Are there any substantive anchors to this tent?
Reports of Scott Brown’s comments to the 300 plus attendees at Tuesday’s Scott County Republican Reagan Dinner do not convince me he is the one to rejuvenate the Republican political environment. Read reports about his dinner comments in the QC Times here, the Washington Times here, and Newsmax here. However, very recent toxic comments that he has made about the state of the Republican Party precede him. Those have been recounted in these pages along with an expose’ of his voting record. His speech, devoid of policy, was perfume not antidote. There remained the masked odor of his record.
During Brown’s unsuccessful reelection attempt he bragged about voting with Democrats 53% of the time in his short two years in the Senate. That’s 53% of the time with Harry Reid’s Democrats. Yet Brown was in Bettendorf to talk unity in the Party, the one he abandoned over half of the time. He spoke of offering “America the clearest of choices” yet what clarity comes with his kind of record? Would he vote with Democrats or Republicans? Its pretty much a coin toss. His desire to “clear up the nasty atmosphere in Washington” means voting with Democrats most of the time. I am sure the Democrats do like him.
Indeed, Scott Brown voted in opposition to Obamacare. He better have, he ran under that banner and his opposition to it is what got him elected. He was swept into office by the Tea Party movement but gave minimal deference to conservatism once in office.
According to a a December 2011 article by Jim Meyers writing at Newsmax, Brown “cast key swing votes in favor of a number of measures important to Obama’s agenda,” Among Brown’s votes:
Brown voted in favor of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a measure generally opposed by conservatives and backed by congressional Democrats.
Brown also voted in favor of Obama’s New START bill to reduce America’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, a move that security expert Frank Gaffney said puts the nation in danger.
He was one of just five Republicans to vote for cloture on Obama’s jobs bill in February, and voted for final passage of the bill.
Conservative commentators . . . have criticized Brown for his reluctance to go along with significant budget cuts.
He opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
In December Brown joined a handful of Republicans who broke with the Republican Party and voted to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the ban on openly gay military personnel.
In 2012 Brown also called for the Republican Party to drop its right to life plank in the platform. But of course, he is “pro-choice” and unity means conforming with his views, not the other way around.
So there you have it, Scott Brown . . . fiscal conservative, not particularly . . . social conservative, nope . . . defense hawk, not very . . . but picked to come here to preach unity while possessing a record that demonstrates very little unity with the Republican base or with Republican leadership in fighting the liberal Democrat onslaught .
The Boston Globe quoted Brown recently:
“What the heck is a real Republican? Can you tell me that? Is there a litmus test? Did I miss that class?” Brown asked rhetorically during remarks at the Willowbend Country Club.
Well Scotty the Republican Party was formed around the key singular issue of opposition to slavery. Certain things are key to any meaningful claim to being a standard bearer, to any ability of the voters to understand a candidates instincts. It is the other side of party identification. So yes, being a Republican has to mean something.
Ronald Reagan, the namesake of the dinner Brown addressed, was a politician who popularized, identified with and encouraged the concept of the Republican three legged stool for political success . . . the “legs” are free enterprise, a strong defense, and pro-family social policies. Remove one leg and the stool collapses. Brown is a self identified Republican who has sawed through one leg and is working on the other two. We will refer to his model for Republican Party success as the Brown stool. R Mall
Ed. note: This post has been added to from the original. Additional links have been added and the later paragraphs altered for punch.
So….are there any actual reports of what he said in his speech here the other day? I may be missing something, but this entire posting only enforces why I no longer like Scott Brown minus his recent speech I was wondering about.
I was remiss in providing convenient links. Thanks for the edit memo. They have now been provided. By the way the topic line of the QC Times article about his speech reads “Brown calls for finding middle ground.” The guy is as superficial a politician as I have ever seen. Key issues do not lend themselves to middle ground. If they did they probably would not be “key.” Some can be kicked down the road but if done for long any accumulating accommodations become faite accompli regarding the issue. Of course that is often a strategy to achieve something progressives want. Republicans compromise. Progressive Democrats achieve some element toward their goal. Then they come back for more. Republicans compromise again. Progressives advance that much further. And so it goes. The country needs a substantial reset. Not more “middle ground” marches toward progressive big government goals which would pretty much define Brown’s record.
“Only a ‘moderate’ Republican stands a chance to be elected in Massachusetts”, is the familiar refrain. Maybe so…but how’d that work out for ya, Scotty? As far as Brown’s successful election, there can be no argument that it was the Tea Party which powered it. In other words, Mr. Brown, “you didn’t build that!”
If Brown has to ask, “What the heck is a real Republican?”, then he isn’t one. If he had any instincts toward conservatism, then that question would not occur to him, albeit, many of the current Republicans in Congress probably don’t know the answer to that question either much to our chagrin.
But we can be certain that Democrats know what a real Democrat is because they show us every day. They hang together on issues and they never quit pushing their very clear agenda. Never. Democrats don’t have ask, What is a real Democrat? They seem to know the answer instinctively.
Mr. Brown is neither Republican nor conservative. Why is he talking, and more, why is anyone listening? He has nothing to say.
Some people will think I have been too hard on the guy. I can be complimentary. I think he would have been a fine waiter at the event.
I was under the impression Scott Brown named hid speech the “Brown Stool”. That name should be attributed to any pronouncement emanating from the mouths of Rinos.