DNC gave $500K to anti-public option Ben Nel$on's health care ad campaign

By GottaLaff



This will ruffle more than a few feathers, mine included:

Americablog discovers the DNC sent nearly $500,000 to the Nebraska Democratic Committee to run advertisements defending Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-NE) vote for health care reform.

"Nelson announced his support for the much-weakened Senate health care bill on December 19, 2009. He cast his vote for final passage on December 24, 2009. The DNC transferred money to the Nebraska party on December 28, 2009. You do the math."

More from Sudbay:

So, not only did Nelson get bought off with Medicaid funding from the federal treasury, it now appears he got TV ads, paid for by supporters of real health care reform, praising him for killing real reform. As David Dayen noted last week, Nelson was fully prepared to torpedo the bill anyway.

Most state parties would greatly appreciate a $500,000 infusion of cash from the DNC. That doesn't happen very often.

It sure doesn't. Imagine those who could have made, you know, good use of money like that, instead of anti-public option, anti-Medicare-buy-in, anti-abortion rights Nelson.

Way to unify the party, DNC. Enjoy siding with obstructionists much? Apparently, real health care reform and the lives of millions of Americans weren't a huge priority.

As Greg Sargent puts it:

Joe Sudbay reports that your donations to the DNC may have funded ads praising Ben Nelson for watering down reform — perhaps not the goal you intended.

No, perhaps not. Not even close.