting? caller: first-time caller, long time c-span. i and my 23-year-old student and i'm vot

i lost a beloved sister in july, and in august, ted kennedy. i battled cancer over the summer and in the midst of all of this, found myself in the toughest political shape of my career. let me be clear. i'm very aware of my present political standing here at home in connecticut. but it's equally clear that any certain prediction about an election victory or defeat nearly a year from now would be observed. strange as it may sound, i'm not confident that i would be standing here today making this announcement, if these situations had not occurred. none of these events or circumstances, either individually or collectively, is the cause for my decision not to seek re-election. yet together these challenges have given me pause, to take stock and to ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do. why am i running? on a cold morning, two weeks ago tomorrow, i asked myself that very question. in the early frigid dawn of december 24, christmas eve, with snow piled high along the streets of our nation's capital, i cast one of the most im

the candidate to succeed ted kennedy in the u.s. senate are set to debate later today. it will discuss the issues live at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. on c-span2, our live coverage has already begun of a daylong education forum. topics include budget. that is live now on c-span2. now to an event with members of the electoral complaints commission in afghanistan. they talk about the country's upcoming parliamentary elections. from the u.s. institute of peace here in washington, this is about two hours. we want to let you know that we will show you as much of this as we can until the discussion of texting and traffic was gets underway. that will be about 11:30. >> this is our first public event on afghanistan of 2010. i am happy that we had such a good turnout. i look forward to a frank discussion with our distinguished panelists today on a subject that clearly has been getting a lot of attention over the last year given what we saw during the difficult election season in afghanistan last year. it has not yet gone away. once we got through the difficult process of the ele

fact that the republicans see a little bit of light of day there, that we could actually take ted kennedy'senate seat, there's a lot of excitement around that, and i think other folks in the state who might lean a little bit to the right are getting energized about that. other people in the country are getting energized about that. so i'm sure that more money is flowing into that. and so, you know, in some ways, text message social security just a way to keep in touch with your folks up there and your supporters. but, you know, to ed's point about the ground game, you know, during the obama campaign, i live in a part of northern virginia that's mostly retired military, and i couldn't go to an event, whether it was a book festival or farmer's market or even to the market to buy food, and there won't be an obama table with volunteers out there signing people to register to vote. and handing out buttons and stickers, so i think it's a combination of all of the above just because you're doing things, whether it's mobile, on the web, or otherwise is not a replacement for some of the traditional