Rating drops below 50% for Nelson (D-Ne)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Robynn Tysver

The battle over health care legislation has taken its toll on U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson's political well-being, despite the Democrat's efforts to sell Nebraskans on his vote.

Nelson, who once enjoyed some of the highest job performance marks in the U.S. Senate, has now seen his approval rating dip below 50 percent in Nebraska, according to The World-Herald Poll.

Nelson said the poll results come as no surprise, especially since Nebraskans have been “bombarded” with millions of dollars in “misleading advertisements.”

He said he expects that people will come to appreciate the health care bill.



Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20100117/NEWS01/701179926

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See the FULL exclusive story.

[ixion]

1. if you think people are going to learn to love this atrocity, think again, Ben

it's going to be exactly the opposite.

[invictus]

3. +1

[sendero]

13. +2

[No Elephants]

2. Guess his provision about sparing his state any costs in perpetuity did not do the trick.

If sommeone can show me votes by Nelson that are both important and progressive, I'l try to be sad about this poll. Otherwise, I feel it's good riddance to bad rubbish. If his legislating stinks, I don't much care which letter he puts after his name.

And no, the Senate health care bill does not suffice.

Come on, Nelson. Do the right thing. Er, the correct thing, like Dodd. Step down ASAP so there can be a meaningful primary.

[residentfan]

8. Who would replace him?

The Democrats in Nebraska don't have anyone I know of that can win a state wide election. That being said, I'm not sure if a Republican would be any different as far as passing good legislation or supporting a progressive agenda.

[Omaha Steve]

12. We don't even have a candidate for Governor

Had Ricketts won against Nelson, things would have been much worse. Meaningful? Ben votes R more than any other D in the Senate. But it is a conservative state. First thing is to keep getting D's elected.


http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=21744&type=category&category=43&go.x=9&go.y=8

2008 Senator Nelson supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 100 percent in 2008.

2008 Senator Nelson supported the interests of the AFL-CIO - Lifetime 74 percent during their legislative career up until 2008.

[merwin]

15. So we lie to the peple.

If we keep telling people that these imposters are real democrats, people begin to believe that nelson and co represent the democratic party... instead of people like kucinich and sanders (yeah, not technically a dem, but is basically what i think we should strive to become.

[Omaha Steve]

17. Nelson votes D about 60% of the time

From the article: Nelson's political success can be attributed in large part to his ability to woo Republican and independent voters. With only 34 percent of the state's registered voters, Democrats in Nebraska must go outside their party's base to win a statewide election.

In April 2006, Nelson was named one of the Senate's most popular members after national pollster SurveyUSA reported that 73 percent of Nebraskans approved of his performance.



He won't ever be with us on choice. There are are a few other things I'm not happy about him with. But I will support him if he runs in 2012. Kleeb was a great solid D that ran against Johanns. Johanns won 60-40.

http://www.scottkleeb.com/home.html

Remember what it takes to win here!

[24601]

19. Yeah - the adage..."he's a crook, but he's OUR crook" goes only

so far. You can't unring a bell and he's unlikely to pull out of this flat spin.

[Beavker]

4. I'm a Nebraskan

And he's dead to me. I'm not casting a vote for this chimp, he needs to be primaried. If that doesn't do it, I sit this vote out. I'd rather have a repuke in office like the rest of the state barring Omaha's Mayor (who has been getting horrific press from the OWH, which is why I've quit receiving the paper...people, such as the teabaggers, don't get that you either pay for something or you go without the service).

[rasputin1952]

5. As am I...

I worked on his re-election campaign, and have been in contact w/him over his apparently insane posture on HCR.

While I knew he was a "conservative D", I never suspected he'd roll over to the extent he did. He's been shattered out here...incredibly bad move on his part...:hi:

[hadrons]

9. Nelson likely blames anyone expect himself over this too...

[Mari333]

6. he must live in bizarro world in his mind

[Vinca]

7. He's been pandering to Republican voters, why would any Dems cast a vote for him?

Short sighted on his part.

[Bitwit1234]

10. This brings to mind a question

Since these ads are spoken and written and if they can be proved false, why can't one of the candidates they are slurring sue them. I think it is about time this slander and misleading stuff is stopped. ON BOTH SIDES. It is taking the real issues out of the mix and putting in slop and slurs. The same with the TV ads for products. If I see a product that makes fun or tries to tell me the other product is inferior, right then and there I mark THAT one off my list and don't buy it.

[Vidar]

11. K&R.

[liberalpragmatist]

14. Is anybody shocked?

He spent months talking down health care reform, adopting right-wing talking points, thus making independents and moderates hate the bill. And pissing off Democrats who got - rightly - pissed at him for watering down the bills.

Then, he votes for it as part of a grubby political compromise, thus pissing off the right. Basically he pissed off everybody in the state.

[yurbud]

16. what a smug bastard

[Ken Burch]

18. Any chance of getting an actual DEMOCRAT to replace this guy?

This is a state that voted for William Jennings Bryan and George Norris, a state that gave Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy over 80% of the vote between them in its 1968 Democratic primary, and a state that sent Bob Kerry to the Senate in recent memory, after all.

I hope Rahm won't object if we primary THIS loser.