Joan Walsh: How Scott Brown blew it

[DonViejo]

Naming far right Antonin Scalia his "model" Supreme Court justice may have cost him the election

by Joan Walsh

What was Scott Brown thinking? When David Gregory asked him a predictable question about his “model” Supreme Court justice, he had plenty of options. Literally 112, to be precise. But he answered “Justice Scalia” – and by choosing the far-right lightening rod, he just may have lost the election in that moment.

Elizabeth Warren’s campaign holds a slight lead, but her surest path to victory is reminding Massachusetts voters that they’re Democrats. The state where Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney 60-32 percent in the latest WBUR poll shouldn’t be sending a Republican senator to Washington to thwart the president. Scott Brown knows this, which is why he described himself as “independent” so many times Monday night. But given the chance to show real independence, he told Gregory that his model Supreme Court justice was the right-wing Antonin Scalia – and thus reminded voters of what may be the best reason to elect Warren. The crowd’s loud boos let Brown know he made a mistake, and he began scrambling to name other justices, but the damage was done.

If Brown wanted to pick a Republican, he had plenty of choices. The GOP California governor who became chief justice, Earl Warren, ultimately became seen as a traitor to conservatism for his rulings on school integration and the rights of the accused. But the number of people who remember that is fading, and he might have been the kind of bold, bipartisan pick a supposedly independent Massachusetts senator would get behind. Or maybe Sandra Day O’Connor – the first female justice, who happened to be appointed by a Republican, Ronald Reagan, might have been a smart political choice in a race against a woman candidate. Or Massachusetts’ own Oliver Wendell Holmes, appointed by Republican Theodore Roosevelt (Felix Frankfurter, another native son but appointed by the Democratic Roosevelt, was probably too risky.) Warren picked a Massachusetts daughter, Elena Kagan, her former Harvard colleague.

Why would Brown pick Scalia? Was he pandering to the tiny Tea Party vote? Or just under-prepared? It’s probably one of the most predictable questions in a Senate debate. Maybe he just likes the guy who made George W. Bush president and made corporations people (in Citizens United) but who believes14th Amendment equal protection provisions don’t apply to females.

Continue Reading:
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/02/how_scott_brown_blew_it/

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. It happens once in a while . . .

A republican caught off guard actually tells the truth . . . it happens once in a while!

[JRLeft]

2. That was one of his admittance which will cost him the election, that and his condescending attitude

Warren.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. "Lightening"?

Ack. Does Salon not have copy editors?

[gkhouston]

8. Well, the Brown's choice of Scalia was pregnant with failure.

And lightening usually occurs in the last few weeks before delivery, so Brown's failure should be right on schedule.

[DavidDvorkin]

10. His water broke during the debate?

[gkhouston]

11. That would explain the wet spot.

[LiberalFighter]

12. More likely he had an orgasm thinking about Scalia.

[Skittles]

14. SCHEDULING LIBERALFIGHTER FOR ASS KICKING

*EGREGIOUS VISUAL*

[sakabatou]

15. Oh god, my eyes!

[NCLefty]

4. It seems like everyone is trying to call The Moment campaigns fail now

Last edited Tue Oct 2, 2012, 04:11 PM - Edit history (1)

LUL.

I like Joan but I don't feel like she adds much to the conversations when she's on the shows. She just kind of agrees and piles on. Sorry, Joan! :p

[Rider3]

5. True colors

He allowed his true colors to shine through. He is not a nice guy. He is not a smart guy. He's only a very LUCKY guy to have landed where he is. Hopefully, he won't be a sitting Senator for much longer. Go Warren!

[tularetom]

6. Sounds to me like he was unprepared for the question and blurted out the first name he thought of

When his choice brought out a chorus of boos, he panicked and started pulling names out of his ass.

The only other option is that he is so friggin stoopid he doesn't even realize how toxic Scalia would be to an audience of Massachusetts voters.

[flamingdem]

7. I sure hope MA voters saw that and noted what a phoney he is!

That plus Scalia and his numbers have to go down

[Cha]

17. I see a campaign Ad from Elizabeth

to Remind them!

[Volaris]

19. I think it's the former...

and while this is a thing that CAN happen to anyone (unprepared for what they think is an unusual question), I expect people running for elected office to be of above-average intelligence, and able to converse "off the cuff" about mostly anything, and not look like an ass doing it.
Warren gets the Point, and therefore, the Win on this one=).

[Chellee]

20. That's exactly it.

Scalia was the first name he could think of.

My favorite part was him desperately trying to make it better and naming Sotomayor, like nobody could see through that.

[Bake]

9. Scalia was the only Justice whose name he could remember

Brown's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer ...



Bake

[csziggy]

13. Hey, at least he could think of a Supreme Court Justice!

Remember when Palin was asked about a Supreme Court decision and couldn't even come up with the one that had a major effect on her own state WHILE she was governor?

[Cha]

16. Sounds like Scalia just slipped out of Scott Brown's Swarmy

face. Ooooops.

[RBInMaine]

18. For goodness sake, GET IT UP IN A CAMPAIGN NOW ! Along with TONS to CRUSH his "Indy" meme.