Email From Ben Nelson he's voting for Alito.

[DanCa]

I just got this in my inbox.

January 23, 2006


Dear Daniel:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of Judge
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to serve as Associate Justice of the United
States Supreme Court. I value your input on this important judicial
nomination.

As you know, Judge Alito was nominated to replace Justice Sandra
Day O'Connor, who has announced her intent to resign upon
confirmation of her successor. I-like you and other Americans of
all political and judicial philosophies-recognize the importance of
this nomination.

With the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings completed, I have
decided to vote in favor of Judge Alito to serve as the 110th Justice
of the United States Supreme Court. I came to this decision after
careful consideration of his impeccable judicial credentials, the
American Bar Association's strong recommendation, and his
pledge that he would not bring a political agenda to the Court.

I understand your concerns regarding Judge Alito and his views on
the judicial issues which will affect Americans for years to come.
I believe the duty of judges is to adjudicate based on fact, law, and
precedent without regard for personal ideology. I take Judge Alito
at his word that he shares my view of the role of a Supreme Court
Justice: that the role of judges is to balance the scales of justice,
not to be activists and legislators.

Once again, thank you for contacting me. While we disagree on
this particular nomination, I sincerely appreciated hearing your
opinion and hope you will continue to share your views in the
future.

Sincerely,

Ben Nelson
U.S. Senator

[samhsarah]

1. FUBN

:mad:

[stillcool]

3. FUBN two times...

[adigal]

2. He is a fascist-lover

and I am going to fax him a letter telling him so.

[Mike Nelson]

4. why would he "...take Judge Alito at his word..."?

I don't understand...

[LSparkle]

8. Yeah, his backers have been SO FORTHCOMING on everything else

[Straight Shooter]

14. The same "word" he gave to recuse himself on the Vanguard case?

Or this is another instance of "that was then, this is now, I promise to behave myself"?

[mom cat]

32. Yep...the same word from the same snake.

[hvn_nbr_2]

82. "his pledge"..."take him at his word"????

He's proven that he's a bald-faced liar by lying in his previous confirmation hearings. In these hearings, his defense against the CAP charges and others has been that he was a bald-faced liar when he was applying for previous jobs, such as in the Reagan administration. Anyone who takes this liar at his word and believes that his pledge is worth a gram of dried whale shit in the bottom of an abandoned polluted mine is an idiot.

[bigwillq]

5. What bullshit.

:mad:

[Just Me]

6. The Constitution was created because men cannot be taken on their word.

Nelson has always been,...a wimp, though. He's a "Mr. Popularity" rather than a courageous representative for this country in my observation.

What else can I say? :shrug:

Shall we let him know what we think of his position and his integrity?

Yep. Let's do it!!!

[otohara]

7. News Flash to Ben Nelson

republican's lie a lot!

[buff2]

9. Another idiot DINO

The people in his district needs to VOTE HIM OUT!!!

Traitorous bastard! :grr:

[Maru Kitteh]

27. You say that like we have another Dem to choose from here

Um, it's NEBRASKA. It's Ben or whatever Republican is running against him, and the Republicans around here tend to be the frothing at the mouth fundie wacko types. Chuck Hagel is actually something of an anomaly in that he occasionaly seems to think for himself.

[mopinko]

71. a "free thinking" republican can get elected but

a democrat can't? umm. there is a blue tide coming. i hope you state can get on it. btw, hagel is probably the first of the modern day election thieves.
when is nelson running?

[Freddie Stubbs]

74. Nelson is up for reelction this year

[mopinko]

77. does he have a primary opponent?

has the deadline passed?

[Freddie Stubbs]

78. No opponent yet

The filing deadline is March 1. I wouldn't expect his to draw an opponent, as he is the most popular Democrat in the state.

[LibDemAlways]

10. Nelson is more afraid of offending the

rightwing nutcases in Nebraska than he is of having all Americans' rights flushed down the toilet. POS.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. Why would he change his mind? He was first (and so far only) Dem

to announce that he would vote for Alito.

We are talking about Ben Nelson, Nebraska, right?

[acmavm]

12. EXACTLY what I said in an earlier thread that this jerk's justification

for voting yet once again against the party:

<snip>

I came to this decision after
careful consideration of his impeccable judicial credentials,

<snip>

I will now repeat what I said before THIS GUY WILL NEVER SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC POSITION OR US.

edit: to add the link to the thread where I first said to get over the idea that this asswipe will ever vote against the bush** administration.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=26432&mesg_id=26433

[samhsarah]

13. WORST. DEMOCRAT. EVER.

[LittleClarkie]

19. Zell's still calling himself a Dem so far, isn't he?

And what about Lieberman?

[Hippo_Tron]

22. At least Ben Nelson doesn't get the media attention that Lieberman does

I don't even mind Lieberman's stances on the issues. I think that it's good to have some diversity of voices in the party. I can't stand it when he goes on television and tells the Democrats to quit bitching about the Iraq War because Bush is president and we have to live with it. If he said that he respectfully disagrees with many members of his party and that he has a different view, that would be perfectly fine.

[LittleClarkie]

30. Indeed, he seems to me to be sincere, but we could do without

the kissy-face and such. Let's hope that doesn't happen again with this year's SOTU speech.

[Maru Kitteh]

33. Ben Nelson is too boring for the media.

And he's not doing it out of any kind of "personal conviction". He's just a wet rag who wants to keep his job.

[samhsarah]

25. OK, you got me on Zell,

And Lieberman is in the worst 5, but I think Nelson is worse.

[PeachyDem88]

15. To all the people angry with Ben Nelson:

Either you get a Nebraska Democrat that agrees with you 25-50% of the time, or a Nebraska Republican that agrees with you 0% of the time.

We might be able to do better than Lieberman, in a "Blue State" like Connecticut, but Nelson's the best you can hope for from Nebraska.

Deal with it.

[Hippo_Tron]

21. Chuck Hagel has been more critical of Bush than Ben Nelson

And you say that we can't do better in Nebraska, but look at Bob Kerrey.

I'm not saying unseat Nelson, because first of all nobody is even challenging him in the primary, second of all why give up a free caucus vote? But that doesn't take away from the fact that Nelson is a lousy human being who deserves every bit of criticism that he gets here.

It's one thing to see Nelson's name on the list with the GOP when it comes to social issues. But the man steps 100% in line with an economic agenda that makes his constituents poorer every day.

[PeachyDem88]

35. Bob Kerrey was great.

But he's gone, now.

I know that most people here don't want Nelson to be unseated. But the constant attacks against Nelson and other conservative Democrats have got to stop. If we win back the Senate in 2006, Nelson will be a part of that victory.

His 51-49 victory could become a 49-51 loss, especially in a state that went for Bush 66-33.

And Nelson doesn't march in lockstep "100%" with the Republican economic agenda. He had a 60-something percent approval rating from the AFL-CIO. Hagel had a little under 10 percent...



I guess I can't speak for all Georgia Democrats, but I believe most of us would LOVE to have a senator or two like Nelson.

[Hippo_Tron]

37. Nelson isn't going to lose

All of the top three candidates that the GOP tried to get to run against him refused to do so.

And what people say on him on a blog isn't going to help defeat him. Hell, the fact that liberals are bitching about him on a blog would probably help him in his state.

Nelson may not vote 100% with the GOP agenda but almost every time that there is a high profile vote he does. The bottom line is that he supports an economic agenda that hurts his constituents and cooperates with the GOP far to often.

[PeachyDem88]

47. We don't know that...

I know about the situation with the GOP candidates in NE. Things are looking good for us, right now.

The election is more than 9 months away.

If Nelson voted AGAINST Alito, how long do you think it would take the NE GOP to make a commercial with Nelson's face next to John Kerry's, or Ted Kennedy's?

BEN NELSON, IN LEAGUE WITH OUT-OF-TOUCH LIBERALS?

*Cue horror film music*

They could run Mickey Mouse against him in November, and win.

The "bottom line" is that Ben Nelson supports the GOP _LESS_ than an actual GOP senator would.

Voting for Alito is politically expedient for Nelson, and so he must. I'm not saying that it's good. I'm simply saying that it is reality.

[Hippo_Tron]

51. I'm not really criticizing him for voting for Alito

I'm saying that Nelson needs to (at least once in awhile) show us (not to mention his constituency) that he's not a puppet for the Bush administration and the GOP. If he needs to run to the right on social issues fine, I get that. But he needs to actually stand up and do something once in a while. Gene Taylor of Mississippi represents a district that is equally as red as Nelson's state and he has a pretty conservative social record. But unlike Nelson he will actually stand up to this administration on other issues. At least 4 or 5 times a year you will see Gene Taylor give a speech on the house floor or in committee on things like halliburton, Abu Ghreib, trade, balanced budget, and tax cuts that show us that he is no friend of the Bush administration. Is Gene Taylor particularly loyal to his own party? Eh, he could be better. But he at least when it comes time for re-election he can show that he is CLEARLY different from his Republican opponent on many issues and those particular issues seem to resonate with his constituency because they usually re-elect him by very wide margins.

Nelson keeps his mouth shut about this administration's failures so often that it's hard to tell that he's any different from the Republican other than his caucus vote. Shit, some polls were showing that Bush at one point had below 50% approval ratings in Nebraska, you think that maybe that might be the time for Senator Nelson to open his mouth and at least jump on the bandwagon of criticizing an unpopular president. But no, he STILL kept his mouth shut, which makes many people wonder if he's not just a puppet of this administration. Nelson doesn't need to become a Ted Kennedy or a Barbara Boxer. Nelson needs to open his fucking mouth and tell the turth once in a while. Nelson needs to do something or say something that shows that he actually has a mind of his own and isn't just a complete hack.

Harry Truman was fairly correct when he said that when people are given the choice between a Republican and a Democrat that acts like a Republican, they will pick the real Republican every time. Nebraska picked the Democrat that acts like a Republican last time, they will probably pick him again this time but I wouldn't be so sure about the next time. Get an intelligent Republican like I don't know say, CHUCK HAGEL, with lots of money who will expose Nelson for the mindless drone that he is and he will lose in a landslide.

[PeachyDem88]

57. I love Gene Taylor.

I wish the guy was my representative. My representative, Nathan Deal, infamously left the Democratic party. There's more money to be had on the other side... Easier to get elected... I don't know how the guy justifies it to himself.

The president may be generally unpopular, but if elections were held tomorrow, he'd win a landslide in Nebraska.

Nebraska is one of only five states to STILL give George Bush a net approval rating of 10% or greater. The other four being Utah, Texas, Wyoming, and Idaho. Interestingly enough, all four are represented by TWO Republican senators. Ben Nelson is the odd man out.

Your reaction to Gene Taylor is my reaction to Ben Nelson.

"Eh, he could be better."

[Hippo_Tron]

63. I meant that Taylor's party loyalty could be better

Which is not to say that I am not a fan of his maverick stances sometimes. The party establishment certainly doesn't particularly care for him, which I think is a good thing. I know that part of it is an act to keep himself from being associated with Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. I can't say that I am too happy with the fact that he supported Clinton's impeachment, but at this point I have to overlook that because it was years ago and doesn't matter anymore. At least he supported Wes Clark in the primaries, who I would vote for in a heartbeat.

Yes the President would win a landslide in Nebraska tommorow, but that is because of Nebraska's disdain for socially liberal democrats. Again, I'm not suggesting that Nelson be a Ted Kennedy or a John Kerry. I'm suggesting that once in awhile he might take a little bit of time to do something other than talk about how he is a good moral conservative because he votes with the GOP all of the time and agrees with Bush on everything. Bush doesn't have a 100% approval rating in Nebraska and when you break down what issues people approve of, I imagine that there are some categories that Bush would fall below 50%. Nelson should try to speak out on those issues where his constituency might disagree with the president so that he can actually present himself as something other than a Republican who votes democratic for organizational purposes (a huge negative in itself in a state like Nebraska). I mean if you're a Republican (which most of Nebraska is) then why would you vote for a Republican who votes for Harry Reid when you can vote for a Republican who votes for Bill Frist. But Nebraskans don't view the national GOP as PERFECT, they vote for Bush in overwhelming numbers because they see him as the sane rational candidate who will make this country safe and think that the apocalypse is coming if Kerry wins (kind of like DU in reverse). Nelson shouldn't try to be like Bush or like Kerry. He should try to be a senator that truly represents Nebraska and speaks to their issus and he should speak to America's issues as well, as he is part of a national legislature. Nelson is doing neither by just towing the line for Bush.

As I said earlier, eventually he will have to face a formidable GOP opponent who will have the talent and resources to defeat his money and incumbency advantages and then he will fall flat on his face because he has no substance. It already happened once when he ran in 1996 against Chuck Hagel.

As far as Nelson is concerned, this discussion is pretty much pointless. What DU thinks about him doesn't matter, because he's not going to get a primary challenger and he's going to run against a Republican who he will beat. My point is that we need to recognize that people like Nelson are weak and morally bankrupt. They sell their souls to the highest bidder because they don't have the personal ability to win on their own merits. We can't have a party that is dependent on people like Ben Nelson because if we do then we are doomed to failure.

[PeachyDem88]

68. Explain...

How is Nelson weak and morally bankrupt? Who has he sold his soul to?

You talk like you've been betrayed. Like he's a liberal who's decided to pander to conservatives for political gain.

The man is a hardcore, Christian Coalition conservative. He hasn't betrayed either of us. He's voting his conscience. He IS a senator that TRULY REPRESENTS NEBRASKA.

Now, a vote for Harry Reid as Majority Leader of the Senate is a vote for a better America.

If an anti-choice, anti-gun control, free-trade corporatist wants to hang the albatross of the national Democratic party around his neck, and put a (D) next to his name, then I'll defend him until I can't type anymore.

Nelson's won three major elections, and he's set to win his fourth. He has the personal ability to win on his own merits. As long as he doesn't get attacked from the left AND the right, he'll avoid being unseated. I just hope that, in the short term, the Democratic party doesn't become so toxic in Middle America that Nelson feels compelled to switch.

Maybe we can't depend on folks like Nelson in the long term. Maybe American politics will become too Rovian for conservatives to be elected as Democrats. As long as we're five seats down in the Senate, though, we're going to have to depend on Nelson. And Lieberman, and Landrieu, and Biden. The alternative to carrying the conservative vote is being an ideologically pure, regional, special interest party that stays in the minority perpetually.

We CAN carry seats in Oklahoma, and Utah, and Wyoming, and Kansas. But it'll take conservatives like Nelson to do it.

P.S.

I'm glad that we agree on Clark. Say it a few times... "President Wesley K. Clark."

Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

[Hippo_Tron]

52. Duplicate n/t

[Moochy]

62. There you go playing the stateist card

My state vs your state nya nya. oh wait that's kind of the whole sham of the senate isnt it? my bad.

[Zodiak]

81. I've been scoring Senator's voting records

Nelson is a 0 on my scale...the lowest Democrat. There are nine Republicans that vote more Democratic than Nelson does.

Sometimes the D means absolutely nothing...in Nelson's case, this is true.

[PWRinNY]

16. Doesn't Hagel have better ratings in NE than Nelson?

And doesn't Hagel oppose the Bush admin more frequently than Nelson does? I may be confused on this... but don't Dems LIKE Hagel better than Nelson? Maybe it's that Hagel stands up for what he thinks, when Nelson just caves to the rethugs? Not that I'm singing Hagel's praises or anything - but shouldn't Nelson take a cue from this - that maybe if the Dems voted him in, they want him voting like a Dem and not a thug?

[Hippo_Tron]

24. Hagel's no saint but he throws us a bone every once in a while

Nelson is in the Republican column on almost every major issue.

[PeachyDem88]

29. Hagel and Nelson...

Nelson's a bit more popular than Hagel, overall.

Democrats favor both men equally, according to the polling over at SurveyUSA. That should tell you a little bit about Nebraska Democrats.

I understand the frustration with him, but he's a conservative senator from a conservative state. He just barely won election, and he can't afford to defend himself from the left AND the right.

There's enough room in the Democratic Party's "Big Tent" for Nelson, I think.

I realize that my opinion may be... unpopular. But I just have to defend the man.

[Maru Kitteh]

40. As a Nebraska Democrat I'd like to know what you meant by

"Democrats favor both men equally, according to the polling over at SurveyUSA. That should tell you a little bit about Nebraska Democrats."

?

[PeachyDem88]

43. Hey there.

I didn't mean anything disparaging, if that's what you're asking.

It is evident, though, that many Nebraska Democrats are conservative. More conservative than Democrats in, say, Massachusetts. Certainly, more conservative than the Democrats on DU. The fact that 68% of Nebraska Democrats approve of Chuck Hagel is indicative of that.

I meant nothing more.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. Poor Ben has to protect his paycheck, perks, and payoffs.

Perish the thought that he might do somthing ethical and risk losing his place at the trough.

[LittleClarkie]

18. Kinda figured

The usual.

So without Nelson, and say Landrieu, because you KNOW she probably will go this way too, and if we don't pick up Snowe or McCain or a few other Repubs from the other side, what are our chances of fillibuster?

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Which Nelson is this?

[peekaloo]

28. the cornholer, er, husker from Nebraska. Bill Nelson is from Florida.

[LittleClarkie]

23. What about Ben Nelson numero dos

The Florida Nelson. What does he say so far?

[Freddie Stubbs]

76. His name is BILL Nelson

He hasn't announced how he will vote, but has said that has concerns with some of the positions expressed by Alito.

[Swamp Rat]

26. Ben Nelson must be an alien lizard too.

[orleans]

45. (glad to see you and your lovely work back--haven't seen you

for awhile on here)

[orleans]

31. what a dick! Zell Nelson! n/t

[PeachyDem88]

36. That's a little unfair... They're not in the same league.

In 2004, Zell Miller had an approval rating of 96 from the American Conservative Union. Nelson got a 52. I haven't heard him speak at any Republican conventions... He didn't endorse Bush for president.

Nelson may not be Mother Teresa, but he's a Democratic incumbent, and he's from Nebraska. That's enough for me, in this election year.

We have to be honest, here...

Who actually expected Nelson to be part of a filibuster against Alito?

Let's be even MORE honest...

Who actually thinks a filibuster against Alito will happen?

[orleans]

44. oh yeah, you're so right--i'm terribly unfair

zell 96, ben 52

but he's on his way!!!!!!!!

(simply being a democratic incumbent is enough for you? oh peachy, you hold him to such a high standard.)


ok--i admit i'm a bit left of center (cough) ok--so i'm a lot left. but when i think of him the famous words of his president come to mind: "you're either with us or your with the enemy."

and all the dems votes on alito will show us all what they're made of.

there's no more kidding around, no more horse trading between senate buddies. the alito supreme court will screw us for decades. repercussions will reverberate into my future granddaughter's generation.

the filibuster was made for moments like this. if we don't do it now...then when? what the hell are we waiting for?

you want me to be "MORE" honest--well, if i didn't think there was the very real possibility for a filibuster I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOCKED MYSELF OUT WITH HUNDREDS OF EMAILS, HUNDREDS OF PHONE CALLS TO THE SENATORS, AND TAKEN THE TIME TO WRITE LETTERS LETTERS THAT TOOK ME ONE AND A HALF HOURS JUST TO FAX!!!!! how's that for "more" honest?

oh, and welcome to DU

on edit: and the fact that nelson hasn't made an appearance at the repuke's convention yet doesn't count. he'll have his chance in 2008.

[PeachyDem88]

50. As someone who's been represented by Zell Miller,

Yes, you're being a little unfair.

I'm WAY left. Farther left than most people on DU, if Political Compass scores mean anything... lol...

Maybe even farther left than you. I don't know.

I don't like the thought of living with Alito's decisions for the next 30 years, either.

I personally think that the Democrats should filibuster. Make the Imperial Republicans use the NYOO-KYOO-LURR OPTION. Let the nation see how far they're willing to go.

I'm just saying... This is no surprise. Nothing to see here.

On a side note, thank you. Thank you for writing and calling. I used to contact my senators, and my representative.

Writing Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson about the Alito nomination would be about as useful as urinating in a hurricane, though. Their minds were made up before the hearings started.

[orleans]

55. used to? i wish you wouldn't stop. people have to keep letting them

know that their constituents are watching and not all are happy campers.

i was calling/contacting all the senators (besides my own--and i've got two dems--durbin and obama)

many of them (even the dems offices) didn't bother asking for a zip code, town, or even my name. and when i left messages on their voice mails over the weekend or after hours i didn't say that i was calling out of state.

and for a majority of the repukes i would say "i just wanted to call and give my opinion on something for senator blabla." okay, go ahead. "well, i'm calling about the vote on judge alito." yes? "i just wanted senator blabla to know that i think he would be a terrible addition to the supreme court and i would like senator blabla to vote no on alito. i know s/he isn't going to do that but i just wanted him/her to know that is what i would like him/her to do. i wanted him/her to know that not everybody thinks alito would be a great addition to the supreme court." okay, i'll pass that message along.

phone and email the democrats--don't limit what you have to offer to just your state.

the supreme court effects all of us--if i can make even a tiny bit of difference on some senator's tally sheet in the filibuster column i'm happy. in part because i realize i'm not alone -- i know that if i'm doing it there are plenty of other people trying to make that little bit of difference--and between all of us i believe we can make the difference.

and you know...there's still time. :)

[Moochy]

58. Silence

They are outnumbered, and they like their opposition weak kneed and republican lite in NE.
At least thats what I'm reading.

Better to just count your blessings and thank Bob Nelson.. for standing up the them big ol mean republicans.

What A crock of shit I'm reading here. There is nothing to be thankful for with this jackass turncoat.
Switch parties, and for you DU'ers who like nelson and bush's nominees' i suggest you consider following mr nelson over to the elephant side of the house.

[orleans]

60. who's thankful? (who you talking to moochy?) n/t

[Moochy]

61. to the Ether :)

Sorry it's late . I detect some thankfulness in posts upthread.
I guess some have given up before beginning to fight. Is it not so much to ask to have democratic senators stick together on this?

Such a shame. He brings shame on nebraska. (not you!) I just I picked your post since it seemed like a good place to put my snarky comment.

[orleans]

64. ah, well then--here's to you: (hug)

:hug:

and no--it certainly is not too much to ask for the democratic senators to stick together on this one. and it's gonna be killing this country if they don't.

[PeachyDem88]

69. Sigh.

The last thing we should be doing, as a minority party, is telling people they're not welcome. Especially those with whom we have vast disagreements. What you're reading here is not a crock of shit. It's our reality. No one's asking for you to be thankful.

The alternative to this "jackass turncoat" is a jackass fascist theocrat.

Yes, I'm thankful for Ben Nelson, even though I don't agree with him. I'd take him over a Nebraska Republican any day of the week.

[Moochy]

83. Your call swayed him, I can feel it!

Sorry for the mean tone in my first post, it was late, I should been less snarky, or just waited.

I appreciate that you contacted his office, direct pressure helps, and maybe he had some sense knocked into his head, He issued a press release declaring a balk on his yes vote, not to gloat on it but every little bit helps, especially if you are in his state.

:patriot: So, yes we are all in this together, though it's often shocking how little we all have in common but the big tent is pitched, and the show must go on!

[PeachyDem88]

70. Hmph.

I wrote both of my senators an e-mail, just now.

In light of your efforts, I felt guilty for failing to take action, however futile.

I have pissed in the hurricane, because of you.

I hope you're happy.

:P

I suppose that I should write the DNC and the DSCC as well, and let them know that I oppose Alito's confirmation...

I always thought that it was frowned upon to contact senators out of one's own state. Am I wrong? Doesn't it matter?

[notadmblnd]

34. did you ask him what they're blackmailing him with?

mistress.... bribery.... kickbacks... sex with childlren?

[Maru Kitteh]

41. His Job

Look at the demographics in NE. It's not too hard to figure out.

[mnhtnbb]

38. Ben Nelson up for reelection in 2006

and he's from a VERY RED state.

I used to live in NE--in fact I had Ben Nelson and Bob Kerrey
in my home for a cocktail party prior to Jefferson Jackson dinner
one evening.

I moved away the year Nelson was first elected to the Senate (2000)
and NE has been consistently turning more Republican in the last
10 years. Used to have all Dem Senators and Governor (Nelson was Gov before he went to Senate). Mike Johanns--who is now Ag Sec'y, succeeded Nelson as Governor. Hagel took Sen Exxon's seat. Nelson is bound to be fighting for his seat. I've heard rumors that former NE Husker Coach Tom Osborne (who is now a Representative) may run against Nelson. If he does, Nelson will go down. So, Nelson is probably trying to position himself to be the most Republican-lite possible.

Just did a little research and discovered Osborne is running for Repub nomination for Governor.

A little further research reveals that a former NE Atty General, Don Stenberg, who is a complete a$$hole, is running again for the Repub nomination
for Senate. Nelson beat him for the Senate position in 2000 by a small margin. Stenberg was also supportive of a term limits initiative in 2000; as a result State Sen Ernie Chambers, African-American representing Omaha and about the most liberal member of NE Senate, was thrown out of office. Nelson has to be worried that Stenberg will get the nomination. Nelson is definitely a conservative Dem--but my God--Stenberg would be an abomination.

[DanCa]

39. Once again cya politics wins.

Over the common good.

[mnhtnbb]

42. Article from Lincoln (NE) newspaper

handicapping the Senate race. There is also now a huge advantage (about 179,000) more registered Repubs in NE than Dems.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/11/07/special/doc436ff2f53d0ad355105013.txt

[Imagevision]

46. Any Dem senator votes for Alito should be replaced in elections

by another Dem Senator -- but that's my 2 cents -- the country is going down the shitter with anything the Bush administration does -- Name one thing Bush has done to benefit this country? Idiots claim we haven't been bombed since 9-11 -- whoop de doo! - if any lightweight can't figure how many years went by since it was new York was hit a second time <8 years> my point, why is it impressive because we wern't hit for the past 5 years -- Cheney says don't think it's a coincidence that we haven't been hit since 9-11.

Like that's really a track record!

[flyarm]

48. get that bastard out of office!! now is too soon!!

its accountability time...do not give that bastard a dime and get someone good to run against him in a primary..take his ass down!

it is time for us to take back our party back for the very values we hold the dearest!

fly

[flyarm]

49. wtf..ben nelson will be on cspan washington journal at 850 am tommorro

tommorrow morning..why the sob who is voting for this fascist alito??

we need to all be ready and calling in and calling him what he is a traitor to this nation and party!!

please everyone call in in the morning!!

fly

[Moochy]

59. Thanks to the owners of CSPAN

Democrat party on line one!

[NVMojo]

53. whoa, a career wing nutt!

[fishwax]

54. that's weak

take him at his word? uh-huh :puke:

[cboy4]

56. Anyone want to wager when Ben "Zell Miller is my hero" Nelson

challenges Chris Matthews to a duel? :mad: :puke:

[DanCa]

66. She don't mention Zell Miller and Ben Nelson in the same sentence.

Considering the way we get royally screwed over Miller -Nelson may very well be the 08 ticket.

[Tsiyu]

65. That's another Democrat who needs to GO

this is not the time for any Dem to bend over. Nelson is only posing as a Dem and needs to be replaced by a real one.

This is sad news.

[B Calm]

67. told ya. I said we have a real big problem when we have to call &

fax our senators to vote down a fascist corporatist!

[mmonk]

72. We know.

[Maven]

73. The ABA did NOT "recommend" him.

In fact, their letter to the Judiciary Committee takes pains to emphasize that they approve ONLY of his qualifications as an attorney and are NOT evaluating how his ideology might bear on decisional strategy. An excerpt of their letter:

The Standing Committee’s evaluation of Judge Alito—and indeed, every other Federal judicial nominee—is based upon a comprehensive, non-partisan, non-ideological peer review of the professional qualifications of the nominee. In so doing, the Standing Committee uses well-established, well-defined, objective standards that measure the nominee’s integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament.
...
Consistent with that limitation, the Standing Committee did not investigate or consider Judge Alito’s ideology or political views during the course of its evaluation, nor did it examine what Judge Alito’s views might be on any issues that may potentially come before him, either on the Supreme Court or on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Nelson's letter makes the ABA's contribution to the process seem more on the order of an endorsement, which it is NOT.

Nelson must go.

[The Backlash Cometh]

75. I hope Ben Nelson gets investigated soon.

Anyone who votes for Alito, has something to hide.

[Fovea]

79. Say goodbye to your career Nelson

Because you are in your last term in office.

It won't take long for Alito to create a new America, one that most Americans won't like. Even Nebraskans will feel this.

[Freddie Stubbs]

80. Who is going to beat him?

He's up for reelection this year. No Democrat is challenging him in the primary. Do you think that he will be defeated by any of the Republicans running against him?

[Warren DeMontague]

84. Yeah, well, that's the last time I drive all 15 hours across Nebraska for

the scenery.

Fuck that noise.