After Securing Special Backroom Deal, Scott Brown Indicates He’ll Still Vote Against

[cal04]

After Securing Special Backroom Deal, Scott Brown Indicates He’ll Still Vote Against Financial Reform
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/06/28/brown-special-deal/

As the conference committee reconciling the House and Senate versions of financial regulatory reform went through its marathon 20 hour negotiating session on Thursday night, an exception to the Volcker rule — which prevents banks from trading for their own benefit with federally insured dollars — was added at the behest of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA). The exception, which was pushed by large Massachusetts-based financial firms State Street Corp. and Mass Mutual, allows banks to invest up to three percent of their capital in risky hedge funds and private equity firms and to continue managing those funds.

Of course, when he was first elected, Brown said that there would be “no more closed-door meetings or back-room deals by an out-of-touch party leadership.” And despite receiving a special deal, Brown said he might oppose the reform bill because of a tiny bank tax levied to cover the cost of the law’s implementation:

On Friday, Brown questioned a provision added to the bill late in negotiations that would charge large banks and hedge funds a fee to generate as much as $19 billion to help cover the cost of the bill. “My fear is that these costs would be passed onto consumers in the form of higher bank, ATM and credit card fees and put a strain on lending at the worst possible time for our economy,” he said in a press release. “I’ve said repeatedly that I cannot support any bill that raises taxes.”

“Scott Brown has never voted for a tax increase, and this certainly is one, to the tune of $19 billion,” said one of his aides. But as Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, pointed out, “the fee is approximately equal to 0.01 percent of projected GDP over the next decade. If it is fully passed on by financial institutions to customers will cost people an average of $6 a year.”

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Guess he is taking lessons from the other repukes that the Dems have tried to

"compromise" with.

What a waste of time, energy, political capital and anything else that is invested in these so-called "negotiations".

The repukes laugh their asses off every time one of these negotiating sessions starts...

I would guess that every single one of them has a framed version of this cartoon in their office...and guess who is Lucy and
who is Charlie Brown>>>>>

[Stinky The Clown]

2. When the FUCK will our side learn???

Repubs of today will not work with us, no way, no how.

[KamaAina]

3. Code Brown!

That's what I call it whenever he exposes his soft, white repuke underbelly. :eyes: