There’s a special election next week to fill the Senate seat of the dearly departed Ted Kennedy. The race, due to the possibility of a flip that would give Republicans 41 seats and the ability to filibuster anything, has been somewhat nationalized, with all kinds of interesting ads from both sides. This one really caught my eye:

“Who is XXX XXX, really?” the announcer says. “A XXX. In lockstep with Washington Republicans. Blocking tougher oversight of Wall Street. More tax breaks for the wealthiest. No new prescription coverage for millions of seniors.”

Who is running the ad, and who are they describing? Couldn’t that statement apply to President Obama himself? He might not be in “lockstep” with Washington Republicans, but he’s close enough for the standards of political ads. But his administration certainly is blocking tougher oversight of Wall Street, his stimulus bill did provide more tax breaks for the wealthiest, and he was more than happy to get cosy with the drug lobby and accept no expansion of Medicare.

The ad is being run by Democrat Martha Coakley against Republican Scott Brown, but doesn’t the fact that it could apply to Obama go a long way toward explaining why Coakley is in the fight of her life for a Senate seat in true blue Massachusetts?