Scott Brown’s Lack of Fanaticism Giving Tea Baggers Cold Sweats

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It seems that Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts is no big fan of tea, much to the chagrin of Right Wing whackos like Jim DeMint. Here is the Politico story of this simmering feud:

When an aide to Sen. Jim DeMint used her Twitter account to call out Sen. Scott Brown and other Republicans for breaking ranks on a jobs bill, an annoyed Brown confronted DeMint on the Senate floor after privately suggesting he may have been attempting to stir up trouble with the conservative base.

DeMint said it wasn’t so, and the two men are downplaying the spat now.

But the divide between Brown and the Republican conservative base is at risk of growing — as it did this week when Brown joined moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio to help Democrats overcome a GOP filibuster on an extension of jobless benefits.

“I assume there will be votes that he’ll throw to the other team to show that he’s the new guy from Massachusetts and not the new guy from Texas,” said Grover Norquist, a leading conservative activist in Washington. “But I just don’t think that spending money is the way to do that.”

Brown, 50, still maintains celebrity status on the right, and he’s one of the few freshmen to carry a national profile; on Sunday, he’s scheduled to be a guest on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” a rare Sunday morning appearance for a newly elected senator. And for now, most Republicans in the Senate and conservative activists off the Hill have given him a pass, saying he represents a different constituency than most of the other 40 Republicans and needs to position himself in the political middle in order to stand a chance at winning reelection in 2012.

At the same time, Brown — who vowed to block the Democratic health care bill during his campaign — has opposed some pillars of the Obama agenda, including announcing this week that he would vote against the Democrats’ bill to rewrite the rules on Wall Street. Democrats say the newly elected senator is misreading his liberal constituency.

“Look, if Scott Brown thinks skipping a tea party event in Massachusetts while voting in lock step with the Republican Party in Washington is going to help him with voters back home — he’s got another thing coming,” said Brad Woodhouse, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, referring to Brown’s decision not to attend Wednesday’s tea party rally with Sarah Palin in Boston.

Asked whether he’s attempting to position himself as a moderate, Brown replied tersely, “I’ll let my votes speak for themselves.”

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Jess
13 years ago

I am going to stock up on popcorn just to watch the in fighting. Brown won’t be re elected, I am sure of that. I guess we will see how he does or does not follow with the reps when the financial reform package is all done. They cannot side with big business, that will piss off the baggers and if they don’t, that will piss off their donors they are courting from big business. They are kind of in between that rock and a hard place and me, myself and I are thoroughly enjoying watching them implode. Like I said, popcorn and real butter for me watching this show to its conclusion.
=^..^=

Bee
13 years ago

Oh, it’s going to be FUN watching them eat each other alive 🙂

13 years ago

The Teabaggers need to understand that the GOP, not just Brown, will throw them inder the bus as soon as it’s expedient.

SJ
13 years ago

I agree with Will. My issue with republicans is not that they are Republicans, but that they do the bidding of Mitch McConnell and ultimately big business.
It’s shameful that Lincoln Chaffee and Arlen Specter had to leave the GOP, -then again, maybe Republicans think the same about Joe Lieberman?
Ultimately Sen. Brown has to represent Massachussetts, and someone should remind Mr. Norquist that the real reason Brown can’t act like he’s from Texas, is that he’s not representing Texas. (With all due respect to people with their heads on straight in the big ol’ lone star state)
-SJ

Sue
13 years ago

I’m just happy to hear trouble is brewing between the moderates and the fanatics on the right! It’s gonna be a hell of a year!

13 years ago

Count me amongst those who thought that the left overreacted to this guy. 1) He seems reasonable and 2) he’s from Massachusetts. So even if he was a closet right-winger, it would have been totally suicidal for him to have voted like that. Let’s just hope that he turns out to be a Bill Cohen, Warren Rudamn, Linc Chaffee type of New England Republican. The country could certainly do a lot worse than that, Mike.

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