[Cross-posted from the ProgressMass blog. Like ProgressMass on Facebook and follow on Twitter.]
Republican Scott Brown has been appropriately criticized for his harmful vote to double the student loan interest rate, making a college education even more expensive at a time when household budgets are already stretched beyond the breaking point. There have been a lot of negative headlines recently for Brown. He sure could use a positive headline, especially on the issue of the student loan interest rate.
Whatever could he do? Well, when in need, just make one up!
If you go to the “In the News” section of his campaign website’s “Scott’s News” tab, you’ll see this:
Wow! It looks like the Associated Press released an article with the title “US Sen. Brown Said His Bill Would Extend Lower Student Loan Rate Without Hiking Business Taxes.” That sounds pretty good. Republican Scott Brown must have a plan to lower the student loan interest rate without angering Grover Norquist by raising revenue. That must be a heckuva plan. Is it too good to be true? Let’s dig a little deeper. When you click that red “Read More” link, you’ll see this:
Again, we see the alleged headline, “US Sen. Brown Said His Bill Would Extend Lower Student Loan Rate Without Hiking Business Taxes.” We also see the first couple paragraphs of this story about Brown’s amazing plan to protect low rates without having to compensate with any kind of revenue. Magic! But, like most magicians, Republican Scott Brown doesn’t want you looking behind the curtain. I’m guessing that Brown would rather you not click on the red “here” link because, if you did, you’d see the actual story with the actual headline:
What did Scott Brown say the headline of this Associated Press story was?
US Sen. Brown Said His Bill Would Extend Lower Student Loan Rate Without Hiking Business Taxes
And what is the actual headline?
US Sen. Brown says bill would extend student loan rate; Panel says similar plan falls short
The first half of the headline sounds so promising; but, then, the second half points out that the Brown plan is a big ol’ bust. So what does Brown do? Shake that Etch-A-Sketch! He just fabricates his own glowingly positive headline. Hey, why not? If fabricating the news is good enough for Fox News, it’s good enough for Republican Scott Brown.
It doesn’t help Republican Scott Brown’s credibility any that his story summary includes just two paragraphs (the second of which is his own quote), while omitting that enlightening third paragraph, which reads:
But a Congressional Budget Office review of a similar proposal found it would create net savings for the federal government of only several million dollars, far short of the $6 billion needed to avoid a doubling of interest rates on student loans to 6.8 percent on July 1.
In short, Republican Scott Brown’s plan is a sham. It won’t work. The numbers don’t come remotely close to adding up. And the story Brown himself is pushing on his own website as evidence of his effective legislation actually lays out quite explicitly that the scheme doesn’t work. But Brown sure needed a positive headline after that harmful vote to double the student loan interest rate. Lucky for Brown, he always has that Etch-A-Sketch handy.
hesterprynne says
Senator Brown’s positions are that a $6 billion fix for student loan interest rates must be paid for (and the payment must not come from any tax increase). A $98 billion payroll tax cut, however, does not need to be paid for at all.
How about: “Scott Brown: Not an Elitist Math or Economics Major”
lynne says
Who do you think is his MAIN DONOR BASE??
It ain’t the $25-a-pop reg’lar folk.
danfromwaltham says
I believe a 6.8 rate for an unsecured loan is fantastic. Do the students put up any collateral to obtain these loans? Why the outrage ago 6.8 percent, rather than the high tuition costs at these universities.
thinkliberally says
…but even Scott Brown doesn’t. He fully realizes that a 6.8% rate on a loan is a lot to ask of a student who is likely to not make much money coming out of college. Your argument belongs in another thread of whether 6.8 is reasonable, and whether it is worth the time for our nation to invest in our younger generation. I understand there are those who don’t think so.
In this thread, we’re discussing the fact that Scott Brown is willing to make up headlines and lie about his record on a topic that is one of the biggest issues facing young people today. He can pretend to help young people while also staying “on message” about the evils of taxes. Like the rest of the Republican party, he can pretend that the only issue with the deficit is spending, while pushing for irresponsible revenue cuts. And he can do that while still pretending to be all things for all people.
Just shake that etch-a-sketch and nobody will remember.
dont-get-cute says
progressmass is wrong to think that Brown’s headline implies that the AP article has that same headline. Brown’s headline is correct: the AP is reporting that “US Sen. Brown Said His Bill Would Extend Lower Student Loan Rate Without Hiking Business Taxes.”
It doesn’t matter, apparently, that his proposal would fall short of paying for the loss of revenue from the higher rate, the point, apparently, is that it would at least do something that should be done and is otherwise not being done, in exchange for keeping the interest rate low, and it wouldn’t raise taxes on anyone. One thing to consider about raising taxes on the wealthiest is that it means a big chunk of cash doesn’t get invested in the markets like it is currently, and removing that constant source of new investment would be like popping a balloon and would cause everyone’s investments to lose value. I think they are desperate to keep as much money flowing into the market as possible, to avoid a devastating crash.
kbusch says
Yes, progressmass is absolutely wrong to think that anything on Brown’s website has to be accurate.
Jeez, progressmass, can’t you loosen up a bit? Join dont-get-cute in savoring this delicious bit of deception, take in its deep aromas, luxuriate in its rich bouquet.
dont-get-cute says
Where’d you get the idea that you have to quote entire headlines when summarizing an article?
petr says
Because partial headlines are either completely nonsensical or bluntly deceptive.
You’re getting cute again…
dont-get-cute says
Headlines are not expected to be quoted when linking to an article. Brown’s headline is totally accurate: the AP has a story reporting that “US Sen. Brown Said His Bill Would Extend Lower Student Loan Rate Without Hiking Business Taxes.” The headline the AP used is irrelevant, and no one expects it to copied verbatim.
kbusch says
Who else but one with such a refined palate for misleading could so savor such headline clipping!
judy-meredith says
deadly — absolutely deadly. What a gift for repartee — a sort of cross between Will Rogers and Oscar Wilde.
whosmindingdemint says
would be a student loan rate at 3.4 percent! There is outrage at the escalating costs of tuition. Would you like big guv’mnt to step in and set tuition rates for them?
Thought not.
danfromwaltham says
You have me thinking, if any hospital receives Medicare payments, they are forced to help anyone who walks through their doors, regardless of one’s ability to pay. How about if any college receives any student loan payments, their tuition and fees are regulated.
If deficit spending is not a concern, having 64 trillion on obligations is nothing to be worried about, then show some real love and set the rate at 1%. We cannot even cut funding for public television, let alone real cuts.
Even Bill Clinton said you could tax people like him at 100%, and it will not
solve our deficit.
Bob Neer says
The issue for him is who will pay him through donations to his campaign. That is the unifying thread that explains why he will approve big tax cuts for millionaires, which help blow up the deficit, but stick it to ordinary people for tuition bills.
whosmindingdemint says
And I like your idea about regulating tuition!
dont-get-cute says
A 10% tax on tuition and fees will force schools to lower their costs to keep their students. It could be a progressive tax, maybe 5% for the first $5,000 per year, and 10% for the next $5,000, and 15% for the portion over $10,000 a year.
Sorry for off topic comment – here is my earlier diary on taxing tuition.
kbusch says
from Republicans Against the Future.
dont-get-cute says
I don’t think rich people giving money to universities so they can put up big buildings and give professors 350K salaries is good for the future, we should divert some of that money to public needs.
kbusch says
You are concerned that we shall have one.
whosmindingdemint says
But I doubt it. He can’t even vote to reduce student loan interest.
whosmindingdemint says
Reminds me of this famous guy’s speech:
“Let me warn you and let me warn the Nation against the smooth evasion which says, “Of course we believe all these things; we believe in social security; we believe in work for the unemployed; we believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in all these things; but we do not like the way the present Administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We will do all of them- we will do more of them we will do them better; and, most important of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything.”
bluhooey says
Day by day, the story of Elizabeth Warren’s bogus claim to Native American status spreads across the country. Here, a Cherokee writes an open letter to Ms. Warren to tell the truth. http://www.pollysgranddaughter.com/2012/05/letter-to-elizaeth-warren.html
lynne says
…keep on coming.
You don’t need a comment rating system, BMG editors, but a thumbs-down/hide comment system.
JHM says
. . . just now Paddy and Eye moseyed over to The People’s Site™, mostly to check out whether there are any bats [*] left, and all we found about this matter was
Why such a sayin’ as that one should be accounted headline-worthy, only the Associated Press knows for sure.
Nevertheless, the event of utterance does seem sufficiently reality-based enough to be getting on with.
[*] Happy days.
Christopher says
There is another active diary where this would be relevant. Let me be clear: I DON’T CARE WHAT THE TRUTH IS ON THIS MATTER – IT IS IRRELEVANT!
whosmindingdemint says
and post the AP blurb verbatim (if that’s allowed):
BOSTON — Republican Sen. Scott Brown is pushing a bill he says would extend lower interest rates on federal student loans another year without raising taxes.
Brown said his bill would raise the $6 billion needed to avoid a doubling of interest rates on student loans to 6.8 percent on July 1 by cutting wasteful spending.
But a Congressional Budget Office review of a similar proposal found it would create net savings for the federal government of only several million dollars, far short of the $6 billion needed to avoid a doubling of interest rates on student loans to 6.8 percent on July 1.
Brown said his bill would raise the money by creating a government-wide “Do Not Pay List” list to reduce improper payments and wasteful spending.
Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren criticized Brown this week after he voted against a Democratic bill aimed at maintaining the lower interest rate by requiring many privately owned companies to pay more Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.
SomervilleTom says
Rightly or wrongly, my friends in the news business have always told me that while AP writes the story, each outlet writes its own headline (because, among other things, page real estate differs for each outlet, and every AP story can be and usually is edited to fit available space). I don’t know if AP supplies a “default” headline or not.
I guess that a headline attached to a “news” story on a campaign site is likely to be about as true as a “review” offered on a movie’s web site.
whosmindingdemint says
and then there is Ed Ames.