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Did you know that the future of Obamacare relies on the credibilty of former Senator Ben "Cornhusker Kickback" Nelson? Yes, the Huffington Post and other liberal media outlets seem to think that what Nelson tells us was going on in his mind at the time that Obamacare passed is crucial to the outcome of the King vs Burwell case at the Supreme Court. Such is the desperate premise of Jonathan Cohn, Senior National Correspondent of the Huffington Post and other liberals looking for that lifeline out of the dilemma that the Obmacare law specifically says that only state based exchanges...

During the oral arguments that preceded the recent appeals court ruling against the Obama administration in Halbig v. Burwell, an under-reported yet crucial discussion took place between two of the judges and counsel for the plaintiffs. Judge Harry T. Edwards pronounced himself confused as to why Congress would have concerned itself with what entity ultimately set up Obamacare’s insurance exchanges. Judge A. Raymond Randolph and attorney Michael A. Carvin did their best to enlighten the befuddled jurist: JUDGE EDWARDS: I’m trying to understand … who cares who sets up the exchange? JUDGE RANDOLPH: Ben Nelson … MR. CARVIN: The enactors...

Former Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) reportedly received a “stern phone call” from the White House after he went on the air and warned Obama’s reported “fix” to Obamacare. Nelson said insurance companies risk insolvency thanks to the “fix.” "Under the rules of law of large numbers, which is what you get with actuarial science, the more people you have in the plan, generally the better the plan is. So excluding some people from the plan creates certain issues. Also, the commissioners are focused on solvency. They want to make certain that this doesn’t the cost to the point that the...

In 2005, then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist threatened to end the filibuster for judicial appointments by forcing a mid-session rule change on a majority vote, an act that would have ended two centuries of precedent. Before he could act, though, the Gang of 14 arose, led by Republican John McCain, to preserve the senatorial tradition, brokering a deal that left conservatives fuming by depriving Frist of his partisan majority. Eight years later, with Harry Reid threatening to take the same action on executive-branch appointments, where is that Old Gang of Ours? According to NBC, at least McCain might be riding...

WASHINGTON — Ben Nelson has found gainful employment. The former Nebraska senator, a Democrat, is taking over as CEO of the National Association of Insurance Executives and joining the public affairs firm Agenda as a senior adviser. The insurance association said Nelson will act as the group's primary advocate and chief spokesperson, including outreach to the federal government and international organizations.

Stopping veteran Dem retirements is top priority for Reid, SchumerBy Alexander Bolton - 11/25/12 06:00 AM ET One of the highest immediate political priorities for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Democratic political guru Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is to persuade veteran colleagues not to retire in 2014. Democratic sources identify four senators as most likely to retire: Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Another possible veteran retirement is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who has yet to announce his decision. But Democratic aides expect him to run...

Senate Democrats balk at ending Bush-era tax rates for wealthyBy Alexander Bolton - 06/19/12 05:00 AM ET A growing number of Senate Democrats are signaling they are not prepared to raise taxes on anyone in the weak economy unless Congress approves a grand bargain to reduce the deficit. At least seven Democratic senators have declined to rule out supporting a temporary extension of the Bush-era income tax rates, breaking with party leaders who have called for letting the rates expire for people earning more than $1 million per year. That gives Senate Republicans a chance to push a temporary extension...

Senator Ben Nelson's accusing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia of lacking impartiality. Nelson should be ashamed of himself for supporting an unconstitutional monstrosity like Obamacare... (video at link)

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey has decided against trying to regain his Nebraska seat in the November elections, almost certainly gifting it to Republicans, RealClearPolitics reports. Incumbent Ben Nelson, considered the most conservative Democrat in the upper chamber, is retiring and Kerrey was seen as the Democrats’ last best chance for keeping the seat in the blue column. But after weeks of toying with the idea, Kerrey decided not to run, according to RealClearPolitics. “I have chosen what I believe is best for my family and me,” he said in a statement released Tuesday. Kerrey was running well behind Republicans vying...

Fellow Conservatives: Yesterday, former Democrat U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey reversed his earlier decision and announced that he will in fact run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska. After leaving the Senate in 2001, Kerrey moved to New York City where he even considered running for mayor. Kerrey's decision to move back to Nebraska to run in this Republican state proves one thing: national Democrats have convinced Kerrey that the Republican front-runner, state Attorney General Jon Bruning, is vulnerable. Fortunately, Republicans in Nebraska have an alternative. State Treasurer Don Stenberg is a true conservative with the integrity and record...

Dem Keystone support creates tougher fight for Reid, ObamaBy Alexander Bolton - 12/16/11 04:08 PM ET Republicans want to jam Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on the Keystone oil sands pipeline and the Democratic leader will have a tough time resisting, given support within his caucus for the project. GOP leaders have made clear to Reid that they will not approve an extension of the payroll tax holiday unless it includes language to speed up construction of the pipeline. Senate Republicans estimate as many as 14 Senate Democrats support the project. Labor unions have also voiced strong backing, complicating...

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) would start his 2012 reelection race in a weak position if Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning wins the primary, according to a new poll. The survey by Republican firm Magellan Strategies put Nelson 6 points behind Bruning in a general election. But pitted against Don Stenberg, another Republican in the race, Nelson is in a statistical tie. He bests Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) by 6 points. Another cause for concern for Nelson, who has not yet announced whether he will seek reelection, is his 36 percent approval rating, which dwarfs the 51 percent who...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democrat-controlled Senate on Thursday rejected a Republican attempt to block a regulation intended to curb power plant pollution that blows downwind into other states. By a 56-41 vote, senators defeated a resolution by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who said the step was needed to rein in what he called the Obama administration's overzealous job-killing approach to environmental protection. "We are simply asking that the clean air regulations already on the books stay in place and we do not make the regulations so onerous that they put utility plants out of business and we have an...

All the pieces are in place for a re-election bid, but Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson is wavering on whether he'll seek a third term in 2012 or retire _ a decision that could have a big effect on Democrats' chances of holding their Senate majority. Nelson told The Associated Press on Thursday that he'll make a decision over the holiday season. In the meantime, he's piled up campaign cash, hired a campaign manager and watched his party spend more than $1 million on ads supporting him. But Nelson, a conservative Democrat, has told friends and supporters he's not a lock...

1. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. 2. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. 3. Jon Tester, D-Mont. 4. Scott Brown, R-Mass. 5. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah 6. Dick Lugar, R-Ind. 7. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio 8. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. 9. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine 10. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

WASHINGTON — A new series of political advertisements on behalf of an embattled Nebraska senator could open the door to a flood of similar ads financed by outside groups and even businesses working directly with political candidates — a sharp departure from past practice. The ads are innocuous enough on their face: Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat up for re-election next year, is featured on television and radio commercials discussing Social Security, the national debt, war veterans and other hot-button issues. What is remarkable, campaign finance lawyers and political operatives say, is that the ads were produced and paid...

In response to Dan Timm's letter published (July 26), Senator Ben Nelson supports a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would require Washington to balance its budget and force cuts in spending. In fact, earlier this year, Senator Nelson voted for a resolution that said, "Congress should pass, and the States should agree to, an amendment to the Constitution requiring a Federal balanced budget." Senator Nelson has said that what he will not do, however, is vote for a plan to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. That is precisely what the balanced budget amendment in...

Partisan politics, grandstanding and obstruction are making it difficult to reach an agreement to raise the national debt ceiling and begin to reduce federal spending, Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday. "Partisan games continue to paralyze Washington," the Democratic senator said during a telephone conference call. Asked if he believes tea party politics is driving the Republican position, Nelson said: "Yes." "The so-called 'cut, cap and balance' plan is pretty close to being what you would label the tea party," he said. That proposal, which included a statutory cap on spending and a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget every...

A conservative group is trying to put pressure on Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson to oppose raising the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts. The national group, Concerned Women for America, have purchased television time in Nebraska and three other states, where they will run an advertisement criticizing Congress' "spending addiction." The ad is a parody of a typical drug commercial. In it, a so-called miracle drug called "Spenditol" has been invented in Washington, D.C., to cure the nation's debt problem. The ad then lists the side effects of the drug, including "a mountain of debt." Penny Nance, president of...

If one Senator could qualify as a poster boy for the 2012 Democratic efforts to hold the Senate, it would be Ben Nelson of Nebraska. A one-time governor of the state, Nelson won two terms in office following the retirement of Bob Kerrey by appealing to the populist and socially conservative natures of the voters, which usually goes deep red in presidential elections. His seat seemed secure until Barack Obama and Harry Reid insisted on pushing ObamaCare through Congress, coming under considerable pressure to balk at the lack of the Stupak amendment that would have added into law a ban...