Posted by
Billy on Saturday, November 21, 2009 8:25:27 PM
Sen. Ben Nelson’s decision to vote tonight in favor of bringing a health care bill to the Senate floor reflects what he describes as his long-standing aversion to obstructionism.
The Nebraska Democrat also said that he fully intends to block an up-or-down vote on final passage of the legislation if the parts that he opposes have not been sufficiently improved through amendments.
“If they don’t get fixed, I’ll vote no,” Nelson said.
Assuming all 40 Senate Republicans stand united against the bill, Democrats need 60 votes tonight as well as on a later vote to end debate before the bill could get a final vote.
Among the areas of the legislation that Nelson has criticized: new excise taxes, creation of a new government health insurance plan and its approach to abortion coverage.
Republicans, including Nebraska’s Sen. Mike Johanns, have been working to define tonight’s vote as for or against the actual legislation. Johanns has argued that there are not enough votes to fix the abortion coverage provisions in the bill and that it would be difficult to derail the legislation at the end of the debate, which is expected to consume much, if not all, of December.
(Senate Nelson can play all the politics he wants to with this bill but his vote tonight along with the vote of the other Democrats was a vote for this bill. It will now take 60 votes to change the bill. Sen. Nelson voted tonight for more taxes, forced government health care, and voted to pay for abortions. He can no longer tell the voters of my state Nebraska that he is pro life. This is something I hope the good people of my state will recall when he asks them to keep him in the Senate or another office. He and the other Democrats also said by this vote they don't care what the America people think. Shame on them. The next election can't come soon enough. Read more on this story Nelson: This isn't a vote for or against health plan.)