The Case Against Scott Brown

I think I've said this before on this blog that the problem for Democrats with respect to the Massachusetts senate race is that Scott Brown, the incumbent, is not crazy.  He is pro-choice.  He voted for Dodd-Frank financial reform.  Unlike many national Republicans who take great pride in their refusal to compromise with Godless Socialist Democrats, Brown is touting his centrist credentials.  Beyond that, Brown is a really talented politician- he's comfortable on camera, comes off as a Regular Guy, and has the right mix of nice guy and tough guy on the stump and in debates.

So what's my problem with Scott Brown?  As should be obvious to anyone who reads this blog, I'm kind of partisan, and I want lots of Democrats in Congress.  But what about Brown specifically?  Here's my anti-Scott Brown case:

• The national Republican party is really crazy.  It's true that Scott Brown isn't crazy, but at the end of the day he's stil a vote for Mitch McConnell as majority leader of the Senate.  If Republicans are in control of the Senate, most Massachusetts voters agree that would be very bad for the country.  In the last debate with Elizabeth Warren, the moderator tried to pin him down on whether or not he would vote for McConnell as majority leader, and he repeatedly demurred.  He's trying to run away from the national party; we shouldn't let him.
• Although Brown voted for Dodd-Frank, the price of his vote was steep.  He insisted that the funds to pay for the bill come from taxpayers instead of from the banks, as Democrats wanted. I really don't understand how any thinking person can believe that after nearly destroying the economy, the quite-necessary regulation drafted to try to stop a recurrence shouldn't be paid for by fees from that industry.  This is a reminder of how far into the pocket of the financial industry the Republican party has moved.
• While Brown is pro-choice, he's never indicated that he'll refuse to vote for a Supreme Court justice chosen by a Republican president.  That's where the abortion battles are being fought; it does no good to have a pro-choice Senator if he's going to vote for an anti-choice judge.
• I don't mean to leave Brown's opponent out of this post; Elizabeth Warren is a pretty good candidate!  She's thoughtful, intelligent, hard-working, and a true advocate for consumers and those who are victims of corporations engaging in crony capitalism.  I won't go deeper into this point, as this post is about Brown, not her, but I would feel really proud to have her as my Senator.  Her viral rift that inspired Obama's "you didn't build that" clip was brilliantly framed:

Look, if Scott Brown switched parties and became a moderate Democrat, I'd still prefer a liberal, but I'd accept him as reasonable enough.  But we really can't afford another Republican vote in the Senate.