I gather that Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) thought that this legislative game was going to be easy? Just straight up drive his pickup truck to Washington and set about casting the 41st vote and all would be well? And then he took a moment to think like a guy who might want to be re-elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, and cast a vote for a jobs bill, and watched as his supporters lost their ever-loving minds on his Facebook wall. Now he doesn't seem to know if he's coming or going -- and having difficulty explaining things to reporters. Nobody said that there would be "explaining!"
For example, the financial regulatory reform bill: Brown's against it. But when pressed for details as to his position, he comes off as deeply confused. I'm being charitable!
Brown left open the possibility that he could support a compromise.
"I want to see when it's going to come up, how it's going to come up," he said. "I'm always open to trying to work something through so it is truly bipartisan."
Brown, whose vote could be critical as Democrats seek to find a GOP member to avoid a filibuster, assiduously avoided talking about specifics.
When asked what areas he thought should be fixed, he replied: "Well, what areas do you think should be fixed? I mean, you know, tell me. And then I'll get a team and go fix it."
He appeared to oppose the creation of a consumer protection agency within the Federal Reserve. "It's more government, it's more government regulation at a time when businesses are trying just to pay their bills," he said. "Is that good? . . . If it's an area we need to fix, then I'm certainly open to it. But I haven't heard that that's the biggest thing that's problematic with it."
Yes. Some reporter may want to point out the epic collapse of the derivatives market to Scott Brown, and he will assemble a team of... I don't know...sled dogs? To fix it? Is that good? Will that work?
Just remember, whoever takes up the matter of pointing out how Wall Street rogered America, but good, will have to out-compete the Wall Street lobbyists who padded out Brown's campaign war chest with tens of thousands of dollars!
Oh, and then there is Brown's hilarious appearance on "Face The Nation," after being asked whether the country is being pushed toward socialism. Man, did it make the Boston Herald's Benjamin Bell's head spin! Here's the relevant portion of the transcript:
BROWN: I know that the President should start to focus on jobs and job creation and that hasn't been done. Since I've been here we've done health care, which they obviously rammed through by using a parliamentary procedure that has never been used for something this big ever. And then the bill as we're finding out is flawed, seriously flawed. It's going to cost medical device companies in my state, you know, thousands of jobs. But then, we're talking now about regulation reform. We're politicizing that. Maybe- I've heard illegal immigration is going to come forth. When we're in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only thing they talked about from the Presidents all the way down to the poorest farmer were jobs. Since I've been here, I've heard zero talk about jobs.
As Bell points out: Uhm... didn't Scott Brown vote for a "jobs" bill, with the word "jobs" in it, after a long deliberation about "jobs?"
RELATED:
Say What Sen. Brown? [Boston Herald]
Wall Street-backed senator can't explain why he opposes financial reform, asks reporter what's wrong with it [RawStory]
Wall Street Investors Lavish Scott Brown's Campaign With Money, Get Out The Vote Operations [ThinkProgress]
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