Well, color me surprised! Five, count ‘em, five members of the party of “NO” actually said “Yes” to something.

Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Kit Bond (R-MO) and George Voinovich (R-OH), in a stunning spectacle of unimaginable bipartisanship voted to block a filibuster on a $15 billion jobs bill.

The relatively small, yet hardly insignificant, jobs package includes a Social Security tax break to encourage hiring, and allows small businesses to write off, instead of depreciating, purchases of large equipment. It will also replenish the Highway Trust Fund and expand the Build America Bonds program, which will help to create much-needed jobs.

On his blog, [1] Mr. Brown writes, “This Senate jobs bill is not perfect. I wish the tax cuts were deeper and broader, but I voted for it because it contains measures that will help put people back to work.”

Wow, principles.

And what does Mr. Brown get for having them (at least on this one, possibly only, occasion)?

Blog flames galore — as of this writing, 27 pages worth of mostly negative comments — including accusations of dishonesty and demands for refunds of campaign contributions. Of course, there is also the usual name calling; “RINO,” “sellout,” and even “marxist.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I think Mr. Brown’s detractors might be overreacting just a bit as Mr. Brown only voted in favor of letting the jobs bill go to the Senate floor, and he may still vote “no” when it comes time to actually pass the jobs bill.