Scott Brown, a Republican candidate who is running for Democrat Jeanne Shaheen’s New Hampshire Senate seat, has taken on a new campaign tactic in an attempt to close the gap between him and Shaheen. The former Massachusetts Senator’s campaign has run ads criticizing Shaheen and President Obama for ignoring border security. Brown has also tried to tie the threat of ISIS to security along the southern border, making claims that the country’s supposed porous border is an opening for Islamic terrorists to invade the United States. He’s also claimed that both Shaheen and Obama do not know how to deal with the threat of ISIS.
In an article that ran Wednesday in the Washington Post, Sean Sullivan pointed out that during his time in the Senate, Brown missed all six hearings that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held, even though Brown was a committee member. Brown served in the Senate from February 2010 until January 2013, when he was defeated by Democrat Elizabeth Warren. Per the Post, Brown missed five hearings in 2011 and one in 2010. Sullivan also stated that four of the hearings were full committee hearings while two were subcommittee meetings and that Brown was a member of that particular subcommittee.
Brown has already been labeled a carpetbagger by residents of New Hampshire due to his already having served as a Senator for another state. Obviously, knowing he can’t win again in Massachusetts, he decided to find another state with a potentially winnable race in 2014 where he can make the case that he’s a resident. Now, after attacking Shaheen regarding her record on homeland security, his own record has been exposed, revealing him to be a total hypocrite. The fact that Brown has the chutzpah to rip Shaheen for not caring about border security or the threat of ISIS when he himself couldn’t be bothered to attend any hearings or meetings himself on those topics reveals the kind of craven opportunist he truly is.
Sullivan said in his article that it isn’t uncommon for senators to miss hearings and meetings due to scheduling conflicts. However, the fact that Brown has tried to make this the focus of his campaign shows that his record is fair game, especially since he couldn’t be bothered to attend even one hearing.
It is not uncommon for senators to miss committee hearings. Scheduling conflicts, including other committee meetings, can complicate matters. Shaheen has also been criticized for absences from committee meetings.
But Brown’s absences from border security hearings are especially notable since he has sought to elevate the issue in the campaign. He has routinely railed against “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants and argued that Shaheen been too soft on border security.
While some polls have shown that Brown has narrowed the gap between him and Shaheen, the Democratic incumbent still appears to be well in the lead. A poll released by ARG on Tuesday shows Shaheen ahead of Brown by ten points, 53% to 43%. Shaheen also holds a 21-point advantage with women, 59% to 38%, and leads by 18 points with independents. 57% to 39%. The gender gap is nearly fatal, especially since Brown only leads by three points with men.
It remains to be seen if this information from Brown’s Senatorial past hurts him at the polls. However, one thing I can say is I don’t see it helping him any. Seriously, who in New Hampshire is clamoring for a hypocritical, opportunistic carpetbagger?
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