This article is based on a story in the Arizona Republic that ran on January 21, 2010.
There is a bit of buzz in Massachusetts about the fact that our newest Senator, Scott Brown, has endorsed (and agreed to help) John McCain in his primary bid for the Republican Senate nomination in Arizona. There are a few things that need to be looked at in this endorsement.
As the article states:
"Scott Brown has made the statement, "When few thought I had a chance of winning, John stood by me and supported my campaign. He was the first one," Brown said in the message. "I want to thank him for his support for me and I want to encourage you to continue to support John.""
I am not a supporter of John McCain. He is a war hero and deserves credit for that, but I do not appreciate him as a Republican. Generally speaking, he has stabbed the Republican party in the back on numerous occasions, and has taken positions on illegal immigration that are totally unworkable. However, I think Scott Brown is correct in supporting John McCain. I voted for Scott Brown because I felt that he would make decisions on the basis of what he thought was right. After watching him in the Massachusetts legislature for a few years, I didn't always agree with him, but I respected him as a man of integrity. To turn his back on John McCain after Senator McCain had helped him get elected would have been tacky. I would also suspect that Senator Brown never thought that he would have to take a stand for Senator McCain in an Arizona primary election. I guess the lesson to be learned here is that when you accept help from a powerful politician, you never quite know when and how you will be asked to reciprocate.
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