DU Approval Ratings: Ben Nelson

[Dave Sund]

They're BACK! :)

Do you approve or disapprove of the job Ben Nelson is doing as US Senator, or do you have no opinion?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. He's right up there with Zell Miler for me

[unhappycamper]

2. Can I have another 15 votes? I promise to use them wisely.

Ben = :puke:

[Dave Sund]

3. I suppose this puts me

in a HUGE minority, but I greatly respect Ben Nelson. I disagree with him on many, many issues. But I understand better than a lot of people that he's a Senator from Nebraska. And in that capacity, he has to respect the will of Nebraskans. That doesn't mean he follows it blindly, but that he's mindful of the consequences if he doesn't. When he had an opportunity to jump ship, he didn't. When he's asked to speak against fellow Democrats, he doesn't. He may disagree with us on a lot, but he's the best we can get here for a while.

[acmejack]

4. So the lesser of two evils would sum it up?

nt

[Dave Sund]

6. I think it's more complicated than that

To say that it's "he's not a Republican," is oversimplifying things. He's a damn good politician, and I know that frightens a lot of people here, because he's to the right of a lot of us. I don't have a problem with Ben Nelson. He's been my Senator and Governor for about as long as I can remember. And when you look at the shift rightward on the local level here, he may be the last Democrat we have from Nebraska in Congress for a long time.

[iwantmycountryback]

25. I agree with you on that point

But I really think he could manage to oppose the awful judges going through the Senate right now, and at the very least the WORST legislation they could come up with like the Bankruptcy Bill, but he has supported all of those, which is disappointing. I think the people of Nebraska would want him to oppose that piece of legislation. I totally understand that he has to be more moderate, and I'm glad that he doesn't criticize Democrats like Turncoat Joe (Lieberman.)

[LiberalAndProud]

5. DETEST him.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Please add "Dogshit" as an option.

Thank you, in advance.

[agincourt]

8. I live in Nebraska,

and I wish we could get someone better than Nelson. Unfortunately they are so Rush-Zombied here it'll never happen. They voted 70% to ban gay marriage, they think you should get a vote for each $1000.00 you pay in taxes. Nelson will probably be out in 2006, replaced by a knuckle dragging, fundi, corporate toadie anyway. He'll probably look good ten years from now like Bob Kerrey looks wonderful now.

[Dave Sund]

9. Nelson's assured reelection

I didn't like the compromise, necessarily, but damn if it didn't take the legs out from under any Republican who wanted to challenge him.

The real problem is that the only way a Democrat can win is Nebraska is by first being governor, and there's no way that's going to happen with Dr. Tom running.

[jmaier]

10. He is a Democratic caucus vote from

a state that votes so RED nationally it's amazing that he is even in the race. A lot of criticism goes his way for his voting record and how supportive it is of the President's. To his conservative constituents, Nelson likes to tell them that "he votes with the President when he can but opposes him when he must." Good local politics and you should NOTE that his "bad" votes are NEVER decisive. He is padding his conservative record for the local electorate. I'd prefer another Kennedy but I'd rather have Nelson than another Brownback or anyone who votes for R leadership positions.

[ignu]

11. worse than joemania

the party would be better off without his seat. all he does is stab the leadership in the back and talk shit on the talk show circuit. i hope the green party runs someone against him.

[TheFarseer]

18. When have you ever seem him "talking s**t"?

He has never called on anyone to apologize like some other dems. I have not seem him criticize other democrats. He's trying to do what the majority of Nebraskans would want, which I think is a refreshing change for American politics eventhough it is a bit unfortunate in this case because of the economic masochism of some Nebraskans. Just because he does not dismiss the bush agenda out of hand does not make him a bad guy.

[Zhade]

12. Disafuckingprove.

He's just another Vichy Dem.

[jmaier]

13. I'd love to hear a constructive plan

for how to increase the Democratic caucus from Nebraska? Any ideas or just another purity test rejection?

[Zhade]

14. I don't live in Nebraska, so I couldn't tell you.

But it's not a "purity' rejection, it's a rejection of his enabling anti-worker, anti-liberty policies of the b*s* administration.

[usregimechange]

15. I just want us to get the majority back.

[tritsofme]

16. I'm glad you all dislike him so much.

I'm sure you'll be satisfied if he is knocked off in 2006 by a crazy fundie.

We need to count our blessings when we get a caucus vote out of a deep red state.

[Guaranteed]

20. He'd be much more appreciated if he'd stop doing damage to our

party.

[brentspeak]

23. What damage has he done to the the Dem party? n/t

[TheFarseer]

17. I think it takes a Nebraska Dem to appreciate him

I like the guy. I understand why many here don't. I think his main loyalty is to his constituents which I truly respect.

[brentspeak]

19. Only Freepers would advocate running Nelson out

There's no other Democrat who could win in Nebraska, so if someone who claims to be Democrat calls for Nelson's ouster, they obviously ain't a Dem.

[Eric J in MN]

21. At my new blog "Corporate Whores Online" I have an aritcle on

Janice Rogers Brown which mentions that Nelsen was the only Democrat to vote for her.

I don't call him a Corporate Whore. The implication is that Janice Rogers Brown is a Corporate Whore.

http://www.moveleft.com/cwo.asp

[brentspeak]

22. He wouldn't have voted for her if his was a deciding vote

But the Repubs had more than enough votes to confirm her anyway, so Nelson just voted along with them to please all the conservatives in his state. No big deal, no damage done.

[Awsi Dooger]

24. I approve of any Democratic senator from Nebraska

Anyone who disputes that and despises Nelson should take a look at the presidential partisanship chart for Nebraska, deep Cornhusker red and moving even moreso every cycle since at least '88, compared to the national popular vote average:

Nebraska:
'88: Bush (60.15 - 39.20) = + 13.23% Republican
'92: Bush (46.58 - 29.40) = + 22.74% Republican
'96: Dole (53.66 - 34.95) = + 27.24% Republican
'00: Bush (62.25 - 33.25) = + 29.51% Republican
'04: Bush (65.90 - 32.68) = + 30.76% Republican

Once Nelson is ousted, it may be decades before we reclaim a senate seat in Nebraska. He'll look marvelous in comparison to the Rs who follow him.

[nevergiveup]

26. I don't like Nelson but certainly

respect the Democrats from Nebraska who defend him. I am from Illinois and can't begin to imagine the frustration in being a Nebraska Democrat.

[candy331]

27. Bill Nelson in my old home state is not much above Ben and I

say here I strongly believe he will loose his seat to Katherine Harris and Florida will have 2 GOP senators.