Bye Bye Ben Nelson. Don't Let the Door Hit Ya. @DavidOAtkins

Bye bye Ben Nelson

by David Atkins

Like Digby, I'm not shedding tears over Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's retirement:

Senator Ben Nelson, a two-term Democratic centrist from Nebraska who faced a tough fight to hold his seat, announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election.

“It’s time for me to step away from elective office, spend more time with my family and look for new ways to serve our state and nation,” Mr. Nelson said in a video statement.

“Simply put, it’s time to move on,” he added.

Mr. Nelson, a former governor, had been assessing his plans for months even as he raised money and was the beneficiary of party advertising. But even if Mr. Nelson were to run, Republicans saw Nebraska as one of their best opportunities to take over a Senate seat.

Mr. Nelson came under withering criticism at home for backing President Obama’s health care overhaul and also got caught up in a controversy over his demands for backing the economic stimulus legislation at the start of the Obama administration.

The announcement makes Mr. Nelson the seventh member of the Democratic caucus to decide to retire from the Senate after the current term. Several of them, including Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Jim Webb of Virginia are in swing states where they were likely to have encountered strong challenges.

I'm sure glad that we watered down and corrupted the Affordable Care Act with Cornhusker Kickbacks to bribe this guy, and thrilled that the DSCC spent over a $1 million on ads trying to defend his seat this year.

He was totally worth it, wasn't he?


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