Well, I spoke too soon and have not escaped climate control hell so easily.
Shorting the sensor wire to ground does not solve the problem of economy mode not turning the blower on.
I've noticed that only defrost or the button with the upper/lower vents will turn on the blower if the climate control is off.
Pressing the button with the lower vents or economy mode will not get the blower running until I've pressed one of the first two buttons.
When I have the climate control running in economy + heat I will get nice hot air for a random amount of time before it goes cold on me.
I did replace the broken vent tube that connects the temperature sensor in the middle of the dash to the module behind the glove box. No change.