More Senators Lining Up for Sweetheart Deals

That didn’t take long. Ben Nelson opened a can of worms. More senators are lining up at the trough for their share of health care goodies.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, after securing a sweetheart deal for his state as part of the health insurance reform bill, said Tuesday that three other senators have told him they want to bargain for the same kind of special treatment. 

“Three senators came up to me just now on the (Senate) floor, and said, ‘Now we understand what you did. We’ll be seeking this funding too’,” Nelson said. 

But the Democratic senator, who has faced a heap of criticism for appearing to trade his vote on health care for millions in federal Medicaid money, said he’s considering asking that the Nebraska deal be stripped from the bill. 

Though he defended the exemption as a “fair deal,” he said he never asked for the full federal funding that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ended up granting his state. Nelson said he instead asked that states be allowed to refuse an expansion of Medicaid. 

“This is the way Senate leadership chose to handle it. I never asked for 100 percent funding,” he said. 

Nelson’s too much. So, if someone offers to bribe a Senator it’s okay as long as the Senator didn’t ask for it. Nelson then blamed Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman. Heineman denied having anything at all to do with it.

But here’s the kicker:

Nelson would not name the three senators he said told him they’re thinking of seeking the same kind of federal aid. He said he expected them to seek the money outside the health care reform process, and he defended their efforts. 

“Why should states be forced to pay for a (federal) unfunded mandate?” he said.

Good question. So why is Nelson voting for a bill that forces unfunded mandates on the states?

I’m not one to heap praise on Lindsey Graham, but on this issue he’s right.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has asked his state’s attorney general to give the deal a legal review, and said it’s not fair to other states that are still going to have to pick up part of the Medicaid tab. 

“I think that’s just incredibly inappropriate. … That is the worst in politics,” he told Fox News on Tuesday. “I don’t believe most senators believe this is OK. … I think it stinks. I think it’s sleazy.”

It is sleazy, and every state should review this unconstitutional bill and figure out a way to start nullifying the legislation coming out of Washington, DC. The states created that monster, it’s about time they bring it under control.