As reported in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Senator Brown couldn’t get away fast enough from voters who turned out in Amherst yesterday to ask him about his positions on federal budget issues. Among those voters was
Peter Ramos, a wheelchair-bound Florence resident who cornered the senator to ask him if he supports programs like the Stavros Center for Independent Living, which is based in Amherst and aids disabled people. Brown said he had not heard of the program, but added “who wouldn’t” support it.
With that, the senator, wearing shorts and a white-and-green polo shirt, set off at a brisk pace across the road to climb Bare Mountain.
“Who wouldn’t” support it, Senator? Well, let’s start with you.
The Stavros Center helps people with disabilities, like Mr. Ramos, lead independent lives in their communities. The programs and services that Stavros and other independent living centers provide are funded in large part through the Medicaid program.
And Medicaid would have been gutted by the $111 billion in immediate cuts proposed in the “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill that many Congressional Republicans, including you, supported last month. If you don’t recall that vote, maybe you recall making it a centerpiece of the fundraising letter you sent out shortly afterward.
No wonder you were in a hurry to get away yesterday.
I too went to this event which was billed by an email from his office as a jobs event and was amazed by a Senator, who when confronted by his constituents, essentially blew them off and disappeared into the woods until they were gone. I took the time to directly confront him with the question of what he thought about Citizens United to which he simply turned around and walked away. Another woman made it clear in a strong voice that many people were there to speak with him about jobs but could not if he wouldn’t agree to speak. He gave her a dirty look and made a snide comment about how rude and loud she was. This is not the kind of representation we need. I would like to see Elizabeth Warren challenge this apparently ignorant public servant who obviously also has problems with integrity.