How Will the Left Attack Scott Brown?

One week ago today Scott Brown shook up the political world by winning the Senate seat held almost exclusively by Kennedys or their flunkies since 1952. Obama campaigned at the last minute to no avail and in the process tried to paint him as a truck-driving lightweight. That didn't work, but new attacks from the left will be coming as they try and marginalize the new Massachusetts senator:

But look for a second image assassination attempt to be coming soon. Indeed, President Obama has already provided a subtle hint as to how Democrats will try to knock Brown off the GOP pedestal. While campaigning for Brown's opponent the weekend before the election, the President feebly reacted to Brown's campaign ads involving his truck by crying, "So what, everybody can buy a truck." Aside from dismissing Brown's undeniably folksy appeal, the President's reflex was revealing-- he was talking down to the soon-to-be Senator. Instead of arriving to the Senate with two best-selling autobiographies, diplomas from Columbia and Harvard, and a so-called expertise in constitutional law, Brown comes with an old truck. This contrast is not lost on many liberals.

And despite Brown's impressive background and obvious appeal, conservatives and the Senator himself should be weary of forthcoming idiot/lightweight charges. Like an amateur to the national scene, he has some vulnerabilities. For one, even his most fervent admirers acknowledge the political greenness behind his ears. As a Massachusetts legislator, his exposure to public scrutiny was minimal, and his experience before the camera slight (notwithstanding nude layouts in Cosmopolitan Magazine).

From his victory speech last Tuesday, he clearly still has much to learn. He spoke for too long, inter-mixed his call for action with awkward statements about his daughters' dating availability, and seemed to forget he was making a victory speech and not still stumping. All of this is minor, but suggests he must tread carefully as the liberal limelight takes aim at his every word. No longer speaking generally as a candidate, Brown will be required to speak with more detail about the nuanced business of federal policy and budgetary issues. And reporters will test him more so than a liberal counterpart, like they do with all conservatives who are thrust into the limelight. All it will take is one verbal gaffe, or one questionable answer, spun by the liberal media as a misstep, for the character assassins to pounce.

The media is already doing their part. During his post-victory news conference many of the questions were asking him "what will you do to work with Democrats". In other words, how will you stick it to the GOP and help the Democrats pass their agenda now that you're here? It's a given among the press that the job of any elected official is first and foremost to help Democrats.

Brown seems to be a pretty solid guy. I don't think he'll allow the criticism to bother him much. After all, he's done something they said couldn't be done.