Scott Brown Votes with Democrats (Again) on Cloture
EmailABC’s Z. Byron Wolf reports: Scott Brown is proving to be an elusive vote on matters of cloture. During his month in the senate, Brown is just about evenly split, siding half the time with Democrats and half the time with Republicans.For a man ushered into the Senate as someone Republicans should “exalt in” and signaling the death knell of Democrats’ super-majority, Brown has shown himself to be no fan of Senate Republicans’ slow-everything-to-a-snail’s-pace strategy.In two cases now Brown joined several other Republican moderates to buck his party and help Democrats narrowly defeat filibuster.The most recent occurred Tuesday afternoon – a cloture vote on Democrats’ most recent jobs bill, which has a year-long extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits as well as extending popular tax credits for a host of issues. Cloture was invoked 66-34.The problem is that the bill adds $100 billion to the federal deficit. And Brown said today he doesn’t support it.Brown sounded downright Senatorial explaining his vote on the Senate floor, explaining that while he opposes the bill in its current form, it has been debated for a week and he feels like it is time to “move the process forward.”"I wanted to make it very clear that I will be voting for cloture. But that, in fact, does not mean I support the actual bill when it comes to a vote,” said Brown in a quick speech on the Senate floor, his second. “As I said when I first came here, I believe in process and I believe that we should have an opportunity after full and fair debate to move bills forward and hopefully send back a product that we can all live with,” he said.Brown’s other cloture votes – one of the times was for a non-controversial judicial nominee for whom Republicans still insisted on a cloture vote. On the other controversial issue – a temporary extension of unemployment benefits that Republican Jim Bunning held up for several days – Democrats tempted the obstruction by not filing for cloture. Brown supported the temporary unemployment benefits extension that allowed Senators to move forward this week with the longer-term fix.He voted with most conservative Republicans against cloture to move forward with a national tourism board, long sought by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that would be funded with a $10 fee on many foreign visitors.Brown’s other vote with his party on a cloture vote – so far – came in his first cloture vote as a Senator, rejecting Craig Becker, President Obama’s nominee to sit on the National Labor Relations Board. And in that case, with the vote 52- 33, well short of the 60 that would have been needed to move forward to a final vote, Brown was not a deciding factor.March 2nd on Barbara Milano Keenan of Virginia, to be a judge (99-0): http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00029 Feb. 25th: on Reid’s tourism board: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00026Feb. 22nd: on Dems’ first jobs bill: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00023Feb. 9th: on Craig Becker to sit on the NLRB: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00022
Santorum: Money Will Not Defeat Obama, Ideas Will 
Rick Santorum's Full Speech at CPAC 2012
So much for that “stunning” victory. Where are the revelers now? Joyful in their triumph that they have busted the majority. Where’s all the praise for your Messiah centerfold Senator Brown??
Posted by: Bart | March 9, 2010, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
Bart:
As long as he votes no on Obama’s healthcare takeover, the Democrats can have him. If he votes yes, he will be destroyed just like the rest of the Marxists in the Senate and the House right now.
Oh, in the White House, too.
Posted by: Sickofobama | March 9, 2010, 8:58 pm 8:58 pm
uhh. Does anyone EVER consider that perhaps people vote the way they feel, regardless of what “team” they are on. It wouuld be nice if just every once in a while that members of congress walk away from their own parties and do what is right. Good for Brown. Perhaps a few Democrats will “man up” and stop this crazy bickering, the talking points, and all the nonsense we see these days.
Posted by: david | March 9, 2010, 9:22 pm 9:22 pm
As FNC Democratic contributor Bob Beckel indicated on Hannity, given that passing Obamacare does most damage to Dems in mid-term elections later this year, why are conservatives trying to stall Obamacare?
Note that Democrats are scandalously ignoring the following about Obamacare. Given that the federal Constitution is silent about public healthcare, the 10th A. automatically reserves government power to regulate healthcare to the states, not the Oval Office and Congress.
So if the federal Dems want to regulate healthcare, Article V requires them to first propose an appropriate amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. And only if the states choose to ratify amendment will Congress actually have constitutional authority to regulate healthcare.
In the meanwhile, Obamacare is constitutionally unauthorized legislation, the Dems treasonously pirating state powers.
Posted by: B. Johnson | March 9, 2010, 10:02 pm 10:02 pm
I gotta say the only people I saw get excitied were Neocons.
My Neocon friends thought him getting elected was the greatest punch in the face to democrats.
I kept telling them hes not conservative by what you think….
Posted by: Carl | March 9, 2010, 11:25 pm 11:25 pm
Brown’s job it to represent the people of the commonwealth, not his party. That’s been the biggest problem with our government for many years. The party is more important than the people.
I can’t say I agree with with him on every issue but if he is representing his constituents he has my respect. We should all have Senators who represent us instead of their party. Too bad we don’t.
Posted by: oonogil | March 9, 2010, 11:40 pm 11:40 pm
On the bright side McCain just LOVES him. Then, you know, Brown was a model, and McCain was in the Navy. Just saying!
Posted by: jafo | March 10, 2010, 11:54 am 11:54 am
I do think unemployment benefits should be extended, since being laid off is not fun when you have H1B still working – foreign workers while your job is being eliminated. I have been discriminated against because I am American and WHITE, while companies are actively practicing illegal hiring practices. With H1B as managers, they only hire their own. So once in for all after working more than 30 years and putting in over 1 million dollar in taxes, I deserve to finally the government to extend COBRA discount and unemployment benefits. Until the paying field is fair again — and off shoring is eliminated our jobs will never be recovered. It is heart-ache you see posted in the break room job request for more H1B and they pay very high too while Americans are unemployed. I need the unemployment while our government gives free medical care to illegals and our own government only hires people of color while discriminating against any white person. Thanks to the racist in the White House.
Posted by: John | March 10, 2010, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
obama was not some terrible accident which fell upon the American people out of a blue sky. One has called it the reductio ad absurdum of the American tradition of nationalism, militarism, worship of success, and force, as well as the exaltation of state. Yet the conditions which obama exploited were not confined to one country, they were stronger in American than anywhere else. obama own thought was a mixture of racism, anti-Marxism, and the idea of struggle (which we also found in Italian fascism). As an ideology, Hobama National Socialism is a systematic interpretation of the world of human behavior and of history which aims at a unified outlook and behavior-pattern. Resembling a religion, an ideology demands commitment and faith.
As a form of government, National Socialism is totalitarian in character aiming at the total control of all politics, economy, social relationships and thought, by a small group which claims to understand how to cope with all aspects of human existence,god help us all ,the commander ,stop this communist obama stop this communist obama,the commander
Posted by: commander | March 10, 2010, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
obama,It is not truth that matters, but victory”god help us all the commander,no,no,no,on,healthcare,stop this communist obama,help
Posted by: commander | March 10, 2010, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
OBAMA,There must be no majority decisions, but only responsible persons, and the word ‘council’ must be restored to its original meaning. Surely every man will have advisers by his side, but the decision will be made by one man.” STOP THIS COMMUNIST OBAMA,GOD HELP US ALL .THE COMMANDER
Posted by: commander | March 10, 2010, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
BARACK OBAMA, STILL PLAYING THE OUTSIDER EVEN THOUGH HE’S PRESIDENT. BARACK OBAMA AT HIS STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH WAS FRIGHTENING. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OBAMA AT THE STATE OF THE UNION. FORGET THE INDIVIDUAL POLICY STATEMENTS THAT HE MADE. SOME OF THEM WERE SO OBSCURE THAT THEY HAVE ONLY CIRCULATED IN UNDERGROUND COLLEGE PUBLICATIONS. I THINK THIS MAN HAS NO CONCEPT OF LIMITATIONS, EITHER HIS OWN OR THE GOVERNMENT’S. AND AS SUCH, OBAMA PLACES US ALL IN DANGER.
THE SPEECH WAS FULL OF BLUSTER AND BOMBAST, UNCTUOUS IN TONE, CONDESCENDING IN SPIRIT. WE THE PEOPLE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HEALTHCARE. WE THE PEOPLE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND BUDGETS. WE THE PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION. WE’RE THE IDIOTS, AND HE IS BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT. THIS WAS AN ARROGANT AND AWFUL DEMONSTRATION OF A DELUSIONAL MAN TO BLAME EVERYONE. EVEN THE LEFT THINKS IT WAS MUDDLED. OBAMA DID NOT HAVE A COHERENT PHILOSOPHY. THE THEME OF HIS SPEECH WAS “I DON’T QUIT.” IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH AMERICA, DID IT? HIM INSULTING THE SUPREME COURT IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.
THE MAN IS A DANGER. PELOSI IS AN OUT-OF-CONTROL EGO MANIAC. TWENTY PERCENT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT HEALTHCARE REFORM, MOST OF WHOM ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS OR ARE GOING TO PROFIT FROM IT DIRECTLY. TWENTY PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEM, AND APPROXIMATELY SIXTY PERCENT SAID DO NOT DESTROY THE GREATEST MEDICAL SYSTEM ON EARTH. AND YET PELOSI, GETS UP AND SAYS WE ARE GOING TO DO IT, WE ARE GOING TO VAULT OVER, WE ARE GOING TO PARACHUTE IN. DROP DEAD PEOPLE, WE DON’T CARE.
THAT IS HOLDEN CAULFIELD. AND THAT IS BARACK OBAMA WHO IS STILL PLAYING THE OUTSIDER, WHO IS STILL PLAYING IN ESSENCE THE TEENAGE PROTAGONIST, THE TWISTED REBELLIOUS HOLDEN CAULFIELD IN THE PRESIDENCY. FROM THE BEATNIK TO THE HIPPY TO THE PROGRESSIVE TODAY. SALINGER WROTE “CATCHER IN THE RYE” ABOUT THIS CHARACTER, THIS YOUNG GUY WHO GOES TO A PREP SCHOOL, RICH KID. AND HE’S ALIENATED; THE CHARACTER IS AN ALIENATED CHARACTER, AND HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE IS AND WHAT HE WANTS TO BE. AND WHAT WAS SALINGER TRYING TO SAY THROUGH HIS CHARACTER HOLDEN CAULFIELD? THAT THE KID WAS MIXED UP AND ALIENATED BECAUSE SOCIETY WAS MIXED UP AND ALIENATED. ALREADY AMERICA HAD HAD THE BIG CRACK- UP. AND BARACK OBAMA IS STILL PLAYING THE OUTSIDER, STILL PLAYING ALIENATED TEENAGER, EVEN THOUGH HE IS THE PRESIDENT. FROM BEATNIK TO HIPPY TO PROGRESSIVE.stop this communist obama ,the commander help us all.
Posted by: commander | March 10, 2010, 3:34 pm 3:34 pm
I support Brown and the Tea Party movement. I consider myself an independent. I think that although the jobs bill may be fiscally irresponsible and am against it in principle, along with the stimulus package, how can the GOP justify standing against it while they bailed out the banks? If they can unconstitutionally bail out the banks, they have to bail out the middle class whose money they spent as well. Those dirtbags in congress do everything they can to avoid taxes and get away with it. The middle class should get something!
Posted by: Gail | March 10, 2010, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm