Scott Brown Joins Senate Armed Services Committee. Good Or Bad for DADT?
Just when you thought the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell parade couldn’t get hampered down any more, the U.S. Senate’s newest member Scott Brown was just named to the Senate Armed Services Committee. So how’s that gonna play on openly gay servicemembers?
Brown told Barbara Walters last month that he doesn’t have a personal position on DADT — yet. He wants to hear from military leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan about whether they’re up for a repeal.
Thus far, we’ve already heard from those generals’ bosses, including Defense Sec. Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, as well as their underlings at each military branch. Former Iraqi commander Gen. David Petraeus hinted at his support; his successor Gen. Raymond Odierno has come out in full force for a repeal.
The positions of these men — and they are, frankly, all men — is clear. What’s unclear, then, is whether Brown will agree to sit on his hands for a year while the Pentagon “studies” a repeal, or whether he’ll join the Democrats who want a repeal now.
Join the Democrats?
There isn’t enough support in the US Senate for DADT repeal. Brown is taking the safe way out, just like Obama, by “waiting to see” or “deferring to the Military.” Unless he sees the probability of passage, he won’t take a stand for or against DADT repeal.
@AndrewW: Politicians listen to their constituents more than you think. Especially when 75% of Americans want to do away with this policy.
Next week Joe Lieberman, the most Republican member of the Dem caucus is introducing legislation for a full repeal. Scott Brown comes from MA and despite his record as a state senator he knows damn well that if he votes against this it will piss off a good 90% of MA. A state where the Hitlerist Evangelical Establishment is loudly hated and rejected.
I suspect Scott Brown would be a waffler on this and many other social issues. He has a difficult balancing act to perform over the next three years if he wants to get re-elected.
Scottie will let the study take it’s course and try not to offend the majority in MA while also trying to keep the rabid Tea Party activists at bay. He’s already offended them with that jobs bill vote and they already want his head (no pun).
Brown will go for DADT repeal. he’s basically been given a green light by the GOP leadership to go left on social issues, as long as he stays right on fiscal ones.
Oh and BTW: dude is hawt!!!
His wife recently said in an interview that he wore pink leather shorts in their first date. Maybe he will surprise us all.
If the Democrats attach DADT repeal to a broader pro-military spending bill, it will pass with the support of some Republicans.
Scott Brown is no friend to the LGBT community.
I thought you had to spend some time kicking around the Capitol before you got placed on a plumb committee? I don’t know who he’s blowing or who he’s letting blow him but this appointment is worrisome.
@mike: No, that would be holding the Defense Spending Bill “hostage.” That’s not support from Republicans. The bigger problem is we have 5-10 Democrats that don’t support repeal.