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Source: The Hill
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) expressed Friday that he would prefer a bipartisan health reform bill because it would be "closer to the mainstream of American thought."
"That's why it's important that we reach across the aisle, that we have as much input from the other side as humanly possible," Nelson told NPR, adding, "Now, that assumes there's an interest over there in doing that."
"If this is going to have credibility to the American people, I think the credibility increases by the level of bipartisan support that any particular bill gets," he continued. "I do think ... it's is not just because of appearance, I think we'll get a better bill."
Nelson is widely regarded as a major swing vote on health reform. He has told reporters he has yet to decide which, if any, bills he supports, and he has a history of bucking the party on procedural votes.
“I’m not going to commit anything at this point in time on procedural votes, neither pro nor con, because it will depend on the circumstances," he told The Hill this week. "I can’t make those decisions in advance because it depends on what the bill is and what the circumstances are at the time.”
Nelson did suggest, however, that a bill closer to the ideological center -- drafted and passed with the help of the Republican Party -- would be most likely to win his approval.
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