Brown Ends Victory Lap, Going To Work - With Kennedy Staffers

Well, this ought to warm the conservative cockles of your little black heart. Actually, it still comes down to him when it's voting time. The real test is what type of fiscal conservative he turns out to be. And he's going to have a battle on his hands just to hold his seat in 2012. So, I don't know what we could have expected. His win was crucial given where we were in the health care reform debate. And I'm glad to see him heading to DC. The media victory tour was starting to grate imo.

Where are you with your staff?

“We’re good. In Boston right now we’re almost fully staffed, in Boston. We have about 27-28 positions in Washington, we’ve got maybe a quarter of them filled.”

27-28 total?

“In Boston, in DC. I’ve got about 7 or 8 here.”

What’s a full complement?

“That’ll be a full staff.”

We heard you may be hiring one or two from Kennedy’s office?

“Yeah, yeah.”

Is that an olive branch gesture?

“I just go — I don’t care who they are as long as they’re good people and they’ll be trustworthy and loyal and they’ll do their jobs, I don’t care. Kennedy had some of the best people in the country and I’m honored to have some of them and I have the best immigration person in the country, and–”

Is it Elizabeth-?

“It’s uh, it’s Emily, uh, what’s Emily’s last name? I just call her Em, so. And I have it all written down. I don’t even know my own name right now.” [The staffer is Emily Winterson, the late Senator Kennedy's immigration liaison.]

Is there another? Two from EMK staff?

“You have to check with Beth — Beth Lindstrom’s handling all that. But we’re looking for people form all over, regardless of who they work for, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, we want the best people who want to have an exciting opportunity.

“We have over 1,800 applications, resumes. It’s phenomenal.

“We have 33 openings and we’ve probably hired a little under half of those.”

Comments

[Lightwave]

Obama today: "If anyone is searching for an answer to the lessons of Massachusetts, I promise you, it's not to do nothing."

On the contrary, if Obama did "nothing", that is deregulate and let the free markets work out the problems instead of wasting $800 billion on the stimulus, left health care alone when a vast majority of Americans are happy with their health coverage, left banks and businesses alone instead of leaving them in regulatory limbo where they are not lending and not hiring, and stop wasting time messing with DADT when we're in the middle of two wars...well let's just say Obama's numbers would be a lot higher.

The lesson of Massachusetts was indeed "do nothing" Mr. President. Because that is infinitely preferable to your job-killing, economy-killing, military morale-killing, health care system-killing "something" that you're doing.

If that's the lesson you're taking away, then the GOP Congress in 2011 is assured.

[USMC]

I marvel at how some conservatives are wondering who Brown is! If they would just go to his website and click on the "issues" tab he lays it all out. From what I can tell he hasn't been deceptive.

I liken him as a Pro-Gun Giuliani. Nothing more, nothing less. I mean he could screw the pooch but I think on major legislation he'll do alright.

Time will tell but some on the right need to stop acting surprised about this guy. He told us who he is.

He's from Massachusetts what were you all expecting?

[templar knight]

Frankly, USMC, I didn't know anyone had half as much sense as Scott Brown in the entire state of Massachusetts, and I'm pleasantly surprised. No, Brown is no conservative, but he's not a liberal, either, and he is in the Republican caucus. So I count him as a win, a big win, considering who would be in his place.

[Jeff]

Fight like hell for the most Tea Paty'ish candidate in the Primaries. Then fight like hell for the most Tea Party'ish candidate in the General. I guarantee you we will be better off in November doing that that waiting for a perfect Tea Party candidate to appear for each election in all 50 states. In the words of Rumsfeld, lets go to war with the Army we have ...

No, that doesn't mean automatically support the GOP national candidate (see "Fight like hell for the most Tea Paty'ish candidate in the Primaries") and its does mean support the GOP candidate in the General (assuming no viable 3rd party Tea Party candidate in the general, VIABLE being the operative word).

Even a RINO will pay attention if we end up supporting him/her in the General.

Brown may was not a perfect Conservative candidate but I think you would be hard pressed to say he was not a darn good Tea Party candidate. My take on the Tea Paties is that they are all about fiscal conservatism and smaller government. Social issues do not get much play in the Tea Party movement and they shouldn't.

[mark l.]

i imagine it is a seriously qualified staff.

they kept the show running when kennedy was on the decline. they have been on the forefront of major legistlative actions for the past decade. I only worry about their loyalty, not the quality of their work.

[Bob C]

Get used to the media tour; he's their new darling, since he's happy to tell them that Republicans...who got him elected....better not count on his vote all the time. You know, the "maverick" thing. He'll be on all the shows, Kathleen Parker will write swooning columns about him, and he'll milk it for all it's worth.

[time to rise up]

Brown's an effin' moron! First the stupid victory lap, instead of going to DC to be seated—what was he thinking?!?! It's clear the people's business wasn't a priority cuz we got the expansion of the debt ceiling cuz he wasn't there to vote against it and didn't say squat about Kirk voting in his place. Now he's hiring Kennedy's staff? The man's a blithering idiot! He's gonna be looking to them cuz they're experienced, and they'll be guiding him down the Liberal garden path. What a frickin' moron!

[Dave B]

If I may offer my perspective on Scott Brown, being a conservative that lives in Massachusetts. He'll be fine. He's a populist, a pragmatic common sense guy that doesn't want to increase taxes, fees, tolls, or anything else. He is a friend to small businesses and believes in the concept of small Federal Government. He had the guts to be a lone voice in a sea of opposition in a state that has not been kind to people who are Republicans. It didn't deter him because he looks people in the eyes and talks common sense to them. He has spent days making time for people that supported him and those that didn't. He's a soldier and he makes sure he keeps himself grounded and if appears to me, makes an effort to keep himself grounded and not take himself too seriously. He'll be fine, let's just vote more like him into our Congress so he doesn't get lonely.

[Anita]

Embarrassing-expression-of-Outrage @ an elected Senator demanding to be seated:

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/02/embarrassing-expression-of-outrage-at.html