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CORRECTED: Brown Says He's Unfamiliar with Tea Partiers;
Campaign Pix Say Otherwise

Josh Marshall | January 13, 2010, 11:36PM

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MA-SEN, Martha Coakley, Scott Brown, Tea Party, Ted Kennedy

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Correction: State Sen. Scott Brown did not use the word "unfamiliar," that was how the Boston Globe characterized his remarks. But after watching video of the press conference where Brown was asked about the tea party movement, it appears he actually was unclear about the premise of the reporter's question, not the tea party movement itself.

On Wednesday, Republican senate candidate Scott Brown told reporters in Massachusetts that he was "unfamiliar" with the "Tea Party movement," despite receiving the endorsement of a key national Tea Party group which is currently raising money for his campaign to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

But Brown's claim to be unfamiliar with the Tea Party movement is belied by photographs produced by his own campaign.

Late this evening, TPM Reader NM alerted us to the fact that Brown's official campaign Flickr stream contains photographs of the candidate addressing Tea Party groups on the campaign trail only months ago.

One picture, uploaded on September 8th, 2009, is titled "Sen. Brown addressing the Worcester Tea Party."

Another picture, uploaded the same day, is titled "Sen. Brown addressing the Lowell Tea Party."

Polls show the race between Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley is currently a toss-up.

Late Update: And it gets better still. Here's video of the Worcester Tea Party event, with Brown speaking.

Later Update: And still more. TPM Reader SF points us to the Meetup page of the "Boston Tea Party" group which has a formal invite to a Tea Party Breakfast with Brown on January 2nd. And here's the same event listed on Brown's own campaign website.

Comments (60) | Join the Conversation!

Recommend Recommend (2)

i said GOOD DAY sir

January 14, 2010 1:08 AM

I hope he enjoys the State Senate, because he's going to be there for awhile once this gets out.

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January 14, 2010 1:17 AM in reply to i said GOOD DAY sir

The national media is busy covering Haiti. If some local reporter or a blogger asks him about this his answer will be something long the lines of "Yes, I attended some Tea Party events but I'm not deeply familiar with the movement." End of story.

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January 14, 2010 1:40 AM in reply to John T.

He didn't just attend the rallies, he spoke at them. If he addressed a rally, one would think he was familiar with its cause and that it squared with his point of view.

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January 14, 2010 2:02 AM in reply to barbara63

Brown, like a lot of Republicans, has been trying to court the Tea Party movement without really getting in bed with it. So it's not surprising that he would speak at an event without knowing much about it.

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January 14, 2010 2:38 AM in reply to John T.

I should clarify that I'm sure Brown knowns full well what the Tea Part movement stands for. But a couple days before the election it's good enough spin for him to answer, if asked about speaking at the event, that he speaks at lots of events with varying views because he is an independent "Scott Brown Republican" blah blah blah. Unless there is audio of him saying something crazy. From the YouTube video all I heard was the usual populist pulp.

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January 14, 2010 9:01 AM in reply to John T.

Yeah rite, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell ya.

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concerned parent

January 14, 2010 9:03 AM in reply to John T.

He said he had never heard of it, a bit different than not knowing about it. So I guess he hasn't heard who the new president either?

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January 14, 2010 9:28 AM in reply to concerned parent

Lying liars and the lies they tell!

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Marinus van der Lubbe

January 14, 2010 10:43 AM in reply to CityGuy

As the old saying goes, it's better to be quotable than to be honest.

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January 14, 2010 2:03 PM in reply to John T.

Are we talking about this Scott Brown?
To say the emperor has no clothes is an understatement

http://airamerica.com/politics/01-11-2010/scott-brown-gains-polls-senate-race-2/

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January 14, 2010 10:30 AM in reply to i said GOOD DAY sir

How could he deny his patriotic duty to our country like that?

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January 14, 2010 1:13 AM

Thank you for this, TPM.

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Subliminability

January 14, 2010 1:34 AM

Lying to conceal one's political identity from the voters is MATERIAL lying.

Hurrah for TPM and the awesome reader NM. I am doing my part to try to propagate this most excellent find here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/14/824905/-TPM-and-Anon.-Reader-BUST-Scott-Brown-(R-Teabaggia)

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busdrivermike

January 14, 2010 1:51 AM

Well. That took all of two hours to find. That makes the smart money on "the smoking gun" finding his rap sheet for soliciting a prostitute in a airport bathroom is what, Friday?

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Backcountry

January 14, 2010 2:31 AM

This Brown guy is just like all Republicans -- a pathological liar.

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January 14, 2010 5:27 AM

Look, you can't really expect a person, much less a re-pube-lick-an politician, to remember every little group or organization they attend and speak at!

:rolleyes:

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January 14, 2010 6:04 AM

I'm not sure what this proves.

The man is running for Senator as a Republican, in Massachusetts.

Of course he will privately cater to conservative groups like the Tea Partiers to get their votes (wink, nod), while publically distancing himself vis a vis media inquiry.

Its Massachusetts.

Disengenuous? Of course. Smart politics? Absolutely.

It it were Oklahoma or Alabama, it would be a completely different story.

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January 14, 2010 9:44 AM in reply to willia451

Smart politics? Getting easily ensnared in a totally unnecessary lie? Really?

I take the exact opposite view: It's not terribly likely that MA Republicans or Tea Partiers are going to support Coakley, so while he needs their votes, he's not in jeopardy of losing them to his opponent. So the more reasonable (not to mention HONEST) stance is that he's running to represent all of the people of MA and is willing to address and have dialogue with groups representing a wide range of political beliefs. Then you're not caught in the bind of pretending like you don't know someone or something when there is concrete evidence that you do.

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January 14, 2010 10:27 AM in reply to willia451

He's a dud. Plain and simple. Fortunately it's come to light a week before election.

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January 14, 2010 6:11 AM

He is a LIAR.

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January 14, 2010 8:36 AM in reply to Maritza

Didn't we already establish that he's a politician?

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January 14, 2010 7:18 AM

Maybe he thinks of them first and foremost as teabaggers.

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bluestatedon

January 14, 2010 7:32 AM

There is no way Brown can be elected solely on the strength of registered Republicans in Massachusetts. He can ONLY be elected if large numbers of otherwise moderate-to-liberal Democrats and independents either sit home or vote for Brown outright. If those voters are too dumb or petulant to allow Brown to slip through, they'll get the Senator they deserve and I have no sympathy for them. My sympathies will be for the rest of the country, who will suffer as a result of increased difficulties that Obama will have in the Senate.

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concerned parent

January 14, 2010 9:15 AM in reply to bluestatedon

If there were real leaders in the senate, there would be many less problems.

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January 14, 2010 8:58 AM

A lying republican = oxymoron

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January 14, 2010 9:25 AM in reply to AhTrini1

That would be a redundancy.

However, a lying republican does = a moron.

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January 14, 2010 9:19 AM

Just a guess. But I'm pretty sure most of the voters already know he's a conservative.

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January 14, 2010 9:38 AM in reply to Silence

He's pro choice, his position on gay rights is further left than Obama's and he supported RomneyCare. If it wasn't for his position on health care the Tea Party movement would probably ban him from their convention.

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January 14, 2010 10:04 AM in reply to John T.

He wouldn't be considered a conservative in most states, but in MA it's different, very different.

Ever been to MA(Boston)? It's probably the most liberal state in the country. It's also very white and extremely snobby.

They love minorities and poor people. Just don't move there if you happen to be one.

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January 14, 2010 10:26 AM in reply to Silence

You obviously haven't spent much time there, as evidenced by your ignorant smear of the entire state.
If you did know what you were talking about, you'd know that they've had three different Republican governors in the past twenty years, including Mitt Romney. Not bad for the "most liberal state" in the country.

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agio

January 14, 2010 10:36 AM in reply to human

I wouldn't bother arguing with this troll if I were you.

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January 14, 2010 10:55 AM in reply to agio

my response is mostly for the benefit of other readers who may not be aware--in the last twenty years the state has had three different Repub governors--Weld, Romney, and Swift. There might have been another, I think maybe Weld retired early to seek the Mexican ambassadorship(I thought Swift took over after Romney retired, but not sure about that, just know that they were all Repubs).

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January 14, 2010 11:13 AM in reply to human

How could you have forgotten Paul Cellucci? He became governor after carrot-top resigned to become a whipping boy for Jesse Helms (he was officially trying to become ambassador to Mexico). Cellucci resigned himself in 2001 to become ambassador to Canada, giving us Jane Swift, who was officially only ever acting governor. She was pushed aside in 2004 to make room for Mitt Romney. The chain was finally broken when the joke known as Kerry Healey tried to become governor after serving as Mitt's Lt. Governor.

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Marinus van der Lubbe

January 14, 2010 10:52 AM in reply to human

Arguing with this obviously racist, ignorant and silly man is like arguing with Pee-Wee Herman..."I know you are but what am I?"...dont waste your energy. Dont sweat these pissants when the elephants are coming thru the brush...

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January 14, 2010 10:34 AM in reply to Silence

...holy shit.

Red letter day, Silence. I never thought I'd agree with a single word you say...ever...but your experience of Boston matches mine pretty much exactly. That said, the points remain:

1) They may have been aware that he was conservative, but the Teabagger movement is an extreme of conservatism that is liable to frighten the liberal and independent voters and get them out to the polls.

2) Not only did he lie, it was a very obvious, easily-discovered, stupid lie. A six-year-old trying to get out of trouble for stealing from the cookie jar would have done better. If he couldn't come up with some variation of "I try to reach all of the people of Massachusetts; it doesn't mean I agree with them" on his own, then he is not a very good politician and he will not serve MA well.

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January 14, 2010 2:13 PM in reply to John T.

Is he pro choice like Romney was pro choice?

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January 14, 2010 10:21 AM in reply to Silence

they might know he's a Republican(although he actively avoids advertising that fact), and he paints himself as a moderate to the voters of Mass., so no, most folks probably don't know that he's now courting the extreme rightwing nut teabagging lunatics, or that he intends to govern as an extreme rightwing conservative. Try another spin, this one is a FAIL.

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January 14, 2010 9:21 AM

Dirty pig!

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January 14, 2010 9:21 AM

Let's get the teabagging rolling

ya ho

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January 14, 2010 9:32 AM

You guys ROCK for finding these!

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January 14, 2010 9:44 AM

Suggested commercial copy:

"If we can't trust Scott Brown to be honest about the rallies he attended, how can we trust his word on anything else?"

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January 14, 2010 10:51 AM in reply to AnswerFrog

yes..with a montage of pictures and video from last summers tea-bagger rallies. Including the one with the woman holding the professionally printed sign that says 'Bury Obamacare with Kennedy'.

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January 14, 2010 9:45 AM

As of 9:45, the Worcester tea party pic is still there.

Guess that shows us how diligently the Brown campaign reads TPM.

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January 14, 2010 9:47 AM

C'mon DNC, get the "Brown, you lie" ad-spot on the air for the weekend push.

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DanF

January 14, 2010 9:51 AM

Weird. Why lie about even knowing about the tea party movement? It shows you're out of touch if it's true, and if it's false, you get easily burned. The correct response is, "Yes, I know about the Tea Party Movement. As an independent minded candidate, I value all of my constituents' opinions and will speak to all who invite me. That doesn't mean they are always going to like what they hear, but blah blah blah ... shuffle shuffle shuffle ... Ain't liberty grand?"

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January 14, 2010 10:13 AM

In a fund raising e-mail on Martha Coakley's behalf, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) calls Scott Brown a "far-right tea-bagger Republican."

Brown's response is to run from the tea-baggers. What is he ashamed of?

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January 14, 2010 10:21 AM

Brownie is truly a male Sarah Palin. Time to start painting him this way. And he bared his hairy schlong in a nudie mag. C'mon! Why is this not all over the Post, cable news networks, etc.???

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January 14, 2010 12:01 PM in reply to ilovebacon

Wait wait wait - are you being serious here?

I assume we're talking BEFORE his political career. Still, I'm also shocked that this is the first I've heard of it.

If Coakley had posed nude at any time in the past it would be the only thing we hear about the entire campaign!

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January 14, 2010 1:01 PM in reply to BooDoo

Agree. Or imagine if a Dem male candidate posed in nudie mags. Right?

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January 14, 2010 1:02 PM in reply to ilovebacon

You've got your facts somewhat wrong. It wasn't a "nudie magazine," it was Cosmopolitan (which specializes in just-short-of-porn), and while he posed naked, he blocked that part of his body from the camera.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/scott-brown-nude-in-cosmo

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January 14, 2010 2:47 PM in reply to AlanF

Now that's funny! Thanks for the link.

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January 14, 2010 10:29 AM

Coakley and her gang of lazy Dems should have had this on the air 5 weeks ago. What the hell were they doing until now? Making snowmen? The Dems as usual kick a gift horse in the mouth and dig their own political graves.

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January 14, 2010 11:35 AM

Lets get a 30 second spot out...hells bells

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January 14, 2010 11:40 AM

I can't believe I've had to spend my money and time to help beat this airhead

Fer cryin out loud have those Mass dems succumbed to the cold, are their brain frozen???

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junkmailqueen

January 14, 2010 12:05 PM

Interesting read here from The Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/01/14/coakley_for_senate/

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January 14, 2010 12:10 PM

Is now looks like the "unfamiliar" quote was huge paraphrase by the Globe:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/scott-brown-transcript/

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January 14, 2010 3:13 PM in reply to John T.

Oh, way to take the wind out of our sails :(

Good to know, though, before I go railing against him based on my misunderstanding.

I would go so far as to say the 'huge paraphrase' was intentionally misleading.

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January 14, 2010 3:46 PM in reply to BooDoo

I am not so sure the "...'huge paraphrase' was intentionally misleading." I think Brown was the one who was being misleading. I think the Globe's use of the word "unfamiliar" was in the spirit of the actual exchange between Brown and the questioner. Brown was being coy and pretending he did not understand what the questioner was asking concerning the Tea Baggers. Rather than address the question in a even slightly honest way, he pretended to not understand what the questioner was getting at and in his actual "answer" to the question, he did not address the Tea Bagger movement at all.

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January 15, 2010 7:12 PM

His association with the pee party must be exploited by the democrat.

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Tosh

June 5, 2010 11:10 PM

Smart politics? Getting easily ensnared in a totally unnecessary lie? Really?

I take the exact opposite view: It's not terribly likely that MA Republicans or Tea Partiers are going to support Coakley, so while he needs their votes, he's not in jeopardy of losing them to his opponent. So the more reasonable (not to mention HONEST) stance is that he's running to represent all of the people of MA and is willing to address and have dialogue with groups representing a wide range of political beliefs. Then you're not caught in the bind of pretending like you don't know someone or something when there is concrete evidence that you do.

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