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The last time a Republican was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, the moviehouses were showing films like Last Tango in Paris, Pink Flamingos, and Superfly.

And also The Candidate. Robert Redford's character, Bill McKay, was as dark a horse in his senatorial run as Scott Brown was in Massachusetts. But McKay somehow managed a stunning upset, and the shock of his unlikely victory left him stammering, What do we do now?

But Scott Brown isn't asking himself that question. He knows exactly what he's going to do — cast the 41st vote against the Democrats' health care bill.

It's the Dems who are asking themselves What do we do now? about health care and their entire Democratic agenda. Before Brown's election, the Dems were a stumbling, bumbling, helpless giant with no clue how to leverage their strong majorities in both houses of Congress into strong health care reform. Now, with just one vote less, the giant has been reduced to the mouse that blubbered hysterically.

When are the Dems going to realize that acting like milquetoast Republicans is rapidly bringing about their very own Last Tango in Paris? Scott Brown won — just as the Republicans are likely to win big this November — because the Republicans stand for something and the Democrats don't. Republicans enthusiastically turned out to vote for Brown on Tuesday, but disheartened Democrats couldn't be bothered. And I can't blame them.