Down double-digits in the polls following his rubberstamp support for ObamaCare and the failed stimulus boondoggle, Nebraska’s senior U.S. Senator Ben Nelson bravely announced yesterday that he is now supporting a 5 percent cut from Congress’ budget for the rest of the year. According to The Hill, Nelson said, “There will be cuts and while some will be painful, it’s important to lead by example.”

Nelson’s newfound rhetoric is notable because he took the exact opposite position in the last Congress when the focus on his 2012 reelection fight was far more limited. In fact, when Republican Senator David Vitter (R-LA) introduced an amendment to simply freeze legislative branch funding at the current levels for fiscal year 2010 — and not even cut funding — Nelson led the fight against the amendment and advocated for a legislative branch spending increase.

“When Nebraskans consider Ben Nelson’s rhetoric this week against his big-government record of the last several years, the hypocrisy is astonishing,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond said today. “The reality is that under Ben Nelson’s watch, the federal government’s spending and debt have exploded, and only now that he’s facing a tough reelection battle is he singing a different tune. Nebraskans won’t be fooled by this unfortunate case of political posturing from their senior Senator.”

In a June 25, 2009, speech on the Senate floor, Nelson opposed the Vitter amendment and expounded at length on how the work of Congress could be harmed if a spending freeze was put in place, saying for example:

· “I do not know how a spending freeze can be proposed to an agency that desperately needed this kind of help to do their job here so we can do our jobs here in Congress. It does not make sense….The agencies funded in this legislative branch work for Congress. Quite simply, if you reduce their funding, you will reduce the service we receive here in Congress at an important time when we are facing important legislation. So we are a little spoiled here.” (Congressional Record, Nelson Floor Remarks, 6/15/2009)

But Senator Nelson’s hypocrisy doesn’t stop there. Just six months ago, when he likely thought few would notice, Nelson also voted against a common-sense amendment sponsored by U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) to cut non-defense discretionary spending by 5 percent. As Senator Thune noted in a floor speech that day, under the Democrat-controlled Senate, non-defense discretionary spending had grown by 21 percent in just the last two years. Yet, apparently that massive spending increase was not a concern of Senator Nelson’s six months ago either.

It’s remarkable to watch how low poll numbers and an uphill reelection battle suddenly affect one’s legislative record and rhetoric.