Letter: Brown is no bipartisan

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October 2, 2012

Letter: Brown is no bipartisan

Anonymous The Salem News The Salem News Tue Oct 02, 2012, 04:00 AM EDT

To the editor:

If you are happy with the GOP’s efforts to stymie President Obama’s initiatives, then Scott Brown is your man. In 2010 he ran as No. 41 — the 41st vote that would allow Senate Republicans to filibuster bills, preventing a vote. Since then, the GOP has used the filibuster more than ever before in American history, obstructing the President and blocking laws that are in the public interest. In the Senate, the Republicans now represent the tyranny of the minority.

Scott Brown’s voting record is not so moderate or bipartisan as he would like you to believe, either. (You can find his record at http://votesmart.org) He votes with the Republicans most of the time and voted against middle-class tax cuts, campaign funding disclosures, low-interest student loans, the American Jobs Act, extending unemployment benefits, EPA’s greenhouse gas rule and confirmation of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, among other things. He opposes the DREAM Act and marriage equality, and supports sending more troops to Afghanistan. He voted to repeal health insurance reform and to allow employers to deny health coverage on religious or vague moral grounds (think birth control, prenatal testing, HIV/AIDS screening, in vitro fertilization). He is one of Wall Street’s favorite senators, receiving more campaign money from Wall Street than almost anyone else in the Senate.

You would almost think, from his campaign literature and ads, that he is running as a Democrat and that he supports President Obama. Nothing could be farther from the truth. His recent personal attacks against Warren and his campaign’s behavior, with racist overtones, went over the line of decency and degrade our public discourse about the important issues this country faces.

Scott Brown is not the right choice for Massachusetts. Please cast your vote for Elizabeth Warren on Nov. 6.

Kerry Mackin

Ipswich