As promised, an interview with NH US Senate Candidate Scott Brown, asking questions submitted by readers. Check out the questions and the answers as we race toward the New Hampshire Primary in early September.
Some pauses were removed between answers and the next question (in post-production), but no questions or answers were edited. You will hear what was asked and answered.
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Edited Transcript:
All right, welcome to another edition of Grok Talk. Brought to you by GraniteGrok.com and Grok Media LLC. Last week I promised you Scott Brown. And this week we’re bringing you Scott Brown. No, I did not wear the dog father shirt for the interview. You will notice I have changed because I recorded these at different times. Everybody does it. Sometimes they wear the same clothes.
My guest today is Scott Brown.
Scott joined the Army National Guard after the blizzard of 1978, served for nearly 40 years, retiring as a colonel. He was famously elected from Massachusetts to the U.S. Senate in 2010. And he has also served as the ambassador to New Zealand and the independent state of Samoa. He is running for the U.S. Senate in the state of New Hampshire again. And he is in a primary
Scott Brown is here to answer some of your questions that you sent me. I didn’t write any of them. These are all yours. And let’s see how that interview went. Scott Brown, ladies and gentlemen. Up next.
Break
Steve (00:00)
All right, welcome back to GroK Talk. I promised you Scott Brown and we have Scott Brown. Scott Brown, welcome to the program.
Scott Brown (00:06)
Yeah, it’s great to be here. Thanks.
Steve (00:08)
All right, so we have a bunch of questions from our readers. I’m just gonna go through, yeah.
Scott Brown (00:12)
Yeah, fire away.
Steve (00:13)
And we’ll see how this goes, hey. All right, number one, would you vote for or against the Save America Act and why?
Scott Brown (00:23)
It’s easy. Save America Act, of course. And when I go into a polling place, I want to make sure that person next to me is here legally and a legal citizen, first of all. And the fact is, even in New Hampshire, they’ve kind of messed with what the legislature passed. And I just read something today, you know, that the Democrats are challenging the fact that students have to show an ID. My goodness. Well, they do it to buy alcohol. That’s not a big deal. They do it to buy a gun. That’s not a big deal.
To get on a plane, to do all the stuff, but you can’t do it to vote. It’s so hypocritical. Yeah, I’ve come out, told Senator Thune, who’s a friend, you know, I went to his daughter’s wedding, but he’s gotta do his job, and he’s gotta keep people there twenty-four seven, talking filibuster to break through and get this thing passed.
Steve (01:09)
All right, great. Second question, should the US Department of Education exist at all? And if yes, is there a narrow list of functions you think Washington should keep and why New Hampshire cannot handle those itself?
Scott Brown (01:21)
Well,
Obviously, Linda McMahon, who I know, I helped support when she was running. She’s a friend. She did a great job in the Small Business Administration, and now she’s here in the Department of Education. The president gave her marching orders, and she’s doing a lot of great things. I really would have to get in and do a deep dive. We’re just gonna eliminate it. Are there some functions that can be merged with maybe Treasury, for example, that make sense? They deal with the money. I just don’t know, but I like what the president’s done. I love what she’s done.
And in terms of funding, yeah, that’s it’s way too bureaucratically heavy. It’s way too political. y if we’re gonna do anything, I would block grant the monies back to the states and let them let us let our a governor and legislature, you know, deal with the proper funding, and it just save a ton of money; it’d be a lot quicker, speedier, that sort of thing.
Steve (02:14)
Okay, this is related. What other federal agencies do you think could or should be downsized to New Hampshire’s benefit and of course the rest of the country?
Scott Brown (02:23)
Well, first of all, every agency, including the Fed, needs to be audited. We need to have a full and open accounting of everything that’s being spent because it’s our money. They think it’s their money, and it’s not. It’s our money. And so when you’re looking at, for example, in the military, which I served for almost thirty-nine years, I don’t recall. I know Pete is working on those see things, an audit. But so we don’t need any more like w warm weather sleeping bags, you know, ’cause we’re doing a lot of our fighting in, obviously, the Middle East. We don’t need a whole lot of other types of equipment yet, because of the special interests and all the lobbying by them and the various states fighting for their particular thing, w we just have so much waste. It needs to be fine-tuned.
So, I wanna be on the committee that actually spearheads those things and goes in and does the deep dive to make sure we’re getting a good value. When I was first a US senator, I made a point to do a 5% across-the-board cut of every federal agency. I would do that again. I would actually make it probably 7 to 10%, because you can’t tell me there’s not, and we’re seeing it statewide with California, Illinois, Massachusetts, you know, the amount of fraud, just all fraud alone. Well, is there fraud in the federal government? Probably, yeah. But I think it’s more just improper use of the funds, you know, doing it wisely, shrewdly.
Shrewdly, like we do with our home budgets. I’m sitting here before I got on the phone with you, and I’m trying to balance my checkbook, figure out what bills I can pay and what bills I’m gonna have to f wait a little bit on. So, you know, it’s the same thing.
Steve (04:03)
All right. One third of New Hampshire’s budget is federal dollars. A lot of states find themselves in the same situation. That gives the feds power to pressure states to do things they may not want to do. Is there anything Congress could do to help wean states like New Hampshire off this federal money?
Scott Brown (04:19)
Well, first of all, I think the difference between me and certainly Chris Pappas and probably John is I will never support an unfunded mandate. And you’ve kind of hit on something, like, differently, tangentially, in that you’re talking about unfunded mandates; what’s the biggest one that affects our property taxes? It’s special education. And so you’re gonna say, No, we’re not gonna take care of those kids.
Well, that’s not the answer. The answer is we get the money from the federal government that’s mandating us to do certain things. So we’re at, like, not a fair percentage. It’s probably in like 30, 40% of federal funding on special education.
So, the difference between me and the others is that $1.8 billion of the president’s was used for that weaponization fund. I want to take that and put it towards special education so we can pay and get our full funding. So what that does is it opens up and relieves the cities and towns and the taxpayers of that federal burden that keeps coming down. And yes, there are a lot of those types of mandates, and that’s how they squeeze us.
Will it ever dry up to the point where you know we’re not gonna rely on it? Probably not, because between the interstate highways and a lot of, you know, transportation, there’s a lot of intertwining. But I promised you and your viewers and listeners I will never support an unfunded mandate, ever. And I’m gonna try to get more grants and more federal dollars because we’re absolutely not getting our fair share. Our delegation is useless and clueless.
When it comes to grabbing monies and funds for us.
Steve (05:51)
Would you support or oppose a central bank digital currency and why?
Scott Brown (05:56)
Yeah, give me a break.
Yeah, listen, I met with Aaron Day yesterday at length, you know, and he knows that stuff like the back of his hand, and you know, I have a lot of respect for him. As a matter of fact, I found that he just got on the ballot for the general election. You know, I like him. I consider him a friend, a growing friend in terms of developing that relationship. And so that’s why it’s very important for people to get out in this special election sorry, in this primary, because I believe I can beat John with your listeners and viewers help. And then, you know, Aaron and I can talk about where we go from here because he doesn’t want Chris Paperson. He doesn’t want John Sununu. And he doesn’t want digital currencies. And neither do I. Cash is king, baby. And you know, the fact that they’re going to go there. Well, the next thing is our 401ks and our insurance policies and all these things are digitized. And what if we say or do something wrong and they don’t like the government? What are they going to do? They’re going to shut it off. And how do how do we fight back? Well, we can’t.
So, I won’t the Clarity Act. I don’t, I don’t support it. I think it’s just a first step to opening up that Pandora’s box.
Steve (07:05)
In a related privacy issue slash question, Flock cameras have been a huge thing. They’re just dominating internet conversations left and right. Law enforcement accessing plate reader databases without warrants. What are your thoughts about that?
Scott Brown (07:23)
Yeah, you know, we actually, I just read, and you probably know too, because you’re from here. There are some along some of our highways. And it’s like, first of all, I want to know like who put them there, who authorized them, who’s paying for them, who’s getting the data, and like what the F, you know, like so yeah, I I I don’t support warrantless obtaining of any type of personal private information, especially if I’m just running around. Riding my bike or, you know, driving my car and, you know, my wife’s kissing me or, you know, the dog’s hanging out the window. I I don’t want people seeing that stuff. So
Steve (08:04)
Yeah, we’ve received a lot of people commenting on Flock, and one of my regular contributors sent me an app, a Flock app, and we’ll be sharing that later. And he’s like, I looked at it, and there’s some in New Hampshire. You’re right, they’re on the highways mostly. There’s like two in Nashua and a bunch in Manchester. Right. But the minute you go across the border to Massachusetts, they’re everywhere.
Scott Brown (08:28)
Yeah, well, listen,
Massachusetts is gone. I mean, they just passed the other day abortion up to the day of birth. They have, and it’s probably gonna pass a funding an eleven-person commission to protect Islamic rights, which is a violation of church and state. You know, Massachusetts is upside down; it’s changed so much, and you know, that’s why people are coming here.
Steve (08:52)
Okay, is there anything Congress can or should do to limit the emergency powers abuses we saw during the response to COVID?
Scott Brown (09:01)
Well, first of all, it started here, as well, with Chris Sununu arresting people, which I thought was completely inappropriate during COVID when they were exercising their rights. That’s something that John didn’t bother to speak up about. He was in DC making, you know, millions and millions of dollars while people whose rights were being taken away.
And Fauci, I hope and pray that the president goes after that auto pen situation and gets that pardon removed, because now we heard and see from his own diary that he knew that pregnant women would be affected by this thing. And he didn’t say a thing. And he just went, This go along, get along. Wanted to be a star, but you know, a big star power guy, instead of doing his damn job, he should be in jail. And I’m hopeful that that continues.
And I texted Rand Paul a couple of days ago. I said, Man, good for you. We were out talking, my wife and a couple of friends, and they were like, Rand Paul, you know, I don’t agree with him on everything, but he’s spot on in this.
And he is. You know, the stuff we’re seeing right now, it comes down to, quite honestly, people having a backbone, you know, the senators and congressmen not doing this go-along get-along stuff, and not allowing unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to get away with the stuff. The problem was is that Joe Biden was gone. You know, we all knew it. And he wasn’t gonna say anything. So his minions, these people behind the scenes, were calling the shots. And I’m hopeful that never, ever happens again.
Steve (10:29)
Congress has made a habit of giving an awful lot of its power and authority to the executive branch. A few more comments on that and what Congress needs to do to claw that back, maybe.
Scott Brown (10:39)
Well, depending on what those powers are, I don’t know if it’s more the executive branch or the un unaccountable unelected bureaucrats within the executive branch who basically, you know, run amok. They put more and more EPA’s a great example. You know, more and more regulations, and quite frankly, the IRS is another one. You know, they have these abilities to do and really change and hurt and crush people’s lives.
So, specifically, I would have to go in there and look to see what specific powers are being abused. You know, I believe the executive branch has its powers. And we found during this administration the courts have checked and balanced quite a bit in that regard. And if Congress doesn’t like ICE and the rules regarding immigration, then they should change it. That’s their check and balance, but they don’t. They just bitch and moan and do, you know, social media stuff. And that’s not how it should go.
Steve (11:38)
All right, related to Twitter files, ESG, DEI, you sort of touched on this debanking. There are still real partisan threats to businesses and individuals, and while the president and the executive branch have tried to protect Americans, what else can Congress do?
Scott Brown (11:56)
You know, that’s a great question. Whenever I have been approached with an injustice, even now I’m dealing with a f a person, you know, and his VA issues. I’m not gonna say it now, but I mean I’ve just texted, you know, the Secretary of War and said, Listen, this guy’s being screwed; he needs help. You know, so what can you do? You can have, once again, some people who don’t owe anything to the special interest. For example, look at John Sununu.
He’s got the Senate leader. You look at his commercials. I just saw another one today, paid for by the National Senatorial Republican Committee, approved by John Sununu. Well, he’s gonna owe them. They’ve given him millions of dollars. The Senate Leadership Fund, AFP, Turning Point, all these groups have given them millions and millions of dollars. Then Chris Pappas, on the other hand, he he he owes everybody; he’s giving him money. California, all the liberal states, all the special interests. And then you have me.
I don’t owe anybody anything. And it’s so refreshing. Feels like 2010. And so you need people with backbone who don’t owe the special interest anything. My only special interest is the people of New Hampshire. That’s it. And you know, when I give you my word, it’s gold. When I give you my word, and I say that I will help you as I’m helping this young veteran or this veteran, it matters.
Steve (13:16)
Okay, so that leads to this. The most common complaint we tend to hear is that Scott Brown is a soft Massachusetts Republican. You’ve kind of sort of already addressed that. And then the next question is how would you ensure that New Hampshire’s unique, live, free or die ethos and independent streak are represented in Washington, especially on issues like gun rights, education and federal overreach. Just group together and go.
Scott Brown (13:37)
Yep. Sure, sure.
Well, first of all, I think you need to understand a few things. I was born at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. John was born in Boston. Maggie Hassan is from Massachusetts, Jeanne Shaheen is from New Hampshire, John Lynch is from Massachusetts; 60% of our legislature is not from here. People come here because they love that live, free, or die mentality and that New Hampshire advantage. If you think somehow I’m going to challenge or hurt that New Hampshire advantage,
When we’ve had a delegation there for 10 years who’s crushing it with more regulations, more taxes, more spending, men and boys and women and girls’ sports. Chris Pap is voting against no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, voting against $200 million for our Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, $500 million for our rural health centers. I mean, I could go on and on and on. So not only was I born here, my dad was at Pease when it was a SAC base. He met my mom, who was in Portsmouth. They met, they fell in love. I was born.
I lived on Islington Street for the first three years of my life. And then my parents got divorced. And yes, I did go to Massachusetts. But prior to that, my family has been here since 1717, one of the founding families of New Hampshire with the Mathis family, son of the American Revolution for nine generations. And I’ve had been a homeowner taxpayer here since 1990. And more importantly, I was New Hampshire’s ambassador, confirmed 94 to 4.
To New Zealand and Samoa and our interest in Antarctica. So to think somehow that I don’t love and care about this state is laughable. It’s it’s really just a sense of, you know, hate and not really caring about our future and wanting to elect somebody like Chris Pappas, or quite frankly, John Sununu, who’s a a globalist. He came out of left field after making, you know, thirty-six million dollars supporting the very banks that he bailed out and working for them. So
I’ll put my credentials of conservatism, of being a fighter scrapper against anybody’s. That’s number one. With regard to protecting our rights, one of the reasons I’m running is because I believe that New Hampshire will determine who controls the Senate. And if that’s the case, if we lose the House and Senate and presidency, they’ve already said it. The DSA is on the rise. They’re going to basically make Puerto Rico, DC, and other territories states. They’re going to stack the House and the Senate with more people. They’re going to stack the Supreme Court.
And then you want to talk about gun, faith, life, DEI, and all those other rights that we’ve been pushing back. They will be gone. The country will be different. And I’m fighting to make sure that you have somebody there who cares deeply. Now, Massachusetts is gone. As I said earlier, they just abortion up to the day of birth is immoral and abhorrent. All right. I’m not from Massachusetts. The only connection I have is my daughter lives in Weymouth. My other daughter’s on the veterinary board here in New Hampshire. She’s a head veterinary in Portsmouth. My sister’s in Milton.
You know, my mom and all my relatives who have been here for generations are buried in the South Street cemetery. So listen, I’m happy to argue and talk about, like, where I was from and the fact that my parents got divorced and I made a life of my own. But dude, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. And I’ll fight for anybody who wants to give me a chance. So that’s pretty much it.
Steve (17:01)
So my final question, and I ask this of every US Senate candidate I have ever interviewed in the last twenty years, and it’s a long list, would you support a repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment?
Scott Brown (17:12)
Well, first of all, has John been on?
You know, I would have to actually do a deep dive. I’ve never been asked that question. So I’m not gonna be like, yeah, it’s great, or I’m going to make something up. So if you want to have me on again, I will absolutely do a deep dive on that issue.
Steve (17:28)
Okay, well, we’re pretty much wrapping up. Anything else you want to say to our listeners
Scott Brown (17:33)
This race is important. We have a tremendous amount of grassroots support. I’m doing it the New Hampshire way. I’m going door to door. I’m meeting people three or four more times. Sometimes seven, eight, nine, ten. When I meet him, they say, Scott, go somewhere else. We already got our votes. John is doing nothing. Chris Pappas is doing what he always does. He’s going around saying, I support this bill and that bill and this bill and that bill. He’s the guy creating the problems, yet he’s gonna fix them. That’s a total horseshit. So if you want somebody who owes absolutely nothing to anybody except the people in New Hampshire, who’s the only independent person whose only special interests are the people in New Hampshire, then you vote for me on September 8th.
Go to ScottBrown.com, volunteer, donate, you know, just say hi. We’re with you, you know, good job. Or if you have any other questions, just let us know. I’ll pick up the phone, leave your number, and I’ll call you. I’m not afraid to answer any questions. And I’ll close with this. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes. Yeah. And you’d show me somebody who has not
That has not admitted those mistakes. I’ve apologized for my mistakes. I’ve said and done some stupid things, but I’ve also made amends, rectified them, and said I was wrong. I may hopefully never do it again. That’s why I’m going to surround myself with two Second Amendment experts in my home office here and also in the one in DC, like Bob Smith did, who endorsed me, to make sure I don’t screw up on simple things that I should know better. And
That’s the difference. When’s the last time you heard Chris Pappas or John Sununu or any other politician apologize? Well, I’ve done it many times, and I’ll continue to do it, and I’m asking for your vote.
Steve (19:06)
All right, Scott. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me today, and enjoy the rest of your day, and good luck.
Scott Brown (19:11)
Everyone, have a great rest of the summer. It’s almost over. Yikes.
Steve (19:13)
Yikes. I know.
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