After months of behind-the-scenes wrangling and publicly traded barbs on both sides of the aisle, Senate Democrats announced Tuesday that they have the 60 votes needed to thwart Republican stall tactics and pass financial reform regulation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that a cloture vote to overcome a Republican filibuster would come Thursday. A vote on final passage could come soon after or, if Senate Republicans exhaust all remaining stall tactics, as late as Saturday.

Three northeast Republicans representing blue states – Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Scott Brown of Massachusetts – broke ranks with their party in announcing their support for the bill and paved the way for its final passage.

“Three Republican senators have put politics and partisanship aside to support this reform, and I’m grateful,” President Barack Obama said. “What members of both parties realize is that we can’t allow a financial crisis like this one that we just went through to happen again.”

Because Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) has refused to vote for the final product, saying it is not strong enough, Reid was forced to corral three Republicans to get to the magic number of 60.

In getting there he has rankled conservatives, who are incensed that three Republicans would help the president achieve one of his signature accomplishments in his first term. Scott Brown, who won the legendary Ted Kennedy’s former seat, was once a darling of the tea party ilk. After his vote for financial reform, however, he may be out of favor with that crowd.

“The leadership and members of the Greater Boston Tea Party, along with tea party and conservative activists across the commonwealth are greatly disappointed in Senator Brown’s announcement that he will vote yes on the financial reform bill,” The Greater Boston Tea Party said in a statement. “After weeks of debate and a thorough investigation of the bill and its possible effects on the economy, small businesses, community banks and consumers, we are at a loss as to what redeeming qualities Senator Brown found in the bill worthy of support.”

Brown had been at the top of the list of Democratic targets for some time. Representing perhaps the most liberal state in the union, Brown cannot afford to kowtow to the Republican leadership like many of his colleagues and expect to win reelection.

The bill represents the most sweeping financial reform since The Great Depression. The reform gives government regulators the power to monitor the health of the financial system as a whole and dismantle any institutions deemed to be a systemic risk. Previously unregulated trading will be monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill also creates a Consumer Protection Agency that will monitor credit card companies and other entities that offer credit to consumers.

“This reform is good for families, it is good for businesses, it’s good for the entire economy,” Obama said.

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