A Nebraskan's View

Monday, January 25, 2010

BIPARTISANSHIP: PRESCRIPTION FOR WHAT AILS US By Senator Ben Nelson

If you can read one thing into the recent election in Massachusetts it is that America needs bipartisanship now more than ever to create jobs, boost our economy, clean up our environment and to fix a national health care system that 70 percent of Nebraskans want fixed, according to a recent newspaper poll.

People are disappointed that there’s not more bipartisanship, I am too, and have been from the very beginning. I’m the one who said we should have 65 votes for any major piece of health care reform legislation, and then had ads run against me by members of my own party.

A Wakeup Call The Massachusetts vote should be a wakeup call for Washington. Republicans now have 41 votes in the Senate, Democrats and Independents have 59. The 60/40 split that took us too far down the road to partisan gamesmanship is history.

Now maybe we can get on with the business of the country. The vote should end the situation where one side thinks it doesn’t need the other, and the other thinks there’s no need to work together for the good of the nation.

Enough Blame for Both Parties Republicans have a responsibility—and had it in the past—to engage, not sit on the sidelines. And Democrats have a responsibility to make a renewed effort to work across the political aisle. Both parties have a responsibility and an obligation to work together now. It remains to be seen whether or not that will happen.

I believe that means that bipartisanship should be the word of the day. Bipartisanship will bring people together all across our country. Bipartisanship will deliver progress for the American people. Working across the aisle is the way in which we get that done. I’ve done that over my 9 years in the Senate and before that as governor of Nebraska. This past year it has been difficult or even impossible.

Continue Working for Bipartisanship But I will continue listening to the 70 percent of Nebraskans who want health reform. It’s certainly no surprise that such a large number of Nebraskans want things to change. 220,000 Nebraskans don’t have health insurance and all other Nebraskans are paying more and more each year for health care.

I will continue reaching across the aisle as I’ve always done to develop bipartisan health reform that works for Nebraskans. I will work for bipartisanship every chance I get, and I believe that bipartisanship is the only way forward for Congress to deliver for the American people.