Kennedy successor Brown cast himself as moderate, though record shows contradictions
By Steve Leblanc, APWednesday, January 20, 2010
Brown record doesn’t always match everyman image
BOSTON — As he campaigned for the U.S. Senate from the back of his green pickup, Scott Brown portrayed himself as an independent-minded everyman and moderate candidate fighting the Democratic “machine.”
But as a Republican in Massachusetts, Brown sometimes found himself to the right of his own party.
He once proposed an amendment which would have allowed emergency room doctors to deny emergency contraception to rape victims based on their own religious beliefs. He also criticized the federal stimulus program as ineffective, but said he would not return the money.
He drives a high-mileage truck, but he also earned more than $160,000 in 2008 and owns at least five properties.
Brown, who defeated Democrat Martha Coakley for the seat held by the late Edward Kennedy, says he’ll be an independent thinker in Washington.
