Brown could make name for himself with Senate win
2006-10-03
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
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rss feedIt isn't easy for a die-hard Democrat like Sherrod Brown to get his way in Congress.
When Republicans call the shots, bills introduced by Democrats get fast-tracked to a Dumpster. When Republicans have the votes, trade agreements opposed by Democrats are fast-tracked into law.
And so a decade of frustration fuels Brown's wrath as he mounts a Senate challenge to Republican incumbent Mike DeWine. Brown's House record is filled with opposition votes and speeches instead of laws that bear his name. That, of course, would change if he and fellow Democrats succeed in taking control of the Senate, which is their goal in November.
"The drug companies and the HMOs and Wall Street and the oil companies have a stranglehold on this Congress," Brown says as he hustles between votes and Capitol Hill meetings. "If you fight for the middle class, it's pretty hard to win one because this crowd always sides with the wealthiest taxpayers and the most powerful interest groups."
Brown, of Avon, has still managed to pass legislation by teaming with Republicans who agree with him on particular issues, like fighting bioterrorism, researching birth defects, reducing errors in hospitals and closing loopholes that let brand-name companies block generic drugs.
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