I remember in college when I was a freshman, I made a comment in an American government class about party politics. I said that I believed in "voting for the man" and not "the party."
The way my professor responded changed my view of politics entirely. He explained that despite a man's (legislator's/woman's) best intentions, that in our political system the party controls the man (legislator/woman). You can vote for "the man" every time, but in the end, his party will control his vote. This plays out time and time again in American politics. Though it sounds very altruistic to believe that "the man" will vote his conscious, It doesn't happen that way. What's altruistic is not realistic.
What happened with Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska is a perfect example of my professor's lesson that day.
I wonder how much he was threatened.
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He got the abortion restrictions he wanted AND Nebraska has free Medicaid. Was he threatened or doing the threatening?
ReplyDeleteIt is the stated intention of the White House to veto the language that restricts federal funding for abortions. Nelson, and everyone else on the Hill knows this, as well as anyone following Obama's agenda. He's made promised to Planned Parenthood and NARAL ... and made them on the record for the media.
ReplyDeleteNelson sold out for 30 pieces of silver.
From http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/15/axelrod-signals-obama-try-strip-abortion-language-health-care/
"White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod suggested Sunday that President Obama will intervene to make sure a controversial amendment restricting federal funding for abortion coverage is stripped from final health care reform legislation."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09091805.html
But hey, all the Dems got to save face with this "compromise," and by the time the legislation is passed and the vetoes are made, most Americans won't be paying attention any more.
ReplyDeleteJust another variant on what we saw with Landrieu and the "Louisiana Purchase," except that Nelson pretended to have principles.
ReplyDeletePity he's not up for election next year. But I still believe there will be consequences for the party and the men—and women—who pushed this on us.