In the last three days, Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts has endorsed Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare, and just today voted against repealing oil company subsidies. That’s more right wing than Susan Collins.
Some polls show Brown relatively popular in Massachusetts. A few months of truthful negative ads should put an end to that. Hello, DSCC? Are you listening?
Author: Jonathan Zasloff
Jonathan Zasloff teaches Torts, Land Use, Environmental Law, Comparative Urban Planning Law, Legal History, and Public Policy Clinic - Land Use, the Environment and Local Government. He grew up and still lives in the San Fernando Valley, about which he remains immensely proud (to the mystification of his friends and colleagues). After graduating from Yale Law School, and while clerking for a federal appeals court judge in Boston, he decided to return to Los Angeles shortly after the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, reasoning that he would gladly risk tremors in order to avoid the average New England wind chill temperature of negative 55 degrees. Professor Zasloff has a keen interest in world politics; he holds a PhD in the history of American foreign policy from Harvard and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University. Much of his recent work concerns the influence of lawyers and legalism in US external relations, and has published articles on these subjects in the New York University Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. More generally, his recent interests focus on the response of public institutions to social problems, and the role of ideology in framing policy responses. Professor Zasloff has long been active in state and local politics and policy. He recently co-authored an article discussing the relationship of Proposition 13 (California's landmark tax limitation initiative) and school finance reform, and served for several years as a senior policy advisor to the Speaker of California Assembly. His practice background reflects these interests: for two years, he represented welfare recipients attempting to obtain child care benefits and microbusinesses in low income areas. He then practiced for two more years at one of Los Angeles' leading public interest environmental and land use firms, challenging poorly planned development and working to expand the network of the city's urban park system. He currently serves as a member of the boards of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (a state agency charged with purchasing and protecting open space), the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (the leading legal service firm for low-income clients in east Los Angeles), and Friends of Israel's Environment. Professor Zasloff's other major activity consists in explaining the Triangle Offense to his very patient wife, Kathy. View all posts by Jonathan Zasloff
Unfortunately, it’s a tough row to hoe against Brown. He’s not just “relatively” popular for a Republican in Massachusetts - he might have the highest approval ratings of any politician in the state, regardless of party. Then there’s the fact that the MA primary isn’t until September of 2012, which gives us all of two months to unite around a nominee. And actually, it’s worse than that: the state’s congressional delegation keeps on saying ambivalent things about Brown and sniping at our potential senate candidates.
So, yeah, it’d be good for the DSCC to step in.
On the bright side, though, I should also mention that Scott Brown shot his mouth off time and again when he was my state senator. It never stuck to him, but if he does the same thing on the national stage he probably won’t be so lucky. And he’s got lots of time to say something dumb.
Well I hate to be Debbie Downer but A) Scott Brown is now an incumbent, and has a large advantage over any challenger and B) I think that a large part of the equation is the challenger. No offense to Bob Dole, but he was a fairly weak contender in 1996 and tacking so hard to the right (flat taxes) in the primary and then sticking with it in the general election did not help (some of Bob Dole’s proudest moments in the Senate included saving food stamps and Social Security, so I’m convinced he’s more right wing than Steve Forbes).
Odds that Scott Brown is re-elected: A good 60% I’d guess. He’d be most hurt by strong Democratic headwinds, which will only come if the economy rebounds by 2012, which is unlikely.
*sorry I meant to say “I’m NOT convinced he’s more right wing than Steve Forbes” *
“and tacking so hard to the right (flat taxes) in the primary and then sticking with it in the general election did not help”
Mostly because, with the possible exception of flat taxes, (I’d have to check, it’s been a while.) he didn’t stick with it in the general election. My recollection is that, the moment he got the nomination, he started burning his bridges with conservative factions. I swear, it was like he had a checklist he was going down…
In a sane world, these comical pols with such positions would be crushed like bugs in their next campaign. Alas, their opposition party is the Dems.
Brown’s got a nice mane and a GQ mug…
Face it, pretty-boy is going to be tough to unhorse.
Attack him on the issues?
Sure, but also, be bold enough to warn voters about bad ideas wrapped up inside pretty horses.