Sherrod Brown has always relied on
a certain roguish charm when in the public spotlight. Described by the media as
a “handsome, gravelly-voiced defender of the working class; perpetually
mentioned in presidential conversations,” he has spent almost his entire adult
life either serving in political office or running for it. The unique appeal to
his supporters, in addition to that charm, is the fact that he viewed “himself
as a progressive before it was cool.”. . .
. . .
Brown displays his working-class
sentiments in his Senate office reception area, where he has a miner’s safety
lamp sitting on the table, as well as a beer stein from the United Mine
Workers. . . .
His wife, Connie Schultz, once sent
an email to a colleague at the Cleveland
Plain Dealer who had drawn a political cartoon critical of him. She wrote:
“For 30 years, Sherrod has fought for those who would have no voice and no future without him . . .
(and he) remains a hero to so many. . . .
But Brown himself, as we will see,
grew up privileged. While he has campaigned with a hole in one shoe (and drawn
the media’s attention to it with an early, infamous reelection advertisement),
his roots are far from working class.
. . .Sherrod Brown’s friend John
Eichinger jokingly explained at a Democratic Party roast back in 1982 that
Brown’s approach is to “get money from the rich and votes from the poor by
promising to protect them from each other.”
It is a formula that has worked in
American politics for more than one hundred years.
However, a closer examination
reveals a far more complex picture than that of a conventional progressive
politician. More than simply using that political strategy to win office, Brown
seems to have used his government office to benefit his family, in particular,
his brother’s legal practice, which has engaged in what some might consider
strange and suspect lawsuits. Additionally, Brown’s advocacy for “workers”
appears to be far more about protecting union leaders who donate to his
campaigns than rank-and-file union workers. Indeed, when the interests of union
leaders and the union members clash, Brown consistently sides with the bosses
who have underwritten his many political campaigns.
The chapter contains over 100 footnotes to print and online sources. I chose the above extracts to provide a
partial overview of chapter 6, and there is much more on Sen. Brown’s relationships
with and activities involving labor pension funds and his association with his
brother’s law firm.
# # #
