After the Senate passed the jobs bill yesterday with a 70-28 vote, Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts has been both praised and criticized by his fellow Republicans for his independence in joining Democrats and voting in favor of the bill. In total, 13 Republicans voted for the bill and one Democrat did not (Ben Nelson of Nebraska). Brown, who won the late Ted Kennedy's seat last month in an upset over Democrat Martha Coakley, campaigned with the promise to bring an independent voice to the Senate and to value his constituents over partisanship. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accepted Brown's vote, saying "We don't expect our members to be in lockstep on every single issue, and we're happy to have him here. I think it's made a huge, positive difference for us and for the whole legislative agenda." Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh had other thoughts though, saying "You will not find me being a giant, big-time, pedal-to-the-metal supporter of Scott Brown. We're talking about a Massachusetts Republican." I think that it's a good thing that Brown is more committed to doing what he feels is right for Massachusetts than to following his party lines. It's nice to see some Senators being more independent and reaching across the aisle for the good of the nation. But I don't really see why Brown is getting all of the attention, as there were 12 other Republicans who voted for this bill. All these other Senators should also be commended for putting their party differences beside and voting for what they believe in. Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/24/scott.brown.jobs.vote/index.html?hpt=Sbin.
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