Nelson, Lincoln Sticking with Cornhusker Kickback

You knew this was coming. Both Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson were out of the gate immediately Monday after the House passed insurance reform to say they would oppose the reconciliation bill. Lincoln said:

"The Reconciliation package devised by the House includes matter unrelated to health care and employs a legislative process that wasn't subject to the same transparency and thorough debate that we used in the Senate," she said in prepared remarks. "I cannot support this process."

Any excuse in a storm, eh? For Nelson, it's all about the student loan reform:

“No. 1, the student loan provision being included — not debated anywhere previously. It puts at risk 30,000 jobs at a time when we’re trying to create jobs all across America,” Nelson told reporters. “No. 2, the payroll tax on unearned income. I’ve always looked at that as a potential rescue for Medicare in the future and it goes into just general health care spending.”

We can thank Ben Nelson for one thing in the reform bill--the Medicaid expansion included for all states was the result of his politically disastrous deal for Nebraska. So Nelson would rather vote to let that toxic deal stand than allow this student loan overhaul. Of course, the whole reason the education reforms had to be included in the reconciliation bill (and were written into the rule that allows for reconciliation way back last year) is because of Nelson's steadfast opposition to making college more affordable to millions of students. Which is of course because of "Nelnet, a loan provider that employs 1,000 people and has contributed generously to his political campaigns," which is located in Nebraska.