A telling sign: Scott Brown comes out in support of Cordray recess appointment

[kpete]

A telling sign: Scott Brown comes out in support of Cordray recess appointment
By Greg Sargent

Here’s a pretty clear sign of which way the politics are moving in the fight over Obama’s decision to employ a recess appointment to install Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Senator Scott Brown — who’s facing a stiff populist challenge from Elizabeth Warren, the creator of the agency — has now come out in support of the move. His statement, sent over by his office:

“I support President Obama’s appointment today of Richard Cordray to head the CFPB. I believe he is the right person to lead the agency and help protect consumers from fraud and scams. While I would have strongly preferred that it go through the normal confirmation process, unfortunately the system is completely broken. If we’re going to make progress as a nation, both parties in Washington need to work together to end the procedural gridlock and hyper-partisanship.”

............

This seems like as clear a sign as any of just how toxic the politics of this fight could prove for moderate Republicans — not even the “Obama as tyrant” line can carry the day this time — and who is winning the argument over Wall Street accountability and the middle class.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/a-telling-sign-scott-brown-comes-out-in-support-of-cordray-recess-appointment/2012/01/04/gIQA8r68aP_blog.html

[unblock]

1. while i like the federal politics of the appointment, brown's decision has far more to do with

his senate challenger being the person who launched that particular federal department.
that particular dynamic is unique to the politics of his own senate race in massachusetts.

i agree that republicans can't overly fuss about this because obama chose popular posts to fill, but i wouldn't look to brown as being a typical republican congresscritter in this context.

[Vincardog]

2. I will bet dollars to donuts that Scottie wishes that Elizabeth Warren was the head instead

[Old and In the Way]

6. Would have been smart politics for republicans to have conceded this appointment.

But they are so wedded to their ideology and obstructionism, they really can't think past the kneejerk reactions.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Amazing what a real Democratic challenger in a progressive state can do to change

the voting habits of a Republican. Sorry, Scotty...too little, too late.

[customerserviceguy]

4. He's just racing to the center

to attempt to keep his seat. The Repukes really don't mind that he's doing this, he's outlived his usefulness to them anyway.

[DCKit]

7. +1, But he's no Elizabeth Warren.

Now he's going to look like a flip-flopper to the party faithful and all the other nuts.

[customerserviceguy]

8. The party faithful

aren't enough to elect Jesus Christ to state dogcatcher in Massachusetts. The biggest reason Brown won two years ago was that the Repukes scared Massachusetts independent voters about the ACA. I expect the banksters to dig up the fright machine again with Warren, but they're not going to do it any time too soon.

[Scuba]

5. He's running scared and trying to appear as if he's not a Wall Street toady. n/t

[yurbud]

9. Obama and Dems need to learn that when you have a winning hand, you double down

and you'll win a hell of a lot more political capital than you will through timidity.