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    The Week

    Ben Nelson's planned retirement: A big blow to Dems?

    By The Week's Editorial Staff | The Week – Wed, Dec 28, 2011

    The Nebraska senator won't seek a third term, raising questions about the Left's chances of holding onto its slim Senate majority

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have trouble hanging onto his majority title in the 113th Congress. On Tuesday, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) became the latest moderate Democrat (following Kent Conrad and Jim Webb, among others) to announce that he won't seek another term in the 2012 election. Nelson, who faced an uphill battle for a third term, is the sole Democrat in Nebraska's five-member congressional delegation, and many political analysts believe his red-state seat could now be a relatively easy Republican pickup. The GOP is working hard to wrest control of the Senate from the Dems in 2012, and only has to net four seats to flip the Dems' 53-47 majority in the 100-member Senate. Is Nelson's retirement a "significant blow" to Dems, or no biggie since he would have likely lost his re-election bid anyway?

    This is a big loss for Dems: Nelson's retirement "puts Republicans one seat closer to a majority," Cook Political Report's Jennifer Duffy tells Bloomberg. I simply "don't see a path to victory for Democrats in Nebraska." Nelson is hardly perfect, Rothenberg Political Report's Nathan Gonzales tells Bloomberg, but he was the Dems' best bet in the Cornhusker State. And remember, Democrats are already "defending eight out of the 10 most competitive seats in the country." This is a "significant blow" in the Left's quest to keep the Senate.
    "Nelson's retirement hurts Senate Dems' in 2012"

    But Nelson would have lost anyway: This isn't such a big deal, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. Though I'm reluctant "to underestimate the power of incumbency," you can bet Nelson wouldn't have been re-elected in this "very red state." "The man couldn't even eat a pizza in peace after casting a decisive vote for ObamaCare and tossing his pro-life credentials into the wastebasket by doing so." He would have surely been replaced by "a credible Republican candidate." This development doesn't change "the calculus in Nebraska."
    "Breaking: Nelson to retire"

    This might even be good for Dems: Of course, this looks "like a very tough break for Team Blue," says David Nir at the Daily Kos. But there could be "a silver lining." If "Nelson really had no hope of winning another term, then a ton of resources would have been wasted on a futile attempt to save him." Now, if losing his seat is a foregone conclusion, Democrats can focus on defending seats they actually have a chance of keeping, not to mention helping new candidates, like Shelley Berkley in Nevada and Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, who stand a chance of picking up new seats.
    "NE-Sen: Democrat Ben Nelson reportedly will announce retirement"

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    13 comments

    • mimi
      mimi  •  Pleasanton, California  •  4 mths ago
      "Some say" that Nelson was a DINO - a Democrat in Name Only. His votes reflect his conservative bent as he sided most of the time with Republicans. He voted against most of Obama's legislation, including the Jobs act. "Some say" he was no friend to the working person; merely a friend of the wealthy.
      • craig
        craig 4 mths ago
        i heard that he voted with the dems about 80% of the time.
      • Andy
        Andy 4 mths ago
        Come on Craig don't let facts and numbers get in the way here.
    • gdkramer
      gdkramer  •  Springfield, Illinois  •  4 mths ago
      What ever happened to working together for the GOOD of the United States instead of all this infighting?
    • Topkick
      Topkick  •  4 mths ago
      Why would any sane individual want to remain in this dysfunctional Congress, unless he was a crook out to fatten his bank balance? And who cares about "control of the Senate?" The fillibuster ends anyone's chance of accomplishing anything, whether they have a majority or not. Balance of power, or simply mental imbalance? You call it! This country deserves better.
    • ChrisH
      ChrisH  •  4 mths ago
      The Dean 50-state strategy was a rousing success for the Democratic Party, but an utter failure for liberalism. Nelson is useless to the left, as are all the other senators mentioned and McCaskill. Never again should we of the left trust the Democratic Party's machinery to pull blue dogs left. It will always work the other way.
    • Charles
      Charles  •  4 mths ago
      Looking at the real face,of Ben Nelson,on yahoo news,Now you can see the real faces of most of congrees..Kick all there no good #$%$ out. Run Trump Run !!! OMG. OMG. OMG
    • G. S
      G. S  •  Sherman, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      We are not going to put back in the d##$%$$ GOP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      • craig
        craig 4 mths ago
        amen to that noise there in the birthplace of my dad.
      • Richard
        Richard 4 mths ago
        You both got your hands out saying give me. The Demo have nothing going for our country but bankrupting it. Sure the GOP has jerks too so do your homework and vote the #$%$ out like both California senators witch Barabra and witch Diane. Witch Nancy can go too. What a f--ked up state the Demos have made California.
    • Rich
      Rich  •  Bellevue, Nebraska  •  4 mths ago
      I'm a Democrat in Nebraska - as rare as a jackalope. You think Nelson's leaving will hurt the LEFT? Ben was not a member of the left. Because he was serving Nebraska he had to be very conservative. We may be losing a (D) on the rolls but Ben was a pain in the DNC's butt and the Cornhusker kickback sealed the deal...
    • Richard
      Richard  •  Riverview, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      Some folks; like me; are glad to be old and retired. I wouldn't want to be young with the way the GOP since Regan has been driving our country. At this rate; youngsters will have no ability to ever retire; but jobs at minimum wage won't keep up with current needs. Your future looks bleak.
      • mv
        mv 4 mths ago
        hi richard, both the gop & the dems have made horrible decisions while in power over the last 50 yrs. take the recently passed pay roll tax cut. i wonder how many people realize that ss will once again be underfunded. both continue to rob younger generations of their future with many current voters going along with it because they can't deal with the economic reality that will soon come crashing down on us. the younger generations will have to clean up our our mess which will have a negative impact on their standard of living.
    • Tweacherwous Twickster
      Tweacherwous Twickster  •  4 mths ago
      He's just another rat jumping off the sinking Dem ship.
    • Richard
      Richard  •  Charleston, South Carolina  •  4 mths ago
      He is leaving in disgrace with his tail between his legs and blaming the Tea Party for his under the table deals. What a scumbagger. Another jerk who thinks he is not responsible for his actions.
    • William
      William  •  4 mths ago
      Perception vs. Reality. If it FEELS like a bad year for Dems, donors will flee to the GOP. Donors want to be on the winning team. Big donors want to have influence... supporting the minority party that looks like it will lose big, is not a good way to spend your money. This perception stuff feeds on itself over time and becomes reality.
    • JOEL
      JOEL  •  4 mths ago
      Good riddance to another blue dog....
    • Windriver
      Windriver  •  4 mths ago
      Not good news for the Dems keeping the Senate!
      • Topkick
        Topkick 4 mths ago
        All a party needs is 41 votes to stop anything. The GOP has proven that over and over. If the elections go badly for the Democrats, they will give the GOP a dose of their own medicine! It won't help get the people's business taken care of, but we're way past that being a priority in Congress. It's get even at any cost. The hell with what's best for the US.
      • D.
        D. 4 mths ago
        Nelson is a DINO, through and through. Good riddance. The Democrats need to return to being the party of liberal and progressive ideas, not just "the other party of big business and the rich".
        Campaign finance reform that effectively removed the corporate money from politics would be an essential first start.
      • Windriver
        Windriver 4 mths ago
        The dems only had 1a 1 seat advantage!
     Post a comment

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