Reply #5: RE “BROWN outpolls Kerry"- 4/4 LTE's take on Globe; JK mentioned

[MBS]

They are good, they are unanimous. Satisfying. : )
#1 "Star treatment affected results"
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2010/07/02/star_treatment_affected_results/

. . Of course Senator Scott Brown polls better in this state. The Globe has made him a rock star with its coverage of his every move. His picture is even published when he goes to a ballgame.

Devote the same attention to Senator John Kerry and his voting record. He, and your readers, deserve better coverage of both sides of the aisle.

Paul Russo, Malden

#2-#3 "It's just another bubble that will burst" (excerpts)
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2010/07/02/its_just_another_bubble_thatll_burst/

Scott Brown convinced the voters of Massachusetts that he would represent their interests and change politics in Washington. Our truck-driving senator has won the contest for most popular politician in Massachusetts, but I wonder how long this popularity will last when voters find out who Brown really represents.

In the same week that he voted with Republicans to block an extension of unemployment benefits, Brown made a backroom deal to exempt financial firms . . . from the Volcker rule and then pulled his support for financial reform altogether. Like his Republican cronies, Brown has chosen to represent the interests of Wall Street over the interests of his own constituents.


Brown’s support of the Republican filibuster blocked extended unemployment benefits for thousands of his own constituents, and 1.7 million Americans nationwide. This number will rise to more than 3 million Americans by the end of July. I will lose my benefits if nothing is done to restore the extensions.

Senator, fiscal responsibility means holding financial institutions accountable for their actions, not punishing the unemployed. . . . Your popularity with voters will not last if you fail the people.

Sara A. Scott, Somerville

SO SENATOR Scott Brown is the most popular politician in Massachusetts. I guess “the little guys’’ must appreciate all those taxes he has saved them from paying . . ..

But . . his intransigence about the financial reform bill, which would prevent bank and Wall Street executives’ recklessness from plunging the nation into another economic meltdown, Brown objects to the $19 billion tax the industry would pay . . . He argues that the industry would “pass the tax onto consumers.’’

While his claim is dubious for several reasons, what is certain is that if the industry doesn’t pay what amounts to annual executive bonus money — chump change for the necessary monitoring — the taxpayers will.
. . . when Brown says he cares about taxes and deficits, it appears it’s the puny taxes on the richest corporations and what might detract from their profits that he’s most concerned about.

That shouldn’t be surprising. We’ve had Republicans promising to balance budgets, while cutting taxes for the last 30 years. It hasn’t worked yet, but “the little guys’’ never seem to notice or care. And so the Brown popularity bubble will continue to inflate until it bursts. . .
Rudy Termini, Cambridge

#4 "He's no Robin Hood"
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2010/07/02/hes_no_robin_hood/

IN THE 1930s, Oklahoma was home to a law-breaker called “Pretty Boy Floyd,’’ known both for robbing banks and for his generosity to ordinary folks. Massachusetts is now home to a lawmaker whom I’ll call “Pretty Boy Brown,’’ known for his generosity to the big banks whose reckless behavior has robbed the nest eggs of ordinary folks.

Floyd was quite popular in Oklahoma; Brown is quite popular in Massachusetts. Go figure.

Stanley Spiegel
Brookline

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