A stroll through some of the conservative blogosphere last night was like being in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Fat Tuesday – or, more appropriately, Boston of the 4th of July. Whooping and hollering was the tenor of the commentary on Ace, Redstate, HillBuzz, and several other sites as the results literally poured in for the “Money Bomb” for Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown who is vying for the seat vacated by the death of Teddy Kennedy.

Anyone who has had the slightest interest in politics during the past 50 years is well aware of the Kennedy dynasty, and most Americans accept that Massachusetts – home of the original Tea Party and the heart of the American Revolution – is a solidly liberal bastion. The only thing keeping it from being a bonafide “left-wing” state is the fact that it is geographically on the right coast of the country. The special election to choose the successor to Edward M Kennedy (D), by all rights, should be a snoozer. Martha Coakley, the current Attorney General, should have been measuring the drapes for her senate office. But a funny thing happened on the way to the voting booth…

Enter former Cosmo centerfold, attorney (Boston College Law School), Lt. Col. (JAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard, and current state senator, who also happens to be the father of two gorgeous daughters – one of whom is an American Idol finalist. So the mere possibility that a republican could be successfully challenging the designated democrat candidate captured the imaginations of thousands of political activists from every state in the nation.

The momentum has been building since Christmas, with the events of yesterday reaching a crescendo heard around the country. The original $500,000 goal was reached and surpassed by early afternoon, and then $750,000 was quickly in the rear-view mirror. Before the end of the evening the thrill of bringing in a cool $1.3 million was shared by contributors from all over the country. And the star of the show was the right there in the spotlight for the real highlight of the whole day:

“It’s not Kennedy’s seat, …it’s the people’s seat!” Every campaign wants THE quotable line from a debate. Brown hit the jackpot with that one.

The experts are befuddled. Poll results are all over the place: Brown is down by 9 points; no, up by 1; down within the margin of error; up within the margin of error. Since it’s a special election – and held in the middle of winter (global warming, notwithstanding) – turnout is the key. Conventional wisdom says that the conservatives are more likely to turn out. Normally the Democrats can count on unions to help with the get out the vote efforts, but this time the rank and file are a little less than enthused – that 40% tax on cadillac health plans isn’t real popular in some households. And the police union actually endorsed Brown. Guess they still have a bit of a beef with the President’s assessment of the Cambridge officer’s handling of the Gates incident (“He acted stupidly”). There are some insults that don’t wash away with a mug of beer.

So basically – all bets are off. This is a race of the best kind. The odds-on favorite stumbled getting out of the gate (she was on vacation over the holidays and didn’t think she had to campaign after the primary) and is now discovering the competition is in it to win it.

The rumble you hear in the background is growing louder and stronger. Next Tuesday just might be the 7.0 earthquake the liberals never imagined – Teddy rolling over in his grave!

No wonder politics is one of the greatest spectator sports around.

As a bonus – listen to Scott’s daughter sing our National Anthem:

Be sure to stay tuned for the final score.