Sen. Ben Nelson's opposition to President Obama's choice to head the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel appears to be the key obstacle to her confirmation. Democrats say Dawn Johnsen, an Indiana University law professor, has 59 backers in the Senate -- just one vote shy of cloture. Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, is standing firmly against her appointment, pointing to Johnsen's job 15 years ago as a counsel to the abortion rights group NARAL. All of which has left Nelson's critics furious. Where was the principled opposition from the Senator during the Bush years? Why is he refusing to show Obama the same deference that he offered the previous administration?The votes, they argue tell the story. Nelson supported cloture or confirmation for some of Bush's most controversial judges and political nominees, including several who were never able to be confirmed even under a GOP-controlled Senate. Moreover, Nelson often defended his positions by citing presidential prerogative.
I'd always suspected that there was a spine, a sense of moral courage, to be found somewhere among Congressional Democrats. I just never thought it would take having a Democrat in the White House for them to begin feeling their wild oats and doing their damnedest to (&^% things up. If I hear the term "Conservadem" one more time, I do believe I'm going to be engaging in some serious projectile vomiting. Perhaps the worst example of inept, self-serving lunacy is Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, who's suddenly decided to hold Barack Obama's nominees to standards he never would have dreamed of advocating during the Reign of Error ©.
Why has Nelson suddenly begun indulging his inner demagogue? Perhaps because he knows that Democrats don't have the cojones to hold each other accountable in the way that Republicans are famous for. I'm not going to advocate that Democrats need to enforce GOP-style lock-step ideological purity. Nonetheless, isn't it about time the majority party in Congress found some leaders who understand the meaning of "Grow a pair!!"? If Democratic leaders aren't willing to break eggs, how can we ever expect them to make omelettes?
On the one hand, I'm all too aware of Will Rogers' musing on his political leanings: "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat." Then again, this is exactly what's wrong with the Democratic Party today. Voters presented the party with a golden opportunity to actually make a difference...and idjits like Ben Nelson (among others) are too damn busy pursuing their own self-serving agenda in order to get with the program.
It's time for the Democratic leadership- including President Obama- to make it clear that things are going to have to change. No more freelancing, and no more self-serving, counter-productive media-whoring to prove your "bona fides" to your constituents. No more assessing every political issue with an eye on how it might impact your re-election prospects. There's work to be done, damn it...and instead of doing it, fools like Ben Nelson are playing directly into the hands of Republicans.
Sadly, I'd have to hazard a guess that Ben Nelson couldn't lead a pack of hungry Cub Scouts to a Dairy Queen....
Memo to Sen. Nelson (and his fellow "Conservadems"): it's time to LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY.... You were elected to lead, to act in the best interests of your constituents and your country...NOT your re-election prospects. Since January 20th, you've been embarrassments- to yourself, your President, your party, and- worst of all- your country. Stop acting like do-nothing Republicans and grow a pair...or go home.
WE DESERVE BETTER.
