Brown says that conservative era has ended and new progressive era has begun

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorian) said that history will mark 2006 as the end of a conservative period in American that began around 1980.

"Voters clearly in 2006 said no to that conservative era and marked the closing of that conservative era," Brown said. "What happened in 2006 was voters basically said no to the betrayal of the middle-class, the betrayal of long-held American values, the undermining of American values. They said no to the drug companies writing medicare laws. They said no to the oil industry dictating energy policy. They said no to insurance companies writing healthcare law. They said no to Wall Street pushing through these trade agreements that cost us millions of manufacturing jobs in [Ohio] and across the country."

Brown said that 2008 is the launch of a new era.

"On all of these issues, I think you're going to be seeing it in the way that we approach the stimulus package," Brown said. "You're going to be seeing it in the way that we approach healthcare, the way that we approach energy."

Brown said that a major energy alternative energy movement will be accomplished in America, not just talked about.

"This progressive era, on all of these issues - healthcare, trade, on energy, workers rights, taxes and Social Security - all of these issues, you'll see that," Brown said. "I admit that the progressive movement is all about moving forward, that's the word progressive. We want to do it as bipartisanly as possible."

Brown praised candidates in Ohio who he said supported this progressive movement and putting government on the side of the middle-class.

"What I saw in these races across the country and especially in my state is that there are significant numbers of Republicans and independents who voted for these progressive candidates because they agree with us on issues like trade," Brown said. "They agree with us on issues like alternative energy. They agree with us on a more progressive tax system. They oppose Social Security privatization."

Brown said he was hopeful that open-minded Republicans will vote with him and his colleagues on this progressive agenda. Brown said it would serve their constituents like it serves his own.