Posted on 02/24/2010 5:26:41 AM PST by IbJensen
Boston (AP) - A month after being crowned the darling of national conservatives, Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is being branded "Benedict Brown" for siding with Democrats in favor of a jobs bill endorsed by the Obama administration.
Like the four other GOP senators who joined him, the man who won the late Democrat Edward Kennedy's seat says it's about jobs, not party politics. And that may be good politics, too.
The four other GOP senators who broke ranks -- Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, George Voinovich of Ohio and Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri -- also were criticized on Tuesday. But Brown was the big target on conservative Web sites, talk shows and even the Facebook page his campaign has promoted as an example of his new-media savvy.
"We campaigned for you. We donated to your campaign. And you turned on us like every other RINO," said one writer, using the initials for "Republican-In-Name-Only."
The conservative-tilting Drudge Report colored a photo of Brown on its home page in scarlet.
The new senator responded by calling into a Boston radio station.
"I've taken three votes," Brown said with exasperation. "And to say I've sold out any particular party or interest group, I think, is certainly unfair."
The senator said that by the time he seeks re-election in two years, he will have taken thousands of votes.
"So, I think it's a little premature to say that," he said.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wasn't particularly perturbed about Brown's vote, saying his election last month has "made a huge, positive difference for us and for the whole legislative agenda."
"We don't expect our members to be in lockstep on every single issue," McConnell added.
Political observers said each of the five Republican senators had solid reasons locally for voting as they did, to cut off a potential Republican filibuster on the bill.
The measure featured four provisions that enjoyed sweeping bipartisan support, including a measure exempting businesses hiring the unemployed from Social Security payroll taxes through December, and giving them a $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year. It would also renew highway programs through December and deposit $20 billion in the highway trust fund.
It faces a final Senate vote Wednesday.
Snowe and Collins hail from economically ailing Maine, and they can't stray too far from the Democrats who populate much of New England. And Voinovich and Bond also are from states hard hit by the recession.
The latter two also have the ultimate protection from retribution: They're not seeking re-election this fall.
"When you have decided to retire and you are a free agent, you can pretty much do what you want," said Peverill Squire, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. And Squire doubted that Bond, retiring after 24 years in the Senate, would have paid much of a political price even if the famous appropriator were seeking re-election.
"He's had no shyness in trying to send money," he said.
While conservative columnist Michelle Malkin used her blog to accuse Voinovich of being a traitor, even suggesting he got some unspecified goody for his vote in favor of the "porkulus" bill, Ohio's governor defended him.
Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, praised the senator for "standing with the people of Ohio over the majority of his party."
For Voinovich, a Republican from a Democratic stronghold, the party defection was nothing new. The two-time Ohio governor and former Cleveland mayor has sprinkled his political career with independent votes that can agitate the GOP. Former President George W. Bush famously visited Ohio in 2003 in an attempt to secure Voinovich's support for a tax cut package.
Voinovich still voted no.
Snowe and Collins, meanwhile, "survive in New England by a unique set of rules," said Dante Scala, political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.
He said: "The way they survive with voters in their homes states is by making it clear that, first and foremost, they're the servants of their constituencies, not the party label. So, they'll make a point of defying their party and going their own way."
Brown got little such leeway, despite campaigning as an "independent Republican" and publicly eschewing national supporters.
National Republican groups, as well as "tea party" members and an array of conservative special interests, all claimed a share of the credit for his upset win in the battle to succeed the legendary Kennedy.
They felt especially justified after funneling millions to Brown's campaign, including $348,000 on late television ads paid by the California-based Tea Party Express.
"You've already turned out to be as big an idiot as Obama," said one Facebook poster. "Enjoy your one term as senator."
One local political scientist believes the vote was anything but dumb, considering Brown faces re-election in less than three years.
"Scott Brown knows that he's going to be judged differently in 2012 than he was in 2010," said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at the senator's alma mater, Tufts University. "He's facing a different electorate, with more Democratic voters, and Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, in what is still a blue state."
He'll call himself a 'moderate' (which means 'one who stands for nothing') and people will be reminded that, unlike Teddy, he hasn't killed anyone....yet.
This is a lot of hysteria of a TAX CUT that the Republicans were already asking for. Kind of silly.
Give the guy a chance.
Be that as it may, the vast majority of what I hear about Brown being a "turncoat" is coming from the Corrupt Liberal Media who seems to now trumpet this non-stop. And why? Because any actual hint that Republicans might be reasonable, might be willing to work with Democrats, might care about people, might be trying to get things done in Washington -- any sign of these things is deeply threatening to the Left which is heavily invested in the idea that "things are falling apart because Republicans are extremists who won't work with us".
Visible evidence that a Republican is actually trying to get along with Democrats has to be quashed with the meme that "Republicans now hate Scott Brown and call him a turncoat".
But the writer of this article can't find one person who says that. The reason is because liberals are the ones calling him a turncoat. Republicans knew and know where he stands. The left is doing two things with this:
1. Attempting to demoralize uninformed Republicans.
2. Trying to tell the base that losing "Ted Kennedy's" seat wasn't the terrible disaster it was.
One question: how does one hire "the employed?" What other kind of person do you hire?
How can you be a turncoat when it was necessary to get this bill a cloture vote and move it to the floor?
A few people here don’t think; the Democrats were hoping it would fail cloture so they could spend 2 months complaining that the republicans, the party of no, were even holding up jobs bills when unemployment is 10%.
A few people here want to be like the employee who thinks taking on everyone he works with “because he knows better than them” shows how competent he is.....
Hey people; wake up. This bill would have been another “use reconciliation now” demand for the left to get free media coverage on.
If Republicans go voting against EVERYTHING the Dems put forward just for the sake of not supporting a Democrat and wanting them “to fail”, then criticism of the Republican party is just.
I’m sorry, but I support him in voting for this. It’s a good strategy for future votes “against” Democrat bills and also doesn’t make ALL Republicans look like they don’t want anything to happen.
I know we act like we don’t care how RINO’s are perceived, but honestly... how would it look to average Joe that NO Republicans voted for a “jobs bill”, even if that bill isn’t all that grand?
Exactly correct.
The only people blasting Brown for his vote are the media & the left in a pitiful attempt to try to show a divided republican party.
Don’t fall for it people.
More union road work. How will this result in sustainable economic growth?
sad to say $15B is a trivial amount, it won’t harm much, and it’ll satisfy their need to “do something” for awhile
It also gives him a cheap way to show his “independence”, which he has to do if he ever hopes to get re-elected. By itself it isn’t a big deal. It’ll be a big deal if he starts voting for every spending bill that comes down the pike because while he is a “moderate” he is supposed to be a “fiscal conservative”.
Good point! And thanks for the chuckle.
$20 billion here, $20 billion there and pretty soon you’ll be talking about real money!
See you all on the way to the Gulag.
When you campaign against out of control spending in DC, then with your first vote, vote for a spending increase, you’re nothing more than a hypocrite. Not surprised though.
I am not the huge Brown fan that alot of people are (or were), but the guy did say something to the effect that JOBS should be the priority over Healthcare. Seems to me he is sticking to his principles.
“He said: “The way they survive with voters in their homes states is by making it clear that, first and foremost, they’re the servants of their constituencies, not the party label. So, they’ll make a point of defying their party and going their own way.”
If the voters in these states buy that; they deserve them; but we don’t.
“This is a lot of hysteria of a TAX CUT that the Republicans were already asking for. Kind of silly.”
If it was just a tax cut, why did just Brown and the SOB Sisters vote for it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.