Have you ever listened to Ben Nelson, the Senator from Nebraska? He was the lone Democratic holdout for the healthcare bill currently working its way through the sausage factory of the upper house in the U.S. Congress.
This weekend, I viewed Nelson deliver a live press conference explaining the decision by which he committed his vote in favor of the healthcare legislation being shoved through Congress in the dead of night. The 60 votes needed to pass the bill in the Senate are now sealed.
Nelson is very impressive when speaking. “Gee,” I thought, “This guy should be in charge of the senate instead of Harold Reid from Nevada.” Nelson is much more suave, knows his stuff, appears resolute, and is persuasively calm in his delivery. I was very impressed.
But hold on! That was before I heard of the Cornhusker Kickback to Senator Nelson on Sunday. His deal with Senator Reid contains a singular provision which gives Nebraska – and only Nebraska – tens of millions in undisclosed funding for Medicaid and for insurer tax breaks. (As of this writing, the cost of these special perks has not been revealed.)
According to MSNBC and The New York Times, “Mr. Nelson committed his vote after winning tighter restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions, as well as increased federal health care aid for his state — special treatment denounced by Republicans.”
Except for Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) who opposed the bill, yet also sold her vote for $300,000,000 in extra federal health care dollars for her state, Ben Nelson is thought to be the only other senator who, although he strongly opposed the overall healthcare measure, traded his vote for the same reason.
There is a commonly used noun to describe women and men who sell their bodies for cash. What is the noun used to describe senators who sell their integrity for an analogous reward?
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