Nelson still target of administration wooing

[Judi Lynn]

Friday, July 08, 2005

Nelson still target of administration wooing

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- It appears the White House is still working to woo Nebraska's only congressional Democrat in its effort to reform Social Security.

U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson joined Treasury Secretary John Snow on Thursday for a meeting with Omaha business leaders.

Nelson said he was invited earlier in the morning to join Snow at the meeting.

The last-minute invitation was reminiscent of one extended in February to the Nebraska Democrat by President Bush and Bush's chief strategist, Karl Rove. Nelson shared a limo with the two when Bush visited Nebraska to rally support for his plans to overhaul Social Security.

Nelson is considered a likely swing vote for any plan the administration backs on Social Security. He was the only Senate Democrat not to sign a letter to Bush earlier this year expressing concern that the president's Social Security reform suggestions would increase the national debt.
(snip/...)

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2005/07/08/news/nebraska/2859ce70959f5c758625703800040c76.txt

[acmavm]

1. Oh please, his nose has been up bush**s ass since the get-go.

He votes the bushbot way for everything, look at his record.

He's Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman with a corncob up his butt.

[pdurod1]

2. Rove in Omaha today too...

Talking with AmericaTrade people (fundraiser). Supposively gonna bad-mouth Hagel.

[acmavm]

3. Hey, I hope they eat themselves til there's nothing left buy oil slicks

and slime puddles.

[TheFarseer]

4. It would be interesting to know where everyone's votes.......

would be if a vote was forced on this tomorrow. I have no idea what Nelson would do. I know he doesn't like the proposed SS reform but that doesn't mean he won't vote for it. It's just like everything else - no one likes any of bush's stupid ass legislation but they vote for it anyway. He was saying that he would vote for anything that addressed solvency and that privatized accounts alone don't do that.

[flaminbats]

6. Nelson wants to be a committee chairman..

Ben Nelson doesn't give a shit about solvency, but he may jump ship if rewarded. With Trent Lott retiring, Nelson might be selected to chair the Rules and Administration committee..if he votes for this legislation and switches parties after the next election.

That backstabber knows private accounts funded by payroll taxes only reduce the solvency of Social Security.

[FlashHarry]

5. I voted for Hagel. I'd think twice about voting for this DINO.

I don't agree with Hagel on a lot of issues, but I admire his willingness to voice opinions unpopular in his party -- particularly his suggestion that Perle and the other "chickenhawks" should be "in the first wave into Baghdad" -- even if they're designed to position him for '08.

Nelson, on the other hand, is a self-serving weasel. But he's a Dem, so we've got to tolerate him for now. Ugh.


And before you ask why I voted for a Republican, I'll tell you that Chuck was running pretty much unopposed in a solidly red state. Besides, now I can legitimately claim to have voted GOP when confronted by Freepers, making me seem less biased...