"Brown just returned from Afghanistsn on a secret fact-finding trip designed to evaluate U.S. involvement there," Bostonist captions this unattributed photograph of the junior senator from Massachusetts, now embroiled in a teapot-sized "scandal."
"Teaparty gut shot," twittered Army of Davids foot solder Norsu yesterday, capturing the mood of Scott Brown fans dispirited to learn that their man in Washington would not be participating in tomorrow's Boston Tea Party on the Common with Sarah Palin:
After Scott Brown #60 vote, Teaparty gut shot. Bought a 30 pack and laying on ground next to my despondent dog Nookie
Best tweet ever. Should be in the next issue of Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less. But back to our narrative. Brown fans on the internet had been tearing their hair out all day in a circular-firing-squad kind of way. A sense of betrayal was in the air amongst true believers, who'd put heart and soul into getting their man elected to the People's Seat. Outsiders were accusing him of selling out. Then salt was rubbed into the wound when Sen. Brown joined RINO's Snowe, Collins and Voinovich to give Democrats the symbolic 60th vote for cloture on a bill extending unemployment benefits. But as Hot Air's Allahpundit and Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit blogged later in the day, there was little there, there. First Allapundit:
Remember this dopey hit piece right after the O-Care vote quoting one GOP analyst, one tea party member, and a bunch of Democrats demanding to know, “WHERE IS HE NOW?” Pssst, Herald: He was in the Senate, voting no on reconciliation, just like he promised. How is it his fault that the Democrats found a way to nuke the filibuster and essentially nullify his vote?
That was the old scandal. The new scandal: He’ll be in D.C., in the Senate, on Wednesday instead of hugging it out with tea partiers in Boston. How will they cope with this knife in the back?
He’ll be home on Saturday for the GOP state convention, which tea partiers are also attending. The only evidence of “controversy” in the Herald story is Larry Sabato observing that Brown surely could get away from the Senate to go to the rally but doesn’t want to be seen clinking glasses with Sarahcuda in a deep blue state with reelection two years away. Which is certainly true — and which, as Sabato admits, tea partiers are surely aware of. A more fairminded story would have recognized that as the real angle, not the “snub.”
Exactly. As we twittered Norsu last evening:
Besides. I just can't see Sarah Palin and Scott Brown on the same stage. Too much candlepower, conflicting karma — Still, too bad his defense was so lame.
"Well, once again the democratic-media complex was not being completely honest. Popular Senator Scott Brown was on with Howie Carr today and told him the rest of the story," adds Hoft, quoting reader Craig:
Scott has really been very good at reaching out to the people who supported him. He went on all the radio shows after his election and went around the state for 4 or 5 days meeting with his supporters and the general public.
In the interview today, he mentioned that since his election he has received 3900 invitations for rallies or to speak to a group, etc. He said it still averages 300 to 400 per week. He is still hiring staff for his office too.
As GP reader Dipso Facto wrote in the comments, "Never take at face value anything the mainstream media reports about any Republican. Period." Not that we ever would, but the article in question appeared in the mostly conservative Boston Herald so caught some of us a bit off guard, and the flocking behavior of online crowds took flight from there.
Update: A Twitter response from self-described "Conservative Independent" Kimberly Morin, Boston correspondent for the Independent Examiner, AKA Conservativeinde:
He was smart not to attend. Indies hate Palin in MA. They see her as the "far right" especially on social issues which are important to them …Crossposted at Liberty Pundits.
Scott Brown is behaving in just the manner one would expect. He is behaving in an INDEPENDENT fashion and not bowing (ala Dr. Utopia) to anyone - left or right. He is being precisely the man he presented himself to be during the campaign and all the breast beating and carrying on is inappropriate. The Tea Party Movement does not OWN Scott Brown, nor should they pretend that they ever did. It 's offensive and ultimately, very disrespectful of Senator Brown and destructive to the Tea Party people who campaigned for him. How is this behavior any different from that of a union boss who claims to OWN President Obama? Seriously. Let's not behave like jilted lovers here.
Posted by: Gayle Miller | April 13, 2010 at 09:58 AM