Sunday, January 10, 2010

Worster Massechusetts Newspaper Endorses Brown For Senate

Sunday, January 10, 2010


Brown for Senate
Massachusetts needs balance in Washington
The special Senate election on Jan. 19 presents Massachusetts voters with an opportunity to send a message to the rest of the nation that it is time to curb the bad habits of Washington and bring a measure of thoughtful balance to this state’s delegation on Capitol Hill. On a number of critical issues, including health-care reform, taxation, immigration, job creation and national security, Congress is likely to face razor-thin votes in the months and years ahead that will involve billions of our dollars and profoundly shape the nation’s economic prospects and the freedom and security of all Americans.

There is no question that with the passing of Ted Kennedy, Massachusetts lost one of the most powerful voices ever to serve in the Senate. Any candidate seeking to succeed him will need years of experience and a gift for reaching across the political aisle if they hope to approach the level of influence he wielded. Given the serious issues that face our nation, and the deep ideological divides that have riven Congress, we believe that state Sen. Scott Brown is the best choice to reinvigorate Massachusetts’ voice on Capitol Hill.

Choosing a senator, even at this time of sharp partisan divides, is ultimately not about ideology or party. As important as the health-care reform debate is, the decision before voters on Jan. 19 is not simply about adding a critical 60th vote in favor of a given bill, or adding a critical 41st vote against that bill. Nor is it a matter of making history by electing a candidate on the basis of gender. The time for such “historic” firsts is passing. Above all, voters a week from Tuesday should set aside all talk of what the late Sen. Ted Kennedy or his family would have wanted. The United States is a representative democracy. Positions of power are not to be “owned” by any political party, and cannot be inherited or handed down as if this were a medieval kingdom.

This election is about which candidate is best able to articulate and promote plans for sustainable economic growth, a vigorous national defense, and a limited government able and willing to remind its own members and the American people of the enduring value of our founding principles.

We have been disappointed to date in the tenor of the general election campaign between Mr. Brown and his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Martha Coakley, because it has not yet provided the public with the kind of in-depth, free-wheeling, head-to-head exchanges that would offer voters a clear vision of the differences between the candidates. In part, that is the result of Ms. Coakley’s reluctance to engage in one-on-one debates with Mr. Brown.

From what debates have occurred, however, the differences between the contenders are clear. Ms. Coakley would constitute a willing 60th vote for just about anything that the Democratic majority in Congress favors, including the budget-busting health-care reform legislation whose final details are now being debated in Congress. As noted above, that alone is not a reason to reject her candidacy, but there is little reason to believe that, on any major issue, Ms. Coakley would constitute anything other than another link in an unbroken chain of Democratic votes to expand the reach and role of government.

That lockstep mentality and one-party rule has not served the people of Massachusetts well on Beacon Hill, but led to a culture of corruption and arrogance. The same has been true on Capitol Hill, where, whether under President Bush or President Obama, large majorities for one party or the other have led to complacency, overspending, and a willingness to shutter debates and muffle the voice of the people.

On issue after issue, Mr. Brown has laid out concise, unequivocal positions that emphasize close adherence to constitutional principles and a commitment to limited government, transparency in lawmaking, and an eagerness to consider whatever legislation comes to hand on its merits. The reality is that Massachusetts voters gain little by electing yet another Democrat to a congressional delegation that is already the bluest in the nation. With Mr. Brown, they would establish a foothold on the GOP side of the aisle that could prove invaluable in coming years when, as it inevitably does, the pendulum of political power swings back toward the middle.

2 comments:

  1. Next Tuesday when Mr. Brown wins (and he will) it will be the Scott heard round the world!

    Are you listening Congress?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeahhh Baby! That's what I'm talkin' About

    ReplyDelete

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