VIDEO: Ben Nelson Responds (Lamely) To Progressives With New TV Ad

by: AdamGreen

Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 14:00

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America recently began airing ads in Nebraska holding Ben Nelson accountable for undermining the public option.

Immediately after these ads were announced, The Huffington Post's Sam Stein reported that Nelson called the small-business owner featured in the ad and defensively tried to get him to stop speaking out. Then Nelson called Howard Dean, founder of Democracy for America.

Today, Nelson continued scrambling -- airing an ad of his own in Nebraska on health care.

Nelson is obviously feeling the heat. Airing statewide ads is a highly unusual move for someone not up for re-election until 2012. Hopefully for him, he didn't spend too much money producing the ad because it's, well, quite boring.

As Greg Sargent points out, it didn't address the public option at all. And for good reason -- Nelson's efforts to undermine the public option are out of step with 76% of Americans, 71% of rural Americans, and even 50% of Republicans.

Today, the PCCC and DFA are putting the ad featuring the small-business owner holding Nelson accountable up for another week -- and will keep airing it as long as small dollar donors keep chipping in to air it.

You can click here to help keep these accountability ads on the air -- and keep the pressure on Nelson.

AdamGreen :: VIDEO: Ben Nelson Responds (Lamely) To Progressives With New TV Ad

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VIDEO: Ben Nelson Responds (Lamely) To Progressives With New TV Ad | 6 comments

That 76% percent figure (4.00 / 3)

assumes that people really know what the "public option" means in practice -- which would be remarkable, because the Democrats themselves don't know.

Given the bait and switch tactics of public option advocates, I'd guess that most people think that public option is a lot like Medicare, when it isn't -- neither in breadth of coverage, not even in fundamental philosophy. Medicare isn't part of a "health exchange" and for good reason -- It's a single payer system for those over 65.

Wouldn't it be better to simply advocate Medicare for All?

I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD.

by: lambert @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 13:07:41 PM CDT

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Keep up the good work... (4.00 / 2)

Ben Nelson is clearly running scared. Keep the heat on him, Mary Landrieu, and all the other "Democrats" working against real health care reform.

Yes, Virginia, there are progressives in Nevada.

by: Andrew Davey @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 13:48:44 PM CDT

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Who is paying for Ben Nelson's ads? (0.00 / 0)

I'd be curious to know if there is money coming into Nelson's coffers right now, and where it might be coming from.

by: joanneleon @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 14:02:38 PM CDT

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Nelson's campaign money (4.00 / 1)

Here are the top five industries from which Nelson received money from 2005 until present:

Industry / Total / Individuals / PACS
Insurance / $587,586 / $170,145 / $417,441
Lawyers/Law Firms $478,411 / $353,068 / $125,343
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $285,793 / $28,850 / $256,943
Securities & Investment $273,399 / $189,799 / $83,600
Lobbyists $242,895 / $238,510 / $4,385

http://www.opensecrets.org/pol...

by: joanneleon @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 14:10:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

why Nelson? (0.00 / 0)

i never really understood why people picked him out of all the others. i mean, i get that he is not voting the right way, but has he been doing anything in particular? it seems like Evan Bayh and Max Baucus are much more damaging.

not everything worth doing is profitable. not everything profitable is worth doing.

by: tatere @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 14:33:53 PM CDT

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I LOVE this campaign (4.00 / 1)

because it's the essence of democracy in action, and especially because it's clearly pissing Obama off. It'll be worth that much more if it gets him to govern like Candidate Obama for even just one day.

by: BigTuna @ Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 15:11:05 PM CDT

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VIDEO: Ben Nelson Responds (Lamely) To Progressives With New TV Ad | 6 comments

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