Yes, we should thank Brown, and scorn him

As a lot of people are quickly figuring out, Brown's come around to supporting the proposed Don't Ask Don't Dell repeal, which will (eventually) allow gay and lesbian members of the military to serve openly. This is a huge political victory for civil rights, and is a huge step forward to achieving the votes necessary to get'er done. Brown deserves credit for coming around on this issue.

He also deserves scorn. He's up there with Republicans blocking almost everything on a daily basis. His opposition to extending unemployment benefits killed those benefits for people who've been out of work for a lengthy period of time (and just before Christmas), saying it would hurt the deficit. Meanwhile, he's perfectly willing to pass tax cuts for the uber rich, and hold up other bills until it passes, like a toddler throwing a tantrum fit. The tax cuts for the rich are one of the two or three biggest reasons why this country's deficit exploded post-Bush, an extension of them would cost this country $700 billion over ten years, all of which would count against the deficit. An extension of this country's meager unemployment benefits is pennies on the dollar compared to the tax cuts for the rich, so it's pretty clear he doesn't actually care about them. He just cares about making sure the deficit money government spends is going to the ultra rich.

So where do we, the people, and Senator Brown stand? He's decidedly a mixed bag, but clearly more bad than good. We should be happy that we can swing him on a few important issues in the meantime, but it's clear he's not our Senator for the future. It'll be important to make sure the public understands just how dangerous Brown is on economic issues, and not buy into his 'moderation' because he'll swing with us on occasion when it comes to social issues. Otherwise, we may all end up in his poor house.