Kudos to Scott Brown and four other Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Thanks to them, a much needed jobs bill hurdled over a GOP filibuster Monday and gets a chance for a final Senate vote today.
Maybe bipartisanship does have life in Congress.
The jobs bill isn't all that we would like it to be. But it does have provisions that Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly support, including tax breaks for businesses that hire new workers this year and a renewal of highway programs through Dec. 31. Mark Zandi, an economist with Moody's Economy.com, estimates the tax breaks could spur about 250,000 new jobs.
In this economy, that's nothing to snub noses at. Concerns over the persistently high jobless rate have pummelled consumer confidence so much that in February the Consumer Confidence Index dropped to its lowest point in 10 months.
The public is fed up with political infighting while everyday folks struggle to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families. New Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown seemed to get that. Unfortunately, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid did not. Reid's ham-handed dumping of a bipartisan compromise unveiled earlier spawned the filibuster.
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