Brown: An aye toward independence

February 24, 2010

Scott Brown’s vote Monday to end a filibuster of the Senate jobs bill may not do much to reduce unemployment, or even guarantee that a final jobs bill will win approval, but it was a welcome step nonetheless. Brown entered office with conflicting mandates. Some supporters wanted him to oppose Democratic initiatives reflexively. Others wanted him to use his considerable leverage to end gridlock. The second is the nobler task, and it speaks well for the new senator that he takes it seriously.

“I came to Washington to be an independent voice, to put politics aside,’’ Brown declared in a statement. While Brown sought deeper tax cuts for small businesses, he recognized that the $15 billion package to eliminate Social Security taxes for employers who make new hires would do more good than harm. That bill will have to be reconciled with a broader jobs bill that passed the House, and Brown may well pull back his support if the final bill isn’t to his liking.

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Perhaps it bodes well for him as an independent, but he may get push back from the GOP side.

Hopefully he gets more opportunities to really turn things around on bills that come onto the table. Sen.Olympia Snow, Sen.Susan Collins and Sen.Joe Lieberman - all are in very powerful place as moderates to be able to influence the content of bills. So, I hope he gets to do more of that for the common good of all people.