Free Republic

When people asked for this newly minted celebrity's autograph, Brown signed his name, followed by the number "41," signifying the critical vote the GOP needed to shoot down the president's signature legislation (healthcare reform). "Sometimes he'll be the 41st vote, other times he'll be the 60th," says Eric Fehrnstrom, a Massachusetts political consultant who has done some work for Brown's reelection in 2012, On Democrats' financial-reform package,Brown surprised even his own party when he decided to vote yes, giving his would-be opponents exactly 60 votes.

Republicans were forced to "back down" from blocking Wall Street reform, according to a fundraising letter sent by the president. In the e-mail to his supporters, President Barack Obama wrote that pressure on lawmakers forced Republicans to "back down" from blocking the legislation, which the Senate passed Thursday. "This movement proved again that the strongest special interests, who for so long have called the shots in Washington, can be beat," he wrote. "When opponents in Congress tried to block the legislation altogether, you stood up -- and they backed down. When the lobbyists pushed for loopholes and exemptions just before...