Posted by
Billy on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:08:44 PM
It's the story of a nine-year-old campaign endorsement, a vote on the Senate
floor and a long-term political friendship between an Iowa Republican and a
Nebraska Democrat.
Clashes over the Senate health care bill apparently have no bounds.
Iowa, governor hopeful Bob Vander Plaats criticized former Gov. Terry
Branstad, a fellow Republican, on Monday for endorsing Nebraska Democrat Ben
Nelson in his 2000 campaign for the U.S. Senate. (Pinning Nelson vote on Branstad? )
That endorsement, Vander Plaats said, helped Nelson eke out a 15,000-vote
victory over his opponent, which gave him his first Senate win and put him in
the position to advance the health care bill last Saturday.
“Ben Nelson gave Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid the vote he needed to
get the 60 votes to steamroll Republican opposition,” said Vander Plaats.
“Whatever happens from here on out, Terry Branstad is going to have to accept
some responsibility, because he was a very active supporter of Ben Nelson in his
first campaign for the Senate.”
(As a Nebraska voter I believe Ben Nelson vote last Saturday night was wrong and I hope he pays for it at the next election. However, I don't think we can blame Terry Branstad who lives in Iowa. At the same time we all need to be thinking about what those who we put in office will do. Ben Nelson last Saturday night put his party ahead of what was best for the voters of his state and every American. He voted to raise taxes and for all tax payers to pay for abortions. He can never again tell the pro life voters of Nebraska with a straight face that he is pro life. )