Ben Nelson Shakes His Tin Cup Again: Not "100 Percent Certain" He Will Vote for Health Care Bill

Is he holding out for even more concessions? Or was the Dodd/Dorgan/Brown trifecta finally too much for him?

Actually, probably neither; he's instead trying to warn others not to undo the compromises made to get his vote, or else he'll bolt.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson earned himself the ire of the majority of Americans and pro-life advocates when he became the 60th vote for the pro-abortion government-run health care bill. Now, Nelson says Democrats shouldn't count on him to deliver the final vote on the final version of the legislation.

Should the top Democrats merging the House and Senate versions of the health care bill expand abortion funding beyond what Nelson already compromised on in the Senate, he says he will vote against the bill.

Nelson also says he is a potential no vote if they insert the public option, currently found in the House bill but not the Senate measure, into the final measure.

Asked if he planned to vote for the final legislation in the Senate, Nelson told The Chadron Record newspaper in an interview, “I hope so, but I'm not 100 percent certain of it."

“I've made it so clear. It isn't going to happen," Nelson said of the public option. “I'm not giving away that 60th vote. I've not been bribed for it.”

Whatever, dude.

posted by Ace at 03:50 PM

| Access Comments