It was reported on the radio that some extra ear marks went to his state in return for wrapping up his vote.

And this will continue as long as the public thinks the President is the only person in Washington.

Ask anyone - ask everyone! - who is in charge of spending in government. You won't get the right answer from most people.

I am ashamed to say I am from Nebraska. Emotions are running very high in our state right now and it is very doubtful that Mr. Nelson will be re-elected. He has paid absolutely no attention to the majority of his constituents and I believe he will pay dearly for it. Nebraskans did not ask for nor do we want the extra funding he has secured for us. Our Governor specifically asked him personally to vote no on this legislation. There is a rally here in town today to protest the bill and Huckabee will be coming in to speak. It will be interesting to see what develops. Nelson will also be on a local talk show Monday afternoon to explain his rationale. I can't wait to hear it ...:/.

braskans did not ask for nor do we want the extra funding he has secured for us. Our Governor specifically asked him personally to vote no on this legislation.

That is great to hear. Also that it's doubtful he'll be re-elected. This is just so sleazy.

Don't know what the cost of the Medicaid to Nebraska or the other earmarks is. But whatever it is, it answers two questions: (1) What is the price at which Ben Nelson will prostitute himself? and (2) How much does Ben Nelson consider what little freedom we have left worth?

Of course, there's a lot of blame to go around. For instance, if Minnesota hadn't elected the buffoon Franken, Reid would have had to get a Republican vote (which no doubt he would have -- every one of those sluts up there has a price, as we've seen).

Everyone (at least on the right) seems to think the Dems will pay in the 2010 elections. I'm not so sure. By then, we will have had another American Idol, another couple of celebrity sex scandals, etc., etc., and many of the brain dead out there will have forgotten about all this. The economy will still be in the tank, but many will have begun to come to accept the new reality of reduced standards of living under Socialist rule. And Obama and his crew will still have some believing that, anyway, it's all Bush's fault.

And frankly, even if by some miracle, the Republicans get back to control by 2013, none of this trash will ever get reversed. It never does. The socialists know that -- that's why they're willing to throw the Ben Nelsons overboard to win the ultimate war.

May our chains rest lightly upon us.

Everyone (at least on the right) seems to think the Dems will pay in the 2010 elections

Not as big as the rest of us will have to pay.

And I am so angry at the Republicans, who only pretend to be the party of small government (George Bush was a big old Democrat in Republican's clothing when it came to profligate spending). Also, they alienate fiscal conservatives like me further with all their religious nutter pandering.

and many of the brain dead out there will have forgotten about all this." - cpabroker

dunno, the taxes are going to kick in automatically, but the coverage after the 2012 elections... people will feel it for sure.

I saw a piece the other night on how Obama was sucha big "uniter"... I was thinking 'doublespeak' I think he had done more to divide classes of people than anyone. ESPECIALLY the 50% that pay almost no tax from the 50% that do. Who is this going to help after all?

This is the sort of ugly sausage-making that happens when a senator knows that he is vote 60. There were other ways that this could have been done, but the Republicans followed the Kristol strategy of simply obstructing and then obstructing more.

I may not be around in 10 years, but if so, I wonder what Amy Alkon's tune will be then.
From ages 55 to 65, private insurance rates go through the roof. Many of of my brave friends, who are now entrepreneurs (not wholly by choice, but leave that aside), are simply going bare, As am I.
I know, know, Kaiser blah, blah, blah. And Kaiser may be the best model going.
Still, even in Kaiser, you will be facing $500-$1000 a month minimum at age 55--and maybe more depending on health care cost inflation.
I like the Kaiser model as they practice sensible euthanasia, and limit services to keep costs down. They were among the last health care plans to use MRIs for example, waiting until prices came down. No waa-waa about breast cancer. They are well-managed.
Still, someone aged 55 in 2020 could be facing $1,000 a month or more in monthly premiums, even at Kaiser. And pay the rent? College education?

Let's see if Alkon will make it from 55 to age 65, when she can qualify for Medicare. That is when the rubber will hit the road.

Senator Nelson: Like I always say. rural areas of the USA, and their representatives, have one goal: Siphon money out of the federal government into their districts. The federal government is a gigantic subsidy for rural economies, This is one more example.

There were other ways that this could have been done, but the Republicans followed the Kristol strategy of simply obstructing and then obstructing more.

Well, of course they obstructed it; it's the biggest damn damaging boondoggle of a dumb program to come down the pike since the Great Society. My beef with them is that they didn't obstruct it enough, or successfully enough. And that they squandered their mandate in the years they were in power.

Not trying to be more-cynical-than-thou, but isn't this how politics is done, in every field? Government / law / academe / the churches / the laboratories / the orchestra pit / etc?

But by failing to cut a deal, they lost any ability to influence the bill. As John Chait wrote today, the Democrats would have made substantial concessions to a handful of Republican votes on the bill. It is true that based upon the outcomes of the 2006 and 2008 elections, passing health care reform of some sort is a near certainty; but failing to do anything but obstruct, the bill is much more liberal than it had to be.

Not trying to be more-cynical-than-thou, but isn't this how politics is done, in every field?

Yes. Ugly horse trading is a an inescapable fact of human social decision making.

Tish- I too am from Nebraska.

I was extremely disappointed in Ben Nelson. Although I've never been a big fan of his, and actually met him on one occasion, he made it seem like his vote was not for sale. HAH! He just held out until as Bob Barker used to say- The Price is Right!

One guy on Bill Bennett's show this morning said it best-It's not about principle anymore its about price.

"As John Chait wrote today, the Democrats would have made substantial concessions to a handful of Republican votes on the bill."

Bullshit. The Democrats have done everything they could do, from violating parliamentary procedure, to having secret bill-writing sessions, to locking Republicans out of committee rooms, so as to ensure that the opposition never even got to see the bill, much less have any input to it. Yes, they would have offered pork to any GOP senator who agreed to be a turncoat. Did Ben Nelson succeed in substantially altering the course of the bill? No. He got pork, and most likely promises of a cushy lobbying job after he loses his next election.

The bill that passed is exactly the bill that Pelosi, Reid, and Obama's people wanted. No one else mattered. Welcome our new overlords.

The bill that passed is exactly the bill that Pelosi, Reid, and Obama's people wanted. No one else mattered.

Really. So Lieberman didn't kill the public option and Medicare buy-in? And Nelson didn't get stronger protections regarding public funding of abortion?

The public option will magically reappear. Powers that be in Washington are determined to make it happen, Constitution and will of the people be damned. The bill has enough loopholes and trap doors to provide legal cover to absolutely anything the government wants to do with it. Mark my words.

The bill has enough loopholes and trap doors to provide legal cover to absolutely anything the government wants to do with it. Mark my words.

We'll see... if it passes, I think it will be hard to undo entirely. But it could be expanded or cut back, depending upon how it's received.

Once any kind of health care reform goes in it will never go away.

If you don't believe me look at the fact that SS/SSI requires that you accept Medicaid/ Medicare regardless of what you can afford.

We are so fucked.

Whatever:

Really. So Lieberman didn't kill the public option and Medicare buy-in? And Nelson didn't get stronger protections regarding public funding of abortion?

Are you naive, or just stupid? They're gonna do this as a budget reconciliation with the house. Which means they only need 51 votes to pass the final piece of shit.

Ergo, Nelson and Lieberman aren't even gonna get a reach-around. They sold their cloture votes to Reid, and he's gonna fuck them up the ass. They can vote against the final bill (with "public option" and government funded abortion in it) and keep their precious principles intact -- or so they think.

Nelson is ex-senator walking. He made a deal with the devil, and the devil has "altered" the terms of the deal.

We're gonna get single-payer shoved down our throats. I'm probably going to lose my house so I can pay the tax increases that this is inevitably going to drop on me.

Thanks so much, 52%.