Seems fitting:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
Scott Brown is set to discuss money, power and politics at a major conference in Las Vegas next month organized by an investment firm that specializes in hedge funds.
Brown’s campaign confirmed he plans to attend the SkyBridge Alternatives (SALT) Conference, where he is scheduled to join a panel with Karl Rove, who was a top adviser to President George W. Bush; David Plouffe, who ran President Obama’s 2008 campaign; and James Carville, a Democratic political commentator.
The panel is entitled “American Beauty? Money, Power & Politics.”
The conference, which the Republican candidate attended in 2013, is organized by SkyBridge Capital, an investment firm that focuses on hedge funds.
Along with boldfaced names from the financial sector, other politicos such as Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to President Obama, and US Representative Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, are set to participate, according to the preliminary conference schedule. The conference will be held at the Bellagio, a luxury hotel and casino.
Anthony Scaramucci, managing partner and founder of SkyBridge Capital, has donated thousands of dollars to political committees affiliated with Brown, including a $5,000 donation to Brown’s Fiscal Responsibility Political Action Committee this year, according to Federal Election Commission filings. - Boston Globe, 4/16/14
Now here's the real kicker:
http://www.wmur.com/...
WMUR Political Scoop has now learned that Brown will be paid for this appearance.
"Scott Brown is a speaker at a bipartisan conference along with Valerie Jarrett and David Plouffe, and he will receive an honorarium. It will be reported as required under the disclosure rules," said Brown spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton.
Brown, of course, is not in political office and as a private citizen he can choose to speak and make a buck basically anywhere. This does not mean there won't be political implications. The fact the conference is organized by an investment firm specializing in hedge funds fits into the "Scott Brown is for Wall Street" story Democrats want New Hampshire voters to believe.
"It's no surprise that Brown is still lining his pockets with Wall Street cash," said state Democratic Party spokeswoman Julie McClain. "As the biggest beneficiary of Wall Street campaign cash in 2012, Brown raked in millions while protecting their interests, all at the expense of the middle-class -- and clearly nothing has changed. This paid speaking gig underscores whose side he is really on - Wall Street special interests, not New Hampshire." - WMUR, 4/17/14
It's really not surprising and this paid conference about him speaking in favor of big outside money in politics isn't going to help him. But then again, Brown will say and do anything to get elected:
http://thinkprogress.org/...
Scott Brown will formally kickoff his campaign to unseat New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) on Thursday night by characterizing the Affordable Care Act as a law that undermines American “liberty” and freedom of choice. The former Massachusetts senator won’t mention that his family has benefited from Obamacare or that he voted for very similar health care mandates and requirements as a state senator in Massachusetts, however.
“Premiums are way up for a lot of people – by 90 percent, according to one survey,” Brown will say, according to excerpts released by his campaign. “And along with our money and our health plans, for a lot of us it feels like we’re losing our liberty, too. Obamacare forces us to make a choice, live free or log on – and here in New Hampshire, we choose freedom.”
Brown rode a Tea Party wave to the senate in January of 2010 by promising to become the 41st vote to block Obamacare. But soon after it became law, he acknowledged relying on one of its provisions to “keep his elder daughter on his congressional health insurance plan.” “Of course I do,’’ the Massachusetts Republican told the Boston Globe in May of 2010, when asked if 23-year-old Ayla Brown has taken advantage of the provision. He argued that keeping his daughter on his health care plan “is not inconsistent with his criticism of the federal law…because the same coverage could be required by individual states.”
Indeed, as a Massachusetts state senator, Brown voted for the state’s 2006′s reform law, which provided the template for the Affordable Care Act, and similarly extended dependent coverage. The Massachusetts reform, commonly known as Chapter 58, also includes an individual health insurance mandate, employer responsibility provisions, insurance exchanges, government affordability credits and strict insurance regulations. Brown praised the state law during his 2010 senate campaign, asking during one debate, “[W]hy do we need a one size fits all government approach we already did it?” he asked. “[W]hy would we go and subsidize the failure of other states – not only would we be paying for our plan, we’d be paying for everyone else.” - Think Progress, 4/10/14
And of course he's trying to make voters forget he's a carpetbagger by making this idiotic argument:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Eager to shed his identity as a former senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown's campaign is now apparently deriding his opponent as the "third senator from Massachusetts."
As he kicked off his Senate campaign in New Hampshire last week, Brown received assistance from the state's former Republican governor, John H. Sununu.
Sununu didn't steer clear of Brown's biggest impediment as a candidate in the Granite State. Instead, the former White House chief of staff who served as one of Mitt Romney's most confrontational surrogates in 2012 projected that weakness right onto Brown's Democratic opponent, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
“[Shaheen] votes with Elizabeth Warren. She votes with [Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed] Markey. She is the third senator from Massachusetts,” Sunnunu said at Brown's Portsmouth, N.H. rally, according to Yahoo's Chris Moody. “Scott’s happiest days as a young man were in New Hampshire. … So it’s going to be great to have a senator that was born virtually in the state of New Hampshire. Jean Shaheen, by the way, was born in Missouri!” - TPM, 4/14/14
Of course Brown has some factors working in his favor:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
Contrary to the popular stereotype of the New Hampshire voter as a flinty, 10th-generation farmer who traces his roots to a soldier in the Continental Army, about two-thirds of New Hampshire adults were born in another state — and a quarter of them were born in Massachusetts.
Even in an era of mobility, New Hampshire stands out for its abundance of transplants: Only six states have a smaller proportion of native-born residents, according to Kenneth M. Johnson, the senior demographer at the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
This influx of residents is one reason Republicans feel hopeful about Brown’s ability to shake off the interloper label.
Over the last five decades, New Hampshire, once a bastion of old-line Yankee Republicans, has turned more Democratic. But the politically potent southern part of the state has become more conservative as it has filled with residents fleeing Massachusetts in search of less expensive housing, lower taxes, and a more libertarian ethos.
These Massplants, as some call them, could be an important base of support for Brown. A UNH poll released Thursday showed Brown’s potential Democratic opponent, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, leading Brown among all voters by 45 percent to 39 percent. But among voters who moved from Massachusetts, Brown was the clear winner, topping Shaheen 50 percent to 37 percent.
Most of these former Massachusetts residents live in Hillsborough and Rockingham counties, along the Massachusetts line, which together provide half the vote in any given election, according to Dante J. Scala, a political scientist at UNH. - Boston Globe, 4/13/14
And if you live in New Hampshire, you'll probably be seeing this guy a lot:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) plans on supporting former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) as he launches a bid to return to the Senate, this time representing New Hampshire, Politico reported Tuesday.
Rubio disclosed that his 2014 political activities will involve appealing to both the moderate and conservative wings of the Republican Party. The Florida senator has already come out in support of conservative Rep. Tom Cotton's (R) campaign to unseat Sen. Mark Pryor (D) in Arkansas.
Rubio asked his supporters to make donations when Brown first ran for Senate in a 2010 Massachusetts special election, and won. In 2012, the two senators fundraised together in Florida to support Brown's reelection. Brown lost his bid that year to now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). - Huffington Post, 4/8/14
But of course Brown must first win his party's nominee:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
To reach the general election, Brown must win a primary that includes former US senator Bob Smith, former state senator Jim Rubens, and Karen Testerman, a conservative activist.
Michael Dennehy, a prominent Republican New Hampshire lobbyist who was senior adviser to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, said Brown needs to hustle to familiarize himself with the cast of GOP activists in the state and called Shaheen “without a doubt” the favorite.
“He’s not going to be able to skate through the primary, because Republican primary voters don’t let anyone do that, let alone someone who just moved to New Hampshire,” he said.
Dennehy agreed that the race would be “more of a referendum on Barack Obama and Jeanne Shaheen than it is on Scott Brown.”
A Brown adviser said Wednesday that the candidate’s kickoff speech would carry a “heavy ObamaCare focus,” signaling the campaign’s belief that attacks on Shaheen’s support of the health care law will prove durable through November. Brown will “also reference America’s standing in the world and how it has suffered under this president,” the adviser said. - Boston Globe, 4/10/14
But I'm not too worried about this race because Shaheen can run a pretty smart campaign:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
She did not respond directly to Brown’s attacks on her vote in favor of the controversial US health care overhaul or his accusation that she had supported economic policies that hurt everyday people. Instead, speaking broadly, she defended the Affordable Care Act and her record boosting the economic fortunes of people in New Hampshire.
But when pressed about what most differentiated her and Brown, Shaheen offered a light strike on former Massachusetts senator’s rationale for running in New Hampshire.
“I’ve been working for the people of New Hampshire for the past 18 years. This is my home. This is where my kids grew up,” she said. “My goal has been to serve the people of New Hampshire, not to serve myself.”
Shaheen’s comments, at once avoiding the back-and-forth of the campaign while painting Brown as opportunistic, cohere as part of a larger reelection strategy, campaign analysts said.
“The fact that she’s not responding too much makes sense” at this point, said Andrew E. Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.
He said most voters are not paying attention to the race, so the specifics of April jousting between campaigns will probably be lost on the people who will determine the election’s outcome. Smith added it was a “smart tactical move” for Shaheen to attack Brown only indirectly at this early stage, a long way from the November general election. - Boston Globe, 4/14/14
And of course Rachel Maddow will remind everyone about how awful Brown is:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
On Monday, Maddow ran through a long list of Brown's gaffes and awkward comments. But now, the recent successes of Obamacare — which Brown has condemned —spell more trouble for the candidate, Maddow said.
"Scott Brown was a terribly embarrassing senator, he's always been a pretty terribly embarrassing candidate but this is truly a terribly and embarrassing time to be announcing that you are running for office — in the Northeast of all places — when the only not funny thing people know about you is that you are against health reform, which is actually working." - Huffington Post, 4/8/14
And two of Brown's former opponents know Shaheen can beat him:
http://bostonherald.com/...
Attorney General Martha Coakley said she believes the former New Hampshire governor will win the heated federal race that Brown officially joined Thursday.
“I believe she will be successful,” Coakley, now running for Massachusetts governor, told the Herald this week.
Asked what advice she’d give Shaheen, Coakley started with the last person to tangle with the former Wrentham Republican.
“First of all I know she has already called Elizabeth Warren. She should,” Coakley said. “Secondly, Jeanne Shaheen has a great track record for the people of New Hampshire, whether it’s for what’s she done for her constituents or what she does at the national level. She’s a tough campaigner, she’s the incumbent.”
And hence, Coakley’s prediction. - Boston Herald, 4/13/14
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
US Senator Elizabeth Warren today said the man she unseated in 2012 should be prepared for a hard fight against US Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
“Jeanne is tough, she is independent, and she is strong,” Warren told the Globe after attending a City Hall press conference in Boston.
Related
“This will be up to the people of the Commonwealth... whoops, this will be up to the people of New Hampshire,” Warren said, laughing. “But I think Scott Brown is going to have his hands full.”
Asked if she was confident Shaheen would be victorious, Warren replied, “Yes. Oh, yes!” - Boston Globe, 4/7/14
Again, I'm feeling confident about this race but of course Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers will spend big to buy Shaheen's seat for Brown. So lets make sure Shaheen is ready to go. Click here to donate and get involved with her campaign:
http://jeanneshaheen.org/