Scott Brown snubs Sarah Palin, bags Tea Party rally

[cali]

By Edward Mason | Monday, April 12, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics


U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, whose stunning victory in January was fueled in part by Tea Party anger, has snubbed the fiery grassroots group and declined its invitation to join Sarah Palin Wednesday at a massive rally on Boston Common, the Herald has learned.

Brown’s decision to skip the first big rally in Boston by the group whose members are credited with helping him win election has some experts saying he’s tossed the Tea Party overboard, as he prepares for re-election in 2012.

“He wants to mainstream himself before the election,” said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist.

Brown, who took heat for the alleged misbehavior of some of his supporters at campaign events, may be trying to distance himself from what could be a volatile event, said political analyst Lou DiNatale.

“You’re worried at a rally that there’s a sign, a statement, an incident that’s certifiably cuckoo occurs,” DiNatale said.

“To win re-election, Scott Brown floating to the right is a serious problem.

“And showing up at a Sarah Palin, Tea Party event is not the way to the middle.”

<snip>

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1246482&format=text

[underpants]

1. Dispensed as all tea bags are

I stole that from someone here --sorry

[unhappycamper]

2. I'll bet the teabagger editors at the Boston Herald had a meltdown

editing/writing this. Good.

[pinboy3niner]

3. Brown may be the opposition, but you have to hand it to him . . .

for being among the first to distance himself from the extremists. Also interesting--this may be a harbinger of what we'll be seeing in the future.

[malaise]

6. Not really

Mass is a blue state. Even he isn't that stupid.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Yes, but so may of them are . . .

We don't disagree on Brown--but so many others are behind the curve, glomming onto Palin and Bachmann and their ilk. I think we'll see more jumping that ship.

P.S. I enjoy your posts--reasonable and thoughtful, even when I don't completely agree. Please keep 'em comin'.

[malaise]

10. Thanks

:hi:

[pinboy3niner]

12. Back atcha, Malaise

:hi: Can't help being curious about your username. You've probably explained it before, but for my benefit (as a newbie), whence "malaise"? I don't assume it refers to Carter, but I will note that under Carter, I did a Congressional internship and then worked for a fed agency (headed, at the time, by Jim King, a dem icon).

[No Elephants]

16. Malaise is correct. Massachusetts is a whole different story than, say, Arizona.

[ejpoeta]

4. he's smart to distance himself from them. though i am sure they'll try to take him out for not

giving them what they want. they are like rabbid animals who would cut off their nose to spite their face. but i think he's smarter to not throw his lot in with that crowd. for as much as they like to think they are a bigger group than they are, at some point when this guy goes to get reelected these are not going to be the people who can get him reelected.

[icnorth]

5. Scottie must insert himself into

the "real republican" alpha male role. The Palin Bachman travelling road show is just that. For the time being the repub power players will let the girls do their little concert and then escort them back to the kitchen where they belong.

[polichick]

9. These particular girls belong in the funny farm. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. You Don't Save Used Tea Bags. You Discard Them

Like the other kinds of bags.

[AlinPA]

11. He'll break down and will show up up at the rally. Ignoring the base will not help him at all. nt

[border_town]

13. Yeah but

He needs more than his base to win in MA. He received many democratic votes and needs them again. He will not get them if he endorses the Palin/Bachmann hate agenda. Brown is walking in egg shells and he knows it.

[AlinPA]

21. To me, it looks like he won with strong republican backing, angry independents and a small

number of Democrats. The MA republicans and angry independents would not be happy with his blowing off their party's strength and its leaders (Palin and the teabaggers).

[No Elephants]

15. Not sure about that. If he is the only Republican running two years from now--and that is likely--

steering clear of the extreme right could help him in Massachusetts, even if it would hurt a candidate from a redder state.If he has a far right primary challenger, I'd switch parties to vote for the challenger in the primary, because I just don't think Massachusetts indies would vote for a far rightie against a sane Democrat. (Thanks, Limbaugh for that trick.)

I could be wrong, but, as I sit here today, that's my gut.

[smoogatz]

18. If he's primaried from the right, it might actually help him.

It would give him a chance to look like a sane centrist vs a mouth-breathing teabagger loon. In any case, I doubt very much if he'll face a primary challenge--he's their best shot at keeping an R-MA in the senate, and the party bosses know it.

[TheBigotBasher]

14. K&R - Good find.

I wonder if he will refund the money linked to the hate site that campaigned for him?

[smoogatz]

17. Between a rock and a stupid place.

Evidently Mr. Brown has enjoyed his trip to Washington, and would like to stay a little longer, please. He's really an interesting test case for teabagger electoral influence: yes, they provided a lot of the money and energy that ended up getting him elected. But, their message ("Obamar is Terrist") won't really play in most of Massachusetts--first state in the union to legalize gay marriage, among the first to mandate universal healthcare, about as lefty as it gets in this country--particularly in a more typical off-year election scenario, in which people will likely turn out in reasonable numbers. He'll have to run WAY to the left of the teabaggers, and has already voted against their agenda on key pieces of legislation, and now this. No doubt the freepers/teabaggers (same thing, pretty much) are stamping their little feet and threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue. Or red. Or whatever. So, long story short, a lot of the energy and money that helped Brown win against an unprepared, lackluster candidate this year won't be there in 2012. He'll also most likely be facing a (much) better opponent, one who will use his former teabagger affiliation against him, even as he runs away from it. Basically, unless he can significantly burnish his centrist credentials in the next year or so by voting against the Republican "No" bloc in meaningful ways, he's toast--provided the Mass Dems can field a decent opponent. If I was an energetic young Democrat looking to create a job for myself in the Senate, I'd be thinking about moving to Massachusetts right about now.

[dem mba]

19. hey tea baggers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC75aU47GRk&feature=related

[WilliamPitt]

20. Ha!

Nice.

[XOKCowboy]

22. Can't wait till someone posts the Freeper reaction to this...

They've got to be going nuts about this. :evilgrin:

[Mike 03]

23. Kick and Rec. I saw this story today and it gave me some heart. NT