Sen. Brown Makes First Oval Office Trip

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., questions witnesses during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. (AP)
BOSTON — Ahead of an Oval Office meeting with President Obama Wednesday, Sen. Scott Brown told WBUR he was underwhelmed by the president’s Gulf oil spill address, and that he and many of his Senate colleagues want to see the federal government step up — and speed up — its efforts to contain the spill and revive affected coastline.
“They don’t expect him to put on a wetsuit and go down and plug the hole,” Brown said. “People want him to put everybody in a room, come up with the best people in the world to try and solve this problem and then get at it, and there’s been too much delay in the regard.”
Brown was not informed of a precise agenda for the meeting — scheduled at Mr. Obama’s request — but he’s ready to talk about the BP oil spill and related energy issues.
It’s been speculated in Washington that Mr. Obama wants to ask Brown — in person — to support changes to U.S. energy policy, which he alluded to in Tuesday’s speech. Brown has supported the president before — most famously by casting a decisive vote that allowed jobs legislation to move through the Senate.
But Brown says he’s not ready to make any promises. âI need to see what bill theyâre talking about because if itâs a bill that involves a national energy tax or a cap and trade scheme, Iâm opposed to it,â he said.
He added that he would support comprehensive energy policy that took advantage of alternative energy sources, like wind, solar and nuclear power — without a tax.
Brown says his emphasis in any conversation about the oil spill will focus on the cleanup effort, rather than policy change. “We can talk about all that other stuff after we get that hole plugged,” Brown said.
Brown expects immigration to come up in the conversation, too. But that’s not where he’s focusing his attention. “I’m going to try to focus on jobs and see where the plans are to kind of get the economy moving again,” Brown said.
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Thank God we have an independent thinker like Scott Brown in the congressional delegation who does not mindlessly support whatever far-left agenda that Obama, Pelosi and Reid bring forward. Gone are the days when we have 12 automatons in the delegation all voting the same way, thinking the same way, acting the same way. Now we need to elect more Republicans in November! It’s time to end the political corruption in this state and restore a healthy two-party balance. You want change? Vote Republican.
A vote against clean energy is a vote against national security and a vote in support of our current petroleum suppliers in Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. It’s also a vote to surrender leadership in clean energy technology to China and Europe. Scott Brown ought to know better. Like Senator Kerry, he should be looking forward to the coming decades, not the coming elections.
Do I, as a smart, sophisticated 45 y.o. woman, care about the opinion or take advice from some kid in junior high school? No. Nor should Obama care what Scott Brown has to say. Scott ought to stop embarrassing himself by speaking out without knowing what he’s talking about.
Should anyone tell Bob Oakes that Massachusetts has two US Senators?
I listened to the radio comments from Scott Brown this morning following President Obama’s address last night, and I was struck by the lack of depth of understanding in his responses.
He states he’s against energy taxes or anything that raises costs, but then almost in the same breath says he’s in favor of renewable and clean energy. My problem is that is an easy talking point, but he offers no solution for rapidly expanding renewable energy without paying for it. That’s not a problem solver; that’s someone who just wants to state platitudes that appeal to everyone and hope that people aren’t paying enough attention to realize there’s no hard choices made in those comments. What could you ever say against no new taxes, pro clean energy, and pro jobs?
The WBUR reporters should not allow those kind of unsubstantiated statements to stand without challenging the how or why.