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Nelson: Failure Of My Abortion Amendment Makes It Harder For Me To Support Health Care Bill
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)
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After his abortion amendment did not win the day on the Senate floor, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) did not come out swinging. Though he insisted that the failure of his abortion amendment "makes it harder to be supportive" of Senate health care bill, he did not reiterate his pledge to filibuster the bill.
"We'll just have to see what develops," Nelson told reporters. "I have no plan B."
That allows him substantial wiggle room, if he ultimately decides not to defect from the health care bill, and indeed, after the vote Nelson returned to private negotiations with liberals and other conservative Democrats over the public option.
He's not a firm no vote just yet.
"Not at this point in time. I want to continue to work on the [public option compromise] to see if that can improve the bill from my perspective."
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Powkat
December 8, 2009 6:22 PM
This is just ridiculous - one after another these awful, awful egos strut out to spread there biliousness over the process. Snowe doesn't like A, Nelson insists on B, Lieberman whines about C, D, and E.
Reid needs to accept the fact that these three are in the pocket of their corporate masters and will NEVER agree to pass anything effective in the way of insurance. They are just playing keep-away with him
He needs to go reconciliation on there asses and he needs to do it soon.
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AlphaLiberal
December 8, 2009 6:54 PM in reply to Powkat
Well put.
What we need is for a hard pushback on the abuse of the filibuster. When it happens to the GOP they yammer about an "
up or down" vote and publicly condemn the filibuster.
When it happens to Dems they worry about Senate collegiality and cater to -- and reward -- the obstructionists.
All the (real) Dem Senators need to push back hard against this abuse of the filibuster and educate the reporters that majority rule was the law of the US Senate for most of this country's history.
But the wimps won't.
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CN
December 8, 2009 7:48 PM in reply to Powkat
"Go ahead and kick the football, Harry Reid, I promise I won't pull it away this time."
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cube3u
December 8, 2009 6:34 PM
"harder" is not "impossible". 'nuff said.
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mans_best_friend
December 8, 2009 6:35 PM
The bill already is consistent with the Hyde amendment. I suspect if they just jigger the language to make it more punative-sounding, he may be happy to call it a victory.
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Powkat
December 8, 2009 6:38 PM in reply to mans_best_friend
Dream on - it's a two-fer for Nelson; punish women AND keep Mutual of Omaha happy.
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clonecone
December 8, 2009 6:38 PM
The GOP doesn't need Nelson now that netroots hero Webb is voting for every Republican amendment.
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mcc
December 8, 2009 6:43 PM
That's less strong language than he could have used. I guess unlike Lieberman, Nelson has to someday get reelected.
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Shrubbit
December 8, 2009 6:46 PM
How bout:
"I lost a fair vote today. I had my chance to amend the bill so it was more favorable to me and it was voted down. I will support HCR because by-and-large I support the effort and the need to reform our health care system. I will not filibuster the bill created and negotiated by my own party."
You're welcome Senator Idiot.
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bluebell
December 8, 2009 6:48 PM
The insurance industry is already declaring victory.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1209/Insurance_industry_insider_We_win.html?showall
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AlphaLiberal
December 8, 2009 6:51 PM
They must have the best health care system in the country in Nebraska! Do we have any data on that?
And what's with his hair anyway? Toupee? Combover? Elvis impersonator?
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masanf
December 8, 2009 6:53 PM in reply to AlphaLiberal
If he played football, he wouldn't need to wear a helmet because he already has one attached to his head.
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Andreams
December 8, 2009 7:07 PM
Sounds to me like the only thing he wants healthcare reform to do is further weaken abortion rights. I'm so tired of men trying to legislate women's wombs.
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mcc
December 8, 2009 7:18 PM
Hey so is there a schedule for other Senate amendments? For example, any idea when the wyden / free choice amendment comes up?
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Matt Jones
December 8, 2009 8:04 PM
Great job, Sen. Nelson! The roughly 0.5% of the American population (less than the population of most major cities) that are your constituents have successfully held the entire nation hostage.
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Southern Man
December 8, 2009 8:15 PM
It seems plausible that Nelson long intended to support the final bill yet wanted to prove his anti-abortion bona fides to his conservative constituency.
As a hardened legislator, he didn't bring the bill to the floor to force it through; the number of pro-choice members of the Senate would have made passage virtually impossible. This was "constituent services."
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Scott in PacNW
December 8, 2009 8:22 PM
Sen Nelson continues to be as cryptic as ever about what he actually wants.
Please Brian & TPM, ask this mumbler what he's waiting for.
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ilovebacon
December 8, 2009 9:17 PM
Just a thought: perhaps this marathon debate of health care reform ensures (or greatly enhances the probability of) its eventual passage. Note: the Clintons never spent this much time on it.
Just as a car salesman is more likely to sell you a car if he talks your ear off and lets you negotiate with him for a couple of hours, perhaps this prolonged debate makes it more likely to pull a couple fence-sitters to vote for (or at least not filibuster) passage of the bill.
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Kuyleh
December 8, 2009 9:20 PM
You need to get over yourself, Mr. Nelson. You have no right to tell me what to do with my body, or to deny me the help I may need to do so.
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kathy kattenburg
December 9, 2009 1:47 AM
I heard one of the lawmakers regularly interviewed by Olbermann and/or Maddow (I don't remember which one) saying he thought in the end, Ben Nelson would not want to be remembered as the one Democratic vote that killed health care reform. This was last week, but maybe that's why he was keeping the door open today after the amendment vote.
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