TPMDC has this shocking story about Senator Nelson. He said he would've opposed his own abortion language especially when the bill was reconciled by both the House and the Senate and up for a final vote. Senator Nelson said that he'd threaten to filibuster the final bill unless tougher anti-abortion language was put in, such as the Stupak amendment.
Wow. This guy is no Democrat. He's a Democrat-in-name-only. Willing to block health reform just for his abortion pet issue to fuck women over and to please right-wing fundies.
Damn you, Senator Nelson.
Here's the story below:
Now that the Democrats have only 59 votes--insufficient to overcome a filibuster--Nelson is providing an inside look at his legislative strategy. And it's...remarkable. Nelson famously insisted that, to get his vote, Senate health care legislation would have to include restrictions on abortion financing. Now, however, he says his plan all along was to pull a bait and switch: Wait until the House and Senate met to merge their two bills and then push for yet tougher language.
"[O]nce it went to conference, as part of the conference, there was still another 60 vote threshold, and that is when I would have insisted... for my last 60th vote, it has to have [Stupak-like language]," Nelson said.
When the House and Senate have passed two versions of legislation, negotiators from both chambers come together to iron out the differences. The resulting, final legislation can still be filibustered, though, and when that happens, Senate rules say the package must attract 60 votes. That threat, Nelson says, is what would have given him the power to insist on tougher abortion restrictions.
"There were a whole bunch of people who didn't like the Nelson language - they only went along with because I could be the 60th vote," Nelson said. "Leverage increases, exponentially, like the difference between a number 2 earthquake, 3 earthquake, 4 earthquake - goes up exponentially like that - your leverage goes like that at the very end."
Conservative Senate Democrats like Senator Ben Nelson are nothing short of progressive policy terrorists. They don't care about passing progressive legislation that actually helps people. They do whatever they can because of the filibuster rule and the 60 votes requirement. It's what has allowed them to run roughshod over the democratic process, and over progressives in the House and Senate with their ransom demands.
Damn those Senate conservative Democrats. They'll continue to pull stuff like this if we don't abolish the filibuster rule and pass health care via reconciliation. Cut them out of the entire process. It's what they deserve, and we'll all be better off as a result.
Nuke the filibuster. Pass health reform via reconciliation. Cut them off at their knees. They don't deserve our votes, money, and manpower in upcoming elections.