Ben Nelson tries to repair damage at home

[greg58]

Hey Ben,
 Martha Coakley called and said "thanks alot Ben, when the people of Mass heard about the Nebraska buyoff, that's when things went south".
I hope Nelson spends all his campaign cash and the Nebr. Dem. partys money to employ more Nebraskans.
Cause he's throwing money down a rathole, he should be moving into!!

Greg58

[tferguson714]

My theory (and it's just my theory) is that Ben was offered/took the Medicaid deal knowing it wouldn't pass muster. It was just a way for him to justify voting for the bill without admitting he's caving in to party pressure. I would guess that he knew all along it would get thrown out. He may have seen it as extra credit points that he asked to have it withdrawn.

That's the face of it. I would be willing to bet that Obama/Reid assured him that in exchange for his vote there would be a promise that he'd be "taken care of" in the event that he lost his seat in the next election. This could come in the form of an appointment to some obscure panel or committe that would just be an excuse to keep him on the gov't dole until he retires comfortably courtesy of you & me.

A sorry possibility is that Nelson could still get re elected. Voters can have a short memory, and Nelson seems to have a folksy charm that wins over a lot of people (I don't understand it myself).

On a related note, I do believe that we'll see some real razzle dazzle in the coming weeks to either try to get this mess jammed down our throats before Brown is seated or to have the house approve the Senate version of the bill so that it won't have to go back for another Senate vote.

If it should go back to the Senate, I want to see how Ben votes with his Medicaid deal off the table and the abortion language virtually unchanged.

[Poor Man]

Since the Mass. election I wonder if Ex-senator Nelson feels anything slipping.
Poor Man

[tferguson714]

Since the Mass. election I wonder if Ex-senator Nelson feels anything slipping.
Poor Man

My guess would be no. These guys live and die by having a voting record they can point to, not whether anything actually gets accomplished. He can point out that he "did what he thought was best for Nebraskans". Sometimes being on the losing side of a vote is the best position. Then when there is ANY hitch in the road, they can point out that "if only things had gone their way..."

And I stand by what I said. I think Nelson struck a deal with the devil and will be taken care of no matter what.

Unless, of course, Obama/Reid welsh on their deal (again, just my theory). What are the odds?

[Poor Man]

I noticed that Ben Nelson's choice for jurist, Sonia Sotomayer, voted with the dissenting members of the Supreme Court with regard to overturning the part of the McCain-Finegold probition on free speech regarding opinions expressed 30 - 60 days before elections, a prime example of abridgment of freedom of speech, and the First Amendment.

[Dan W]

[rugermanx]

That is great, yes he needs to go.

[ghknives]

Ben can run but he can't hide.