SCOTT BROWN’S ONGOING CONFUSION…. Like every other Republican in the Senate, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) supported a GOP scheme yesterday to strip the EPA of its power to regulate carbon emissions. It wasn’t a huge surprise — Brown is on record saying he doubts humans are responsible for global warming, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding — but it was nevertheless yet another disappointment.
After yesterday’s vote, the frequently-confused senator explained why he tried to take the EPA’s authority away.
“Well, I’m looking out for jobs and jobs in Massachusetts and throughout the country. And to give a non-governmental agency the ability to regulate the way that they have the potential to, they can regulate churches and restaurants and drop it all the way down from the big emitters to the very smallest emitters and it’s not appropriate. And, you know, we in Congress should continue to work on this issue and have the authority to do just that. And I would encourage, certainly, the majority party to start to work on a lot of these energy issues right away.”
Let’s unpack this a bit. First, if Brown is “looking out for jobs,” his opposition to Democratic efforts is backwards. Second, the Environmental Protection Agency is not “a non-governmental agency.” Third, the pending legislation wouldn’t apply to churches and restaurants.
And fourth, if Brown would like Democrats to start working on “these energy issues right away,” why is he blocking Dems from working on these energy issues right away?
For a while, Brown had an excuse to explain why he seemed so ignorant — he could chalk it up to being new. But that justification loses its luster every time Brown makes a ridiculous claim that he should recognize as untrue.
Brown doesn’t understand the stimulus. Brown doesn’t understand financial regulatory reform. Brown doesn’t understand health care reform. Brown doesn’t understand economic policy. Brown doesn’t understand energy policy.
I know people think he’s a nice guy, but when should the public expect Scott Brown to take his job seriously enough to do some homework?
