[SamIam]

WASHINGTON – Republican Scott Brown is poised to take over the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's long-held seat a week earlier than he had planned, ending the Democrats' Senate supermajority and giving the GOP 41 votes they can use to block President Barack Obama's agenda...

Brown, 50, has promised to be an independent voice. He recently said he's told Senate Republican leaders they won't always be able to count on his vote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100204/...s_brown_senate




The Republicans are all caught up in the joy of voting as a party block - now more so than ever. The penalty for a Repub who does not follow the party line is severe. Such a person is likely to have the GOP field an even more conservative candidate against him in the next election and be left out of campaign funding for his cause. Anyone want to bet that Brown will not go against the party line - not ever? And I don't count votes on stuff like the national weed or the national rock.