Backbencher of the Week

This week Sen. Sherrod Brown(D-OH) is the winner of the coveted Backbencher of the Week. Both houses of Congress passed the stimulus bill this week, and President Obama plans to sign it into law on Tuesday. A point of order was raised that the stimulus violated the Budget Act and in the Senate that meant the 3/5 of the Senate needed to vote to wive the Budget Act for the bill to pass. 3/5 of the Senate is of course the magical 60 votes.

Sen. Brown was in Ohio on Friday for his mother's wake and Sen. Ted Kennedy(D-MA) could not make the vote because is still recovering from his brain tumor and with only 3 Republican votes that meant there were only 59 Yea votes present on Friday.

To make sure the bill passed, Sen Brown took an evening flight to Washington and arrived about 10:45 p.m. and cast the 60th and deciding vote.

For that kind of dedication we are gald that the first senator to win Backbencher of the Week is Sherrod Brown. Congratulations.