Scott Brown's Bipartisanship Under Fire

A couple of things from the New York Times on Scott Brown: In the Sunday Magazine, "Where Scott Brown Is Coming From," and in today's paper, "In Passage of Jobs Measure, a Glimpse of Bipartisanship."

Five Republican senators broke ranks with their party on Monday to advance a $15 billion job-creation measure put forward by Democrats, a rare bipartisan breakthrough after months in which Republicans had held together to a remarkable degree in an effort to thwart President Obama’s agenda.

The 62-to-30 vote — two more yeses than the minimum required to get past a procedural roadblock — cleared the way for the Senate to vote Wednesday to approve the measure, which Democrats said would create tens of thousands of new jobs at a time when the unemployment rate is hovering near double digits and is expected to remain high for years to come. But it is not clear whether the House, which has backed a broader approach, will go along without making substantial changes.

With the midterm elections already revving up and the parties facing deep ideological divides over a host of issues, there was no evidence that Monday’s vote was the beginning of a trend. But after being repeatedly stymied by Republicans on a series of initiatives and nominations over the past months, Democrats were elated with the outcome and expressed gratitude to Republicans who sided with them in cutting off a potential filibuster.

“Today, jobs triumphed over politics,” said Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California.

Senator Scott Brown, the newly elected Republican from Massachusetts, was the first member of his party to cast his vote for the measure. He was followed by Senators Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, George V. Voinovich of Ohio and Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, who voted after it became evident that Democrats would prevail. Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska was the sole Democrat to vote no.

Mr. Brown, breaking with his party’s leadership on one of his first high-profile votes, said he backed the measure grudgingly, since even its sponsors acknowledged its limited scope.

“It is the first step in creating jobs, not only for the people of Massachusetts but for the people of the country,” said Mr. Brown, who said he intended to pursue other proposals, like an across-the-board cut in payroll taxes.

Senator Brown's vote is not making some folks happy. From his Facebook page:

Not everyone is unhappy. See HillBuzz, "FOUR Things to Say About Scott Brown, Who Remains Hottie McAwesome to Us."

Hat Tip: Michelle.