Nebraskans not happy with Nelson over Cornhusker Kickback

Ben Nelson is a moderate, but remember he is a Democrat from a conservative state who may run into trouble if he runs for reelection in 2012. AP explains why:

It was the concern of Nebraska's Republican governor over expanded Medicaid costs in the proposed Senate health care overhaul bill that led to a compromise to cover his state's estimated $45 million share over a decade, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson said today.

Gov. Dave Heineman "contacted me and he said this is another unfunded federal mandate and it’s going to stress the state budget, and I agreed with him," the Nebraska Democrat said. "I said to the leader and others that this is something that has to be fixed. I didn't participate in the way it was fixed."

But Heineman expressed anything but gratitude, saying he had nothing to do with the compromise and calling the overhaul bill 'bad news for Nebraska and bad news for America."

"Nebraskans did not ask for a special deal, only a fair deal," Heineman said in a statement today.

The deal Nelson made for Nebraska is being called the "Cornhusker Kickback."

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