How can one senator from a state of 1.75 Million people have this

[Thickasabrick]

much control? Nelson has said that if the house changes basically anything, he will vote no after the bill comes out of committee...so basically this lone senator representing less than 1% of our population controls the house and the senate as it relates to the health insurance bill.

This is just so wrong. Kill the bill.

[ixion]

1. the problem is career politicians, like Nelson

they've been around too long, and have gamed the system to the point where they have considerable power.

[hughee99]

2. He only has this power because of the other 99 Senators

If you can make up for Nelson's vote elsewhere, you can tell him to go fuck himself. Any Senator, regardless of where he's from or how many people he represents, has this power on very close votes.

[Inuca]

3. In other words

kill the bill in order to spite Ben Nelson? OK....

[Thickasabrick]

4. Not at all. Kill the bill because it is being modified to cater to less

than 1% of the population. Spite? Have you read the abortion language?

[ananda]

5. I agree. Let the bill die!

It's a bad bill.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. Answer: lack of party discipline

in the British Parliament, and most parliaments that follow the Westminster system, there is a much stronger whipping system to ensure party discipline; there's a weekly circular distributed with the party's position on particular bills, called the 'whip'; a measure underlined three times is known as a 'three-lined whip', and calls on Members to attend the vote (unless in hospital or for other very good reasons) and vote as the party directs, or face the consequences of 'having the whip removed', that is, being excluded from their Parliamentary party, and deselected for their constituency at the next election.

[Thickasabrick]

8. Although our system lacks the "whip", the major disappointment for

me has been the President's lack of pressure towards Lieberman or Nelson (and the rest of the Blue Dogs) throughout this entire process.

It is a bad bill and we need a stronger hand from the administration to get what the entire country needs...not just 1% of it.

I'd like to see the "whip" system adopted because at least we would know that party these people belong to.

[Laelth]

7. I agree.

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Hello_Kitty]

9. Oh now, Ben Nelson is just a lowly US Senator

With an actual vote and the ability to block cloture and scuttle the whole bill if they don't let him sniff womens' panties.

Don't you know that the real villains are Howard Dean and Move On?

:sarcasm:

[Thickasabrick]

10. LOL...I read (and kicked) your other Nelson thread. The vision of

Nelson sniffing women's panties is so appropriate for this discussion. Someone needs to build on that and photoshop it.