I just got another email from the Nebraska Democratic Party with the message that poor, poor Ben Nelson is being beat up by the meanie out-of-state liberals.
About how the REAL enemies are the Nebraska Republicans who all oppose health reform, so therefore a Nebraska Democrat who opposes health care can't possibly be the enemy.
Follow the jump to see the actual email.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (Republican) of Nebraska's first congressional district opposes health care reform.
http://www.journalstar.com/...
Rep. Lee Terry (Republican) of Nebraska's second congressional district opposes health care reform.
http://twitter.com/...
Rep. Adrian Smith (Republican) of Nebraska's third congressional district opposes health care reform.
http://www.mccookgazette.com/...
Sen. Mike Johanns (Republican), the junior senator from Nebraska, opposes health care reform.
http://www.1011now.com/...
Now, one might think that with ample targets like this, out-of-state liberal activists hoping to pressure Nebraska's delegation into supporting health care reform would have no need to fall back on cheap tactics like knocking longtime Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson, who has made a welcome renewal of his commitment to comprehensive reform.
http://www.youtube.com/...
Sen. Nelson is offering constructive criticism and is addressing the concerns many Nebraskan's share regarding spending, cost control and support for small businesses. Sen. Nelson is adding to the debate while all we seem to hear from the Republican side of Nebraska's delegation is no, no, no and no.
It's true that Sen. Nelson is not a lockstep Democrat, which makes perfect sense because Nebraska is not a lockstep Democratic state. What might be a good fit for New York or California may have no place inside of Nebraska. Sen. Nelson is an independent-minded representative who thoughtfully and deliberately evaluates every side of each issue before making his decision. In other words, he is doing exactly the job we Nebraskans sent him there to do. Sen. Nelson has always and will continue to place Nebraska first.
So let's allow Sen. Nelson to do exactly what we asked him to do in 2000 and then again in 2006--take a careful and thoughtful approach to the situation, work with both sides of the aisle, and find a solution that will best serve Nebraska.
Place a call or pen a letter to Sen. Nelson. Thank him for his years of dedicated service to Nebraska and explain your concerns about health care in America today. But don't forget to let the contrarian, obstructionist, Republican side of our delegation know exactly what you think of party-hack representatives who can't contribute anything more to the debate about America's future than the adage: no, no, no and no.
Let's not allow Reps. Fortenberry, Terry, and Smith and Sen. Johanns get away with this kind of lazy representation. Contact their offices and tell them you want them to step up like Sen. Nelson by contributing constructively to the health care debate. Ask them to do their jobs.
Sincerely,
(redacted), State Chair
Nebraska Democratic Party
I am beyond fed up by this in my state, and by the Nebraskans who constantly weigh in with the idea that we can't do any better. I will concede that we can't get a real progressive on some issues. But the drumbeat seems to be that we can't anyone who will be progressive on ANYTHING. And I just fundamentally disagree with that assessment.
Iowa has Tom Harkin (Crucial lifetime progressive score - 89.25). South Dakota has Tim Johnson (Crucial lifetime progressive score - 74.16). Colorado has Michael Bennett (Crucial lifetime progressive score - 67.39). None of these senators (with the possible exception of Tom Harkin) is a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, but none of them are anywhere near as bad as Ben Nelson (Crucial lifetime progressive score - 43.50), a lifetime score that is lower than any other Democrat except Arlen Specter, whose score obviously reflects all his years as a Republican.
Ben Nelson has a lifetime "progressive tilt" score of -26.50. This is even though Nebraska is rated as "Strong Rep". The ironic thing is that a recent Gallup poll showed that in Nebraska is dead even in party affiliation when you measure whether people self report as leaning Democrat or Republican. I absolutely refuse to believe that Nebraska can't do better.
Mike Lux, a progressive from Nebraska, has written a great article about electing more progressives in conservative areas. The main thrust of this article is to stop the defeatism about reaching out to rural and small-town voters. About how outreach in Iowa, South Dakota and Montana has maintained a steady Democratic presence that is growing more progressive all the time. At the very least, Iowa and South Dakota are similar enough in culture to Nebraska that there is no reason, NONE, why it shouldn't work in Nebraska, too.
I sent back a very forceful answer to that email I got tonight. I strongly urge all Nebraska Democrats to do the same. I let the NDP know in no certain terms that they could expect no support for me, NONE, if Ben Nelson could benefit from it, and that I would be contributing time and money to individual campaigns of Nebraska Democrats, but not to the NDP. It's about time that Nebraska progressives let the NDP know that it doesn't simply get a pass because it's got the name "Democrat" in it.