(Ben) Nelson gained expertise - and wealth - in his earlier field

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2257157&u_rnd=6421419

Published Sunday
October 8, 2006

Nelson gained expertise - and wealth - in his earlier field

BY JAKE THOMPSON


WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

WASHINGTON - Campaigning for re-election, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has touted his long political career and jabbed at the experience of his Republican challenger, former TD Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts.

Nelson's campaign has chided Ricketts for accepting bonuses at Ameritrade while the company was laying off 450 employees in the 2001-03 recession.

Ricketts fired back that Nelson received $59,000 in 2001 as a board member of Behlen Manufacturing Co. in Columbus, Neb., which laid off 500 employees in the same recession.

Both men had ready explanations. But the campaign crossfire drew attention to Nelson's sometimes overlooked life before politics.

In about a dozen jobs in the insurance industry, Ben Nelson, 65, took calculated risks, mediated conflicts and dug into details. That provided the springboard for his political career and, he says, taught him lessons that guide him as a senator.

"I have the experience of having been a CEO," Nelson said. "I know what it is to manage an operation, to require a bottom line and to get results. . . . I've found a way to make things happen."


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[Toots]

1. If we could gain the majority without this ass I would love to see him gon

He is IMO even worse than a Republican. At least a Republican is a known quantity. Nelson is a back stabbing SOB and has not helped the Democratic Party in any way shape or fashion. He needs to go. Remember he voted to allow Bush* to torture people.

[Omaha Steve]

2. He also voted to end the Paris Hilton tax, but....

He is a much better choice than Pete Ricketts any day!!!!