To cleanse the palate, a friendly reminder from today’s Cavuto that a Massachusetts Republican is still a Massachusetts Republican. Brown’s defense is that a state program like RomneyCare and a one-size-fits-all federal program like ObamaCare are two different things, but the differences have been eroding over time as the public option dropped off the table. (Back in August, CNN said RomneyCare was becoming a “model” for the federal plan.) Philip Klein wrote a column about the two programs’ similarities just last month at AmSpec, noting particularly that both programs of course contain an individual mandate, which conservatives regard as a de facto middle-class tax hike. And as Brown himself notes in passing here, RomneyCare still has cost issues, which have become a none-too-minor problem for the man who gave the program its name.

Doesn’t mean Brown shouldn’t be supported — in fact, his experience could be useful if the GOP does take back the House next year and tries to revise the current bill somehow — but it’s interesting how he’s gotten a total pass on this in the interest of taking over Teddy’s seat while Mitt continues to struggle with it ahead of the primaries. Exit question for Schumer: Would a “teabagger” really have supported RomneyCare?