Sen. Scott Brown calls Obamacare a 'disastrous detour'

Scott Brown Fever Grows

'Massachusetts Miracle' Video Continues Its Viral Assent Post-Election

'Massachusetts Miracle' Video Continues Its Viral Assent Post-Election

It's Now Sen. Scott Brown

Here's something scary. Before being sworn in to the U.S. Senate today, Scott Brown had more political experience as a Massachusetts legislator than Barack Obama did as a state lawmaker in Illinois before he entered the U.S. Senate in 2005. (Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.)

Brown served six years in the state House and six years in the state Senate in Massachusetts before pulling off the "Massachusetts Miracle" by winning Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat.

I think this makes Scott Brown more qualified to be president.

Mr. Brown Goes to Washington

Republican Scott Brown will be sworn in today as the newest member of the U.S. Senate.

Vice President Joe Biden will do the honors at a 5 p.m. ceremony that effectively ends one-party rule in Washington.

FOXNews.com - With Signed Certification in Hand, Scott Brown Heads to Washington

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Joe Pitts: Scott Brown Stands Up for His State

Scott Brown Stands Up for His State
By Congressman Joe Pitts

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." – 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution

This week the talk of Washington and much of country was about Scott Brown's win in the special election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy. With determination and a message that appealed to independent voters in Massachusetts, Brown shocked the country to become the first Republican Senator from the state in almost four decades.

There is almost no end to the speculation about why Brown was able to come from behind and win the seat. A critical difference between Brown and his opponent, however, was his stand against the current healthcare reform effort.

Brown repeatedly spoke out against the bills currently being considered in Washington, but yet he voted for and continues to support the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare law. Many Congressional Democrats point to Massachusetts as a model for national healthcare reform. But why would Brown oppose a national bill actually based on a state law he supports?

In part, because other states have not taken the same measures as Massachusetts and also because of the backroom deals cut in order to gain the support of critical Senators. Brown doesn’t believe that his state should be subject to billions in new taxes when it is still working to fix its own system.

The people of Massachusetts this week elected a Senator who would honestly represent their concerns in Washington, not the agenda of a political party. I think that the people of Massachusetts are rediscovering the wisdom of federalism.

Individual states have different characteristics and concerns so naturally political solutions will vary from state to state. The Founders, in their wisdom, created a political system that would limit the reach of the national government. They wanted to preserve freedom, and they knew that a powerful national government could easily lead to a tyranny of the majority.

Now Congress is considering a massive healthcare reform bill. Both the House and Senate bills are more than 2,000 pages long. The total costs for these bills rise to more than a trillion dollars each. There are hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases and hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare spending in these bills. Every person in the country would be greatly affected by a single piece of legislation.

This has a great number of Americans concerned about the direction of our country. The House healthcare bill passed with only a couple votes to spare. The Senate bill barely passed, with every Republican standing in opposition. Most polls show the country split down the middle about whether they support the Administration's plan for reform.

With so much on the line, Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are upset. The healthcare fight in Washington has all the appearances of a "winner takes all" battle. The townhalls this summer showed how concerned people were with both the content of the bills and how they were moving through Congress.

Now, in state capitols across the country, state legislators are preparing legislation that would exempt their constituents from the burdensome new mandates that could be created by these bills. They are standing on the 10th amendment, insisting that the federal government does not have the right to impose a national mandate to purchase government approved health insurance. Next week in Harrisburg state senators and representatives will stand on the steps of the capitol to formally introduce their bills to uphold freedom in our state.

This week I joined my colleagues in supporting a resolution reaffirming the commitment of the U.S. House of Representatives to the 10th amendment and the Constitution's insistence that Washington has a limited role to play in governing our nation.

Respect for the Constitution doesn't mean that Congress has no role in reforming our healthcare system. I believe there is broad agreement on a number of issues but since Republicans and many Democrats were locked out of the negotiations, we did not get bills that could get the kind of bipartisan backing that would reassure the American public.

I believe healthcare reform based on the principles of the Constitution will mean that individual states come to different conclusions. We can have national agreement on many issues, but the people of Massachusetts and the people of Pennsylvania should have the right to be different.

Congressman Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Scott Brown on same page as Obama?

Scott Brown on same page as President Obama on fiscal commission - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

The Boss Has Spoken

I've read a lot of analysis over the past two days about Tuesday's historic repudiation of Barack Obama and the Democrats who control Congress, but here's an explanation of what happened in just four paragraphs from the editorial pages of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

WHO'S THE BOSS?

Democrats, liberals, progressives, socialists and many of the muckety-mucks of the left-leaning punditocracy have been working overtime to dismiss the import of the election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.

Mr. Brown, a state senator, stunned the political world Tuesday by defeating the Democrats' "sure thing" candidate, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, in a special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. But the margin of victory confirms this was no fluke. And it is not hyperbole to suggest that the wisdom of suddenly independent-minded Bay State voters might have saved the nation.

For an important check and balance to the Democrats' agenda, a full trot into socialism, has been restored — the filibuster. And, immediately, that places in peril the left's licentious health care "reform" proposal. But it also affects everything the Democrats want, including judicial appointments.

It remains to be seen whether Massachusetts is the bellwether for this fall's midterm congressional elections. But Scott Brown's election clearly is a shot low across the Democrats' bow that, in the least, will humble the braying donkeys and remind them that the people really are in charge.

Scott Brown's daughters in bikini controversy

You knew the attacks were coming, but is this the best the far left can do? A photo of Scott Brown with his daughters wearing bikinis has offended some liberals who are trying to stir up a controversy.

What exactly is wrong with a dad posing with his daughters (Ayla on the left and Arianna on the right) before they hit the pool or the beach?

This is what the Huffington Post had to say:

After announcing that his daughters were "available" during Tuesday night's victory speech, an Animal New York tipster unearthed this Massachusetts' newest senator posing with his shell bikini-clad girls.

Also, check out Ayla's MySpace and Facebook pages. The Boston College senior was a semi-finalist on American Idol. Arianna, according to her Facebook page, is a freshman at Syracuse University.

Huffington Post then links to something or someone called Animal, who finds the photo "creepy" and claims Sen.-elect Brown is "pimping out his 'available' daughters."

No wonder these people can't win an election.

The Scott Heard 'Round the World...

The Scott Heard 'Round the World...

By Tony Perkins
Family Research Council

Massachusetts was the sight of the first American Revolution, and after Scott Brown's victory, it might be the start of the next. Last night, the popular fury of the United States was on full display as voters literally pulled the seat out from under Senate Democrats and elected Republican Scott Brown, ending a 38-year drought for the GOP in a seemingly untouchable blue state. The last time Massachusetts sent a Republican to the Senate, Barack Obama was 11 years old. Now, exactly one year after his inauguration, Americans finally understand the President's vision for "change" -- and want no part of it.

Few say it better than liberal columnist Lynn Forester de Rothschild. "In 2008, voters believed that they were electing a person who would focus on the economy with laser intensity and lead in a bipartisan and principled matter. What they have gotten is a deeply divisive President committed to transforming America into a European-style social democracy... [H]e outsourced [health care reform] to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid behind closed doors as he focused only on taking the victory lap for pathetic, piecemeal legislation that does not deal with our exorbitant health care costs.. He has broken the trust of the people, and voters are taking the only action available to them: Electing a candidate who can stop the Obama agenda."

She's right. This election had nothing to do with Scott Brown or Martha Coakley. It was about our President, who stepped into the Oval Office 365 days ago and made a hard-Left turn so fast that it gave Americans whiplash. Were it not for his wildly unpopular health care plan, Martha Coakley would probably be packing her bags for Washington. Instead, the administration jilted voters for a "better than nothing" bill that undermines our freedom, destroys innocent human lives, and sticks taxpayers with the tab.

Scott Brown's upset was the culmination of thousands of townhalls, tea parties, and angry voters who, when push comes to Senate shove, can be just as passionate about preserving our values as the Democratic leadership is in destroying them. Social conservatives held back criticism of Brown's social views -- and, in some cases, openly supported him -- because they believe a Brown win fulfills a short term goal of blocking President Obama's abominable health bill. Of course, the Republican Establishment would like us to believe that Scott Brown's moderate platform on life and marriage is a recipe for conservative success in 2010.

Yesterday's exit polls suggest otherwise. After surveying 1,000 voters, Rasmussen was clear: this was a referendum on ObamaCare. Fifty-six percent in Massachusetts said health care was their number one issue, more than lapping the economy at 25%. If the issue is this radioactive, the natural question for Congress is -- what next? The plan to sneak in a vote before Brown is officially seated seems doomed, since even Democratic Senator Jim Webb (Va.) is calling on the leadership to "suspend further votes on health care legislation" until Brown can fully participate. The House could fast-track the legislation by accepting the Senate version -- including taxpayer-funded abortion -- "as is." Others have tossed around the Senate's controversial "nuclear option," a type of reconciliation th at would expedite the process and require a simple 51-vote majority. But considering last night's wake-up call, I wouldn't suggest either. If they're smart, the only reconciliation this leadership will pursue is with voters.

Tony Perkins is president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council.