Today is the moment of truth. Today we find out if Massachusetts will send a second shot heard ’round the world, or, at least, heard ’round the nation. Millions of citizens have rallied, from local town hall meetings to Washington, DC. We’ve raised our voices, hoisted our homemade signs and thrown symbolic tea into our waterways, all while being called despicable, raunchy and crude names by the media lap dogs. However, despite the tricks and schemes of Pelosi, Reid, Obama, SEIU and closed-door compromises sans C-SPAN, current health care legislation hinges on this all-important vote: the Massachusetts Senate seat to replace the departed Ted Kennedy.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a rally outside the TD Garden. We got to shake hands with Scott Brown, speak with him briefly and have our pictures taken. (It’s not the first time I’ve heard Scott Brown speak but it was the first time I shook his hand as I didn’t have a cold this time!)

A Bruins game was about to begin inside the TD Garden which meant crowds dressed in yellow and black were drifting by us. One man said, to no one in particular, “Hey, is that Brown over there?” to which I replied, “Yeah, he’s shaking hands with everyone. You should go over and say hello” and off he went. There were chants of “Go, Scott, Go!” and “41st Vote!” but what struck me the most was the amount of smiles on people’s faces. Look, I’ve lived in Massachusetts long enough to know that smiles outside TD Garden (and its myriad of former names) only occur after a Celtics or Bruins victory. Perhaps that is what was in the air: a prelude to victory. We could almost taste it.

After the rally, Brown left for North Attleboro and we headed for our relaxing day in the city. As we turned to walk away, a reporter from the New York Daily News asked if we could answer a few questions. I read through their account of the Boston rally and we weren’t quoted. No surprises there as the article was pro-Coakley. The questions were what you’d expect:

Q: Why does Scott Brown have your support?
A: He has promised to be the 41st vote against the current health care reform bill.

Q: What do you think about a Republican winning Ted Kennedy’s seat?
A: It’s not Ted Kennedy’s seat. That’s not just a line, either. It’s the truth. This being the people’s seat has resonated with the state. Once they heard Scott Brown articulate that in the final debate, people began to say, “Yeah, that’s right! It’s our seat!”

Q: How do you feel about his chances?
A: We’re optimistic. The polls look good and he’s drawing large crowds.

Q: Why do you think Coakley is trailing?
A: For one, she took the Democrat vote for granted. She didn’t think she needed to work for it. Also, in the same vein, as you are probably aware, the majority of Massachusetts voters do not align with either major party. Independents like to be courted and they haven’t been courted by Coakley. Scott Brown has made a concerted effort to woo Independents over to his side.

Q: Do you think the people of Massachusetts will turn out for Coakley, though, because they want to do it for Obama, especially since he came to town yesterday?
A: No. (My husband and I were laughing as we said No and the reporter started chuckling as well.)

To many who are skeptical about Scott Brown and his conservative credentials, let me keep it simple for you. Our current struggle is to avoid government-run health care. As you can see from my prior entries, the health care debate is what started this blog and is the thread that runs through my posts. I am determined to do what I can to keep the current health care bill from passing. I’ve e-mailed my Senators and Congressmen but this is the one thing, as a resident of Massachusetts, that will actually get attention. I am voting for Scott Brown for the very reason I listed above: He has promised to vote against the current disastrous health care bill.

To those who think Scott Brown is the prototype for 2010 elections, quit wasting your ink. He is the best candidate for Massachusetts. He may not be the best candidate for the other 49 (or is it 56?) states. If I were back in my native South Carolina, I would want a fiscal and social conservative, like Jim DeMint. Jim DeMint is a fantastic Senator. He has served South Carolina well and continues to spearhead efforts to reduce the size of our federal government. As great as I think he is, he would likely have a difficult time winning a Republican primary in a New England state. This is the beauty of state elections. Each state gets to choose the candidate that best fits their needs, their values and their priorities.

Massachusetts, this Brown’s for you! Cast your vote for Scott Brown to send a message to Washington that even the most stubborn amongst them would be hard-pressed to ignore. What’s at stake is immeasurable: our freedom to choose our doctor, make our own decisions about treatment and the inalienable right to pursue life.

That’s why, for this state senatorial election, I join in unison with fellow Scott Brown supporters to say:
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!

UPDATE I: Follow Hot Air’s ongoing election coverage here and tune in to local radio (www.wrko.com or www.wtkk.com) for anecdotal coverage from local callers.

UPDATE II: Join us on Hot Air with the open thread for the election results!

UPDATE III: Scott Brown wins! Scott Brown is now the Senator-elect of Massachusetts! We’ll send him to DC with a big red bow on his GM truck. It’s rather fitting, then, that tomorrow is President Obama’s 1st year anniversary as president. Our gift to him is, of course, Scott Brown. To reflect a sentiment familiar with the First Lady, for the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be a Massachusetts resident.

You should know I like to watch basketball. No, not the NBA. I truly loathe watching the NBA. I prefer men’s NCAA basketball. It’s technical, fast-paced and those guys play for their schools, not their pockets, yet.

I was watching one of my favorite teams last week and one of their stars accidentally tipped a rebound into the other team’s basket. They were up by almost 20 points at the time so it was treated like no big deal. Even I said something like, “Oops! That’s not supposed to happen!” laughing as I wondered how I had escaped high school not doing something like that. (My coach called me “Butter fingers” by the way.)

The game goes on and the other team begins to catch up by playing solid defense and hitting 3s. Before you know it, they take the lead. As the final minutes begin to tick there are several lead changes. If you’ve ever watched a close game, you know how much can change in “a basketball minute.”

My team ended up losing by 2 points. 2 points! Yes, those pesky 2 points that were unearned when my guy, the center, tipped the ball into the other team’s basket. It was no sweat when they were up 20 points. But when they lose by 2 points you don’t think about points missed at the free throw line, off-balanced jump shots or lazy fouls. No, you think about those 2 points that were put in the other team’s net by your team’s big guy. He might as well handed over those 2 points on a silver platter.

The GOP is acting like the basketball center on this health care debate. Whether they play defense or offense, it doesn’t matter. The Democrats have a majority and can do whatever they want, as long as they stick together and find consensus. Does America like a one-party system? We’ll know for sure in 2010.

Until then, the GOP needs to make sure they don’t accidentally tip health care in the Democrat’s favor to take it over by passing amendments that make the bill more tolerable by the likes of Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Joe Lieberman or Ben Nelson (see Ed Morrissey’s article on HotAir). They already did this in the House with the amendment to keep abortion from being funded by federal dollars, forgetting the long range view that the amendment doesn’t have to be adopted during Conference and likely will not. The same goes for these Senate amendments. (Follow Erick Erickson as he monitors the GOP’s attempt to fix the bill on Red State.)

A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but they’ll spit that sugar out in conference and we’ll all be stuck with government-run health care, which is not really health care at all.

GOP, you need to focus, or you’ll end up looking like this:

P.S. Since I don’t like the NBA, I thought this was the perfect clip. Wish I could have found something of better quality but the replay is nice. There was no way I was going to show you a clip of my team’s center. I like him and don’t want to embarrass him. But take note. If you’re a Senator and you aren’t listening to the American people and you pass this behemoth of a take over health care bill, we will all know who you are. You will need to look for new work when your term is up for reelection, be it 2010, 2012 or 2014. We will not forget!

The Associated Press, known for its glowing coverage of Barack Obama, is skeptical. As Jennifer Loven of the AP writes, “The Nobel committee, it seems, had the audacity to hope that he’ll eventually produce a record worthy of its prize.” Even George Stephanopoulos of ABC News is collecting a list of “Best Obama-Nobel Jokes” on his blog.

Ah, so it’s not about what he has done, it is about what he has promised to do! Apparently, the road to the Nobel Peace Prize is paved with good intentions.

I don’t normally watch The Today Show on NBC. However, last night I had watched The Office so when I turned my television on this morning, imagine my surprise when I witnessed this exchange between Matt Lauer and David Gregory.

LAUER: So, what you’re saying in some ways, and, again, not to be rude here, or sarcastic, that in some ways he wins this award for not being George W. Bush.

“His conservative critics will say, a lot of sizzle here, but not a lot of accomplishment.” Hey David Gregory, it’s not just conservatives! HotAir breaks down the reaction from the mainstream media. While were on the topic of the media, NBC, let me clue you in on a non-secret. This is exactly what we were saying during Obama’s campaign for President. He hadn’t accomplished anything noteworthy in the Illinois State Senate except managing to cast an abundance of “present” votes. He was a Senator in the US Congress for 2 years before running for President, again, with nothing of accomplishment to note. He merely gave a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention. I suppose if giving a rousing speech at a Party Convention is all it takes, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin should receive the next Nobel Peace Prize.

Speaking of Obama speeches, here are a few highlights from his speech this morning.

Well, this is not how I expected to wake up this morning.
After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, “Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo’s birthday.”
And then Sasha added, “Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up.”
So it’s — it’s good to have kids to keep things in perspective.

It’s not that Obama’s little girls commented on current events on their family calendar. A dog’s birthday and a day off from school are rather exciting moments for children. But Malia and Sasha did not write Obama’s speech. He is the one who saw it fitting to include winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the same sentence as his dog’s birthday and the Columbus Day weekend.

BO gets a new bone, Obama receives a medallion, the girls don’t have to go to school on Monday and for the second time in her adult life, Michelle Obama is proud to be an American. What an exciting time for the Obama family!

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee.

Surprised? You’re not the only one! Millions of people throughout the globe are just as perplexed. For a short moment, the world is united! But Obama is humbled? That’s a considerable stretch.

Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

Those of us who follow Barack Obama’s speeches are keenly aware that when he says, “Let me be clear” or “Make no mistake” that what follows 90% of the time could earn him a Pinnochio award. Perhaps we’re witnessing the other 10%. After SNL’s skit last week (embedded below), even Obama knows the Left is aware that he has no recognizable achievements.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize…

I’d like to expand it and say he doesn’t deserve to be in the company of those who were nominated.

And I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.