Several years ago, Paul Krugman introduced us to a useful phrase: “One important pillar of conservative political dominance, I believe, is the phenomenon sometimes called ‘wingnut welfare’: loyalists are always assured of decent employment, no matter how badly they perform.”
Ahem.
Long shot. Senator. Television personality. Within a few percentage points of becoming a senator again. Now, television personality again.Scott Brown, the former US senator from Massachusetts who made a run for the Senate from New Hampshire this year, is rejoining FOX News.
A network official confirmed to the Boston Globe that Brown, fresh off his four-point defeat to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) a couple of weeks ago, will again be a Fox News contributor.
These gigs can be quite lucrative. Dylan Byers reported, “In his previous run as a contributor with the network, Brown earned a total of $136,538 from Fox, according to a personal financial disclosure document filed with the Senate Ethics Committee.”
Eric Hananoki also raised a good point, noting the recent history of Fox’s revolving door.
Fox News has had no problem rehiring Republican contributors who left the network but failed in their political bids. Recent examples include Liz Cheney, who dropped out of her Wyoming Senate primary run; Angela McGlowan, who lost a Mississippi congressional primary; and Pete Snyder, who was unsuccessful in his primary bid for Virginia lieutenant governor.
No word yet on whether Brown will also get seats on corporate boards — a related perk the former Republican senator enjoyed after losing a different Senate race two years ago.
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."