Keynote speaker Scott Brown slams CFPB, praises Trump

Keynote speaker Scott Brown slams CFPB, praises Trump

In speaking at WANADAês Annual Meeting and Luncheon November 2, former Senator Scott Brown touted not just his conservative credentials but also his longtime support of auto dealers.

–Iêm the guy who got you out of the Consumer Financial Protection Board,” he said. By law, the CFPB does not regulate dealers. –They want to regulate everything you do.”

Throughout his talk, Brown, a Massachusetts Republican who replaced Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate, spoke passionately about the regulatory fever in Washington, and said the system is riddled with inequities. Tesla, for instance, does not have to follow the same rules as other auto manufacturers. China, being exempt from U.S. regulations, offers unfair competition.

–The people in Washington they donêt get it,” Brown said. –Theyêre regulating industries where they have no clue.” WANADA President John OêDonnell said earlier that National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind had told him that 90 percent of the NHTSA staff who would write the regulations for autonomous vehicles had never ridden in one.

Brown shared some of his personal story and how he came to hold his conservative beliefs. He admitted he got caught stealing record albums at age 12. The judge sent young Scott to jail and had him write a 1,500-word essay about how he had let down his brothers and sisters because they enjoyed watching him play basketball, and they couldnêt do that because he was in jail.

–That judge saved my life,” Brown told the WANADA crowd. The adult Brown was shaped by his experience growing up with a mother on welfare who worked two jobs to keep a roof over her childrenês heads. –[Welfare is] there as a safety net, not a lifetime entitlement,” he said.

Turning to the presidential election, Brown said he was one of the first people to support Trump.

–I want someone to go down there and knock some heads,” said Brown. The former senator said choosing Trump was a –no brainer.” Trump understands the military, heês going to close the border and –Mexicoês going to pay for it” and to lower taxes and deal with the deficit.

–I want our allies to trust us again and our enemies to fear us,” Brown said. –This is a pivotal time in our countryês history.”

Media bias is –unlike anything Iêve ever seen,” he said. Voter fraud is rampant, he added.

Brown urged the assembled dealers to vote, no matter what their views. –Invite your local elected officials to your dealership. Be involved in Washington because those are the people who are trying to take your stuff.”