Republican National Committee Spokesperson Mandi Merritt issued a blistering broadside Wednesday against Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and his “Dignity of Work” tour. She stated:
As Sherrod Brown takes his phony pro-workers’ agenda to the early primary states, he risks abandoning his own Ohio constituents. Ohio didn’t sign up for a part-time Senator, and by partaking in the Democrats’ turbocharged race to the left, Brown is bound to leave Ohio voters in the dust. Brown’s ‘Dignity of Work’ tour has nothing to do with fighting for hard-working families, and everything to do with Brown’s own political ambitions.
Senator Brown’s “Dignity of Work” tour is scheduled to take him from Iowa, to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and then Nevada. As previously reported, much of his political platform hinges appealing to the populist blue-collar, politically moderate, working class and far-left democratic-socialist progressives. He intends to see if his many democratic-socialist positions will appeal to voters in these key battleground states.
In 2016, many of those blue-collar moderates ended up siding with President Trump. In 2018, Brown was the only Democratic legislator in the Buckeye State to win or maintain his seat. Next year in what promises to be a highly-charged (and very crowded) presidential election cycle, Brown will be in the unenviable position where – if at any point he reaches too far to one side or the other – he will risk alienating both.
The RNC notes that Senator Brown “…voted against tax cuts that have helped Ohio workers and has a dismal record from the NFIB and NAM.” In addition, they point out that he has pocketed millions from special interest groups and has been supported by Political Action Committees (PACs). More than 50 Democrats elected in 2018 pledged to reject the support of corporate PACs. Senator Brown’s support from them in past elections places him outside his party’s mainstream. During the 2018 election cycle, Brown was the number one recipient of lobbyist cash of all the U.S. senators. This new hardline approach adopted by the Democrats has hindered several other potential presidential nominees as well.
Recently, Politico dubbed 2020 the “I’m Sorry” primary. This was in response to the many Democratic presidential hopefuls who apologize for the positions they held, in some cases, as recent as four years ago. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Senators Kristin Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and former Vice President Joe Biden have all been forced to make public apologies and many continue to see their previous stances heavily criticized. Senator Brown has yet to make such an apology. If he does, he will have to apologize for indiscretions that, in some cases, occurred as recently as 2018. This could lead many to doubt their earnestness.
Tentatively, he plans to make his final decision on his White House run sometime in March.
– – –
Andrew Shirley is a reporter at Battleground State News and The Ohio Star. Send tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Iowa State Fair” by Phil Roader. CC BYÂ 2.0.
