For our nation, the election of Scott Brown represents a complete repudiation of the Reid/Pelosi health care plan and lack of integrity. One of Brown's election themes was that voters should send him to Washington to be the "41st vote." Stated another way, vote for me and we put the kibosh on the Democrat arrogance in Washington.
But what does Senator-elect Brown's victory mean specifically for Nebraska?
First, the national political press is reporting that Democratic insiders are blaming Sen. Ben Nelson and his Cornhusker Kickback for candidate Martha Coakley's loss. Could it be that Washington Ben Nelson's sleazy backroom deal will go down in history as the proverbial straw that broke the donkey's back?
There's still time for Nebraska Ben Nelson to do the right thing. I call upon Ben Nelson to join his fellow Democrat Senator Jim Webb (D-Va) and demand that Congress suspend all votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Scott Brown is seated. Moreover, Senator Nelson must demand that Congress START OVER on health care reform and work in a bipartisan fashion to develop common-sense, incremental reforms that do not involve a government takeover of 1/6 of our economy. Fail to do both of these and rest assured Nebraskans will give Ben the boot.
Second, Sen. Brown's election is further evidence of the futility of Tom White's candidacy for Congress. Tom White has said he "stands with Ben Nelson" on health care reform. Want to retract that? It's now clear that Nebraska and the entire nation think Ben Nelson's position and tactics on health care reform stink to high heaven. What happened in Massachusetts doesn't stay in Massachusetts.
Nebraskans know that Congressman Lee Terry represents a check-and-balance on the arrogant Pelosi agenda. Tom White? By committing to vote for Nancy Pelosi's health care bill and standing with Ben Nelson and his sleazy tactics, Tom White told Nebraskans all they need to know.
