|
|
|
Massachusetts can’t lose no matter who is elected to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 6.
As with many of our federal races, we have been pleased to find that qualified and sincere candidates from multiple parties have chosen to run for elective office. Voters may have difficult choices to make at the polls.
The race for U.S. Senate is one such example – but we believe Scott Brown deserves re-election based on his legislative record.
Through diligence and perseverance, Elizabeth Warren has proven herself an accomplished consumer advocate, academic and an authentic and sincere candidate as expressed by her concern for individuals and the larger issues that affect all people. During her campaign, she toured every region of the state and familiarized herself with the needs of each. Warren speaks knowledgeably about the specific issues facing our metropolitan area, as well as the needs of the working and middle-class.
Brown’s legislative record is impressive. For a freshman senator elected to only a two-year term, he accomplished far more than we could reasonably expect. In what was constructed by our Founding Fathers to be the most deliberative body in the world, again and again Brown introduced legislation important to the people of Massachusetts and the nation, and worked to get it passed within months.
His “Hire a Hero” bill created incentives for small businesses to hire veterans who face a significantly higher unemployment rate than the national average. Working with two Democratic colleagues, he introduced and helped pass the Crowdfunding Act which allows entrepreneurs to raise seed money of up to $1 million on the Internet without being strangled by red tape. Yet what proved his independence was his very first piece of legislation intended to ban insider trading by Members of Congress – already a crime for everyone else. The STOCK Act would have stayed in committee and never passed, but Brown wisely sought an alliance with Pres. Barack Obama and five months later after it was introduced, it was signed into law. It was bold for a freshman senator to hold his colleagues from both parties accountable and take a stand for what is fair and just.
Brown has also been a vocal advocate for the little guy. When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was found to have targeted Northeast fishermen with unprecedented and unfair fines, Brown took to the Senate floor armed with charts and outrage, and called for accountability while demanding change. As a colonel in the Army National Guard, Brown knows well the issues facing veterans and held a hearing in Massachusetts when he learned there was a backlog in their claims.
Massachusetts can’t lose no matter who is elected to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 6.
As with many of our federal races, we have been pleased to find that qualified and sincere candidates from multiple parties have chosen to run for elective office. Voters may have difficult choices to make at the polls.
The race for U.S. Senate is one such example – but we believe Scott Brown deserves re-election based on his legislative record.
Through diligence and perseverance, Elizabeth Warren has proven herself an accomplished consumer advocate, academic and an authentic and sincere candidate as expressed by her concern for individuals and the larger issues that affect all people. During her campaign, she toured every region of the state and familiarized herself with the needs of each. Warren speaks knowledgeably about the specific issues facing our metropolitan area, as well as the needs of the working and middle-class.
Brown’s legislative record is impressive. For a freshman senator elected to only a two-year term, he accomplished far more than we could reasonably expect. In what was constructed by our Founding Fathers to be the most deliberative body in the world, again and again Brown introduced legislation important to the people of Massachusetts and the nation, and worked to get it passed within months.
His “Hire a Hero” bill created incentives for small businesses to hire veterans who face a significantly higher unemployment rate than the national average. Working with two Democratic colleagues, he introduced and helped pass the Crowdfunding Act which allows entrepreneurs to raise seed money of up to $1 million on the Internet without being strangled by red tape. Yet what proved his independence was his very first piece of legislation intended to ban insider trading by Members of Congress – already a crime for everyone else. The STOCK Act would have stayed in committee and never passed, but Brown wisely sought an alliance with Pres. Barack Obama and five months later after it was introduced, it was signed into law. It was bold for a freshman senator to hold his colleagues from both parties accountable and take a stand for what is fair and just.
Brown has also been a vocal advocate for the little guy. When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was found to have targeted Northeast fishermen with unprecedented and unfair fines, Brown took to the Senate floor armed with charts and outrage, and called for accountability while demanding change. As a colonel in the Army National Guard, Brown knows well the issues facing veterans and held a hearing in Massachusetts when he learned there was a backlog in their claims.
Residents of the Commonwealth had long benefited from the unparalleled standards of constituent services provided by his predecessor, Sen. Edward Kennedy. In short time, Brown has also developed a reputation for responding to individual requests for assistance that is admirable and appreciated.
It’s his intrinsic understanding and knowledge of the nuts-and-bolts issues affecting the people of Massachusetts, his proven ability to work collaboratively across party lines, and his commitment to being informed and open to dialogue that we commend to voters.
We support his candidacy with one caveat. We urge Brown to refute his pledge to Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform group to never raise taxes. It’s deeply troubling to us that any elected official would make a blanket pledge to an organization, group or even his own party when any and all commitments must be made foremost to his constituency. As the nation faces the fiscal cliff on Jan. 1, we hope that Brown will be the independent thinker he has proven himself to be and listen to all proposals his colleagues in Congress present. His constituents deserve no less.
As someone who has worked diligently and sincerely to present a bipartisan voice in the Senate and on behalf of Massachusetts, Scott Brown has earned our endorsement for U.S. Senate.
