Posted on 01/01/2010 6:21:27 PM PST by neverdem
Senator Launches Ad Campaign at Home to Defend Key Vote on Health Bill
Facing an outcry at home in Nebraska for casting the critical vote in favor of a health-care overhaul, Sen. Ben Nelson has launched a new ad campaign to defend his position.
"I'm convinced this is right for Nebraska," says Sen. Nelson in the ad, which aired during the University of Nebraska's Holiday Bowl game Wednesday night and statewide Thursday. He says he took a "common-sense approach to improve the bill."
Mr. Nelson, who faces re-election in 2012, backed the Senate health-care bill only after lengthy talks in which he won agreement that the federal government would permanently cover the full cost in Nebraska of expanding Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor.
He also pushed for more stringent language on abortion, but ended up with less restrictive language than the House version of the bill. The Senate version allows women to buy plans covering an abortion if they get a tax credit to buy insurance, but they must use their own money for coverage and write a separate check.
Mr. Nelson's support was crucial for helping Democrats secure 60 votes for the bill, preventing a Republican filibuster.
Almost immediately, Mr. Nelson drew fire. Republicans have derided the bill as the "Nebraska Windfall." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) called it "sleazy."
In Nebraska, a Dec. 28 Rasmussen poll showed Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, who opposes the health-care bill, trouncing Mr. Nelson in a theoretical 2012 match-up, 61% to 30%. Mr. Nelson, who is 68 years old, was last re-elected in 2006 with 64% of the vote.
The reaction underscores possible political peril for Democrats as the battle over the health-care bill, which both parties now expect will pass, morphs into a battle of perceptions. Polls show that...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
(Apologies in advance to Nebraskan FReepers...)
Nebraskans are good Americans and they don’t want this prime pip-squeaking ass to sell then doen the river!!
No doubt he’s already been promised his parachute - ambassador to Monaco, executive v.p. for Fannie Mae, or some such thing.
Pure duckspeak.
Common sense should tell any fool that it's not right for the residents of one state to have their health care subsidized forever by the residents of the other 49.
From his actions, it appeared he didn’t give a whit about his seat, but this ad campaign shows he does. Maybe it’s not too late to get him to switch his vote.
I saw an interview with someone, I think it was Dick Morris, who was saying he has no doubt that the Democratic senators and congressmen were promised personal enrichment by the likes of George Soros if they lost their jobs over this vote. Anyone recall the details?
We must remember that these same Nebraskans put this pip-squeaking ass in office repeatedly? Maybe elections should be in the summer time so that Nebraskans can think beyond election day! In any case, it is good to see that they finally found the errors of their ways?
Most Nebraskans are no-nonsense folks.
They won’t fall for his inside-the-Beltway BS lies,
no matter how convincing he thinks he might be ...
> We must remember that these same Nebraskans put this
> pip-squeaking ass in office repeatedly?
Yes, but they’re paying very close attention to him ... now.
The way the polls have turned on this scumbag, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the good people of Nebraska made it extremely uncomfortable for the Senator to remain in office.
A decent or reasonable man would resign. A true jerk would wait around until “something happens to him”. I think it’s going to be a test of the Himalayan proportioned ego of a sitting senator against the growing indignation of an outraged population. It’s going to take all Acorn’s horses and all Acorn’s men to keep the Senator in office.
And what will these dimwits do if Soros doesn’t cough it up?
RECALL his ass now!!!!
He will now switch his vote because he will be given cover for it since they no longer need 60 votes to pass anything.
He is also 68 and is hoping to get enough donations so that when he loses he will retire and keep the unspent donated money. He doesn’t care if he wins, he jsut wants the contributions.
Says it all.
Ah man.....
In November 2004, it was widely rumored that President George W. Bush would choose Nelson as his agriculture secretary in the cabinet. Bush didn’t do it...had he done it, we likely would have filled that senate seat with a conservative. There is a lesson to be learned here.
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