Ben Nelson (D/R) NE plans to vote against public health care.

[kristopher]

He just voted against the bankruptcy bill, now he is vowing to abort the public health option in the health plan. I'm not his constituent, but I just made him this pledge; a promise I fully intend to follow through on:
Regarding Bankruptcy and Health Care:
Sir, you are doing a dis-service to the entire nation. So I just wanted to pass along the fact that I intend to financially support any person - Dem or Republican - that runs against you when next you are up for re-election. If a real Dem wins a primary, good. If a Republican wins the general, that too will be preferable; for then at least, there will be truth in packaging.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Friday that he will oppose legislation that would give people the option of a public health insurance plan. The move puts him on the opposite side of two-thirds of Americans...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/01/ben-nelson-plans-to-oppos_n_194907.html

His explanation for why he voted against bankruptcy...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/01/in-their-own-words-why-de_n_194589.html


Send him your pledge: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

[malaise]

1. Time to stop sending pledges

Print out his Open secrets details and send that to him telling him that you know who owns him.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Hell, spread that information around a little, like in LTTE.

[Canuckistanian]

2. What? Without even reading a bill?

Find out who's paying him. And ask him if those paymasters are more important than the ones who got him his job.

[NJGeek]

4. sent this in...

Senator Nelson,
I know I am not a constituent, but I implore to you stand up for both workers and businesses by supporting public health care.


Like many interested Americans, I've supported campaigns in the past outside of my district (and state) in the past, on issues like this.

[kristopher]

10. Very tactful wording. I'm not great at that... nt

[rwheeler31]

5. This man does not represent Nebraska.

[NJGeek]

7. From opensecrets... juicy... criminal?? Obama NEEDS TO CALL THEM OUT

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00005329&cycle=2008#cont


Top 5 Contributors, 2003-2008, Campaign Cmte
Contributor Total Indivs PACs
Berkshire Hathaway $65,800 $57,800 $8,000
Level 3 Communications $56,000 $47,000 $9,000
Nelnet Inc $49,100 $34,100 $15,000
Omaha Steaks $36,100 $36,100 $0
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $31,400 $16,400 $15,000


Top 5 Industries, 2003-2008, Campaign Cmte
Industry Total Indivs PACs
Insurance $608,709 $217,145 $391,564
Lawyers/Law Firms $515,785 $366,518 $149,267
Lobbyists $283,395 $277,510 $5,885
Securities & Investment $278,799 $187,199 $91,600
Health Professionals $233,426 $78,326 $155,100

[kristopher]

9. From his website bio

This was in the comments at the Huffpost article on healthcare:

Ben Nelson's website biography offers this:

Nelson enjoyed a successful career in insurance law. He has served as CEO of the Central National Insurance Group, as chief of staff and executive vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and as director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance.

[progressoid]

20. Sadly, he does.

In fact, a lot of Nebraskans I know think he's a liberal. :crazy:

[OmahaBlueDog]

6. Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

Here is Ben's e-mail

http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Here is Ben's contact information

http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Here's the Party website:

www.nebraskademocrats.org

[FLAprogressive]

8. Ben Nelson...the evil-er of the evil Nelson twins.

[pokercat999]

11. Did you vote against Hillary? She voted for the

bankruptcy bill and voted to allow US Forces to drop cluster bombs on civilian areas! So did many others. Face facts Dem or rethug they are all owned by one special interest group or another or more likely multiple special interest groups.

I have come to the conclusion that we are wasting our votes on ANYONE currently in congress or in the gov't anywhere for that matter. Soon it will be apparent to the common man the only course of reasonable action is the overthrow of the US Corporate Owned Gov't and the re-establishment of a constitutional gov't, of the people, by the people and for the people. That means that corporations MUST lose the "personhood" that they now enjoy and paid lobbying of the gov't in any form needs to be a felony. All political campaigns must be sponsored by the gov't to the tune of a stipend and free air time on TV, radio and the internet. Term limits must be instituted, one term and out FOREVER forbidden from "serving" in any federal office again including civil service, defense, state department or any other form of gov't service. That would be a start.

[DeSwiss]

15. Agree with you....

...do I.

[brentspeak]

12. A typical Ben Nelson response would be:

"I don't know anyone in Nebraska who wants public health care/mortgage cramdown legislation/anything that would help the average American."

Or, "I think that Nebraskans - good, solid midwestern Americans - understand economics a lot more than Washington does."

Or, "I was just talking to Joe Smith in the hardware store, and he said to me, 'Ben, we have strong midwestern values here. And I don't want my taxes to pay for, blah-blah-blah..."

Nelson will just pull his usual "man of the midwestern salt-of-the-earth" homespun act to justify his votes. But you'll never see him highlight to the people of Nebraska the amount of money he collects from K-Street lobbyists -- or the amount of wining and dining he gets from them. He is a complete phony.

[aquamarina]

13. Perhaps if he's so opposed to "public" backed healthcare

he should be made to give up his taxpayer funded health insurance and be forced to go out and buy his own damn insurance and see what the rest of us have to go through. I am sick to death of the hypocrisy of these jackasses who scream against single payer yet see no irony in the fact that their own insurance is paid for by the taxpayer.

I'd love to see a rule in Congress that says if a Congressperson votes against a bill that includes a benefit they currently enjoy they lose that benefit. Then see how fast we move to single payer.

[The Magistrate]

14. Hear Hear, Sir! This Reptile Has Gone Too Damn Far....

The whole point of reforming health care is to break the private insurance companies: they are the problem.

[cooolandrew]

16. Time for a move on campaign and the pandemic couldn't drive the message home better.>

If the people push this hard enough there could be a very fine healthcare bill passed this year. Strike while the iron is hot. We saw how quick congress can move on Sebelius when the people are focused let's get them engaged like a lazer beam on this one.

[Dappleganger]

17. Why in the hell do these people have a (D) after their name

if they will not support even the most BASIC progressive bills?? You know at some point in time the party really needs to tell these SOB's to put up or else.

[ColbertWatcher]

18. Plans to!? Do his constituents know about these plans? n/t

[marlakay]

19. We need to do what we did for Obama

thats the only way it will work. We need to collect money from the people ten here and there all over the country and mount a media storm so powerful from the people, that the lobbists are overwhelmed.

Someone has to set it up, someone we can trust. I also think to do it everyone has to come together, AARP, the unions, moveon, progressive blogs, the working folks, the doctors and nurses, michael moore, everyone...

Its going to big a huge fight but this is very important.

[Kulshan]

21. Ben NItWit of Nebraska

I have also written to Mr. Nelson about health care AS A CONSTITUENT. Unfortunately few people will. There is an apathy here in Nebraska I cannot understand.

[chill_wind]

22. He also plans to vote against Dawn Johnsen's confirmation..let's just

put him down as voting against everything the Dems are trying to get done. Really awful record and not an asset.

[Occam Bandage]

23. Ben Nelson is an obstacle.

His positions go beyond red-state timidity; he is a clear whore for the insurance, student loan, and credit-card industries.

[The Magistrate]

24. Indeed, Sir: This Wretch Needs Retirement: We Have The Numbers To Spare Him

If he is not ousted by a primary challenge, it will not trouble me in the slightest to see an open Republican carry his seat.

[donheld]

25. Many cheered when Arlen Specter switched parties

We may see one switch the other way.

[Hubert Flottz]

26. Ben is a GOPer at heart...

Votes with them almost every time.

[JDPriestly]

27. Some senators don't like the courts' having the authority to change the contract?

What do these senators think bankruptcy court is about? The creditors get so and so many cents on the dollar. Isn't that rewriting the contract? I suppose they don't like the fact that the homeowner gets to keep the collateral that has lost value. That's what they really object to. If you file for bankruptcy and own a car, the lender takes the car back and gets a portion of what you owe, I suppose. If you own a house, the lender gets a portion of the originally agreed amount of the mortgage, and you keep the house. The deal is probably going to result in the same profit for the bank.

That is because the problem in many of these cases is not just that the buyer cannot repay the loan on the house. The problem is that the value of the house has declined since the loan was entered into. It has declined for both the buyer and the bank. And if the bank takes the house back, it has to resell the house -- in a market in which the value of the house is lower than it was when the original loan was made. The bankruptcy bill was intended to be good for both the banks and the homebuyers.

A real estate agent friend recently told me that the second wave of foreclosures is yet to start. I heard today that up to one of six houses could be foreclosed soon. The banks are going to be screaming for bankruptcy workouts once they all start trying to sell the foreclosed houses in that market. Talk about huge losses -- and that is our money they are going to lose.