THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW – November 26, 2009

Conservative Democrat Nelson Will Vote
to Let Health Bill Proceed
by: David Lightman
McClatchy Newspapers

Washington – Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, one of three
moderate Democratic senators wavering on whether to allow
debate on health care legislation to proceed, said Friday
that he’d vote to move the bill forward.

Nelson’s decision inches the Democrats closer to the 60
votes they need to authorize the bill to proceed to full
Senate floor debate. Democrats control 60 seats, and are
thought now to have 58 committed votes.

The other wavering Democrats, Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu
and Arkansas’ Blanche Lincoln, remained undecided as of
midday Friday.

The vote is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday. Debate began
Friday morning. The legislation, which would make major
changes to America’s health insurance system, would cost
an estimated $848 billion over 10 years. It would be paid
for by cuts in spending on Medicare and Medicaid and by
raising a variety of taxes and fees.

Nelson said in a statement Friday that he’d vote to proceed
because “The Senate should start trying to fix a health
care system that costs too much and delivers too little
for Nebraskans.”

He still has serious reservations about the bill, but he
stressed that his vote “is not for or against the new
Senate health care bill… it is only to begin debate and
an opportunity to make improvements. If you don’t like a
bill, why block your own opportunity to amend it?”

Nelson repeatedly has expressed concern about the bill’s
cost and its abortion policy, which is less restrictive
than the measure that the House of Representatives adopted
Nov. 7. He said Friday that unless changes were made, he
was unlikely to support cutting off debate on the final
bill, which is likely to be necessary before it can pass
the Senate and which also will require 60 votes under
Senate rules.

“I support parts of the bill and oppose others I will work
to fix. If that’s not possible, I will oppose the second
cloture motion — needing 60 votes — to end debate, and
oppose the final bill,” Nelson said. “But I won’t slam the
doors of the Senate in the face of Nebraskans now. They
want the health care system fixed. The Senate owes them a
full and open debate to try to do so.”

Of the other moderates, Lincoln has told Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., how she’ll vote, but she isn’t
saying publicly.

“I would say to Senator Lincoln that I believe most people
in Arkansas would be relieved and happy to see health care
reform that gives them the peace of mind about the cost of
health insurance and the protection of their ability to
fight these health insurance companies,” said Sen. Richard
Durbin, D-Ill., the assistant majority leader.

Lincoln, who recently became the chairman of the Senate
Agriculture Committee, is viewed as the most reluctant
holdout.

She’d insisted that the health care bill be posted publicly
on the Internet for 72 hours before voting, which it was;
that time runs out Saturday evening, when the vote is
scheduled to start.

Aaron Saunders, Landrieu’s spokesman, said the senator
remained undecided.

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