GOP Shouldn't Take Credit for Brown

RNC Did Little for Him
By Michael P. Tremoglie
Tremoglie's Tea Time

I do not know why the Republican Party leadership is being interviewed by the media, mainstream or "new," about Scott Brown. It seems he won despite the GOP not because of them. The Republican National Committee (RNC) apparently waited until two weeks before the election to start helping him.

Several weeks ago, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I received an email from a friend asking if I could do something to help Scott Brown. I replied that I never heard of Scott Brown.

He then told me that the RNC was doing nothing to help his election. This was interesting because if my friend thought Brown was a worthy candidate then surely Brown had merit. Why is it the RNC does not want to pitch in to help the candidate?

A December 29, 2009 Boston Herald column by Hillary Chabot confirmed the email. Titled "GOP Let's Scott Brown Fend for Himself," the piece stated, "GOP U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown has been all but abandoned by the same national Republican committees that pumped hundreds of thousands in campaign cash to former governors Mitt Romney and William Weld during their long-shot bids for U.S. Senate."

Chabot quoted a former Massachussetts GOP chairman,Peter Torkildsen, bemoaning the fact that Brown was not being helped by the national party. “It’s one of those rare opportunities that a Republican has a good shot in Massachusetts," he said.

According to the Herald, one reason the GOP was so stingy with Brown was that they thought he did not have a chance. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics,who is always appearing on cable news networks like CNN, told Ms. Cabot, “The Republicans have a good chance to pick up several or more Senate seats in November, which would eliminate the Democratic 60-seat edge. They’re not going to go on any kamikaze missions.”

Seems like all the experts were wrong - including those at the RNC.

What is appalling about the GOP is that they are trying to take credit for Brown's monumental historic election. The fact is that Brown's support was grassroots. The Internet helped Brown more than any organization.

Even the Tea Party Express waited until two weeks before the election to endorse Brown. I wonder what that says about them.

Yet,according to the Wall Street Journal, the RNC is trying to take credit. They quoted from a memo to RNC staff from Michael Steele. He said that the RNC helped Brown by furnishing "phone lines and computers" to the Massachussetts GOP, as well as, "multiple staffers."

Steele's attempt confirms a trend I have noticed in the conservative movement for the past few years. I noticed this trend among the "conservative new media." However, judging from the Brown election, it apparently exists is among conservative politicians too.

What is this trend? It is the proclivity for conservative politicians and for conservative media stars to take credit for the work of others. I noticed it in talk radio five years ago after news story I broke was used by some conservative talk radio hosts and television pundits without attribution.

This type of thing destroys innovation and creativity. Needless to say, very little of these two things exist in the Republican Party and it is starting to disappear from conservative talk radio and Fox News. (The liberal media departed from it long ago. CNN was their last innovation. Democrats have not used anything new since Carter.)

The fact that the John Boehners, Mitch McConnells, Michael Steeles, Newt Gingriches of the world are commenting about Brown's election to the Sean Hannity's, CNNs etc is indicative of a bureaucratized movement. The same old people asking the people they know to explain something they know nothing about.

These are all establishment figures who have lost touch with the electorate. This is the reason they were voted out of power in the first place.


The only thing that is certain right now is that Scott Brown owes no organized movement anything. He can be his own person.

Will being Inside the Beltway change him? Stay tuned.