Reply #65: He certainly is a conservative Democrat, but that said

[MADem]

he is representing HIS constituency. They agree with his stance and that is why his approval stays high. I find that when people bitch that "So and So doesn't represent OUR values" what they really mean is "So and So does not represent MY values."

Here are a few good points about Nelson:
Voted NO on require photo ID (not just signature) for voter registration. (Feb 2002)

Supports More Federal Funding for Health Coverage. (Sep 2000)
Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
Voted YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
Voted NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)

Opposes privatizing Social Security. (Sep 2000)

Strongly favors requiring companies to hire more minorities. (Sep 2000)
Supports "Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws". (Sep 2000)
Voted YES on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)

So, if those are a person's pet issues, that person LOVES the guy. Of course, he's on the other side of the street for other matters, but it really all comes down to "where you stand is where you sit" when deciding who you like, and who you excoriate.

Of course, given where he is from, he's a fan of STAR WARS, he likes the death penalty, he voted against raising the minimum wage, he's not pro-choice at all, he voted for the Cheney energy policy, and of course, he voted for the war and the Patriot Act/extension....but that plays where he comes from. He's representing his people, not us: http://www.issues2002.org/Senate/Ben_Nelson.htm