Health Care Rumor Gains Traction With Right

DNCBS ^ | December 17th | Brian Montopoli

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

On Tuesday, the Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb, citing an unnamed Senate aide, wrote that "the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesn't fall into line."

Translation: Goldfarb is reporting that, according to his source, the Obama administration is suggesting to Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska (left), who has been hesitant to support the Senate health care bill due to his concerns over abortion, that it will close the base if Nelson doesn't back the bill.

It was, the source said, a "naked effort by Rahm Emanuel and the White House to extort Nelson's vote." The White House, the source said, was willing "to close a base vital to national security" to get what it wanted.

Nelson's spokesman, as Steve Benen notes, quickly said the claim is untrue and that it represented "misinformation…coming from inside-the-Beltway partisans who only want to derail health care reform." The White House backed that up, saying "these rumors are completely baseless and false" and grew out of "a cynical, crass political game."

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

That headline makes me laugh - "Health Care Rumor Gains Traction With Right" Yo CBS........... !!YOU ARE JOURNALISTS!! Why don't you try going and asking some questions? Why don't you try going and investigating something?

And I love how CBS questions the use of un named sources.

Think they'll do that to the NY Slimes next time? I think not.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Nelson shouldn’t hesitate to call that bluff. If President Obama dared allowed that to happen, the residents of Nebraska would be hopping mad AT OBAMA, and they’d stay mad through the 2012 elections. No way would they blame Nelson.

[fatnotlazy]

Not sure if I believe the rumor or not, but I do know that when desperate, the liberal socialists will resort to anything, including threats, to get their mavericks in line.

[freekitty]

I agree.

[C210N]

If President Obama dared allowed that to happen, the residents of Nebraska would be hopping mad...

ALL Americans would be foaming at the mouth mad, since Nebraska, at the strategic center of the country, is the site of the Strategic Air Command. Closing it would be tantamount to an admission that foreign enemies have taken control of our government.

[huskerjim]

Let’s see how the Holiday Bowl goes between Nebraska and Arizona, especially if Ben continues to say NO!

[Publius Maximus]

Of course Rahm threatened precisely what the story says he threatened. The fact that Nelson got out in front denying it proves it was just a shot over the bow from Nelson to Obama, basically letting him know that such a threat was a kind of “No Fly Zone” as far as he was concerned. Naturally, he made it look like a kooky right wing rumor, but that’s how the game is played.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

ALL Americans would be foaming at the mouth mad, since Nebraska, at the strategic center of the country, is the site of the Strategic Air Command.

We've had men in those silos since before any of you guys were watching "Howdy Doody"!

[TruthHound]

Glenn Beck has said he has no less than three confirmations from reputable sources that this extortion is EXACTLY what took place.

[muawiyah]

Offut AFB was in line to accept Aerospace Corp.'s operations in CA, but "something happened" and El Segundo got another lease on life, Aerospace still has operations there, and in Chantilly (NRO).

Nelson simply didn't have the pull of the two old'moonbats in CA and the Democrat insiders in Northern Virginia.

The loss of the Aerospace plum must certainly have smarted so Nelson already understands his position in the power structure isn't that good.