Surprising many, Nebraska’s two term Senator Ben Nelson announced his retirement from the Senate and will not seek re-election.
To hear and see his announcement you can view the Senator Nelson YouTube video below:
Here are some links from Senator Nelson’s website and social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/senbennelson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/senatorbennelson?ref=ts
Website: http://www.bennelson.senate.gov
Here are some links from a variety of different sources and perspectives:
Journal Star: Nelson won’t run again; state and national implications
Omaha World Herald: Nelson Leaving Senate, not retiring
Fox News: Democrats Scramble After Nebraska Senator Announces Retirement
Bloomberg: Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska Won’t Seek Re-Election Next Year
Washington Post: Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson’s retirement has his party scrambling, GOP …
The Boston Globe: Senator Ben Nelson won’t run for reelection in 2012
San Francisco Chronicle: Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., won’t run for re-election
Daily Mail: GOP poised to regain control of the Senate as Democrat Ben Nelson retires
New York Times: A Snapshot of the Race for the Senate
New York Times –Blog: Nebraska Senator Won’t Run Again
San Francisco Chronicle: Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson Says He Won’t Run in 2012
Los Angeles Times: Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska won’t seek third term
AFP: Nebraska senator to retire, bad news for Democrats
New York Daily News: Sen. Ben Nelson won’t seek re-election, imperiling Democrats’ hold on the Senate
New York Times: Nelson to Quit the Senate, Giving GOP an Advantage
Wall Street Journal: Nelson’s Retirement Gives GOP a Lift
Salt Lake Tribune: Sen. Ben Nelson retiring, dealing blow to Democrats
TIME: Ben Nelson Retiring, the ‘Kickback’ Kicks Back
Washington Post –Blog: Ben Nelson retirement: How does it affect the Senate landscape?
Christian Science Monitor: Without Ben Nelson, can Democrats keep control of Senate in 2012?
CNN: Nebraska Sen. Nelson will retire
Politico: Ben Nelson’s retirement leaves Dems with a bleak Senate outlook
Huffington Post: Ben Nelson Retirement Exposes Efficacy, Waste Of Outside Money
USA TODAY: Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson to retire
Washington Post-Blog: Sen. Ben Nelson won’t seek reelection
Washington Post –Blog: Republicans delight in Democrats’ Nebraska misfortune
BBC News: Democratic Senator Ben Nelson to retire
Washington Post: Sources: Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, to retire
Washington Post: Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson tells supporters he’ll retire: “Simply put: It is …
msnbc.com –Blog: Recommended: Ben Nelson won’t seek re-election in ’12
Fox News: Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson Announces Retirement
Please comment on the impact of this announcement on the Democratic party and the Senate race in Nebraska.
I am extremely disoepaintpd in HR 627, which is misleadingly hailed as the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights. First off, I am one of those people who have been hit in the past couple of years with usury rates that came out of nowhere. I always paid on time and paid way more than the minimum. But the banks that we bailed out saw fit to raise my interest rates to 29% just because they knew they could get away with it.My disappointment is due to the fact that this bill actually does VERY little to give relief to cardholders. It does NOT cap rates or fees. It explicity ALLOWS rate increases if a cardholder is late for 30 days or fails to comply with a workout agreement. So, for those who are already in financial trouble this bill gives the banks the blessing of high rates. If you’re already having trouble, the bill will more than likely increase the likelihood that the cardholder will default even further, and probably will have to file bankruptcy. Thanks for nothing.This bill gives no relief at all for those of us who have fulfilled out contract only to be hit with the higher interest rates. I always used to pay a lot more than the minimum. Now it is impossible because when the rate was raised, so was the payment, and now most of the payment goes to interest instead of principle.Yes, it requires companies to give 45 days’ notice, but banks were already doing that. The outcome is the same. Unless you can pay off your account in that time, you will have to pay the higher interest rate. Most people can’t afford to pay the balance off in 6 weeks. If they could, they wouldn’t be carrying the balance. Transferring is not always an option, especially with the tighter credit regulations, and even if you do transfer, after the introductory period is over, you’re right back to that usury rate.The bill does prevent card companies from increasing interest on existing card balances. But it won’t take effect for so long, that most companies will get those rates raised before it takes effect. And again, for those of us who have already been mugged by these companies, there is no relief for us at all.It limits to 3 the number of over-the-limit fees the company can charge for the same transaction. Why not cap that charge to one, since it’s ONE transaction? Also, many times it’s the company’s interest charges being applied that cause the account to go over limit, and the cardholder still gets burned. There is NO protection against this practice.Supposedly stops the pay to pay practice such as charges for phone payments and same day payments. I’ve been hit with these. But frankly, a $10.00 payment fee pales in comparison to an extra $200.00 in interest EVERY month!Barring the issuance of cards to minors is a good thing and way overdue. There are other aspects of this bill that are helpful, but they are very minor when one understands that the extremely high interest rates are the major problem.The Senate and House need to get real and cap the interest rates. Maybe when we start seeing 50% or more rates they’ll do something. Yeah, right.