Newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is making news by going Independent on his first big vote–a procedural move to allow a Jobs bill to be adopted by the Senate.
At first thought, this may be surprising, as Brown bragged, after he beat Margaret Coakley, that he was the 41st vote to stop health care reform.
But I think Brown recognizes that his victory is not really a trend at all, but rather a fluke, and lucky break for him, due to a dull, boring, opponent.
Had a Kennedy run for the seat of Ted Kennedy, Brown would not now be a Senator. The odds are heavy that a Kennedy will run to reclaim Ted Kennedy’s seat in 2012, when a full term comes up for a vote.
The rumor is that Joe Kennedy, former Congressman from 1987-1999, and son of Robert Kennedy, will run, and it is hard to imagine Brown winning over him, or really any Kennedy. If he is going to have a chance to win, however, Scott Brown must break with his party a lot, and show he is more a New Englander than a Republican, or else his tenure in the Senate will be indeed very brief!
Meanwhile, let’s applaud Brown for dolng the right thing for his constituents and the nation’s jobless!