Buy My Vote Ben Nelson Asks Attorney General To Call Off The Dogs

Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat-Nebraska, famous for selling his key vote in the Senate‘s health care legislation to Harry Reid, once again spineless, has asked South Carolina Attorney General McMaster to “call off the dogs,” in the face of a lawsuit which will challenge the constitutionality of the healthcare bill.

A Democratic senator from Nebraska who played a crucial role in getting health care legislation passed in the Senate last month has asked South Carolina Attorney General to “call off the dogs,” a reference to the state official’s threat to challenge the constitutionality of the healthcare bill.

In a phone call Thursday, Senator Ben “The Best Senator Money Can Buy” Nelson, Democrat-Nebraska, urged South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster to reconsider, Politico reported. McMaster is  the head of a group of 13 state attorneys general who are threatening to file lawsuits against the Senate health care bill.

Nelson asked McMaster to “call off the dogs,” according to a copy of the memo sent by Attorney General McMaster’s chief of staff to other state attorneys general detailing the call and obtained by Politico.

The attorneys general are challenging the constitutionality of a Medicaid provision in the bill that they say benefits Nebraska to the detriment of other states.

The deal Nelson cut with Senate Democratic leaders to buy his critical vote would exempt Nebraska from having to pay for the coverage of new enrollees into its Medicaid program and leave the tab with the federal government — a move expected to cost Uncle Sam $100 million over the next 10 years.

Buy My Vote Ben Nelson told Attorney General McMaster that the deal wasn’t his idea, but does that matter? It is the constitutionality of the arrangement which is being challenged, not the origin of the idea. Nelson further claimed the same Medicaid exemption would be offered to every state, according to the memo. If Nelson’s assertion is true, add another $5 billion to the cost of the bill.

McMaster told Nelson that the state attorneys were seeking to remove the Nebraska Medicaid provision from the bill and that “he saw no way that he – nor any of the state attorneys general ” will support extending the provision to every state, the memo said.

Way to go, Ben! First you sell out your beliefs and your country, and now you ask us to all look away. Congratulations to Attorney General McMaster, you’re a stand up guy.