Sen. Brown: 'I'm liking what I see' on financial reform legislation

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) offered a hint that he may support the financial reform bill when it comes to a final vote later this month.

“I’m going to be making a decision soon, but I’m liking what I see,” Brown told WHDH television station in Plymouth, Mass., on Sunday.

Democrats were forced to delay a final vote on the sweeping regulatory overhaul after Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) died and Brown would not commit to backing the bill before the July 4 recess, leavign them short of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. Authors of the legislation had made a last-minute change to remove a $19 billion bank tax last week after Brown objected.

Brown said he would review the final conference report over the weeklong recess. Democrats gained some breathing room, however, when Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said she would support the bill. Cantwell had voted against the initial Senate version, which Brown had backed.

The first-year Massachusetts senator also defended his record and suggested he had acted in a more bipartisan fashion than Democrats.

“Bipartisanship, by the way, is a two way street. While I voted about 30 percent of the time with the Democrats now, not one Democrat has voted with me," Brown told the TV station.