Democrats seize on Brown's support for Ryan budget

Democrats seized Monday on Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) remarks this weekend saying that he'd support the House-passed 2012 budget.

A local media report quoted Brown as telling a business group this weekend that he'd support Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget when it comes up for a vote in the Senate, even though it's expected to ultimately fail.

"The leaders will bring forward [Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's] budget, and I will vote for it, and it will fail," Brown said, according to a report by the Newburyport Daily News. "Then the president will bring forward his budget, and it will fail."

Democrats, who are looking to unseat Brown in the 2012 Senate elections, blasted Brown for the statement, as they've done with a host of other Republicans who've supported the Ryan budget. Democrats have particularly focused their attacks on the portion of the House GOP budget that would restructure Medicare for Americans under the age of 55.

"Brown pretends he’s independent and pretends he’s moderate, but he’s making it crystal clear that he supports the Republican plan to end Medicare and will vote for it in the U.S. Senate," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) communications director Matt Canter. "There’s nothing moderate or independent about that. In fact, Scott Brown votes with the Republican establishment in Washington, D.C., more than 90 percent of the time. That makes him fundamentally out of step with Massachusetts.”

Brown is seen as a centrist in the Senate, relative to some of his other Republican colleagues. Since he hails from a state that's seen as typically safe for Democrats, he and other similarly disposed Republicans will face especially strong pressure over the Ryan budget.