Dec 27 2011

Brilliant!

DSCC Wastes $1 Million in Ads on Retiring Ben Nelson

By: David Dayen, Firedog Lake

Tuesday December 27, 2011 12:00 pm

Ben Nelson, Nebraska’s Democratic senator, will retire from the Senate next year, despite benefiting from a million dollars in early-cycle advertising funded by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

…

I understand that the ad money was meant to entice Nelson into running for re-election by showing him the support he would receive from national Democrats. I don’t understand why you would spend that money. Nelson has spent the last couple years voting in lockstep with the Republican minority on dozens of key issues, particularly around spending and debt. His vote to keep Harry Reid in the majority obviously meant more to the leadership than any of his votes on substantive issues.

What’s more, Nelson was going to lose next year. Polling showed him consistently under 40% in Nebraska, and unlike in some other states, increased turnout from the Presidential race would not help him. Senate observers were writing this one off all ready, and any money the DSCC sunk into this race would have been as wasted as money put toward re-electing Blanche Lincoln or Rick Santorum or any other doomed incumbent.

I once again put forth the proposition that I could vaporize money much more efficiently than any of our current banksters, political consultants, or pundits.

You know where to find me.

2 comments

    • on 12/27/2011 at 21:37
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    • on 12/27/2011 at 22:34
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    What digby said: Good riddance to Ben Nelson

    I know I’m supposed to be really upset about Ben Nelson announcing his retirement because it probably means the loss of the Senate, but to tell you the truth I’m relieved. It was hardly likely the Dems would hold the Senate anyway and the loss of Nelson hardly counts as a loss to liberalism. His influence has been far larger than it deserved to be because he held down the rightward pole of the Democratic caucus (lately with a lot of help from the odious Joe Manchin)and basically serves as a defacto veto over any Democratic initiative that he disliked. He was a vote for Harry Reid as Majority Leader and there was a time that was valuable. But at the moment it’s clear that the congress is run by Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, so I see no particular value in having him around.

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