Senator Scott Brown's (R-MA) disclosure of sexual abuse

[Raven]

at "a summer camp" in his upcoming book perplexes me. He didn't identify the camp so now, a camp on Cape Cod which he attended is in the spotlight. I imagine that dozens of counsellors who worked there during that period are pretty uncomfortable. Brown said that he never told anyone about this, not even his wife. Chose to write about it in his book. Why would he do this this way?

He also wrote about being physically and emotionally abused at the hands of his mother's "many husbands".

If you had the need to get this out in the open, wouldn't you call your family together, talk about it and then get help? What am I missing here?

[WolfoftheWild]

1. sadly, Scott is playing Politics with his own abuse. Shameless is the word that comes to mind.

[cali]

3. That's not how I see it.

[WolfoftheWild]

9. so you would tell the Public at large before you tell your Family??

That reeks of politics.

He needs to ingratiate himself in the hearts of people in Massachusetts.
To separate himself from the average GOPer in their minds.

Otherwise, he doesn't have a chance in 2012.

[DCKit]

15. Certainly fits the whole "I'm a victim of _______" Republican playbook.

Not that I don't believe that child sex abusers shouldn't be locked away forever, but this is purely political.

It's not as if he's ever put forth a bill to protect children from any kind of abuse, is it?

[WolfoftheWild]

18. he made it a public event. very suspicious

[cali]

2. people handle childhood trauma differently- particularly child sex abuse

I have a far harder time believing he made this up than that he chose to handle it this way. there are far more socially acceptable things to make up than a boy being a victim of sexual abuse. On this issue, I have nothing but sympathy for him- and admiration.

[Raven]

6. Oh, Cali, I had no intention of suggesting he made anything up.

I just think it was a strange way of handling it and now there are allegations out there. If I was a counsellor at that camp who had nothing to do with this or a husband who wasn't abusive, I'd be upset.

[cynatnite]

10. Completely agree. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. +1 n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. I don't wish to belittle him if he's being truthful

nor suggest any ulterior self-aggrandizing motives but, yeah, I do wonder why he chose to handle the situation this way. Aren't Republicans/conservatives always complaining about people trying to "wear their wounds" in public and "playing the victim". I'm not sure I'd want to bring all this information out, especially without already disclosing this information to my wife and family first, unless, of course, one had a desire to maybe advocate for victims of child (sexual) abuse. :shrug:

[cali]

5. If a liberal had opened up about this stuff

the reaction on DU would be far different.

[Raven]

7. No, not me at lease. I'd have the same questions.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. The camp has been named.

It was a shock to me, as well as the staff currently running it.

I hope for their sake it was an isolated incident, but who knows?

[Sonoman]

11. Book Tour, pure and simple.

Oprah will be all over this, if she is still around.

They'll all be sitting around and getting all teary about all the money they are making.

Sonoman

[SoCalDem]

12. Most pols write a book prior to their re-election or the seeking of higher office

Do many people really love these books? How many lined up overnight awaiting Orrin Hatch's book or Pawlenty's or Mittens'?

This is the "vanity press" writ large.

For a new person on the national scene, a book has to have a "hook" to get people interested. So anyone who wants "real" sales, has to dig into all the nooks & crannies of their lives & loves.

Molestation/incest/sexual abuse is nothing new, and was probably even more rampant "back in the day" than now, because children then were very solicitous of authority figures, and many kids actually feared their parents, teachers, priests, counselors. I am NEVER surprised when long-repressed episodes come to light, if the person is 45 & up, because when these people were children, they were often NOT believed, and there were few people advocating for them.

Many people take these issues to their grave. Not everyone tells..even as an adult.

Brown is telling the truth, and at the same time he is going to sell books because people are interested in his life story. Will it translate into re-election? maybe..maybe not.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. He's selling books.

He is exploiting the child that he was to get the deal. This is a choice he is free to make.

[BlueIris]

16. My first reaction was: "He was afraid someone would talk."

So I wonder if he decided to put this information out there in order to break the story on his own terms before one of the abusers did it for him.

[genna]

17. Yes, you are missing something. THE SHAME tied to being too weak to fight it.

That man who I have strong political differences with needs some serious help. This is a call for help.

If his mother and father didn't know about his sexual molestation or abuse, this guy has been living a dual life for years. Why would he tell anyone about his suffering when others expected him to be well adjusted. Most people (friends and strangers alike) don't want to hear about it.


Does this mean he needs to be voted into office based on abuse?

No.

Does this mean his opponent needs to use this horrific tragedy as a means to beat Scott in an election?

No.


Can the rest of us feel sorry for his lost innocence?

Sure.

Don't be so hard hearted. Even if he and his political team are a bunch of lying liars, it is still a call for help. It may help another abused and battered kid.