Is Scott Brown a Bridge Over a Troubled Senate?

When Scott Brown won the special election to take over the Massachusetts Senate seat previously held by the late Ted Kennedy, it seemed like the beginning of the end for any highly contested bills to even get to a vote in the Senate.

However, Senator Brown has shown that he isn't a rank and file Republican. As highlighted in this CNN story, Brown has twice voted for cloture hence stopping a filibuster. Although opposed to both the $15billion jobs bill and the $150billion bill to extend unemployment benefits, Senator Brown decided to "keep the process moving".

It appears that Brown is more moderate than his Conservative and Tea Party supporters had originally believed/hoped. In fact, he is acting more like a true independent. One who wants the business of Congress to proceed rather than be blocked by a majority. He also is acting like a Republican who wants to be re-elected to office by the very liberal Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Regardless of his motives, he ceases to be the 41st vote to allow a filibuster to proceed. His highly visible presence in the middle might make it safer ground for other Republican moderates to go against their party on a cloture vote, providing them with an oasis.

A bigger question is whether he will also vote for cloture if/when a vote comes in the Senate for a revised health care bill even if he is against it. My guess is he won't get the chance as anything in the Senate will go through reconciliation which is not subject to a filibuster.

In any event, things might get more interesting as Senator Brown decides he likes being a moderate Republican senator from a liberal state.