NFOA MEMBERS FORUM
General Categories => Newsworthy => Topic started by: Dan W on January 14, 2010, 06:53:46 PM
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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31488.html
By MANU RAJU | 1/14/10 4:55 AM EST
(http://images.politico.com/global/news/100113_nebraska_nelson_ap_289.jpg)
Demonstrators hold signs in Nebraska.
Sen. Ben Nelson is facing major blowback in Nebraska over his decision not to block the health-care bill. Photo: AP
Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and his wife were leaving dinner at a new pizza joint near their home in Omaha one night last week when a patron began complaining about Nelson?s decisive vote in favor of the Senate?s health care bill.
Other customers started booing. A woman yelled, ?Get him the hell out of here!? And the Nelsons and their dining companions beat a hasty retreat.
?It was definitely a scene in there,? said Tom Lewis, a 41-year-old dentist and registered Republican who witnessed the incident. A second witness confirmed the incident to POLITICO.
It?s a new experience for Nelson.
He used to be a popular figure back home, a Democrat who served eight years in the governor?s office and was elected twice to the Senate by a state that?s as red as the ?N? on the University of Nebraska's football helmets.
But Nelson has seen his approval ratings tumble in the wake of his wavering over the historic health care bill, his deal-cutting with other Senate Democrats and, ultimately, his support to break a GOP filibuster and send the bill to a House-Senate conference committee.
Nelson, who has a track record of brokering bipartisan deals, said for months that he was unsure whether to back a Democrats-only bill, and he criticized language in the measure that would impose taxes and cut Medicare costs in order to pay for extending coverage to most Americans. But after weeks of negotiations, Nelson made his peace with the bill by striking deals on his state?s Medicaid costs and on abortion language ? and, in the process, incited a furious backlash in Nebraska.
Anti-abortion activists who have supported him in the past have abandoned him; he?s been the target of a fierce campaign by opponents to push him to block the bill on final passage; and the GOP now sees the opportunity for a pickup in 2012.
Meantime, Nelson is still viewed warily by more-liberal Democrats who distrust his conservative leanings and remain upset with his opposition to a public option.
?He?s kind of a man without a state,? said Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, an influential anti-abortion group that had endorsed Nelson?s previous election bids but has ?pretty much cut [its] ties? with the senator over the abortion deal in the health care bill. The group plans a rally Jan. 30 in front of the state Capitol in Lincoln and will weigh whether to use its influence to go after Nelson ahead of 2012, when he is up for a third term.
The state Republican Party has set up a website calling for voters to eject Nelson from office, and it has already raised ?tens of thousands of dollars? for advertising, according to Mark Fahleson, chairman of the state party.
And Democrats in Washington worry that the pressure may cause Nelson to defect in the end, particularly since the senator ? once again ? has made clear that his final vote on the bill is not guaranteed.
Nelson, who declined requests for an interview, is responding to the blowback with a major effort to reverse public opinion, criss-crossing the state county by county and holding interviews with a slew of local newspapers and TV and radio stations. He has explained his vote and the deals he made in several newspaper op-eds, held a news conference outside his home in Omaha and made a ?sizable number? of calls to individual voters who have written him to express their concerns, according to his spokesman.
Nelson argues that the bill would lower premiums and address the worst insurance company abuses, and he defends the deal he struck on abortion, saying it wouldn?t allow federal dollars to be used on the procedure. He?s also said that he?s working to give all states the benefit of the deal he struck that exempts Nebraska from its new costs under Medicaid after 2017.
The state?s Democratic Party helped bankroll an ad campaign, which began running during the University of Nebraska football team?s appearance in the Holiday Bowl. In the ads Nelson says he was ?convinced this is right for Nebraska.? A spokesman for the state party did not return a telephone call.
In addition, Nelson has gone to battle with opposing politicians ? pushing back against criticism from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and 13 Republican attorneys general who have threatened to file a lawsuit arguing that the Medicare deal in the health care bill is unconstitutional.
And he has criticized his own party as well. In an interview with Nebraska?s Freemont Tribune, Nelson said it was a ?mistake to take health care on as opposed to continuing to spend the time on the economy? ? an unusual move for a senator who usually shies away from openly criticizing his party?s leadership.
Jake Thompson, the senator?s spokesman, downplayed his comments to the Tribune, saying that Nelson was not trying to criticize President Barack Obama or the Senate Democratic leadership but was being more of an ?armchair quarterback? when asked about the year?s legislative work.
Asked about the incident at the pizza joint, Thompson said: ?If somebody yelled that comment, Sen. Nelson didn?t hear it, and he did hear positive comments from others in the restaurant.?
Thompson also said that ?many Nebraskans have thanked Sen. Nelson through phone calls, letters and e-mails for supporting health reform because they know its improvements will help their lives.?
Thompson said Nelson was recently thanked by a man in an Omaha store wearing camouflage clothing, a neighbor who was liquidating investment funds to pay medical bills, a group of diabetic children and a woman in a restaurant.
?On the other side, indeed, there are Nebraskans who do disagree with his vote on health care ? some don?t like the bill, some have been misled about what?s in it, some don?t want health reform now, and some disagree for political reasons,? Thompson said. ?On balance, Sen. Nelson believes his support for health reform will stand the test of time.?
David Di Martino, a former Nelson aide and now a Washington-based consultant, said that the millions of dollars? worth of TV ads that doused the state at the end of the year helped shape public opinion ? and that, ultimately, anger will subside once people start seeing the benefits of the bill. And he added that, throughout his career, the senator has made a political comeback when pundits ruled him out.
?He?s got a record of coming back and being successful,? Di Martino said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31488_Page2.html#ixzz0cdb59APe
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Huskergun, did you enjoy the pizza? We know it was you.
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Nelson is a corrupt jackass. He stated (in today's OWH) "that 9 out of 10 constituents he's encountered have expressed support for his decision"
REALLY!?! Either he's a bold liar or hasn't talked to anyone outside his family & staff.....I'm going to vote for the former. I hope he has the good sense to at least retire rather then lose in a LANDSLIDE to Heineman in 2012.
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Nelson is a corrupt jackass. He stated (in today's OWH)
I would say that lousy -asterd deserves a lynching and it wouldn't bother if they used his puppet strings.....But I guess thats just me...
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If you agree with him then he believes that that is the true voice of Nebraskans. If you don't agree with him then you are just a right wing hack from out of state. Ben is going to get a big surprise come election day.
I believe that Ben should be charged with bribery. Plain and simple. These kind of backdooor deals have got to stop.
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He's trying to flip flop now:
http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=19691&storytopic=4
He's claiming he never wanted a special deal for Nebraska in the first place. What a load of BS.
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No more hiding behind the "blue dog moderate" lable Ben. He has shown his true colors and the people see it. He is now scared and trying to save his job.
He is a two faced liar that does the bidding of his master (Harry Reid and Obama).
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I heard somewhere his support was cut in half, how is that possible if 9 out of 10 of us agree with this?
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I heard somewhere his support was cut in half, how is that possible if 9 out of 10 of us agree with this?
Makes you wonder who does his polling
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I have noticed that the Omaha World herald has been attempting to quietly rehab Ben's image. After his 60th vote, I wrote to the public pulse, but of course wasn't published. The paper was printing comments 1/1 for him and against him, although I suspect that the unfavorables were the majority of letters received.
Lately the paper has been printing more pro Ben stuff that says how couragous he is. How does turning your back on the people who sent you to Washington make you couragous??
90% of the voters Nelson has talked to approve of his vote, what a laugh, come out to where real citizens live and you will hear the truth Benidict Nelson.
I am done with Ben and the World Herald.
Greg58
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Anyone know who paid for the space on the digital billboard near the Mart that simply says
"Harry-
Thanks for the bribe
-Ben"
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I do not and will not do business with the Word Herald.
I filed for a trade name last year. When you do that it needs to be published. I inquired at the World Herald just to see what it would cost. They wanted 3 times as much as the Daily Record.
Rod
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Ya know it would be great if us citizens could or would pass a law stating that members that have voted against the interest of it's people on a state and national level could and should have all of their retirement,health,endorsements benefits and endorsements TAKEN FROM THEM REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TERMS THEY HAVE SERVED.... That's my 2cents....
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More laws are not the answer to anything
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Amen! I hope that the Mass. senate race goes to Brown, maybe then we can get some good ol' fashioned gridlock in DC!!!
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re: Ben Nelson- Ben, ya cain't put the toothpaste back in the tube. You screwed the taxpayers and now they are hollerin' (for your head!) ....... it's a damn near impossibilty to "unscrew" the taxpayer....... and "I didn't mean it to turn out like that." or "Sorry." don't fix it, You. Bastard.
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re: The Massachussetts Senate Race- Go, Scott, Go! That is the only hope of "unscrewing" us, just a little bit .....
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if Scott wins some delaying tactic will be employed so that the vote is done before he is seated.
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Just by the increase in Ben's TV commercials shows the fact that,
he is fearful of the outfall from his vote and costing him money.
I do not remember any other NE Senator with so many commercials trying to cover his rear.
This with two years left in his term.
.
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Commercials are easy for Mr. Sleazy. We are paying for them!
I am looking for this petition, I'll sign it, not that bin Nelson will honor my request.
http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storytopic=4&storyid=19710
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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
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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.
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Since the Mass. election I wonder if Ex-senator Nelson feels anything slipping.
Poor Man
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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?
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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.
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(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa61/LJUnaTIC/billb.jpg?t=1264792260)
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That is great, yes he needs to go.
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Ben can run but he can't hide.