By Bonnie Erbe, ThomasJefferson Street blog 

Scott Brown will have a lot of "'splainin'" to do (in the infamous words of Ricky Ricardo) now that he's been sworn into the U.S. Senate. He's a moderate Republican, an almost-dead wing of the GOP, my hope is party leaders won't crush him, pulverize him and stuff him into the right wing mold. 

He's already announced to the world he's pro-choice, and carefully campaigned as a non-partisan Republican. In that respect, and one or two others, he's kind of like President Obama's GOP twin. The difference is, however, President Obama is the leader of his party and Sen. Brown is a very junior member of his.

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog 

It's not rare for a handful of members of Congress to turn on a president of the same party during an off-presidential election year, especially when that president's poll numbers are low. But the vehemence with which some Democrats are separating themselves from the president's budget this year strikes me as a bit over the top. Republicans didn't even run this far from former President George W. Bush in 2006, despite their party's alleged reputation for fiscal restraint and the extent to which Mr. Bush went to destroy that reputation. 

From the L.A. Times:  

A Democratic Senate candidate in Missouri denounced the budget's sky-high deficit. A Florida Democrat whose congressional district includes the Kennedy Space Center hit the roof over NASA budget cuts. And a headline on the 2010 campaign website of Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) blares her opposition to Obama's farm budget: "Blanche stands up for Arkansas farm families."

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The British Broadcasting Corp. has an interesting take on U.S. voter opposition to healthcare reform. In an online article headlined “Why do people often vote against their own interests?” the news service tries to explain white middle- and lower-class opposition to healthcare reform. The article describes last year’s series of angry outbursts at town hall meetings across the country in which mainly white Americans protested President Obama’s and Congress’s version of healthcare reform. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

But it is striking that the people who most dislike the whole idea of healthcare reform--the ones who think it is socialist, godless, a step on the road to a police state--are often the ones it seems designed to help.

In Texas, where barely two-thirds of the population have full health insurance and over a fifth of all children have no cover at all, opposition to the legislation is currently running at 87 percent.

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The U.S. Federal Reserve must be quaking in fear as a result of the latest threat from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. In the second tape of the terrorist leader-in-hiding to air on the Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera this week, bin Laden is alleged to have said:

"It is necessary for us to avoid doing business in the dollar, and to finish with it in the fastest possible time."

I say he was alleged to have made the statement because the tape's authenticity cannot be confirmed.

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

I agree with my colleague Peter Roff's description of President Obama's gargantuan makeover task as he prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech tonight:

The image of Obama as a reborn budget cutter as the concluding act of an almost year-long spending binge that would have made Bacchus blush is simply not credible, as Congressional Republicans were quick to point out.

To that I would add, however, that former President Bush's simultaneous war spending binge coupled with his tax cuts are what turned the federal budget from a revenue producer to a voracious money-eater. I do want to add as well, in Obama's defense, this is not the first time he's called for spending cuts. During the campaign and early in his first year, the president made various claims of cost-cutting, although it's arguable whether any of his attempts made a difference.

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Let me join in the Thomas Jefferson Street fray (a bit belatedly, I must add) over last week's GOP senatorial pickup in Massachusetts by relative political unknown Scott Brown. Not here, but elsewhere on the Web, I blamed the Democratic loss largely on frustration with universal healthcare in the state (it's not working) and Massachusetts's increasing number and percentage of independent voters.

I would also like to laud editor Robert Schlesinger's post on money inequality in the Massachusetts Senate race, especially late in the game.

I received a phone call from a political insider over the weekend who confirmed that and more to me. Not only did GOP groups come in big with late money for Brown, but I'm also told Democratic coffers dried up for Coakley early in the race because she started out 30 points ahead. Her supporters figured she just didn't need their largesse in this race and the national party funds dried up as well.

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

It's great to see the Republican National Committee sticking up for women. According to Politico, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter was on a talk show with the outspoken Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann this week, and lobbed a gender-based snub at her:

The two were on a Philadelphia radio show Wednesday when the Pennsylvania Democrat grew frustrated with Bachmann. "I'm going to treat you like a lady," Specter said to Bachmann. "Now act like one." Appearing on conservative host Sean Hannity's Fox News show Thursday night, Bachmann said she was "stunned" by Specter's outburst.

Then Jan Larimer, the female cochair of the RNC, swung right back at Specter with this little ditty on the RNC's website:

"Senator Specter's rude and arrogant comments yesterday were not only disrespectful to Congresswoman Bachmann, but demeaning to all women. Senator Specter should immediately apologize to the Congresswoman and to all of his constituents for such disgraceful behavior. Women should never be treated as second class citizens. It's clear Senator Specter has spent too much time in Washington, and this November I am confident Pennsylvanians will choose a new direction."