Nelson Says “He Wouldn’t Change His Vote” For ObamaCare
On Christmas Eve in 2009, Senator Ben Nelson provided Democrats with the 60th vote in favor of President Obama’s $2.5 trillion government-run health care bill after cutting a backroom deal – which has often been referred to as the Cornhusker Kickback – with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
Nelson voted for this massive bill even though he knew it cut Medicare by $500 billion, raised taxes by $500 billion and was opposed by a strong majority of Nebraskans.
And since that time, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals – which was comprised of two judges who were nominated by President Bill Clinton and one judge who was nominated by President George H.W. Bush – ruled that the health care reform law’s requirement that nearly all Americans buy insurance is unconstitutional.
Nonetheless, earlier today Ben Nelson went on the airways and proclaimed that “he wouldn’t change his vote” and that he was proud to be the man who made government-run healthcare the law of the land.
CLICK THE SCREENSHOT TO LISTEN TO SENATOR BEN NELSON REAFFIRM HIS SUPPORT FOR OBAMACARE
“For those who wonder if Ben Nelson has changed after all his years in Washington, they need not look any further than his support for a massive government health care bill that cuts Medicare, raises taxes and dramatically expands government spending. And the fact that Senator Nelson still stands side-by-side with President Obama on this issue, shows that he’s simply not listening to Nebraskans,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.
Background
BEN NELSON WAS THE MAN WHO MADE OBAMACARE THE LAW OF THE LAND
“After A Grueling Stretch Of Dealmaking, Reid (D-Nev.) Announced This Weekend That He Had Won The Support Of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Giving Him The 60th Vote, Needed To Overcome A Republican Filibuster.” (Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray, “Health Bill Approaches Key Vote In Senate,” The Washington Post, 12/21/09)
WHICH TOOK OVER $500 BILLION FROM MEDICARE
The Health Care Bill Cut Medicare By Roughly “$500 Billion Over The Next Decade.” “To cover the cost of those changes, the compromise would impose a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on investment income for wealthy taxpayers, a levy that would come in addition to a Senate-proposed increase in the regular payroll tax for those families. And it would slice an additional $60 billion from Medicare, with the privately run program known as Medicare Advantage targeted for particularly deep cuts, bringing the total reduction in projected spending on the program to more than $500 billion over the next decade.” (Lori Montgomery and Paul Kane, “House Leaders Announce $940 Billion Health-Care Compromise Bill,” The Washington Post, 3/19/10)
AND WAS DEEMED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
“A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the individual coverage mandate in healthcare reform is unconstitutional… The ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals comes in the highest-profile challenge to the new law’s requirement that most people buy insurance. The suit was filed by 26 states.” (Sam Baker, Appeals court rules healthcare law’s individual mandate unconstitutional, The Hill, 08/12/11)
