1

So who is all upset about this? I keep seeing people say, "Stop getting mad", someone put a "Noooooo" button in the sidebar at Ace's as an example of the reaction, but I haven't seen it.

At least, not here and not by any bloggers I read.

I'm sure some comment sections are all full of "concerned Christian conservatives" who voted for Reagan and Ron Paul types and maybe even some realio conservatives who are against spending but......

A Mass career pol is leftish, color me absolutely unsurprised.

He did what we wanted him to do, send a message and cancel the Dems unbeatable majority.

Of course he's going to vote for crap like that, just because Massholes voted for a Republican doesn't mean they want to be a Republican. They want their pay and handouts too.

So long as he derails health care he'll be cool.

But since he seems to have plans, he had better learn that being a Mass Rino ain't gonna cut it in a national election.

2 "If Scott Brown can vote with the Dems on something that is nearly insignificant in order to be able to vote against them on something as ridiculous as cap and trade, not only do I agree with his decision but I'm confused as to how you can NOT agree with it."

Wouldn't it be preferable that he would vote against them in both situations? 

That is why I've been saying that while it's good that Brown won, it's not great.

3 Ugh.  Not this shit again.

I hate this 'argument'.  Mostly because it seems less like an argument and more like an excuse for folks to unload on the Socons, which a lot of people seem to have a lot of very thinly veiled contempt for.  For example, the trigger for this rant, the bill Brown just voted on had absolutely nothing to do with social issues at all.  It was strictly a fiscal responsibility decision.  Supposedly so important that people (specifically socons) should set aside all other issues for.  And he botches it.  He didn't vote against social issues, he voted against fiscal responsibility.  Yet you take the opportunity to trot out the old STFU Socons ultimatum again.  I doubt any socons were swayed after the last 500 comment thread at Ace's or the 20 before that one.  I can't imagine you actually think this is going to be effective.  It comes off, as I said, as more of an excuse to unload all the contempt you normally conceal towards socons.

For the record, I agree with you.  Social issues are never as important to me as fiscal issues or defense issues.  I just don't think you need to be a dickbag about it. 

4 I have no contempt for socons as I tend to favor their positions if not endorse them.  I guess I don't care at all about gay marriage one way or the other. 

I just don't think any social issues belong at the national level and I'm certain that previous tickets that placed these issues as centerpieces to their campaign lost votes because of it. 

I guess I don't see where I was being a dickbag.   I also attempted to split the two choices apart in a clear way but I guess failed.

I don't bring this up to beat a dead horse, I see fractures in the movements that are bringing us closer to victory in 2010 caused by the same stupid "can't be in the same tent" arguments that always come when we dilute our message too much with non-critical issues. 

5

Even I think this vote, taken in isolation, is a big nothingburger.  The reason people are upset is that they feel it's an indicator of his likely future voting.  We're just going to have to wait and see on that score.

He was supported nationally for some very specific reasons, and while it's tempting for a 'purist' like me to use this vote to needle the GOP some more, it would be intellectually dishonest.  By 2012, he'll either have kept his key promises or not and it will be very easy to evaluate his performance.

If he keeps down this path, I'll be the first to go all third-party on his RINO ass, but I'm not going to get myself in a lather over one relatively unimportant vote.

6

I think MP has a great point, here, though.  The guy is a Republican in one of the bluest states since blue moved to bluetown.  I'd rather have Scott Brown than another Kennedy, for example; he's going to have to break rank with the rest of the Republicans sometimes or he'll be out of a job, and the heavens know we could have something a lot worse holding that seat.

Am I thrilled about this stupid jobs bill?  No.  But it's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the spending this administration has managed to rack up. 

And, while this vote isn't necessarily a socon vote, I think it's another great point that we are going to have to give some ground on social issues - in fact, when it comes to most social issues, I'm actually fairly liberal.  But, just because I have a fairly liberal social agenda doesn't mean that the collective conservative you don't want me on your side.  Because on the big stuff - the small government, the spending, upholding the Constitution, immigration, et cetera, I'm 100% with the group. 

I think, too, that the youth feels pretty ostracized from the GOP.  I remember going to a GOP convention in Nevada with a friend of mine, and we could feel the stabby-eyes from all over the room.  The nerve of that tattooed girl, coming in to our sacred halls!  Sadly, that attitude can and will turn off kids who should be the future of our party. 

That got a little rambly and off topic. 

7 For fucks sake... "Scott Brown isn't a real Conservative?"  Naw, REALLY?  I simply can't understand WHY he won a Republican Primary in Massachusetts then.  I mean, the only Republican that can win there is a down the line, 100% Conservative, right?

FUCK OFF.  If you will sacrifice "good enough" for not being "perfect", then fuck the fuck off.  You honestly think the MA voters will vote in a perfect Conservative?  "But they voted for Reagan."  YES they voted for Reagan.  Only DC and Minnesota didn't, and that's only because they were fucking idiots (oh, and because Mondale was from Minnesota... I mean if a Presidential candidate can't win his home state... oh, sorry AlGore, didn't see you over there).  Reagan was lightning in a bottle.  The last time ANYONE had a vote like Ronald Magnus, he had the last name Washington and had turkey slapped King George III.  There's not another Ronnie now, and there CERTAINLY isn't 535 of them to get elected to the House and the Senate.  Be GLAD you got Scott Brown.  Because he was as Conservative as you were going to get out of that cesspit.

Never forget, had Scott run against Teddy Kennedy he STILL would have lost.  As fucked up as that is.  Massachusetts is a fuckhole of Liberal shit.  Calling Scott Brown a RINO when the fucking people who voted for him consider him slightly less right-wing than Lyndon Larouche is fucking stupid.  He's as Conservative as you will get out of that place (until the day we finally get Zombie Reagan to stop eating people on the campaign trail... that always kills him in the polls).