Nelson reportedly declines Cabinet job

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson has told the White House he is not interested in becoming President Bush's agriculture secretary, a congressional source told The World-Herald on Thursday.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said White House political adviser Karl Rove called Nelson last Friday and asked if he would take the job if President Bush offered it. After consideration over the weekend, Nelson said no Wednesday evening, the source said.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=54&u_sid=1262868

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. We need every seat in the Senate we can get!

[Rambis]

2. Whew!

Nice try ass clown!

[ElectroPrincess]

15. Yes, he may be a conservative Democrat but he's still loyal

to The Party. Unlike Zel Miller. If the DLC want our support they would make great strides if they defrocked Zel = He's NO Democrat!

[billyoc]

3. Good, we need Sen. Nelson working in the Senate,

not cosigning subsidy checks to Monsanto. :grr:

[jefferson_dem]

4. Good news! We need to hold every senate seat, especially ones

in red states, with Repuke govs. Also, Nelson's rejection denies chimp-fuck an opportunity to "dog and pony" about bipartisanship and "reaching across the isle."

[AlCzervik]

5. Good-my shit list list is already so long

i'm glad to keep him off. nice try at a super majority in the senate though.

[molly]

6. YAY!!!

[MaineDem]

7. Excellent decision

Does the WH really think we're all stupid?

[coloradodem2005]

8. Good.

Joining the Bush administration is like selling your soul.

[Judi Lynn]

9. I think John Edwards might be a great Democratic cabinet member!

If they're so keen on showing their bipartisanship, out of the clear blue sky, after harrassing and insulting and tormenting Paul Wellstone and Tom Daschle, etc.,in their effort to drive them out of the Senate, they might consider asking John Edwards to come on board, just as Bill Clinton did with Bill Cohen.

[alarimer]

13. I doubt that they are really interested in bipartisanship

I think asking Nelson to be Sec. Of Agriculture was simply an attempt at reducing the number of Democratic Senators. Bill Clintn was actually interested in bipartisanship; the Republicans are only interested in keeping power forever and ramming their regressive agenda down our throats.

[JI7]

16. yup, i remember after 2000

all the democrats they asked were those who came from states with a republican governor.

[Dulcinea]

29. There's always Zell.

nt

[warrens]

35. Department of Sending Smirking Sociopathic Liars to Jail

[auburngrad82]

10. Great. I e-mailed him yesterday basically begging him

not to abandon his party and his voters. I'd like to think I had something to do with it.

:D

[Judi Lynn]

20. Thanks from a Democrat who didn't know they were after Nelson.

Sure glad he wasn't moved to advance his career at the expense of the Democratic Party!

[peekaloo]

11. If true, thank you Sen. Nelson. I wouldn't want to ride herd on the mad

cow express, either.

[MrUnderhill]

12. Good News! But it ain't over yet.

They still want him to switch parties if they can't get him to give up his seat.

He's moderately vulnerable (probably the only Democrat who can hold that seat right now), and will likely draw a capable Republican opponent in '06. There is talk of possibly switching parties in exchange for NOT running aginst him in the primary. He would win easy reelection as a Republican.

One flaw in this nightmare theory is that IF he were open to a party switch... I would assume he would have done it when Jeffords flipped - they would have offered him the moon at that time... now it just pads their majority. On the other hand... he's probably stuck in the minority for at least four years now... and may prefer to bring home the bacon a majority Senator can win.

[Justathought]

28. I am in Nebraska

and what you are saying is no where near the truth. Ben Nelson was elected in the most conservative republican state in the U.S. He was elected Governor and Senator because the republican backed the democrats on this selection both times. Ben Nelson may lean right as a democrat but to do anything other than that positioning would be suicide. Ben Nelson is able to see the larger picture of representing our state and not just the partisan party picture. We need more in congress like Ben Nelson who can help stop the dictatorial agenda of bushie.

[MrUnderhill]

32. Could you go through that again and point out where I'm wrong?

How could it be "suicide" if he were to switch parties? In a state Bush won 2-1 without Kerry winning a single county it would be "suicide" to be a republican???

Dakota was the only county Kerry lost by single-digits!

He's going to be running against the sitting Governor in '06 and there is a really good chance he's going to lose (probably our most endangered seat). He might want to STAY a Senator, even if he has to change labels to do it. It's self-serving in appearance, but if he feels he represents the people well (regardless of what he calls himself)... he wouldn't be the first to go down that path.

Mike Johanns won two state-wide election fairly easily. Remember that in 2000 the republicans ran their better candidate in the open seat race to replace Bob Kerry and it was Don Stenberg (the Attorney General) who only lost to Nelson by (IIRC) 2%. A sitting two-term governor is a little more formidable.

[Justathought]

33. My statement comes

from living in this state and being an activist for trying to get Democrats elected here. I have seen how the process works in this state first hand both in the west and the east. Ben Nelson would not turn republican to win another seat in the senate. He would not get elected if he even tried this because this state does not like turn coats. Ben Nelson is a very intelligent Senator and he understands being a turn coat is suicide in this state. It might well work in other states but I can guarantee it would not work here.

[MrUnderhill]

34. Care to give me an example?

Got an example of a state-wide minority-party member who switched to the (overwhelming) majority party and lost reelection?

When the republicans are promising not to run someone against him in the primaries? There aren't enough Democrats to vote him out (he only wins NOW because of the number of Republicans who love him - as you pointed out)... so you're saying there are a bunch of Republicans who WOULD have voted for him as a Democrat... but would reject him if he actually JOINED their party? And that this number (plus disgruntled Democrats) exceeds the number of "party-line" Republicans who have NOT voted for him in the past but WOULD support him as a Republican?

WHO do you imagine we would run against him that could possibly beat him? Just look at our current slate of gubernatorial candidates for '06? An ex-school board member? The Rural Communities Revitalization Executive? A State Senator? Which of these luminaries will we pull to beat him if he switches?

I understand and respect you "being an activist for trying to get Democrats elected here", but remember that this experience doesn't include a whole lot of victories. I respectfully submit that you suffer from wishful thinking. Nelson may feel that he is more interested in HIM holding that seat than he is in DEMOCRATS holding that seat.

Mind you, I'm not predicting that this WILL happen... only that the rejection of the Cabinet position is not the end-all-be-all of this problem. Our best-case outcome is still a very dangerous 2006 race. I'm glad you'll be there fighting for us regardless of what happens. :hi:

[notadmblnd]

14. good, bush needs to have no one to blame but the Mepublicans

for his next 4 years in office.

[0007]

17. Thank you Senator Nelson. Your still alittle to far right for me!

[trogdor]

18. I wouldn't have taken the weekend to think about it...

...unless I was keen on wasting Karl's time. It wouldn't take me 0.0000001 sec. to come up with "not only no, but hell no."

[MrUnderhill]

24. You have different priorities.

When you follow politics as a "hobby" (perhaps the wrong word for what we do here) or as a "fan", you get caught up in your "team" and these decisions SEEM very easy. I'm closer to being a moderate than most DUers, and have problems with some farther-left policies... but I want MY guy to win so badly, that it doesn't bother me as much when we disagree.


But a Senator also has his own priorities. What issues does HE care most about? What are the needs of his state? What are his chances of getting reelected?

There are a handful of Senators on each side of the aisle who belong to their party largely as a matter of convenience.... and their individual issues are more important to them than the "scoreboard".

[kskiska]

19. Well, Joe Lieberman will jump at the chance

to be in *'s cabinet. All they have to do is ask.

[qanda]

21. It was probably right after the report came out

About a new case of Mad Cow Disease. I was hoping and praying he would turn it down-- good for him!

[Straight Shooter]

22. Here is contact info. Let's give him our support and thanks!

Washington DC Web Address:
http://bennelson.senate.gov/
Washington DC Web Mail Address:
http://bennelson.senate.gov/em ...

Washington DC Address
720 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

:thumbsup:

[Justathought]

23. Please..please say this is true.

As a Nebraskan, I was really concerned that he would desert the Democrats in the Senate. We are an Ag state and I now have more respect for Ben Nelson then I thought I could have ever mustard before this offer was given to him. He is a true democrat for sure and I will be writing him a letter to thank him for believing his integrity to those who voted him into the Senate was and is still his top priority. :yourock: :kick: :toast:

[BlueStatesForever]

25. Asking a democrat to join the white house cabinet

is like asking them to become a eunich. Nelson is apparently not stupid.

[yellowcanine]

26. All sitting Dem Senators from states with Pubbie guvs should say

no to any Bush admin appts - unless there is an agreement to have a Dem appointed in their place. Time to play hardball with the Pubs.

I don't even know but I am assuming Nebraska has a pubbie guv.

[Justathought]

31. Your guess

is absolutely right. But Johanns is not as well liked as Ben Nelson and unless Ben Nelson decides not to run again, I doubt he will lose to Johanns.

[Claire Beth]

27. he votes with the republicans most of the time....

doesn't he?

[Chimpanzee]

30. He ain't no dummy - NEXT!!!