Sen. Ben Nelson To Retire, According to Reports

by Nando Di Fino | 2:41 pm, December 27th, 2011

» 23 comments

Sen. Ben Nelson (D- Neb.), who is finishing out his second term, is expected to announce his retirement as early as today, according to POLITICO’s John Bresnehan. Nelson, 70, has already been stuck in the crossfire of a hotly-contested battle between Republican and Democratic groups hoping to claim his seat for their side. According to Bresnehan:

GOP-affiliated outside groups have already dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into TV ads bashing Nelson, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent over $1 million on their own ad blitz to bolster his image.

Nelson’s seat was especially intriguing because he represents an overwhelmingly Republican state, but still had a chance of winning the election. Without a strong Democrat, the seat could now go to the GOP, helping them to possibly topple the Democratic majority in the Senate.

The promising news for whichever candidate may replace Nelson (and the leading guess is former Senator Bob Kerrey, the man Nelson replaced)? The Republican opposition hasn’t been whittled down just yet. The Washington Post speculates that as many as four Republicans could throw their hat in the ring, including Attorney General Jon Bruning, state Sen. Deb Fischer, state Treasurer Don Stenberg, and Gov. Dave Heineman.

On Sunday, the Journal Star‘s Don Walton wrote that if Nelson opted not to run, it would be a far less exciting campaign season for the state.

“Game over. Cork the champagne; turn off the lights,” Walton wrote. “Nebraska Democrats would Occupy Neil Diamond, ‘crying in your pretzels,’ while he wails: ‘What can I do to ease the pain?’

ben nelson, Politico, Retirement

Anonymous

And the victims of Obamacare keep piling up. Though, this isn’t surprising. The ass couldn’t even eat pizza in his town anymore.
Henry Wood

Good news! It would be better to have a real republiklan in there than a democrat who acts like a republiklan.
http://twitter.com/gadfly666 gadfly666

Good riddance. A terrible senator. Democrats will be better off without him.

The low IQ Conservatives/Tea Baggers/Republicans of Nebraska can now vote against their self interest and elect a real Republican. Nebraska is a state with a lot of poor people that depend on government programs, so they can now elect someone who would work for the rich.
Gloves H. W. Donahue

Good. Frank Lautenberg wants to remain a Senator till he’s 95 (till 2020), so much that he’s backing Schumer’s brother-in-law for a Federal Judgeship.
Anonymous

Blue dog dem = republican,good riddance
Anonymous

“The low IQ Conservatives/Tea Baggers/Republicans of Nebraska can now
vote against their self interest and elect a real Republican”

The national unemployment rate is 8.2%. The unemployment rate in TX is almost a full percentage point lower. However, the unemployment rate in California is above 10%.

Why do you think it’s “against their economic interest” if someone would rather vote for a party that creates more jobs than it destroys?

Incidentally, the unemployment rate of Nebraska (3.6%)is even lower than TX – in fact, it may be the lowest in the country. NE has a Republican Governor, Republican Lt. Governor and a Republican legislature. In fact, the only Democrat statewide office holder in NE is Ben Nelson. It’s pretty clear that the Republicans in NE, and the people who elect them, know what they’re doing.
Anonymous

Good News.
Pablo

Yeah, but he’s a Blue Dog Dem who can be bought off. Good riddance, indeed.
Anonymous

He’ll retire but his hair lives on.
Booberry Pah

Presidint Obama thanks you for your sacrifice. Maybe he will give you a free Obama autograph for your trouble. If you donate the maximum $38,000.00 to his campaign he might enter you into a raffle for the chance to win a limited edition Obama iPod full of his speeches.
Anonymous

Before you start congratulating the Republican party for running this state, there are some facts you need to know. Sub-prime lending was very, very rare in Nebraska. As a result, our banks did not take a hit. Second, our economy is based upon agriculture and commodity prices are at a historic highs. Finally, Nebraskans are very supportive of public education in this state. We have two private university of note (Creighton and Bellevue University), but the vast majority of students attend Nebraska or the University of Nebraska at Omaha. School bond issues are rarely voted down and teachers are respected, not reviled.
Anonymous

Glad to see the infamous Cornhusker Kickbacker kicked out of office.
The shortlist of Ben Nelson’s legacy of Liberalism includes:

- TARP bailouts
- Trillion dollar “Stimulus” slush fund
- ObamaCare, unconstitutional mandates & Cornhusker Kickback
- Taxpayer funding of abortions via ObamaCare & Planned Parenthood
- Dodd-Frank takeover
- Seizure of GM/Chrysler at loss to taxpayers
- Cash for Clunkers
- Cash for Caulkers
- Nationalization of student loans
- Forcing homosexuality upon our combat troops during the lame duck
- Voting for sodomy & bestiality in Defense bill
- Forcing first ever downgrade of U.S. credit rating
- $5 TRILLION in new deficits (1/3 of entire national debt under
Obama)

BenGay has been giving us Nebraskans the middle-finger salute for 3 years now, past time for him to become a lobbyist for his liberal sugar daddy, the Oligarch of Omaha, Warren Buffett…
NDanielson

Aww another sellout schmuck, calling it a day. Enough damage done, Benny?
Anonymous

na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey good-bye. smell that? smells like a clean sweep come november.
Anonymous

He saw the writing on the wall; honest folks won’t ever forgive him for what he did – a once good man, turned crook for Obama. Another politician who showed integrity doesn’t matter.
Anonymous

LOL at our conserv peeps here, all giddy like he was actually a Democrat! Ben was not just a blue dog, but to doggiest of the blue dogs. Good riddance. He was voted in by Democrats and voted with the Republicans. He only voted for the Affordable Care Act after he got special privileges first. Better to have a repub in the seat who you know is a repub, than to have a dem who is really a repub (OMG… a DINO!). Laters Mr. Nelson, don’t let the door hit ya where the Lord split ya.
Pablo

Meanwhile, a drive to recall both of Montana’s Democrat Senators is being undertaken, with an assist from Daily Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/25/1048711/-Montanans-Launch-Recall-of-Senators-Who-Approved-NDAA-Military-Detention-Merry-Christmas,-US-Senate

America is just full of surprises.
Anonymous

No moderates are permitted in the democrat party. They only allow radical America hating liberals.
Anonymous

So, voting for total control of healthcare was acting like a “republiklan”(Robert Byrd’s former group)? You are a retard.
Henry Wood

I wonder what “total control of healthcare” bill you think you are talking about.
Anonymous

This is a great opportunity for the tea party to take the seat being “deserted” by the moderate, Nelson.
Nebraska hates Obamacare as much as the rest of real America.
Anonymous

He’s just another rat deserting a sinking ship.
Anonymous

SEE you later, not soon enough