Scott Brown for president?
As the GOP searches for a plausible 2012 frontrunner, eyes are turning towards the JFK-esque senator-elect Scott Brown
![Scott Brown](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jZNvJi4zngd5CyN7uSL6yR-415-80.jpg)
If you're hoping to launch a website called Scottbrown2012.com, don't bother. The rights have already been snapped up by one of the growing number of conservatives who consider senator-elect Brown their best shot for president in 2012. While Brown has downplayed the presidential hype — telling Barbara Walters "I don’t even have a business card yet" — he hasn't dismissed the idea. Why should he, ask his supporters, who point to the junior senator's 12 years as a state legislator as proof that he's as qualified as Obama was in 2006. Is Brown a credible presidential prospect, or just the media's "flavor of the month?" (Watch THE WEEK's Sunday Talk Show Briefing about Scott Brown's spot in the GOP)
Forget about it — Brown's pro-choice: Sure, "Scott Brown is the Republican Party's new bicycle," says Michael Roston in True/Slant. But three little words will bar him from joining the GOP's 2012 ticket: Roe v. Wade. Brown's moderately pro-choice stance may boost the party generally — "the GOP needs more Evan Bayhs and Blanche Lincolns and Ben Nelsons, and [fewer] Jim DeMints" — but, as long as he maintains it, he'll never win the Republican primaries.
"Sarah Palin/Scott Brown 2012 ticket? Not gonna happen"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yes, but Brown has that JFK magic: Brown's position on abortion and other social issues may challenge conventional GOP wisdom, says Peter Worthington in the Toronto Sun. But his pockets of leftiness may not matter when you factor in his winning personality and presence — so "reminiscent of Jack Kennedy." Plus, Brown is pure GOP on other core conservative issues: defense and security.
"Scott Brown rides Republican wave"
For Brown, it's now or never: The "Brown 4 Prez" talk isn't as "absurdly premature" as it sounds at first blush, says Andrew Romano in Newsweek; in fact, if Brown's looking to cash in on his Obama parallels, time may be of the essence. After all, the longer he's in the Senate, the more he will look "inauthentic" and lose his "core 'guy next door' appeal."
"Absurdly premature 2012 watch: Why Scott Brown should run for president"
Welcome to "American Idol" politics: If Brown has a shot, says Taylor Marsh in her blog, it's because "resume and policy are puny substitutes for the 'it' factor" in American politics today. The "political star quality" quotient explains why Sarah Palin is probably Brown's biggest rival for the 2012 nomination, even though, ideologically, she's his "polar opposite."
...................................
SEE THE WEEK'S LATEST COVERAGE OF SCOTT BROWN:
• Scott Brown: Model republican?
• Video: SNL's controversial Scott Brown sketch
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published