Charley and I sat down for about an hour and a half with Alan Khazei today. We covered a lot of ground about the Senate campaign, and we’ll write up the whole conversation in due course.
But his answer to one question was particularly good – and particularly timely, in light of today’s Globe’s front-page article on Scott Brown’s dithering. If you missed it, the Globe hammered Brown’s record of repeatedly failing to lead on just about every issue before the Senate.
Since arriving in the Senate in early 2010, Brown has tended to wait until the final hours of a debate before disclosing his views.
He rarely grants in-depth interviews on substantive subjects. Reporters typically are provided a few brief moments for questions when he walks out of the Senate chamber after a vote and heads for a Capitol exit.
The article does an excellent job of laying out how, on issue after issue, Brown refuses to stake out any kind of position until the last minute – and, sometimes, actually changing positions when it appears that the one he originally took is too politically damaging to him.
I find it impossible not to observe that this is all entirely consistent with my “caboose of the Senate” series, in which Scott Brown’s failure to demonstrate leadership on just about anything is revealed in detail.
Which brings us to Alan Khazei. Charley asked him to sum up the basic “30 second ad” case against Scott Brown. Khazei replied that the biggest problem with Brown was not his voting record, but rather his utter failure to lead. And he’s right.
Some money quotes:
If we default, Scott Brown is personally responsible…. My big beef against Scott Brown isn’t just his voting record. It’s the fact that he had an unprecedented opportunity to be a game-changing leader in America at a time when we are dying for leadership….
Scott Brown should come out of hiding…. What’s your idea? …
He doesn’t know how to lead. He didn’t show any leadership in the State House…. And this idea “well he’s being thoughtful.” No he’s not! He’s waiting to see where the political winds are blowing….
You know what a Scott Brown Republican is? Somebody who doesn’t lead.
Great stuff. Here is the whole answer (which, admittedly, is somewhat longer than 30 seconds). Apologies for the quality of the audio – we were in a rather noisy diner.
(Link)
Has Obama actually submitted a budget plan yet? He is looking like a Scott Brown Republican. (somebody who doesn’t lead. LOL)
Try to stay up with the class, Edgar. News Corp’s WSJ:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview/
back in January. Just like it always has been done.
It is Republican game that this action, routinely done by every Congress, will only be done if the Democrats pay a constantly increasing ransom. The fact is the budget and the appropriations processes control spending PER THE CONSTITUTION. The spending that will exceed the debt limit was already duly legislated.
The debt ceiling has always been a weird vote that has been surrounded by lots of grandstanding by the party not controlling a House of Congress, but there was always tacit agreement that it would pass so spending that was already approved in bills could be paid.
The debt ceiling is NOT the budget. There is a 2011 budget in place and the 2012 budget is theoretically supposed to be passed this October. (By the way Republican comments about the Democrats not passing a budget last year ignore the reason why – They filibustered it in the Senate! There was no way to get 60 votes – as the lock step Roadblock Republicans refused to let 59 Senators who caucused with the Democrats pass a budget.