Nelson's Price

The Weekly Standard ^ | December 19, 2009 | by John McCormack

[MaestroLC]

Politico reports:

Sen. Mary Landrieu got the "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up most his state's future Medicaid tab -- forever.

As part of the deal to win Nelson's support, the federal government will fund Nebraska's new Medicaid recipients. It's a provision worth about $45 million over the first decade.

Also from John McCormack...

Nelson Agrees to Abortion Funding in at Least 13 States?

Harry Reid has released the manager's amendment that Ben Nelson has reportedly agreed to vote for, meaning that the Senate bill has 60 votes. The abortion language includes the phony segregation of funding language that was rejected in the House. It would allow individual states to opt out of the abortion-funding program--in other words, the default position is to pay for abortions; states would have to pass legislation to not fund abortions. But states where public abortion-funding is mandated by state court rulings would be required to pay for abortions:

‘‘(1) NO PREEMPTION OF STATE LAWS REGARDING ABORTION.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt or otherwise have any effect on State laws regarding the prohibition of (or requirement of) coverage, funding, or procedural requirements on abortions, including parental notification or consent for the performance of an abortion on a minor.

There are 13 states where the state supreme court has required public abortion funding according to this map from the ACLU (assuming it's up to date). Four states have decided through their legislatures to pay for Medicaid abortions. So Ben Nelson is going to allow federal tax dollars to pay for abortions in California and New York?

[AmericanInTokyo]

If it passes today, I recommend all back in the United States, starting from Sunday morning, out on your decks, on your front lawns from flagpoles in the ground, from your windows, on garage doors, everywhere, To Tack Up The American Flag UPSIDE DOWN As a Symbol of Distress

This will really get neighbors talking and doing the same, some will initially wonder "what the hell is going on?" when they start seeing these pop up in two or three places around town. It might be even a good chance to answer questions and grassroots this thing and have some impromptu coffee klatches escalating into Tea Parties.

Just a suggestion. The people can do a lot in this country if enough of them rise up.

Section 8a of the United States Flag Code states, "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."

[jazminerose]

Now now. Let’s not defame hookers by comparing them to politicians.

In my limited knowledge of the operation of the whoring business, it seems as if their contracts are freely bargained exchanges with consent of all parties.

That’s nothing like what our government does.

[Quix]

I’m about to have breakfast.

Thanks for the ping.

HORRIFIC.

I think I’ll wait to really read much of it, in order to avoid indigestion.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Three months that changed the world

9 Oct More than 70,000 East Germans march through Leipzig in the country’s biggest anti-Communist demonstration. The regime threatens a military crackdown but backs down when faced with the large number of protesters. By month-end, 300,000 people are calling for an end to the regime.

9 Nov The Berlin Wall falls. East Berliners flood through to West Berlin after a senior communist official says on television that the regime plans to allow free travel to the West and mistakenly says that it is effective immediately. Reunification comes 11 months later.

10 Nov Bulgaria’s Communist leader Todor Zhivkov is ousted by his own politburo in a bloodless coup approved by Moscow. This came after mounting opposition to the regime and demands from the streets for political reforms.

17 Nov Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Revolution” begins after riot police suppress a peaceful student demonstration in Prague. Three days later, the number of peaceful protesters assembled in the city’s streets swells to 500,000.

27 Nov Millions of Czechs stage a two-hour general strike as the Communist regime teeters on the brink.

16 Dec Serious rioting breaks out in the Romanian city of Timisoara in protest against the arrest of a religious minister accused of delivering sermons that are critical of dictator Nicolai Ceausescu’s hardline communist government. Riots last five days. Anti-Ceausescu demonstrations spread throughout the country and police and army obey orders to shoot protesters.

22 Dec The Romanian military changes sides. Army tanks and crowds storm Communist Party headquarters in Bucharest in an attempt to detain Ceausescu and his wife. They escape via a helicopter waiting for them on the roof of the building.

25 Dec The army arrests Ceausescu and his wife. On Christmas Day, television shows the couple facing a hasty trial before being taken out of the court into a yard where they are shot dead in a summary execution. An interim national salvation council assumes power. Romania’s first free elections are scheduled for the following May.

29 Dec Vaclav Havel, the dissident Czech playwright who is acclaimed in the West but held under house arrest by the former communist regime is made Czechoslavkia’s first post-communist President.

[MaestroLC]

The Leftists, the Liberals, thus the Democrats perspective of our Constitution is that they believe, and have stated so many, many times over the years that the Constitution is a “Living, breathing document” that can be manipulated at their will. This perspective therefore allows them IN THEIR MINDS to proceed as we see them proceeding with their middle finger held high at the direction of our very foundation.

I have been visiting several prominent liberal sites for their comments sections, and I can guarantee everyone here that they are livid and angry at Nelson, Reid, Dems, and especially Obama. They feel sold-out. It is genuine.

There is bipartisanship in the American people: both sides HATE this health care bill. I'd say out of hundreds of comments so far that I have read, only two were supporting the bill

Tis is not the end of the fight. We now know where everyone stands on Obamacare. This Nelson vote may be the undoing of this bill.

The bill still has to go through House-Senate conference to form a final bill and voted on again. That will be very very difficult.

[dools007]

I share your pain Barlf, but the final vote has not been taken yet. To quote Yogi Berra “it ain’t over ‘till its over”. I still think enough of the Blue Dog dems will vote “nay”, or “present” or even be absent when push comes to shove.

How many times have we heard Dingy Harry or his media sycophants say they had the votes over the last six months and they were lying.

Everybody needs to keep calling and emailing. I still think losing their public trough jobs will trump any goodies Reid tries to bribe them with.

[niteowl77]

"Famous American Gangsters."

Mr. niteowl77

[Mr Ramsbotham]

I sent this poem to Nelson to his e-mail address. I think it adequately expresses my own feelings.

When winds of conscience waft about thy head,
And brooks of rue do babble in thy brain,
Seek not thy quietude in lonely bed,
Nor utter careful words to stay thy pain.
For though words chosen well may ease the smart,
And turn the wretched, hateful wrong to right,
Alas, in sooth, they cannot touch the heart,
Nor kill Remorse, which flies upon the night,
With Satan, the Accuser, who will steal,
Betimes to whisper softly in thine ears,
Of dark deeds done; of rack, of cord, of wheel,
And play upon the pipes of hidden fears.

Thus torn asunder, none shall see thy strife;
Thy spotted hand; thy bloody, dripping knife.

[CottShop]

did ANYONE doubt for even a minute that nelson wasn’t goign to sell out? He’s a liberal- plain and simple-

The freakin dems have doen htis time and time again- they get the GOP’s hopes up, then at hte last minute, they twist hte knife in the wound just to see the GOP grimmace- they get their kicks out of raising hopes, and hten dashing htem agaisnt the rocks like a bloody fetus

[Arkinsaw]

So how are these deals Constitutional?....I know, they AREN’T. We need to scream bloody murder...

ME: I am an Arkansas resident. I do not believe that I am being treated equally under the law with Nebraskans.

JUDGE IN TWO YEARS: You are right. Nebraskans not paying is not equal....Nebraskans wallets must also get assaulted. So ordered.

[grayeagle]

Let’s all move to Nebraska!

Or maybe we can expand the borders of Nebraska to include all of the states ... except maybe Cali and Mass, let them eat it.

[VOA]

Ben Nelson is such a mild mannered guy. How could we have known
he was a prostitute?

Well, I guess that “D” behind his name was something of a tip.
(/SARC)

[prairiebreeze]

There are a lot of clueless democrats in Nebraska.

[georgiagirl_pam]

Can’t call anyone right now! THE CAPITAL PHONE LINES ARE MELTING DOWN! The main line just rings and rings. Tried calling Chambliss’s office direct and got a weird generic call center message for a mail box system (not his), tried calling Isakson’s office direct and got the voice mail to Mark Warner’s office! Just tried the main line again and got the ALL CIRCUITS ARE BUSY RECORDING!

[lonevoice]

What a sad day for America. Just one of many to come.

[Vermont Lt]

the Republican party acted like a bunch of spineless idiots. They spent like crazy to the point where the Dems could take them to task over it. They squandered their majority over the past decade.

They ALL need to go. Even the “good”ones. We need a clean sweep, and we need it soon.

[VOA]

Actually, I do like Ben Nelson’s acceptance of a bribe (on behalf of
his state) and Mary Landrieu’s “New Louisiana Purchase”.

Because it give Republicans/conservatives more ammo when Democratic
Senators come up for election.
Here in Missouri, I can see Claire McKaskill catching H-LL when she
(IIRC) stands for re-election in 2012.
Plenty of “At Least Nelson and Landrieu Didn’t Give It Away For Free!”
bumperstickers should appear.

[eak3]

I personally hold every mindless idiot that voted for Zero and these idiots in Congress responsible for the shape this country is in. If people actually paid attention to what they were voting for and not just voting for a black man then this disaster would never happen.

We’re not going to make it to a 2010 election and even then it wont stop the nightmare thats already been started it just will stop the nightmare from progressing even more. We need some serious protesting and outright mass refusal to pay these ridiculous taxes and rates they are going to be throwin our way.

[ladyvet]

So, we see that the states reps just have to hold out until they get a price they like for their votes for future bills. In our freakin’ face corruption. I “HOPE” they are all going to enjoy the “CHANGE” this country is in for.

[Gator113]

But these traitors have been, and will continue, to turn a deaf ear to our screams.

The Will of The People be damned.