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Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) now says he never intended to give his state special treatment in the Democrats' health care legislation. The moderate Democrat has been roundly criticized for a so-called "sweetheart deal" he struck with Democratic leaders in return for his support of the bill. In the deal, any expansion of Medicaid in the state of Nebraska would be paid for completely with federal funds, while other states would have to dip into their state budgets to meet the required expansion. Republicans called it the "cornhusker kickback." Now as Democrats in the House and the Senate work to merge...

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson says he didn't hold back his vote on health care legislation just to get more money for his state, "but to fix the unfunded Medicaid mandate for all states."

As I had referenced in a previous posting, lots of State-level resistance is brewing against the congressional healthcare plan, HR3590. Now AmericanGrandJury.org has posted an article summarizing that Alabama Attorney General Troy King has gone on the offensive regarding the "Nebraska Compromise." What is the premise of the compromise? According to one of Mr. King's pressers: The "Nebraska Compromise," as it is being called, would ostensibly require the remaining 49 States to recoup the loss of Nebraska's Medicaid payments, and was added to the Senate bill in return for the vote of Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson (D). With the addition...

Sen. Ben Nelson said Thursday he has asked Democratic leadership to extend to all states the extra Medicaid funding promised to Nebraska in the health care reform bill. The Democrat wouldn't say who he has spoken to regarding the so-called "Cornhusker Kickback" but that he would see to it that Nebraska doesn't get a special deal. "At the end of the day, whatever Nebraska gets will be available to all states," Nelson said during a conference call with reporters. Nelson provided the crucial 60th vote that brought the reform bill to the full Senate after winning concessions to limit the...

Here is video of Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak saying in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he thought the deal Democrats made with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson for his Health Care vote was "a disgrace." Sestak said bluntly that the Democrats have been less than open in their dealings: "At times, I find the caucus is a real disappointment. We aren't transparent, not just to the public but at times to the members . . . . "You have to give Rep. Sestak credit for being honest in these comments. What they have done in ramming through the Health...

Every week we are seeing another Democrat deciding not to run for re-election or one that is switching parties to the GOP all due to the wild, left-wing overreach indulged in by the Obama Administration and its cohorts in Congress. Connecticut's Senator Chris Dodd is only the latest heavy hitter Democrat that is looking for an "exit strategy," if you will. And with all these pols looking to jump ship, the infamous 60th vote on healthcare, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, suddenly finds that bringing healthcare to a vote so soon was a bit of a mistake! On Wednesday, Nelson,...

Election 2010: The back-to-back Senate retirements of Byron Dorgan and Chris Dodd may be just the beginning. The people have seen the future of health care reform and found it doesn't work. Apres moi, le deluge. We don't know what the Mayan calendar says about 2010, but it's starting to look like the end of the world for Democratic electoral prospects. Americans who watched in shock as government tried to step between them and their doctors, may have the last laugh. The tea party isn't over until the angry mob votes. As rage grew over the attempt to nationalize one-sixth...

Arkansas senator rips Nebraska health care dealUpdated: Jan 06, 2010 11:56 AM EST By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press Writer LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln said a political deal that benefits Nebraska and may have clinched a lawmaker's support for health care legislation should be removed from the bill. The Democratic senator from Arkansas on Tuesday said she was disappointed about a provision in the Senate's health care bill that will require the federal government to permanently pay the entire cost of Medicaid expansion in Nebraska, while only paying the costs of expansion in the other 49...

'It's not a special deal,'' Ben Nelson told the New York Times of the special deal that converted him into the 60th Senator for ObamaCare. "It's a fair deal. Some people said I was getting money for Nebraska. That's wrong. I was just getting rid of an underfunded federal mandate. There's nothing sleazy about it. I cracked the door open for other states." The other states think somewhat less of Mr. Nelson's benevolence. Under the "Cornhusker Kickback," the federal government will pay all of Nebraska's new Medicaid costs forever, while taxpayers in the other 49 states will see their budgets...

Thirteen state attorneys general have sent a letter to Congress threatening legal action against health care reform unless a provision in the Senate bill given to Nebraska is removed. The provision is known as the “Cornhusker Kickback,” because it gives Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying for Medicaid expenses that would be required of all the other states. This means that taxpayers in other states would be paying for an increase in Nebraska’s Medicaid population. Medicaid is a federal-state health care program for the poor. “This provision is constitutionally flawed,” the attorneys general wrote. “As chief legal officers of our...

Move over Psychic Friends Network. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson just became the latest contender for the infomercial throne. He’s pitching his own brand of healthcare snake oil. And, he’s sealing the sale in truest infomercial pitchman form, with the bogus guarantee: “Remember, folks, it’s not run by government.” Even the infamous PFN was never so shameless. At least they always added the caveat: “For entertainment purposes only.” Ben Nelson, of course, can’t do that – because his infomercial is no more entertaining that it is honest. After having voted to saddle every citizen of Nebraska (as well as the nation...

Here is my letter to Omaha Steaks (custserv@omahasteaks.com) & their reply re: Ben Nelson support and boycott of Omaha Steaks- My name is ____ (Atomic Vomit). I have gifted others with your fine beef over the years. Now that I have found that your company is a major contributor to Sen. Ben Nelson I will no longer purchase or accept your products. You support Ben Nelson- I dont support you. Pass this on to Senator Nelson. He's costing your company a lot of business. Nelson wont listen to American voters. He Will listen to you. Tell Ben Nelson he's fired....

Senator Ben Nelson needs to be driven from office, either forced to resign by overwhelming public pressure, or driven from office by the powerful people who sent him there to begin with: namely, his large donors.

"Call off the dogs" is the message Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) sent a coalition of Republican attorneys general examining the constitutionality of the Senate's healthcare bill, according to media reports. That request, made by Nelson's chief of staff to South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster on Thursday, arrives just days after 13 states' top prosecutors signaled they would examine the legality of the bill's Medicaid provisions, which in part won Democrats Nelson's vote. At issue is a condition in the bill's Medicaid rules that would essentially cover all of Nebraska's new program participants. The deal, referred to by many...

Senator Launches Ad Campaign at Home to Defend Key Vote on Health Bill Facing an outcry at home in Nebraska for casting the critical vote in favor of a health-care overhaul, Sen. Ben Nelson has launched a new ad campaign to defend his position. "I'm convinced this is right for Nebraska," says Sen. Nelson in the ad, which aired during the University of Nebraska's Holiday Bowl game Wednesday night and statewide Thursday. He says he took a "common-sense approach to improve the bill." Mr. Nelson, who faces re-election in 2012, backed the Senate health-care bill only after lengthy talks in...

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) reached out Thursday evening to South Carolina GOP Attorney General Henry McMaster, the leader of a group of 13 Republican state attorneys general who are threatening to file suit against the Senate health care bill, and urged him to forgo any legal action, POLITICO has learned. According to a copy of a memo sent by McMaster’s chief of staff to other GOP state attorneys general detailing the call, Nelson asked McMaster to “call off the dogs,” a reference to recent threats by the state AGs to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Medicaid provision...

Hmmm. He must have seen the polls. If this isn't a full retreat, I have never seen one. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) reached out Thursday evening to South Carolina GOP Attorney General Henry McMaster, the leader of a group of 13 Republican state attorneys general who are threatening to file suit against the Senate health care bill, and urged him to forgo any legal action, POLITICO has learned. According to a copy of a memo sent by McMaster’s chief of staff to other GOP state attorneys general detailing the call, Nelson asked McMaster to “call off the dogs,” a reference...

Neighborhood protest of Senator's home will show the truth about the results of taxpayer funded abortion Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org  OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- An abortion protest featuring Operation Rescue's Truth Truck will be conducted on New Year's Day near the Omaha home of Sen. Ben Nelson. The protest against Nelson's scheme for tax-funded abortions will be held on January 1, 2010, in the neighborhood of 9735 Fieldcrest Drive in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning at 2 PM, Central Time. "The Pro-Life Movement will be making Sen. Nelson aware of our New Year's Resolution....

Senator Ben Nelson and his friends (of the leftist MSM) have discovered that the senator from Nebraska may have committed political suicide by voting for ObamaCare. Yahoo! News reports that, according to pollster Scott Rasmussen, Nelson would only receive 30% of the votes if elections were held today, while his (unnamed) Republican competitor could count on 61%. That’s a massive gap of 31%. It goes to show just how unpopular ObamaCare is. Nelson’s health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his...

The good news for Senator Ben Nelson is that he doesn't have to face Nebraska voters until 2012. If Governor Dave Heineman challenges Nelson for the Senate job, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows the Republican would get 61% of the vote while Nelson would get just 30%. Nelson was reelected to a second Senate term in 2006 with 64% of the vote. Nelson's health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his vote in support of the plan. Overall, 64%...