During his tumultuous tenure at the New School in Greenwich Village, liberal New York Democrat Bob Kerrey phoned his buddy Senator Ben Nelson and instructed him to vote for President Barack Obama’s $1.76 trillion healthcare bill.
According to Kerrey’s hometown newspaper, he personally spoke with Ben Nelson and convinced him to support the bill and Nelson proceeded to make a backroom deal – commonly known as the Cornhusker Kickback – with Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid.
As The New York Times reports:
Kerrey Spoke To Ben Nelson About Health Care Reform Days Before The Vote. “To help divine Mr. Nelson’s thinking, a wide array of Democrats have reached out to him in recent days, including former Senators Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. In the calls, Mr. Nelson has not disclosed how he is leaning, but his friends say they can sense the pressure he is facing.” (Jeff Zeleny and Robert Pear, “A Race To Woo The 60th Vote For Health Bill,” The New York Times, 12/18/09)
Notably, Kerrey once said the longer he lives in Greenwich Village, the more liberal he gets on government-run healthcare.
“Not only did liberal New York Democrat Bob Kerrey say he would’ve voted for ObamaCare, he personally told Ben Nelson to vote for the massive takeover of healthcare,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Jahan Wilcox. “Between the intrusive mandates and the massive cuts to Medicare, it’s clear Kerrey is just as responsible as Ben Nelson for making ObamaCare the law of the land.”
