Scott Brown Backs Obama Recess Appointment Of Consumer Finance Watchdog Richard Cordray

WASHINGTON -- Bucking his party's leadership, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) Wednesday expressed his support for President Obama's decision to name Richard Cordray head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a recess appointment that evaded a Republican blockade of the nomination.

Senate Republicans had vowed to stop Cordray's appointment until Obama agreed to water down the authority of the new watchdog agency. To stop him from using the constitutional option of a recess appointment while the Senate was adjourned, they've been holding "pro forma" sessions where no business is done, but the chamber is technically working.

GOP leaders bitterly accused the president of arrogance and overreach. But Brown, facing a tough election challenge from the architect of the CFPB, Elizabeth Warren, decided that their actions were the bigger problem.

"I support President Obama's appointment today of Richard Cordray to head the CFPB," Brown said in a statement. "I believe he is the right person to lead the agency and help protect consumers from fraud and scams."

"While I would have strongly preferred that it go through the normal confirmation process, unfortunately the system is completely broken," Brown added. "If we're going to make progress as a nation, both parties in Washington need to work together to end the procedural gridlock and hyper-partisanship."

Brown's statement followed -- and echoed -- that of Warren, who quickly praised Obama, although he had declined to appoint her in a similar manner after she launched the new agency.

"Republicans never had any substantive objections to Mr. Cordray, the very qualified former Attorney General of Ohio," Warren said. "Instead, Senate Republicans blocked a confirmation vote for anyone to head up the consumer agency.

"The President made every effort to present a candidate for a Senate vote, but he was right not to let Senate Republicans block full implementation of the consumer agency," Warren added. "Senate Republicans will surely complain about the recess appointment, but their refusal to allow an up or down vote on Cordray's nomination is just another example of the political games in Washington that must end."

Brown's move shows the tough spot Warren has placed him in -- and just how far away from the right he has had to shift since she entered the race.

When the idea of naming a CFPB head during a recess first arose during the summer before last, Brown opposed it, even though he had backed the agency in the past. At the time, he and Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine declared, "We firmly believe the United States Senate’s responsibilities in confirming the head of the CFPB are paramount."

Democrats, unimpressed by Brown's move, were quick to label him a craven opportunist rather than a principled independent. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Matt Canter called it "a shameless political maneuver from a desperate politician.”

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Comments

[vidian6]

04:24 PM on 01/07/2012

This is a case of knowing where your "bread is buttered". He knows that if he doesn't support the president on this, he can kiss his elections chances good by. Not that there all that good anyway.

[Astronomy Guy]

03:28 PM on 01/07/2012

Cue Rush Limpfrog and Anne "I Love Myself" Coulter going off on Rep. Brown as a RINO and closet socialist.

[gjohnso627]

11:13 AM on 01/07/2012

I guess Romney's infectious lies have infected Brown also. Anyone who votes for any of these clowns must be sick also.

[Steven Kloppenburg]

09:52 AM on 01/07/2012

Senator Brown is the Fraud and Scam put on taxpayers. Until he was challenged by Elizabeth Warren he was pushing to give immunity to the companies behind this financial crisis...he's changing stripes to try and win election but it's just a costume to him. He will revert to his big business persona if he wins again.

[Astronomy Guy]

03:29 PM on 01/07/2012

Sadly that has become business as usual for politicians.

[vidian6]

04:25 PM on 01/07/2012

You can believe that! If it weren't for Warren, we wouldn't even be discussing this, he would have suppported the Republicans.

[JNagarya]

10:04 PM on 01/06/2012

It isn't like Brown can do anything about it, so he might as well approve.

But his confusion about what to do is evident: his first comment of the campaign was to sling the oxymoron "extreme Liberal" at Elizabeth Warren, thus revealing to whom he is appealing -- lying -- for support.

That "base" is not within Massachusetts -- the percentage of registered Republicans in the state being something like 11 per cent. It is in New York, and called Wall St. And in the various teadupe groups funded by such as Karl Rove and the Koch brothers.

[Astronomy Guy]

03:30 PM on 01/07/2012

And now he expect to be called worse by the Tea Baggers and his own party.

[mcsquared65]

09:26 AM on 01/09/2012

>>It isn't like Brown can do anything about it, so he might as well approve.

You're kidding, right?

[snesich]

07:04 AM on 01/06/2012

Scotty Brown is already a historical footnote; the Ken Doll who "won" a very flukey election held in the dead of winter, with a turnout that was 40% smaller than usual, against a "brilliant" and "savvy" candidate who insulted the Boston Red Sox, their fans and "Saint Bloody Sock" (Curt Shilling) in public on more than one occasion.

Combine that with the multiple millions that poured in from every rightwing and corporate money source in the country and Brown nosed in to office by smiling a lot and showing off his pretty wife and daughters.

It won't happen again. Especially now that people know he votes with his fellow Republicans on virtually every single issue.

[live by the golden rule]

04:04 PM on 01/06/2012

The most important point: his vote goes to the Republican leadership ( McConnell etc.) to run the Senate. That does not represent Massachusetts at all.

[JNagarya]

10:09 PM on 01/06/2012

No Republican represents any constituency that isn't the Republican Party-before-country leadership. And the wealthy.

Consider the scam in fool bloom: the Republicans wrap themselves in the flag, beat everyone else over the head with the "bible," and strut and bray about being "strong on defense," while shoveling billions of taxpayer dollars to the defense industry, which industry then contributes much of that to Republicans as campaign contributions, while Republicans oppose taxpayer-funded elections.

And start wars to which they send everyone but themselves.

[snesich]

06:49 AM on 01/06/2012

It won't work, Scotty.

In fact, we're almost embarrassed for you. Watching a grown man grovel in public is a sad sight. Will you eventually get on his knees and beg us to vote for you, as you falsely promise to "be just like Ted Kennedy from now on"?

Brown votes with his fellow Republicans at least 80% of the time. He bragged about being "#41" and how he would do everything he could to stand in the way of Obama's plans for health care, the economy and everything else. He spends his time meeting with lobbyists and going to lunch with "Wonder Woman".

He kind of reminds me of that other Republican "Pretty Boy", Dan Quayle.

And he actually thinks he can hoodwink us into giving him a full six year term in the Senate. Can you imagine the arrogance that would set in once Brown had six years in front of him without any accountability? Can you imagine the damage he would do, providing the Republicans with the one vote margin they'll need on so many crucial battles, when he no longer has to face the voters? It's scary.

[susane07]

10:07 PM on 01/05/2012

Brown should have flipped and become a Democrat. Too late now.

[snesich]

06:52 AM on 01/06/2012

Yeah, as if that wouldn't have been even more transparent than this latest demonstration of shameless groveling.

It's so transparent. And so obvious.

Now, not only is Brown going to lose, but he's going to lose by a BIG margin. And he's going to lose whatever personal dignity he once had in the process. Doesn't the man have any limits to how much he'll debase himself in public?

[JNagarya]

10:13 PM on 01/06/2012

Consider this fact:

He claims -- without providing a shred of evidendce -- that he was sexually molested as a child. (And dig thee image: by a "hippy".) But he adamantly refuses to identify the molester, thus protecting the molester, instead of protecting the molester's other potential victims.

And what is the media view on the matter? If a nobody alleges sexual mosestation, it is an allegation. When Brown asserts the claim -- again, without a shred of evidence -- the media reports it as if a proven fact.

And that includes the "liberal" "Boston Globe": Brown says it, so it must be true.

[alpi57]

05:36 PM on 01/05/2012

Too little too late Scott. Pack your bags. Hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes.

[kewps]

03:04 PM on 01/05/2012

Pander-monium?

[camelias and sweet tea]

02:51 PM on 01/05/2012

You cannot even begin to sway the Warren voters even with this B.S. statement.

[GwenWare]

02:16 PM on 01/05/2012

Scotty knows he's spitting in the wind. Hurrah for Elizabeth, I so wish I could vote for her here in Georgia!

[snesich]

06:54 AM on 01/06/2012

But you can send money to her. And please do, since Wall Street will be POURING the money in for their boy, Scotty "The Corporate Errand Boy" Brown.

[LameDuckHunting]

02:14 PM on 01/05/2012

You still will lose to Warren............................

[comment from Ron]

02:03 PM on 01/05/2012

I seriously doubt he is "bucking" his party's leadership. He has to take this position if he hopes to win the next election, and the Republican Party leadership knows this. It is not unusual in politics for a party member to get the blessing of leadership when taking a stand opposed to their party platform, if it is needed to win an election. If Scott Brown is elected again, he will quickly start towing the republican line again. Do not be fooled into thinking he is just doing the right thing here.

[JNagarya]

10:15 PM on 01/06/2012

Typical of Brown: when an important issue is on the agenda, he puts out to his state that he's "undecided," or leaning as the majority weants it to be. Once that is reported, he votes the party line.

[panobuz]

02:03 PM on 01/05/2012

Where are all the right wing comments? 2000 comments and not one to support Brown. I can't hear you!

[JNagarya]

10:16 PM on 01/06/2012

They are unmissed.