The local media even provided some details of this contact, from the Milford Daily News:
Moments later, about 9:15 p.m., another staff member handed a cell phone over again. “It’s Sarah Palin.”
Brown didn’t miss a beat.
“Hi governor! How are you?” He nodded, moving again to find some quiet in the excitement-filled room. “Yes … I already won. Yes. She already conceded.”
Surely, Senator-elect Brown could not have forgotten his phone call from one of the most charismatic and popular members of his political party? Could he? This strikes me as very unlikely (no matter how much somebody had going on, what person interested in politics would forget a phone call from Sarah Palin?), and would be even more disturbing than the more likely possibility that he was just trying to hedge his bets on who he’s publicly associated with.
A key to Brown’s success thus far has been saying whatever he thinks is politically expedient at a given time, and counting on the fact that neither the press nor his political opponents would hold him accountable. Now that he’s entered the big time, will that still work?
but this is minor. It’s not like he “forgot” about spending a weekend shooting at wolves from a helicopter with the Palin clan. It was a brief congratulatory phone call; I’m sure they talked neither politics nor policy nor personal, youbetcha.
But it’s (a) funny, and (b) indicative of Brown’s propensity to say things that are (i) stupid (in the case of his daughters being available) and/or (ii) demonstrably false. Hence, clearly front-page worthy. đŸ™‚
It’s certainly not Watergate, but the smallness of this fib is part of why it’s telling and why it’s funny. I can’t imagine it would be at all notable or make any political difference if he had just said “I don’t really know her, we’ve only had one brief conversation.” Instead, he chose to go with “no contact”. Why bother? It’s a completely pointless distortion, yet he chose to make it.
I could go on forever with gaffes from Democrats (From the Globe – Patrick’s blunders – the Cadillac, the drapes, the in-hopelessly-over-their-heads top staffers, the phone call to Citigroup on behalf of ACC Capital Holdings, the parent company of Ameriquest).
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p>David, what were your thoughts on Martha Coakley’s…
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p>Did you think she was being… (a) funny, and (b) indicative of BrownCoakley’s propensity to say things that are (i) stupid … and/or (ii) demonstrably false. I might have missed your thoughts on this incident.
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Q:Why did Scott Brown lie?
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p>A:Because over the last three years some Democrats have done some stupid things.
When did this monumental event occur?
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p>Oh but wait, showing your true colors… Scott Brown apparently makes a mistake of not remembering a congratulatory call on his election victory night after days of tumultuous campaigning and he is a LIAR by your definition.
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p>On the other hand and speaking like a true Democrat, your take is Democrats doing anything similar are doing “stupid things”.
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p>I feel comfortable knowing any reasonable person is siding with me on this one. I will leave “reasonable” out of describing the other comments above from David and Bob.
if you got a personal phone call from Sarah Palin, you’d remember it. So would I. And so would Scott Brown. I don’t care how many other calls he got that night — you don’t forget that one.
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p>That said, I don’t really think Brown was out to deceive anyone in this case. I think he just wanted to pretend that he’d never had any conversation with Palin, because it’s convenient for him right now to be seen as not too close to her. So he sort of pretends that that’s the case. Except it isn’t.
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p>I think that he is not yet accustomed to the bright spotlight that will dog him for the next several months, and he is going to have to stop saying stupid things if he wants to avoid looking like, well, an idiot.
that the Senator doesn’t want to be associated with Sarah Palin. I would assume he wants to keep his job in 2012, and staying away from Sarah Palin only helps that (in this state, at least).
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p>Now guessing between lying and forgetting would simply be conjecture on either part.
Check it out, ” I don’t know the Governor but she did call to say congratulations”. Done.
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p>He certainly will distance himself from Obama but acknowledged his call and other Democrats. This is a case of making a mountain out of a molehill. He either forgot or simply made a mistake. For someone to say, “He definitely would have remembered a call from Gov Palin” is naive since we cannot expect to understand the insane schedule and level activities Scott has gone through over the last 2 weeks. “WE” would have remembered a call from Sarah (such a babe) but Scott may put this lower on his “memories” list.
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p>Luckily he has not had to go through a swearing in ceremony since the Democrats in MA have decided to delay the seating of him for as long as possible… or did I already mention this?
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p>If you are really suggesting that Brown does not remember a phone call from the individual who is arguably THE most famous Republican of the hour, then I would suggest there is something dreadfully wrong with him.
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p>How can he be trusted to remember less, um, remarkable things?
I love you Republicans. So incredibly entertaining.
And, just to reiterate, your sig is wrong. Latest numbers show that more people are moving to MA than are leaving. Sorry, Charlie.
God bless you, Johnnie.
It appears that Meehan is behind her. If she looked over and saw McCormack on the ground, the proper response would be “I’m not sure what happened.”
I wonder if he would buy that story if she was prosecuting a person for a crime and she had a picture like this of a witness? My guess is she would not buy it!
the diehards on this blog still can’t accept the fact that we have a new Republican senator. If all that you people can do is nitpick for the next two years Brown will win a full term in a landslide. Do you realize how small minded all of you appear to the real world out there?
… comment addresses in response to KBusch’s comment.
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p>And do you not see the irony of this observation in light of the fact that you appear to be defending a JohnD comment that somehow suggests that some guy falling down in front of Martha Coakley is relevant, in some deep and meaningful way, to anything at all?
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p>Any nitpicking on the part of the BMG faithful is not likely to affect any outcome, let alone a landslide, in the next senatorial election. It’s kinda hard to take your admonition seriously when your comment is tone-deaf and hyperbolic at the same time. Quite a feat.
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p>Edgar, by now you should realize that BMGers are out of touch with the way MA voters mark their ballots. Although, I would take their views as an indication of how the far left thinks. Take it as a data point.
I remember your comments in 2008, when Kerry won in a landslide, with 66% of the vote. 34 points more than Jeff Beatty.
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p>Brown won with 52% of the vote. 5 points more than Coakley.
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p>It is pretty clear that the problem was that Democratic strongholds had low turnouts. Not to mention, Obama still has high approval here.
I acknowledge that there is a difference between sticking your chin out and supporting someone or something, even as you go down in flames AND really believing in something/someone is going to win… as you go down in flames.
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p>The former are loyal supporters while the latter are just plain WRONG and out of touch. I have been both at varying times.
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p>My comments in 2008 about Kerry were highly negative but I don’t think I ever said Beatty was going to win. When you think about Beatty getting even 34% that is amazing since nobody ever heard of the guy. Mark my words, if that same race were held today, Kerry might still win but it would be a very very close race.
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p>Obama would still win in MA, I agree.
I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, Edgarthearmenian. That we all become Republicans in order to defeat a Republican in 2012? That Scott Brown’s victory means that we should accept inane commentary as a kind of penance? That Scott Brown’s victory has made lame comments wise and wise comments foolish? That the spammer from near Worcester is just trying to get us “in touch” with the people again, you know, the guy who doesn’t think that there’s a recession. Yes, that guy. He is going to tutor us on populism by yelling the same talking points repeatedly ’til we knuckle under.
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p>Well, that will certainly lead to some very insightful commentary millions will want to read.
Thought experiment. I go over to a conservative blog. There’s a discussion going on there on a topic in which I’m interested and on which I’m informed. I want to participate. I notice there’s a liberal there making, I don’t know, reckless charges of racism and generally being a complete pest. Let’s call that liberal Horatio. If I’m going to join that discussion, I’m going to encounter all the hostility Horatio has stirred up. I’m going to have to distinguish myself from Horatio. That on top of arguing a minority point of view others there are disinclined to agree with.
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p>Horatio’s presence is essentially a bar to my participation.
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p>So too here. I submit that’s the reason that we have shed conservatives and centrists.
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p>Accepting minority views requires patience. We have someone eating up all the patience.
you guys would be a little bit nobler in defeat.
You know that I never go to conservative blogs; they are too self-righteous and overbearing for me. And by the way lightiris, thanks for the compliment:”Any nitpicking on the part of the BMG faithful is not likely to affect any outcome, let alone a landslide, in the next senatorial election. It’s kinda hard to take your admonition seriously when your comment is tone-deaf and hyperbolic at the same time. Quite a feat.” (I must have imagined all that self-important cheerleading for Capuano and Coakley.)
first:
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p>then:
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p>you seem to be worried about a splinter in someone else’s eye when… oh never mind.
Three questions for you Edgar:
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p>1) Do you believe conservatism is well represented by JohnD, BillXI, and Lasthorseman?
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p>2) Do you believe people’s issue with JohnD, BillXI, and Lasthorseman is their politics?
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p>3) Do you believe comments like this, or this, and this come from open minds?
If you want to converse with folks like these, I’ll take you down to Harvard Square and you can meet some highly intelligent folks who can speak eloquently using words I’ve never heard used before… who don’t know shit from shinola. They talk a good talk but never amount to anything… they watch the game but never play. Most are socially inept but as long as they stay within the confines of Harvard Square, they can survive, with other tribe members.
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p>The kind of people who stick their noses in the air when the common man wants to lend his opinion. The kind that revel in our rights to free speech and remember the days when they protested their rights to speak out against the war, abortion laws, civil rights… but now cannot stand when a Tea Party protestor wants to wave a flag, so they ask for blogging accounts to be closed, or try to get differing opinions deleted. How’s that for free speech.
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p>I am a loyal BMGer, just differently winged. I pay my dues in all aspects to be here. I contribute and I take my whacks from all parties. I will not be silenced as long as I follow the rules set down by the editors. They can gang up on me and it just makes me post more blogs. They can coordinate their ZEROING of my comments but I will simply “copy” that comment if it gets deleted. This “bar” is not going anywhere so maybe some won’t be participating…
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p>They are jealous of our cohesiveness as a party since their party is splintered and self destructing. We are winning and they are losing. The anger from their side is predictable. It will only get worse as they lose more. Healthcare reform (as THEY defined it) is dead, thank goodness.
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p>Cover my backside from time to time if you get a chance and I will do the same for you, just as Horatio was loyal to Hamlet.
Just last week Mr. D was boasting about how well off he is. Now he’s a “common man.” Amazing.
They get so “touchy”. Did I mention I drive a truck? Well, I don’t, I’m a Saab nut!
Throw Edgar a few dozen zeros and see how he feels about you…
To indicate why your such a beloved member of the community, may I remind you of this delightful gem of yours:
Or possibly it’s your excellent and respectful way of engaging others:
Edgarthearmenian writes like this all the time, doesn’t he?
From the same “discussion”
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p>Cartoon conservatism at its finest.
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p>I wonder if he’s shared some of his “hilarious” gay jokes with Charley Baker and Richard Tisei.
No, you most certainly do not write like that. In fact it is inconceivable you would.
Oh noes!
Wonderful design and a great example of how much of a failure American car manufactures have been. I like their cars and their women.
If you want to converse with folks like these, I’ll take you down to Harvard Square and you can meet some highly intelligent folks who can speak eloquently using words I’ve never heard used before… who don’t know shit from shinola. They talk a good talk but never amount to anything… they watch the game but never play. Most are socially inept but as long as they stay within the confines of Harvard Square, they can survive, with other tribe members.
The kind of people who stick their noses in the air when the common man wants to lend his opinion. The kind that revel in our rights to free speech and remember the days when they protested their rights to speak out against the war, abortion laws, civil rights… but now cannot stand when a Tea Party protestor wants to wave a flag, so they ask for blogging accounts to be closed, or try to get differing opinions deleted. How’s that for free speech.
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p>I am a loyal BMGer, just differently winged. I pay my dues in all aspects to be here. I contribute and I take my whacks from all parties. I will not be silenced as long as I follow the rules set down by the editors. They can gang up on me and it just makes me post more blogs. They can coordinate their ZEROING of my comments but I will simply “copy” that comment if it gets deleted. This “bar” is not going anywhere so maybe some won’t be participating…
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p>They are jealous of our cohesiveness as a party since their party is splintered and self destructing. We are winning and they are losing. The anger from their side is predictable. It will only get worse as they lose more. Healthcare reform (as THEY defined it) is dead, thank goodness.
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p>Cover my backside from time to time if you get a chance and I will do the same for you, just as Horatio was loyal to Hamlet.
Probably for the same reason he denied knowing anything about the teabaggers.
…as he does with the truth. Can’t wait until he tries to explain the influx of financial services money. My guess is that he promised them the moon so the editor’s hope is not going to come to pass.
Looks like other media have picked up on this strange fib by Brown too, following in the footsteps of BMG: The Plum Line via Huffingtonpost, Boston Herald via AP, The First Post, and Politico.
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p>Eric Fehrnstrom has responded to this matter for the Senator-elect and says that the call from Palin “slipped” Scott Brown’s mind. Hmmmm….how unfortunate, let’s just hope this doesn’t become a pattern.
After getting around to reading some of the articles about this today more carefully, I noticed that some of them actually refer to this AP article from last week as when Brown claimed to have never talked to Palin, and others refer to the Barbara Walters interview in the video above. Oddly, no article seem to note that he said the same untrue thing twice several days apart using similar language: “I’ve never spoken with her. She’s never reached out, vice versa” to the AP, and “I’ve never met her, she’s never contacted us and vice versa” to Barbara Walters.
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p>This is either a deliberate, pre-planned talking point that was used more than once or the Senator-elect has a very serious memory problem.
…after he denies her a third time?:)