The 1969 book about the Selling of the President, that is Richard Nixon, is about how political stage and theater and the use of PR executives helped Nixon win. Today this is commonplace, but it becomes troubling when, as it arguably did with Nixon, it is used to completely Whitewash a candidate for the electorate, like in Scott Brown’s case.
Scott Brown’s meteoric rise was quick and sudden, made possible by a dysfunctional and overconfident Democratic party. Now we are stuck with a Senator who does not represent our interest or our desires and are unable to gin up decent opposition to the man who clearly “works for Mitch McConnell” despite protests to the contrary. However, as Scott Lehigh pointed out yesterday Brown has been able to finesse his way through controversy, rather than ever taking a stand. Even on the laws he supported that find support in Massachusetts, his position has been mushy or nearly corrupt (read old press accounts on the Financial Reform bill). Because his position on the Clean Air Act was a total flip-flop from his own positions, it was simply bad policy and Bay Staters do not support it, Brown is suddenly spending his own campaign money to defend himself. How many “Brown under attack” internet ads have you seen?
The reason is that Brown has engaged in a campaign to constantly sell himself. For the most part it worked, but it has reached the point where it is more obvious than ever. Certainly his planned trip to Afghanistan is the most naked it has become, plenty of pun intended. Which leads us to wonder if even the truck and barn jacket were equally staged (I believe he owns both, but were they true expressions of his persona or were they merely convenient props).
There is certainly more to be said on the subject and I am sure I and others will do all that is possible to see to it that Bay Staters of all kinds learn this. Hopefully we can rally behind a credible Democrat in the process. If you would like to read more about the subject, check out my blog here.
There is little doubt that the truck, at least, was a prop. He did own the truck, but he bought it to tow around his daughter’s horse – not exactly a “man of the people” there. Grapevine has it that, when not towing a horse and not running for Senate, Scott drives an Audi.
And sure, “shared reponsibility” (chocolate covered socialism) is going to save you in the next election. Even Obama is not that naive, c.f. today’s flip-flop on offshore drilling.