January 20, 2010, 3:48 pm
Brown and His Daughters — a New Web Sensation
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Scott Brown seemed to have a lot on his mind Tuesday night as he celebrated his upset win over Martha Coakley to become the next Senator from Massachusetts. Not only did he have a victory speech to make, he also seemed intent on marrying off his daughters.
Shortly after beginning his speech, he thanked his wife, Gail Huff, and his “two lovely daughters,” all beaming alongside him.
“So I want to thank Ayla and Arianna for their help as well,” he said, then could apparently not contain himself.
“And just in case anybody who’s watching throughout the country — yes, they’re both available!”
Arianna, 19, and Ayla, 21, gasped with shock and disbelief. Ayla threw him a quizzical glance, then buried her face in her hands. They quickly regained their composure and apparently decided to roll with it, joining in the laughter as their father grinned.
Ayla clasped his shoulders from behind and said into his ear, “Not Arianna.”
“Only kidding,” Dad went on. “Only kidding. Only kidding. Only kidding. Arianna definitely is not available. But Ayla is!”
Yikes! More shrieks went up and Ayla dropped her jaw, as if to say, “Whaaa??” At that point his wife cried “Stop!”
That scene has been ricocheting around the Internet and among pundits throughout the day, with some supporters joking about it while others — even Glenn Beck — finding it appalling.
It’s not clear how truly mortified the daughters and wife were; the whole family is used to being on public display.
Ayla is a senior at Boston College and something of a local celebrity for her basketball-playing and for having made it to the finals of American Idol. (See performances here and here )
Arianna, 19, a competitive equestrian, is a pre-med student at Syracuse University. The daughters were already a highly visible part of their father’s campaign. Here’s a video in which they introduce their father. Their mother is used to the limelight as a television newscaster, though she stayed away from the campaign trail to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Mr. Brown is no wallflower himself. A former model, he won a Cosmopolitan magazine contest for “America’s Sexiest Man” in 1982, appearing naked in the centerfold.
In any case on Tuesday night, he pressed on in the same vein for some time, helpfully pointing out to viewers which daughter was which (Arianna, blonde, wore a silver gown, and Ayla, a brunette, wore a darker one).
“I can see I’m going to get in trouble when I get home,” the amused father observed before veering back to the matter at hand.
On the Web, people have been commenting wildly about the spectacle, some laughingly and others simply asking why Mr. Brown would do such a thing.
The comments were taking on a political cast, with one supporter writing: “It was inspiring, fun, and gave us a glimpse into the delightful relationship the Brown family shares. Those of you that thought it classless or stupid are the types Scott Brown is being sent to Washington to help us get rid of.”
But Mr. Beck, the conservative radio host, seemed mortified and spent several minutes on his radio program mocking Mr. Brown for saying, essentially, “Hey! My two daughters on a meat market!” He said his daughters would have reacted by saying: “Dad! National television! What are you doing?! Do you know how many psychos there are out there?”
“I want a chastity belt on this man,” Mr. Beck declared. “I want his every move watched in Washington,” he added.
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