Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being (also known as murder) after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension. State laws in the United States vary as to definitions of "premeditation." In some states, premeditation may be construed as taking place mere seconds before the murder. Premeditated murder is usually defined as one of the most serious forms of homicide, and is punished more severely than manslaughter or other types of murder - often with the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

In the U.S, Federal law criminalizes premeditated murder, felony murder and second-degree murder at Title 18 United States Code Section 1111

References[link]

Category:Murderar: القتل العمد id:Pembunuhan berencana no:Overlagt drap sr:Убиство с предумишљајем nl:Met voorbedachten rade

name	Chris Matthews
birthname	Christopher John Matthews
birth date	December 17, 1945
birth place	Somerton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
education	College of the Holy Cross
occupation	News anchor and political commentator
religion	Roman Catholic
spouse	Kathleen Matthews
relatives	Montgomery County, PA County Commissioner Jim Matthews (brother)
ethnicity	Irish
credits	''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' ''The Chris Matthews Show''
agent	}}

Christopher John "Chris" Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, ''Hardball with Chris Matthews,'' which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC. On weekends he hosts the syndicated NBC News–produced panel discussion program, ''The Chris Matthews Show.'' Matthews makes frequent appearances on many NBC and MSNBC programs. On March 22, 2009, Matthews renewed the contract for ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' through 2012.

Early life and education[link]

Matthews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Irish American parents and is a Roman Catholic. He attended La Salle College High School. He is a 1967 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Matthews served in the United States Peace Corps in Swaziland from 1968 to 1970 as a trade development adviser.

Career[link]

Political career and views[link]

When Matthews first arrived in Washington, D.C., he worked as a police officer with the United States Capitol Police. Subsequently, he served on the staffs of four Democratic members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie. In 1974, he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, in which he received about 24% of the vote in the primary. Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter administration, and later worked for six years as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan administration. Despite having worked for Democrats, Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am. ... I voted for George W. in 2000." ''Salon.com'' has called him the "most conservative voice" on MSNBC's primetime lineup. Matthews has been accused by media watchdogs of having panels of guests that skew to the right and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments. Conversely, he is also often criticized by conservatives for his opposition to the Iraq War among other stances he took against the Bush administration.

On the April 14, 2008 edition of ''The Colbert Report'', Matthews alluded to a possible run for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania. When directly questioned by Stephen Colbert about his intentions, he stated that there is a difference between celebrities and those who work for the people, and it's a greater thing to work for the people. He also said that his boyhood dream was to be a senator. Four days later, on April 18, 2008, Matthews told Bill Maher that he has "made a commitment to covering politics in a liberal way, starting in 1987, and [he is] honoring that commitment, not getting involved in it." The seat in question would be the one held by Sen. Arlen Specter, whose term in the Senate ended in January 2011. On November 28, 2008, Fivethirtyeight.com and The Politico reported that Matthews had been in contact with senior staffers of Barack Obama's campaign about a possible run. On January 7, 2009, ''The New York Times'' reported that Matthews told his staffers that he would not run for the Senate. On May 25, 2009 Chris Matthews appeared on ''Charlie Rose'' where he stated that he was intending to run for Specter's Senate seat in 2010, stating "I could see myself winning the Democratic primary and I could see myself going on to face Arlen in the general [election]," but that he felt he had to decide between being a journalist and being a politician once Specter became a national figure by supporting the stimulus.

While discussing proposed healthcare reform on the December 17, 2009 edition of ''Hardball'', Matthews stated, "The Republicans will know they have lost... Let them keep score and it's easy. It's complicated when liberals get to keep score. We're always arguing. Well, I'm a liberal, too."

Author and talk show host[link]

Matthews worked as a print journalist for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the ''San Francisco Examiner'' (1987–2000), and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Matthews covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa and the Good Friday Peace Talks in Northern Ireland. In 1997 and 1998, his research in the National Archives produced a series of exclusives on the Nixon presidential tapes. Matthews has covered American presidential election campaigns since 1988.

In 1997, Matthews began his own talk show, ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'', which originally aired on CNBC but is currently on MSNBC. ''Hardball'' features pundits and elected officials as guests.

In 2002, ''The Chris Matthews Show'' began airing in syndication. The show is formatted as a political roundtable consisting of four journalists and Matthews, who serves as the moderator. He is estimated to earn more than $5 million a year. He also wrote a book called ''Hardball''.

Personal life[link]

Matthews has been married since 1980 to Kathleen Matthews, who anchored News 7 on WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., before accepting a position as an executive vice president with J.W. Marriott. The couple has three children: Michael, Thomas, and Caroline. His brother Jim Matthews, a Republican, is a county commissioner in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

In 2002, Matthews was hospitalized with malaria, which he evidently contracted on one of his visits that year to Africa. He has also had other health problems, including diabetes (which he acknowledged having on the ''Hardball'' broadcast of December 7, 2009) and pneumonia.

Criticisms and controversy[link]

thumb|Matthews and his wife [[Kathleen Matthews|Kathleen at the 2010 Time 100 Gala.]]Liberal blogger Glenn Greenwald has called Matthews "the most vivid example of all what is wrong with political coverage," saying "[h]e’s endlessly obsessed with personality-based politics and likes to promote the strong, masculine tough guy who you can have a beer with, versus the nerdy loser. And he has a cast of characters who go on his show, like ''Newsweek''’s Howard Fineman, who gush over the maleness of the Republican candidates and warn Democrats about how that has real appeal to American voters. Most political reporters judge candidates on the basis of the likeability factor–Matthews is just more explicit about it."

Others have criticized Matthews for talking too much on air, not letting his guests talk, and often talking over and interrupting them. One who also worked in the Carter Administration has written: "Generally in those days Chris was a relatively quiet person around the White House, and in meetings or briefings would frequently say very little, or nothing at all. I guess he's making up for lost time -- or 'lost talk' -- now. Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of his show, always fascinating without fail -- at least if you're a political junkie."

The progressive media watchdog group Media Matters for America named Matthews its 2005 "Misinformer of the Year", citing statements he made in support of President George W. Bush.

On January 9, 2008, the morning after Hillary Clinton's surprise victory in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, Matthews appeared on MSNBC's ''Morning Joe'' program and said of Clinton,

The comments were criticized by such media figures as Bill O'Reilly, Joy Behar and Gloria Steinem. They also resulted in protests outside NBC's Washington, D.C. studios, as well as a joint letter of complaint to NBC from the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority, and the National Women's Political Caucus. Matthews apologized for the comments on the January 17, 2008 edition of ''Hardball''.

After Matthews and Keith Olbermann made controversial on-air comments during the 2008 Republican National Convention, NBC News correspondent David Gregory replaced them, but Matthews and Olbermann continued working as analysts. On November 4–5, he teamed with Rachel Maddow, Eugene Robinson, David Gregory, and Keith Olbermann to cover the presidential election.

On February 12, 2008, during MSNBC's coverage of the Potomac primary, Matthews had this to say about then presidential candidate Barack Obama: }}

This led some on the political right to assert that both he and MSNBC were biased toward Obama.

On November 6, 2008, he was a guest on the MSNBC television program ''Morning Joe'', where he stated, "I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work." Host Joe Scarborough asked if that was his job as a journalist. "Yeah, that’s my job. My job is to help this country," Matthews said.

On December 1, 2009, preceding Obama's speech announcing a troop increase in Afghanistan, Matthews critiqued the president for choosing the United States Military Academy as his venue, referring to it as "the enemy camp." Soon after, Matthews apologized for his remarks saying, "[To] the cadets, their parents, former cadets, and everyone who cares about this country and those who defend it: I used the wrong words and worse than that I said something that is just not right and for that I deeply apologize."

In January 2010, in Matthews's comments after President Obama's first State of the Union Address, he says "You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour." The next day, on the Rachel Maddow show, Matthews clarified his remarks, saying "I think he’s taken us beyond black and white in our politics, wonderfully so, in just a year."

Bibliography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Hardball with Chris Matthews

The Chris Matthews Show

*''Booknotes'' interview with Matthews on ''Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America'', June 9, 1996.

Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:American federal police officers Category:American journalists Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American political pundits Category:American political writers Category:American speechwriters Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Carter administration personnel Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni Category:Commentators Category:MSNBC Category:NBC News Category:Peace Corps volunteers Category:Pennsylvania Democrats Category:People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:United States congressional aides

ca:Chris Matthews de:Chris Matthews es:Chris Matthews fr:Chris Matthews sh:Chris Matthews

birthname	Scott Philip Brown
jr/sr	Junior Senator
alongside	John Kerry
state	Massachusetts
term start	February 4, 2010
preceded	Paul G. Kirk
state senate1	Massachusetts
district1	Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex
term start1	March 25, 2004
term end1	February 4, 2010
preceded1	Cheryl Jacques
succeeded1	Richard Ross
order2	Member of theMassachusetts House of Representativesfrom the 9th Norfolk district
term start2	1998
term end2	2004
predecessor2	Jo Ann Sprague
successor2	Richard Ross
order3	Member of theWrentham, MassachusettsBoard of Selectmen
term start3	1995
term end3	1998
order4	Member of theWrentham, MassachusettsBoard of Assessors
term start4	1987
term end4	1990
birth date	September 12, 1959
birth place	Kittery, Maine
party	Republican
spouse	Gail Huff
children	Ayla BrownArianna Brown
residence	Wrentham, Massachusetts
alma mater	Tufts University (B.A.)Boston College (J.D.)
profession	Politician, lawyer, soldier
religion	Christian Reformed Church in North America
website	Official Senate website
branch	United States Army National Guard
serviceyears	1979–Present
rank	Colonel
unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
commands	Head defense attorney for the New England States
awards	Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security; Meritorious Service Medal }}

Scott Philip Brown (born September 12, 1959) is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. Brown previously served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court, first in the State House of Representatives (1998–2004) and then in the State Senate (2004–2010).

Brown is a member of the Republican Party, and faced the Democratic candidate, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, in the 2010 special election to succeed U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013. While initially trailing Coakley in polling by a large margin, Brown won the election and in January 2010 became the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since Edward Brooke in 1972.

Prior to entering the state legislature, he had experience as a town selectman and assessor. He is a practicing attorney, concentrating in real estate law and serving as defense counsel in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School (1977), Tufts University (1981), and Boston College Law School (1985).

Early life and education[link]

Brown was born on September 12, 1959 in Kittery, Maine and grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He often spent his summers in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where his father served as a city councilor for 18 years. Brown's father, Claude Bruce Brown, and mother, Judith Ann “Judi” (née Rugg), divorced when he was about a year old. Both his parents have since remarried three times. His father and his grandfather were Republicans. His father has said that young Scott became interested in running for political office in the mid 1960s while accompanying him on a campaign for state office. Scott Brown recalls holding campaign signs for his father.

Brown had a difficult childhood; after her divorce his working mother received welfare benefits. Brown experienced sexual abuse from a camp counselor who threatened to kill the 10-year-old boy if he told anyone—which he did not disclose even to his family until his autobiography ''Against All Odds'' (2011)—and physical abuse from his stepfathers. During various periods of his childhood, Brown lived with his grandparents and his aunt. He shoplifted many times, and was arrested for stealing record albums and brought before Judge Samuel Zoll in Salem, Massachusetts at the age of 13 or 14. Zoll asked Brown if his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail and required Brown to write a 1,500-word essay on that question as his punishment. Brown later said, "that was the last time I ever stole.

He graduated from Wakefield High School in 1977. He received a Bachelors of Arts in History, cum laude from Tufts University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1985. During his undergraduate career at Tufts, Brown was a member of the Kappa Chapter of Zeta Psi International Fraternity.

Early career[link]

Army National Guard service[link]

Brown has said the rescue efforts of Army National Guard during the Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 impressed him. He joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard when he was 19, receiving his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and attending Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) classes at the campus of Northeastern University. He was trained in infantry, quartermaster, and airborne duties, and in 1994 he joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG). He has been active in the Guard for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. As the Army Guard's head defense attorney in New England, Brown defended Guard members who had disciplinary difficulties such as positive drug tests, and provided estate planning and real estate advice to those who are about to deploy to war zones. Brown has not served in Iraq or Afghanistan, but said in 2009 that he was prepared to go if called. "I go where they order me to go... I'm just proud to serve and be part of the team." He spent ten days to two weeks with the Guard in Kazakhstan and a week in Paraguay.

He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security shortly after the September 11 attacks. He credits his military experience with causing him to focus on veteran's issues as well as issues of war and peace. He has served on the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, the Hidden Wounds of War Commission, and the Governor's Task Force on Returning Veterans during his career as a legislator.

On May 2, 2011, Brown announced that he would soon go to Afghanistan for training as part of his Army National Guard service. When deployed in August 2011 for a week of training, he spent most of his time in Kabul.

Modeling[link]

In June 1982, Brown, then a 22-year-old law student at Boston College, won ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine's "America's Sexiest Man" contest. After two weeks on a crash diet of "three cans of tuna a day" and intensive workouts he was featured in the magazine's centerfold, posing nude but strategically positioned so that according to Brown, "You don't see anything". In the accompanying interview, he referred to himself as "a bit of a patriot" and stated that he had political ambitions. The ''Cosmopolitan'' appearance and its $1,000 fee helped pay for law school, and began for Brown a "long, lucrative" part-time catalog and print modeling career in New York and Boston during the 1980s.

State political career[link]

Brown "caught the political bug" in 1992 when he was elected property assessor of Wrentham, Massachusetts. In 1995, he was elected to the Wrentham Board of Selectmen.

He successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1998, representing the 9th Norfolk District for three terms. Brown again moved up the ladder of state politics to the state Senate in March 2004 when he won a special election to replace Democrat Cheryl Jacques. Brown was re-elected for a full term in November 2004, and again in November 2006, running without opposition the second time. He won re-election in November 2008, defeating Democratic candidate Sara Orozco by a 59–41 percent margin. Following his re-election, Brown was one of five Republicans in the 40-seat Massachusetts senate. In the Massachusetts Senate, Brown served on committees dealing with consumer protection, professional licensing, education, election laws, public safety, and veterans' affairs.

In February 2007, a controversy arose after Brown's appearance at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts as part of a debate on gay marriage. The high school students had launched a Facebook group attack on Brown and had made a derogatory remark about his daughter, Ayla. During his presentation, Brown defended himself and his daughter by directly quoting several vulgar statements they had made and announcing the names of the students who had written the statements. Critics questioned whether Brown should have quoted the profane comments in front of a high school audience.

In January 2010, ''The Boston Globe'' reported that during six terms in the Legislature, three each in the House and Senate, Brown had a modest record of legislative initiatives, but he had carved out a niche as a leading advocate for veterans. Richard R. Tisei of Wakefield, Massachusetts, the leader of the Republican minority in the state Senate, called Brown "the acknowledged expert on veterans' issues." State Senator Jack Hart, a Democrat of South Boston, said: "He does his homework, he's comprehensive in his approach, and on veterans' issues, he's one of them and has done a very good job on their behalf."

Brown lists among his achievements as a legislator his authorship of a 2007 law that created a check-off box on state income tax forms for veterans to indicate whether they served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The state uses the information to notify veterans of available services and benefits, including the Welcome Home Bonus that provides $1,000 for those returning from active duty in Afghanistan or Iraq.

U.S. Senate[link]

2010 Election[link]

On September 12, 2009 (his 50th birthday), Brown announced his run for the U.S. Senate seat that became vacant with the death of Ted Kennedy, saying the state "needs an independent thinker." ''Washington Post'' columnist Kathleen Parker said that Brown's political positions did not fall neatly into party lines, and called Brown "mainstream in a nation that defines itself as mostly conservative". Boris Shor, political scientist at the Harris School of Public Policy, described Brown as a liberal Republican by national standards, but well-suited for his Massachusetts constituency. Shor explained the support Brown was receiving from the conservative national GOP as due to their "decentralized decision" to support the candidate most likely to win.

Brown won a landslide victory in the Republican primary on December 8, 2009, defeating late entrant and perennial candidate Jack E. Robinson by a margin of 89 percent to 11 percent.

Brown's opponents in the general election were Democratic nominee, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and independent Joseph L. Kennedy (no relation to the Kennedy family). At the outset, he faced overwhelming odds because he was relatively unknown compared to Coakley, he was running as a Republican in a very Democratic state, and much of his campaigning had to be done during the Christmas and New Year's season when citizens do not generally pay much attention to politics. No Republican had been elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since Edward Brooke in 1972. He polled far behind Coakley for several months, but closed the gap in the early weeks of January.

A week before the general election, Brown raised $1.3 million from over 16,000 donors in a 24-hour money bomb. His campaign office stated it raised $5 million over the period from January 11–15. Charlie Cook of the ''Cook Political Report'' stated on January 17 that he would put his "finger on the scale" for Scott Brown as the favorite. The Rothenberg Political Report released a statement that "the combination of public and private survey research and anecdotal information now strongly suggests that Republican Scott Brown will defeat Democrat Martha Coakley in tomorrow's race". Suffolk University's polling of three bellwether counties on January 18 had Brown leading Coakley by double-digit margins. Brown won the January 19 election, performing well in traditional Republican strongholds and holding rival Coakley's margins down in many Democratic precincts.

One week before the January special election, a controversy arose over a Coakley approved television ad. The ad referenced the conscientious objector amendment Brown had sponsored for inclusion in a 2005 proposed state measure on patients' rights. This amendment would have allowed individual healthcare workers and hospitals to refuse to provide emergency contraceptive care to rape victims if they objected due to a religious belief. After the amendment failed, Brown did vote for the main bill which, along with other patient rights, requires healthcare workers and hospitals to provide such care. Coakley's ad featured a male voice that said, "Brown even favors letting hospitals deny emergency contraception to rape victims," over the ad's graphic which had the words, "Deny care to rape victims." Brown's daughter Ayla called the Coakley ad "completely inaccurate and misleading", and stated that her father would never deny care to a rape victim. Brown criticized Coakley for running what he described as attack ads.

In the 2010 Senate race, although Brown was not endorsed by the Greater Boston Tea Party group, the group organized a fund-raising breakfast for him in Boston. The Tea Party Express also endorsed Brown and bought ads on the national cable networks supporting Brown.

When told that at various times he has been labeled a conservative, moderate and a liberal Republican, he responded "I'm a Scott Brown Republican." According to Politifact, while Brown was a Massachusetts legislator, he voted about 90 percent with the state Republican leadership; however, Republican Leadership in the Massachusetts legislature is generally considered far more moderate than the national Republican Party.

On election night, after Coakley conceded, Brown gave a victory speech that stated, "It all started with me, my truck, and a few dedicated volunteers. It ended with Air Force One making an emergency run to Logan. I didn't mind when President Obama came here and criticized me - that happens in campaigns. But when he criticized my truck, that's where I draw the line."

Tenure[link]

Brown was sworn in to office on February 4, 2010, by Vice President Joe Biden, in his capacity as President of the Senate, on the floor of the Senate. As a Class I Senator, his term will last until January 3, 2013.

Brown was among the speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., introducing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Despite his appearance at CPAC, where he alluded to his election as making "big government spenders...[not] feel good at all", Brown refused to rule out a vote for a Democratic "jobs bill" proposal, and has praised both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and senior Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts for indicating their willingness to work with him across party lines. Brown was one of five Republican senators to vote for cloture on the jobs bill. The motion passed in the Senate 62–30 on February 22, 2010. In an up or down vote on the bill itself on February 24, 2010, Brown voted for final passage, helping to pass the bill 70-28.

According to the ''Washington Post'', Brown voted with the majority of Republicans 80% of the time. In the same poll, "56% of Massachusetts voters believed he has kept his promise to be an independent voice in the U.S. Senate."

Brown's views on the 2011 budget cuts have been at odds with some of his fellow Republicans and Tea Party conservatives. His reluctance to go along with some of the more drastic budget cuts has placed him at odds with Glenn Beck and other prominent conservatives. He said he opposed these measures because he believed that they would have a negative impact on low income families and children.

Committee assignments[link]

Brown's committee assignments are as follows.

Committee on Armed Services

*Subcommittee on Airland (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

*Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

*Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery

*Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

'''Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Caucus memberships[link]

Senate Oceans Caucus

Approval ratings[link]

In late June 2010, Brown was ranked as "the most popular officeholder in Massachusetts" according to a poll conducted by the ''Boston Globe''. 55% of those polled had favorable opinions of Brown nearly five months after his January 19, 2010, special election victory to finish the term of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. 50% of respondents generally approved of how Brown had handled his new position.

On March 30, 2011, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee released a poll showing that Brown remained the "most popular politician in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with an approval rating of 73 percent." Brown's "'re-elect' score was comfortably above 50 percent, which is unusual for a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state."

Reelection campaign[link]

October 2011 polling showed Brown's approvals had fallen and he faced a competitive re-election if matched against Democrat Elizabeth Warren. However, his numbers in early March 2012 showed he led Warren by 8 points in the polls. Later in March 2012, Browns lead has narrowed to within 2.3%, within the error sampling.

April 13th Car Accident[link]

On Friday, April 13th, 2012, the Boston Globe reported that Scott Brown and his wife, Gail Huff, were uninjured in a car crash in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Political positions[link]

Brown has positioned himself as a conservative counterweight to Massachusetts' previously all-Democratic, 12-member congressional delegation. He describes himself as socially moderate and fiscally conservative. He identifies himself as a "Reagan Republican". He has said, "I'm going to be the only person down there who is going to be the independent voter and thinker... I've always been the underdog in one shape or form."

Fiscal policy[link]

Brown is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge. In a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe written on January 8, 2012, Brown wrote, "With out-of-control government spending and rising debt and deficits, politicians in Washington have proven time and time again that they cannot manage hard-earned taxpayer money responsibly. So why should we give them even more?"

Brown opposes a proposed multi-billion dollar tax on banks to recoup bailout money and prescribing of bank executive compensation. Brown, discussing the proposal through a spokesperson, said that he is "opposed to higher taxes, especially in the midst of a severe recession". He also opposes it on the grounds that the tax would likely be passed onto consumers in the form of higher service and ATM fees. In September 2010, Brown opposed a Senate bill creating a $30 billion government fund aimed at encouraging lending to small businesses. The bill combines the fund with $12 billion in new tax breaks. Brown criticized the bill for including a provision much like the Troubled Asset Relief Program, stating: "Banks making lending decisions with government funds is not the way to get our economy moving again.’’

On December 12, 2010, the ''Boston Globe'' reported that "[c]ampaign contributions to [Brown] from the financial industry spiked sharply during a critical three-week period last summer as the fate of the Wall Street regulatory overhaul hung in the balance and Brown used the leverage of his swing vote to win key concessions sought by firms." Brown received more than ten times the amount of contributions from the financial services industry as House Financial Services Committee chairman (and author of the legislation) Barney Frank during the same period. According to the ''Globe'':

Brown’s efforts benefited large Massachusetts companies such as MassMutual Financial Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Fidelity Investments, and State Street Corp., whose executives and political action committees contributed $29,000 to Brown during the three-week period he was extracting the concessions from Democrats.

They also benefited major out-of-state institutions such as Goldman Sachs, UBS, and JPMorgan Chase. Those and other out-of-state financial interests gave Brown a total of $50,000 during the period.

In December 2011, with a temporary payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the month, the Senate considered the Middle Class Tax Cut Act of 2011, which would extend the tax cut for 113 million workers or families and fund the plan by a 3.25 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million. Brown voted against proceeding to take up the bill (i.e., voted against cloture that would end the filibuster). He announced that his opposition was to the surtax on high incomes.

Foreign policy[link]

Brown supports President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to fight in Afghanistan. He cited Stanley McChrystal's recommendations as a reason for his support. He also advocates that suspected terrorists be tried in military tribunals and not civilian courts. He also supports the limited use of "enhanced interrogation techniques", including waterboarding against non-citizen terrorist suspects. He supports a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict in which Israel and a new, independent Palestinian state would co-exist side by side.

Veteran services[link]

In 2007, Brown wrote a law establishing a check off box on State income tax forms to allow a filer to indicate if he or she is a veteran of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. The measure's purpose is to locate and inform returning veterans of benefits they qualify for. Known as the "Welcome Home" bonus, it was passed with bipartisan support. Brown also amended the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, with Senator Jack Reed (RI), to create a dedicated military liaison office within the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which aside from defending against unscrupulous lenders, also ensures protection of military families against fraudulent life insurance policies. The measure passed the U.S. Senate 99 to 1.

Health care[link]

Brown supported the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform, which requires all residents to have health insurance, with a state-subsidized plan created for those who cannot afford to insure themselves. Brown does not support President Obama's health care reform plan in its current form as approved by the Democratic-led House and Senate. He has stated this plan is fiscally unsound, and during his campaign notably pledged to be the 41st vote to filibuster the bill in the Senate.

Brown voted for a state measure on patients' rights that, among other provisions, requires emergency rooms to provide what is known as the morning-after pill to rape victims to prevent an unwanted pregnancy from developing. In consideration of health care workers who might have a religious objection to administering this medication, Brown attached what became known as the Conscientious Objector amendment which would have exempted these workers, as well as religious hospitals, from being required to provide this medication. However, Brown's amendment also required that all hospitals still had to provide a means for the patient to receive the medication, either by providing another healthcare worker willing to administer the medication, or, in the case of religious hospitals, to provide transportation to another facility, and in a timely manner. The amendment did not pass. Brown remains in favor of allowing religious hospitals to refuse to provide emergency contraception on moral or religious grounds, as he stated in the January 5, 2010 candidate debate.

Energy policy[link]

Brown supports expanding solar, wind, and nuclear power, and offshore drilling exploration as a means to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. But, when faced with the controversial issue of whether an offshore wind farm should be allowed in the waters off the Cape Cod coast in Massachusetts, a major tourist destination and boating location, he expressed opposition, saying he believed it would hinder tourism and boating in the area.

Congressional ethics and bipartisanship[link]

Brown is an avid supporter of bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress. He has said that his goal in Congress is to "to work in a bipartisan and bicameral manner." According to a Congressional Weekly study, in 2011 Brown was the second-most bipartisan U.S. Senator, voting with his own party only 54% of the time. By comparison, his partner in the Massachusetts Senate delegation, Senator John Kerry, voted with his own party 96% of the time, and the entire Massachusetts delegation to the House of Representatives voted with their party over 90% of the time.

During the second half of 2011, Brown wrote the 2011 version of the STOCK Act, a move to ban insider trading in Congress. The act, which was co-written with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), would prohibit asset trading by members of Congress (and their staff) who have advance knowledge of their assets' behavior due to their involvement in Congress. The bill was verbally supported by President Barack Obama during his third State of the Union Address, and passed a major procedural hurdle in the Senate by a vote of 93–2 on January 30, 2012.

Social issues[link]

Brown refers to the currently legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts as a settled issue, which he does not wish to change. Brown has said he personally believes marriage is between a man and a woman, but would oppose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He is in favor of civil unions. He opposes ending the Defense of Marriage Act, but otherwise favors leaving the issue to the states to decide. After initially claiming neutrality on "don't ask, don't tell", the ban on openly gay military personnel, he joined a handful of Republicans who broke with their party to repeal the ban in December 2010.

Brown has supported a presumption of shared parenting after divorce and was a co-sponsor of Fathers and Families HB 1460.

Brown has stated that ''Roe v. Wade'' is settled law. He is against intact dilation and evacuation abortions (known by opponents as "partial birth abortion") and has spoken in favor of parental consent for minors who seek an abortion. He said he would not use abortion as a litmus test in Supreme Court confirmations. He opposes federal funding for elective abortion in accordance with the Hyde Amendment.

Crime and security[link]

Brown supports strengthening Massachusetts sex offender penalties, the death penalty, the right to bear arms (with some restrictions such as licenses and background checks) and strengthening border enforcement and creating an employment verification system with penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants. He opposes providing driver's licenses and in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Internet/censorship[link]

Brown announced via Twitter on Tuesday 17 January 2012 that he would vote against the proposed Protect IP Act and Stop Online Piracy Act: "I’m going to vote NO on #PIPA and #SOPA. The Internet is too important to our economy."

Organizational associations and honors[link]

Brown is a 30-year member of the Massachusetts National Guard, in which he currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in organizing the National Guard to quickly support homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He has also completed Airborne School and been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

Brown has received the Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state's sex offender laws and protecting victims' rights. Brown's family has helped raise funds for such non-profit organizations as Horace Mann Educational Associates (HMEA,Inc.), Wrentham Developmental Center, Charles River Arc, and the Arc of Northern Bristol County, all for the care and support of those with developmental disabilities. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts. The ''Boston Globe'' selected Brown as the 2010 Bostonian of the Year, citing his "profound impact on national politics in the last year".

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Brown is married to former WCVB-TV reporter Gail Huff, whom he met through modeling. They have two daughters, Ayla, an ''American Idol'' semi-finalist and a student at Boston College, and Arianna, a competitive equestrian and pre-medical student at Syracuse University. Besides their primary home in Massachusetts, the couple owns a home in Rye, New Hampshire, three rental condos in Boston, and a timeshare on the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Religion[link]

Brown and his family are members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America and attend New England Chapel in Franklin, Massachusetts. They also have a relationship with a community of Cistercians, more commonly known as Trappistine, Roman Catholic nuns at Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts. The Brown family has raised over $5 million for the order, helping to install solar panels, a wind turbine and a candy manufacturing plant that the order operates.

Plagiarism controversy[link]

In October 2011, it was revealed that a section of Brown's website about the lessons learned from his upbringing had been lifted from the website of former Senator Elizabeth Dole. Brown's spokesperson remarked that error was a "staff level oversight".

References[link]

External links[link]

Senator Scott P. Brown, official Senate website

Scott Brown for U.S. Senate, U.S. Senate campaign website

{{U.S. Senator box |state = Massachusetts |class = 1 |before = Paul G. Kirk |start = February 4, 2010 |alongside = John Kerry}}

Category:1959 births Category:American male models Category:American members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America Category:Boston College Law School alumni Category:Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army Category:Living people Category:Massachusetts lawyers Category:Massachusetts Republicans Category:Massachusetts State Senators Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Category:Northeastern University alumni Category:People from Kittery, Maine Category:People from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Category:People from Wakefield, Massachusetts Category:Recipients of the Army Commendation Medal Category:Republican Party United States Senators Category:Tufts University alumni Category:United States Army officers Category:United States National Guard officers Category:United States Senators from Massachusetts

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