Reid Buys Nelson's Obamacare Vote

Senate Majority Leader Harry "Final Term" Reid finally succeeded in bringing South Dakota's relatively conservative senator, Democrat Ben Nelson, on board to break the Republican filibuster and vote for socialized medicine, aka Obamacare. (It's really Pelosicare, but that's another topic.)

How did he bring unshakeable Ben aboard? The usual way. By earmarking lavish taxpayer Christmas presents for Santa Claus Ben to bring home to his South Dakota constituents.

RedState's Dan Perrin opines:

The question of whether we live in a country ruled by leaders who refuse to listen, but do what they believe is in their own interest, has been answered.

Conservatives hate this bill. Progressives and liberals hate it too. The public is solidly against it.

But it does not matter, apparently. The implications of a country in open revolt against this bill and the elite in the Democratic party giving the public the finger are profound.

Besides the earmarks, how did Dirty Harry swing the vote of staunchly anti-abortion Ben?

Senator Nelson, according to a senior Senate staffer, got a huge appropriation for Nebraska — and a state opt-out for abortion funding, as in states can opt-out. Another Democratic Senator bought off with money we are printing to pay our bills.

Oh, the crafty "opt-out" state option we thought had been killed. And which currently tax-strapped state will have the guts to "opt-out" of any Federal giveaway, hmmm? Nice little bit of hypocrisy in this vote.

And so much for Nelson's principled stand against abortion which was allegedly what was holding up his vote. My guess is, ironically, that his consituents will remember this little switcharoo unfavorably when he's up for re-election, which is 2012, I think. Nelson probably figures that in 2 years, they'll forget about his amoral sidestep which is usually a bankable guess. We shall see. South Dakotans are not New Yorkers.

Perrin concludes:

...we have now crossed that line from what our country was into something else, and that something else has nothing whatsoever with the country being a Republic. There will be a reckoning for this, and it will not be pleasant — not for anyone.

A considerable majority of Americans hate this plan, or at least those parts of the plan that the lying Democrats have allowed them to see in draft. But it doesn't matter. As the peripatetic Alan Specter has proven, grabbing money to support a re-election campaign is what's important. To hell with the people who vote for you.

2010 could be a very interesting year for anyone who runs against an incumbent and has the courage to point this issue out.