Scott Brown plans to arrive in Washington on Thursday and hopes to be seated promptly, he told reporters at his first post-election press conference in Boston today. But while Brown renewed his pledge to vote against Obamacare, the rest of his rhetoric makes him look every bit like the kind of moderate-to-liberal northeastern Republican that used to have a place in the GOP:
The Republican…called his trip to Capitol Hill “a courtesy call,” and said he had “great trust” in the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin to process the vote totals and get the election results certified.
The main message he thinks his victory delivered? “People are tired of business as usual.”
And, he added, “I’ve already made it very very clear that I’m not beholden to anybody.”
“The main thing they want is good government back and to be part of the process again,” he said.
Brown said he would vote against the Democrats’ health care bill in the Senate, to “bring it back to the drawing board.” He said he supports some elements of the bill and believes it is “important for everyone to have some form of health care,” but “I think we can do better” than what the Senate propose.
He denied, however, that he planned to go to Washington purely to put the brakes on President Barack Obama’s agenda, and he spoke warmly both of Obama and Massachusetts’ senior senator, John Kerry (D).
And he promised to maintain the independence he talked up on the campaign trail, emphasizing dialogue and transparency over partisanship. “I am from a big tent philosophy,” Brown said.