Free Republic

Consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren’s likely entry into the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts could re-energize Tea Party support for Sen. Scott Brown, whose moderation in Washington has deeply disappointed the conservative grassroots movement that swept him to office in early 2010. “I think she has the capacity to do that,” said Christen Varley, head of the Greater Boston Tea Party, who described Brown’s relationship with the Tea Party as “tense.”

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) raised a whopping $1.98 million this quarter, far outpacing his Democratic challengers and bringing his total campaign funds to $9.6 million. Brown, who will need every dime to fend off a national Democratic coup for his seat, more than doubled the fundraising of Democratic challenger Alan Khazei, who raised 920,000 and Newton Mayor Setti Warren, who raised $122,000. “We are encouraged by the strong show of support for Scott Brown’s re-election. People are responding to his pro-jobs message and his leadership in controlling spending and reducing debt,” said John Cook, Senator Brown’s finance director, in...

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown — an upstart Blue State Republican in the cross hairs of national Democrats — is lashing out at the party’s opposition researchers, accusing them of prying into his family’s private health insurance records, and demanding that they stop fighting dirty. (snip)A DSCC spokesman insisted the request was only for public information and never sought private medical information about the Brown family. “Obviously, the commission has made a mistake. Now Brown is trying score cheap political points to distract from his record, voting in lock step with Republicans in Washington, D.C.,” said spokesman Matt Canter. “Brown votes...

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said he has no plans to run for president next year, but will support Mitt Romney if the former Republican Massachusetts governor jumps in the race.

Though his win last year was heralded as an early victory for the tea party, Sen. Scott Brown said Tuesday that he doesn’t think of himself as part of the movement. “I’m a Republican, period,” the Massachusetts senator said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I have respect for the tea party. I’m a fiscal conservative – I always have been. When you talk about national security, I’m a hawk, probably more than anybody that I know in Massachusetts.” On other issues, however, Brown said, “I’m not a social crusader. I’m going to keep an open mind on each and every issue.”...

BOSTON (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Scott Brown defended his decision not to pursue a criminal investigation against the camp counselor he said molested him when he was a child, saying Tuesday that he's not looking to settle old scores. Brown details the encounter in his autobiography "Against All Odds," which tells the story of the Republican's troubled childhood and his election to the Senate seat held for decades by the late Democrat Edward Kennedy.

Scott Brown rejects Tea Party, says it’s not productive to criticize Obama. When Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts was elected to serve the remainder of the term of the deceased Ted Kennedy last year, conservatives had decent hopes for him. After all, Brown nationalized his election battle by saying that he would vote against Obamacare. That pledge brought him huge support from the Tea Party, which worked hard to help him get elected. Since then, however, Brown has revealed himself to be what he truly is: a RINO Republican who does much of the Democrats’ bidding. With that in mind,...

(snip) Other Republican leaders such as Ron Kaufman, the longtime confidant to President George H.W. Bush, believe 2012 could be a banner year for the state GOP. He pointed to Brown’s upcoming reelection campaign, last November’s gains by Republican state representatives, and the possibility of having former governor Mitt Romney on the presidential ticket. "For us, it’s about getting the message out," said Kaufman, who added that GOP candidates would focus on the economy and their opposition’s record next year. "If you look at the last three speakers of the House in Massachusetts, they’ve all been indicted for one problem...

The National Republican Trust spent nearly $100,000 last year to help Scott Brown win the U.S. Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, but now the conservative political group wishes it had that money back to help kick Mr. Brown out of office.

Scott Brown ran for the Senate vowing to rein in government spending and cut the federal budget deficit. A year later, he is open to increasing the national debt limit so the government can both spend and borrow more. The clash between his campaign rhetoric and voting record underscores the theme of the Republican's first year replacing a liberal icon, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. To the frequent surprise of Democrats, and often the chagrin of conservatives and tea party activists, Mr. Brown has largely kept his pledge to be a bipartisan legislator. He has voted bills up or...

Tea Party activists are now talking openly about backing a Republican primary challenger against Mass. Sen. Scott Brown. "I think the significance of that is –- I don’t know if he’ll get a primary challenge or survive in 2012 - but that is what every Republican in the Senate and the House up for re-election in 2012 has to be thinking about," said Salon's Steve Kornacki. "It’s going to have that threat hovering over them on every key vote for the next two years."

Senator Scott Brown’s decision to buck his party leadership in recent days on the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ military policy and on a nuclear arms treaty has set off a new wave of anger among some of the activists who helped elect him — and renewed talk among conservatives that he might face a primary challenge. Some Tea Party movement leaders who dislike Brown’s votes acknowledge that the Massachusetts Republican has demonstrated his independent and pragmatic streak, and by doing so may strengthen his chances at reelection in 2012. No primary challenger has emerged, and it is unclear whether a...

Anyone paying attention and doing their own homework knows that the New START Treaty is dangerous and constrains our ability to protect our nation. The treaty gives Russia what they want, ensures America ’s vulnerability, and fails to acknowledge Russia’s alliance with countries like Iran, China, North Korea and Venezuela. Scott Brown’s failure to fully research the national security implications of the treaty as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization before voting to ratify the treaty are inexcusable. Now Scott Brown secures his place as one of the 13 Republican Senators who betrayed America by voting Yes on the New...

Senator John F. Kerry, laboring to achieve a foreign policy victory that would be a highlight of his career, gained crucial support yesterday for a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia from his Republican counterpart, Senator Scott Brown. Brown’s backing gave Kerry additional momentum heading into a possible vote today. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry is President Obama’s man in charge of trying to lock down the two-thirds support of the Senate — 67 votes if every member shows up — required to ratify the New START pact. Kerry and other senators have predicted passage but...

WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry, laboring to achieve a foreign policy victory that would be a highlight of his career, gained crucial support yesterday for a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia from his Massachusetts colleague, Republican Senator Scott Brown. Brown's backing gave Kerry additional momentum heading into a possible vote today. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry is President Obama's man in charge of trying to lock down the two-thirds support of the Senate -- 67 votes if every members shows up — required to ratify the New START pact. Kerry and other senators have...

After basically evading reporters all day, the Massachusetts Republican recently announced that he will support the arms reduction treaty. Brown told reporters following a closed-session intelligence briefing that he had given the issue “due diligence” and hoped see the treaty ratified. “I believe it’s something that’s important for our country, and I believe it’s a good move forward to deal with our national security issues,” he said. A cloture vote is expected on Tuesday.

So he is, and every last one of us was fully aware of it when Scott Brown fee-vah was raging on the right before the special election. Even the Big Red Wave that’s a-comin’ isn’t enough to paint Massachusetts red, so it’s either Scotty B or Generic Massachusetts Democrat X in Teddy’s old seat. I’ll take Scotty. Sarah Palin, who is pushing tea party candidates further to the right, dissed Brown, saying he was not conservative enough to pass muster in a state such as Alaska.Brown is brushing off the intraparty attacks, making no apologies for the pledge of independence...

A bill designed to protect America from another financial meltdown is on the verge of becoming law. The senate just passed the Wall Street reform bill, but it wouldn't have happened without the help of three New England republican senators, including Scott Brown. The sweeping new Wall Street reform bill finally passed with Brown's vote, along with two republicans from Maine, providing democrats and President Obama with the crucial 60 votes to block a GOP filibuster

On the evening of Scott Brown’s election, I wrote that among the reasons for his victory was resentment of “a host of actions to prop up Wall Street firms at the expense of taxpayers.” Who would have thought that less than six months later Brown would cast the decisive vote in favor of legislation that institutionalizes Wall Street bailouts, and whose sponsors — Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank — played key roles in bringing on the meltdown, not to mention representing everything that is sleazy and corrupt about Washington. If Brown wasn’t running against Barney Frank when he railed against...

Scott Brown was the Man with the truck during his senatorial campaign. Today he assisted President Obama in the sweeping overhaul of the American financial system. The least we can say he broke his promise for no new taxes that will cripple the economy. The truth is the Gov now will call the shots on Wall Street. Do you think your money is safer now? The Rock Star of the tea party movement is a star no more. He is a poster boy again, but this time it is not for Cosmo, but for the Obama agenda. Remember how the...

The surest indication of whether a bill will be pushed through Congress right now is not a speech from President Obama or a declaration by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Instead, it's often a letter from the office of a Massachusetts senator who has served in Washington for less than seven months. When Sen. Scott Brown (R) announced in a written statement Monday he would back a briefly stalled bill to reform the financial regulatory system, two other Republicans quickly joined him. The three helped prevent a Republican filibuster of the legislation on Thursday morning, clearing the way for a...

Republicans were forced to "back down" from blocking Wall Street reform, according to a fundraising letter sent by the president. In the e-mail to his supporters, President Barack Obama wrote that pressure on lawmakers forced Republicans to "back down" from blocking the legislation, which the Senate passed Thursday. "This movement proved again that the strongest special interests, who for so long have called the shots in Washington, can be beat," he wrote. "When opponents in Congress tried to block the legislation altogether, you stood up -- and they backed down. When the lobbyists pushed for loopholes and exemptions just before...