|
Scott Brown on Principles & Values
Republican Jr Senator
|
|
|
Favorite Supreme Court justice: Antonin Scalia, but...
When Senator Brown and I met for our 2nd debate, somewhere toward the middle of the debate, the moderator asked us to name our favorite Supreme Court justice. Brown's response: Justice Antonin Scalia. The ripple through the audience was instantaneous.
Scalia? The most outspoken, conservative, anti-woman justice on the Court--THAT'S the justice Scott Brown liked best? A few people started to boo, and Senator Brown backtracked, naming in quick succession Justices Kennedy, Roberts, and Sotomayor.
Source: A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren, p.266
, Apr 22, 2014
Warren claims Native American; but you can see she is not
Senator Scott Brown questioned Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren's claim of Native American heritage in the opening moments of a lively high-stakes television debate tonight. When the moderator asked if character was an issue in the race,
Brown answered, "I think character is important. Professor Warren claimed she was a Native American, a person of color. And as you can see, she's not."
Warren responded that she had learned of her heritage from stories told by her family. "When I was growing up, these were the stories I knew about my heritage," she said.
She also said that when her mother and father wanted to get married, her father's family said no because "my mother was part Delaware and part Cherokee."
"This is my family, this is who I am, and it's not going to change," said Warren.
Source: Boston Globe on 2012 Mass. Senate debate
, Sep 20, 2012
OpEd: Scorned by both Dems & GOP because of principled votes
I recently had an opportunity to speak at length with Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts. I told him how much I admired the fact that over the past several months he had been the object of scorn by both
Democrats AND Republicans because his votes are based on his principles and beliefs rather than on the party line. If everyone in the US Senate voted that way,
I believe we would all be shocked by how rational and reasonable the bills would be coming out of the congressional chambers. Unfortunately, the polarity we see in Democratic and Republican stands on issues suggests that many
of our representatives have become puppets of their political party. All voters would be wise to look at their representatives' voting records to see if they agree with their views or whether they are always consistent with the party view.
Source: America the Beautiful, by Ben Carson, p.159-160
, Jan 24, 2012
Paid $10,000 for Cosmopolitan centerfold
Scott Brown was busy, driving the state in his aging pickup truck. Brown handled like a pro an early controversy over his posing for a Cosmopolitan magazine centerfold as a law student, and being paid $10,000.
Dealing with issues like that is the sort of thing, campaign managers say, you can't teach. He said he'd needed the money, working his way through law school, and, "I wish I still looked that good." That was it, nice and neat; everyone laughed.
They checked out the photo on the Internet. And, of course, Brown at forty-six, still looked terrific and seemed like a guy you'd want to laugh with over beers. Brown worked
20-hour days, dominating the airwaves.A public poll on Saturday, January 9 showed Brown with a 1-point lead. Scott Brown would be elected to the U.S. Senate.
Source: Confidence Men, by Ron Suskind, p.368-371
, Sep 20, 2011
2008: Won State Senate seat by 20% in Democratic district
In the 2008 election, the Democratic Party thought it could win back the Norfolk-Middlesex district that I now held by relying on the massive pro-Obama turnout.
The big money got on board behind the Democrats' handpicked candidate, a female psychologist.
I figured that the other side could be running a convicted criminal, and the reflex would be to endorse him or her over me. I ended up beating her by over 20 points at the height of the Obama wave in the election.
After that, it began to dawn on some of the Democrats that I run to win. Some of them, but not all of them.
Source: Against All Odds, by Scott Brown, p.239
, Feb 21, 2011
I drive a truck, and I'm nobody's senator but yours
On election night I remembered Ted Kennedy for his service and spoke of how "I honor his memory" and pledged myself to be a worthy successor. I spoke of the people I had met in every corner of the state. I looked them in the eye shook their hand,
and asked for their vote. I didn't worry about their party affiliation, and they didn't worry about mine. It was simply shared conviction that brought us together. I promised to work to put government back on the side of the people who create
jobs and on the side of the millions of people who need jobs. And I spoke about working on behalf of our veterans and working to keep out country safe.
I ended with the lines, "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."
Source: Against All Odds, by Scott Brown, p.285
, Feb 21, 2011
It's not Ted Kennedy's office; it's the people's office
I heard a woman's voice: "You're the new US senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown." And it was Maria Shriver [Ted Kennedy's niece and her husband] Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maria added, "Thank you for your gracious words about Uncle Teddy on election
night. The family appreciated that very much."Indeed, out of respect, the first call I made on election night was to Ted Kennedy's widow, Vicki, and I kept a picture of Ted Kennedy in my US Senate office, the office where he used to serve.
We exchanged a few words, and then one of the other Shrivers at the table asked, "So where's your office?" I answered that I was in the same office that Ted Kennedy had occupied. He looked at me with utter shock, and then Maria said, "YOU have Uncle
Teddy's office?"
At this point, Arnold interrupted them all and began to laugh. He said in his perfect Terminator voice. "Maria, Maria. It's not Uncle Teddy's office. It's the people's office." But it was a great joke. And it is also the truth.
Source: Against All Odds, by Scott Brown, p.290
, Feb 21, 2011
2009: Overwhelming Tea Party support
In 2009 the dedication of the local Tea Party members support for Brown was overwhelming.One week before the election, an e-mail entitled "warning to Tea Party activists: don't even think about voting for Scott Brown!" was sent from Carla Howell and
Michael Cloud, two prominent Libertarian members of the Tea Party movement.
In part, their e-mail read, "You have a radically better choice. A choice that will advance the Tea Party Cause. A choice that will give us REAL Tea Party candidates and allies
in November."
This, of course, is the constant tension in politics--deciding whether or not to let the unelectable "perfect" be the enemy of the electable "good."
most activists realized what was at stake and accepted the current reality of our
system. Many of the Tea Party citizens preferred the libertarian Joe Kennedy, but Scott Brown had the best chance to win, and the Tea Party people solidified their support behind Scott. The libertarians may generally be counted among the Tea Partiers.
Source: Give Us Liberty, by Rep. Dick Armey, p.148-150
, Aug 17, 2010
Massive campaign donation infusion from financial executives
There was a massive infusion of funds for Republican Scott Brown from financial executives in the final days of Massachusetts senatorial campaign, helping to swing the election to Brown.The outcome was depicted as a right-wing revolt of an angry
population against the excesses of the liberal elitists who run the government. But the data tell a rather different story, not just the flood of funding from the financial institutions in punishment for Obama's belated "populist" rhetoric and proposals.
The official data showed that Brown was carried to victory by very high voting and enthusiasm in the "affluent suburbs," alongside low turnout and general apathy in the urban areas that are largely Democratic.
Doubtless there was some impact of the
populist image crafted by the PR machine ("I'm Scott Brown, this is my truck," "regular guy," nude model, daughter an American Idol contestant, etc.) But this appears to have had only a secondary role.
Source: Hopes and Prospects, by Noam Chomsky, p.230-231
, Jun 1, 2010
$1.3 million in 24 hours via Internet "Money Bomb" appeal
Fueled by the energy of conservative activists and a solid debate performance, Brown has thrown a major scare into the Democratic establishment in his bid to win the special Senate election over once heavily favored Martha Coakley.The DSCC bought
$500,000 in advertising time for the contest. Brown countered by announcing he had raised $1.3 million in the previous 24 hours through an Internet appeal. A sizable portion of that money will pay for TV ads that combat the Democrats' stepped-up attacks.
Source: Washington Post on 2010 MA Senate debate
, Jan 12, 2010
Previously Wrentham Selectman, and State Rep
Senator Brown's career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004.
He is currently in his third Senate term.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, brownforussenate.com, "About"
, Sep 30, 2009
Graduate of Wakefield High, Tufts, and BC Law
Senator Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School, Tufts University, and Boston College Law School. He lives in Wrentham, MA with his wife
Gail and their two daughters, Ayla, a student at Boston College, and Arianna, a student at Syracuse University.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, brownforussenate.com, "About"
, Sep 30, 2009
Endorsed Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans; supports gay rights.
Brown is endorsed by by the Log Cabin Republicans:
Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest gay and lesbian Republican organization. Log Cabin was founded to battle the nation’s first anti-gay ballot measure -- California’s Proposition 6 in 1978. We enlisted Ronald Reagan to publicly oppose the measure, which was then defeated. Since then, Log Cabin Republicans has grown and expanded to become a leading voice on the national stage on behalf of the mainstream concerns of the gay and lesbian community.
We care deeply about equality and we hold Republican views on crime, fiscal responsibility, and foreign policy. We believe in individual rights rather than group rights. We believe in limited government rather than big government. We believe that free markets lead to free people and that all Americans should be able to participate fully in the political process.
We represent the next generation for the gay and lesbian community. No longer will we be told where we must live, how we must dress, and how we must vote.
Now there is a political alternative. We know that we will move ahead only when gay people are honest about who they really are. And as the far right continues its drive to dominate our Party, Log Cabin Republicans joins other mainstream Republicans on the front lines of the battle for the Republican Party’s future.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans is to work within the Republican Party for the equal rights of all Americans, including gay men and women. The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans derives from our firm belief in the principles of limited government, individual liberty, individual responsibility, free markets and a strong national defense. We emphasize that these principles and the moral values that underlie them are consistent with the pursuit of equal treatment under the law for gay men and women. We believe these same core principles also best serve the best interests of the gay community.
Source: Log Cabin Republicans web site 00-LCR0 on Nov 7, 2000
Page last updated: Sep 05, 2017