海角大神

The joke about US senators is that they wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see a future president.

Sherrod Brown was never one to do that. More 鈥渨orkhorse鈥� than 鈥渟how horse,鈥� the Democratic senator from Ohio has made a career of focusing on the needs of working people in a state that epitomizes Middle America.

Now Senator Brown is thinking of running for the top job, and the political world is on high alert. After all, if the Democrats can grab Ohio away from President Trump, they could win the election.

So when Brown walked into his first Monitor Breakfast on Feb. 12 鈥� midway through a 鈥渓istening tour鈥� of early primary states 鈥� the assembled reporters were ready to play 鈥�20 Questions.鈥� What does he think of the Green New Deal? Medicare for All? And, of course, what about 2020?

Brown kept us guessing. He鈥檚 still listening 鈥� to voters, his family, his heart 鈥� as he ponders the life-altering prospect of a presidential campaign. On the ambitious policy ideas championed by some of his colleagues, Brown would not commit.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to co-sponsor every bill that others think they need to co-sponsor to show my progressive politics,鈥� said the three-term senator, who has held elective office almost nonstop since he was 22. 鈥淚 want to get something done for people now.鈥�

Example: Let鈥檚 lower eligibility for Medicare to age 50, he says, and not try to move the entire country on to government-run health insurance all at once.

Intriguingly, Brown has been a Trump ally on trade. Early on, the senator worked with Robert Lighthizer 鈥� a fellow Ohioan and the president鈥檚 special trade representative 鈥� to formulate a replacement for NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Brown hoped a new agreement would do more for workers, but he and his friends in organized labor aren鈥檛 happy with it, and the agreement is in trouble in Congress.

What if Trump threatens to pull the US out of NAFTA to try to force passage of the new agreement?

鈥淭hat would be really stupid,鈥� Brown says.

So much for the Brown-Trump collaboration on trade. And truth be told, Brown sounds ready to take on Mr. Trump. He calls the president a racist, though adding that he鈥檚 not leveling that charge at Trump supporters.

If Brown does run, he won鈥檛 be your typical blow-dried candidate. He proudly notes that his suit was made by union workers in Cleveland, a few miles from his house. When a HuffPost reporter brings up Brown鈥檚 distinctive look and sound, the senator says this: 鈥淭hat shaggy hair, as you say, and gravelly voice will work in union halls in the industrial Midwest.鈥�

There also aren鈥檛 too many American politicians who majored in Russian studies (at Yale) and quote Leo Tolstoy. At the end of our breakfast, Brown cites Tolstoy鈥檚 novel 鈥淩esurrection,鈥� and its discussion of 鈥渢he egalitarianism of human beings, of the human spirit.鈥�

鈥淚t really informs the way I look at the world, that people really are equal and people should have equal chance and opportunity,鈥� Brown says. 鈥淭hat's increasingly informed my politics.鈥�

As a Russian major myself, I told Brown I was glad we ended on Tolstoy.

The C-SPAN video of our breakfast can be viewed聽. My write-up, including excerpts of Brown鈥檚 comments, is聽.

As always, the reporters around the table seized on different aspects of our discussion.

鈥淪herrod Brown separates from Dem pack on Medicare, 'Green New Deal' proposals,鈥澛�.

The Hill newspaper聽聽how Trump鈥檚 鈥渘ew NAFTA鈥� will face strong Democratic opposition.

Let me also add that I鈥檓 glad our breakfasts are back after a hiatus for the holidays and the government shutdown. On March 12, Rep. Adam Schiff (D) of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, will join us. And on April 3, Larry Kudlow, director of Trump鈥檚 National Economic Council, will be our guest.