On October 1, 2021 at Lincoln South Rotary Club we heard from Ben Nelson.
Ben was introduced by President DeEtta as a former Nebraska Governor and US Senator.
He then took the podium and said ". . . and I wrote a book".
Ben shared that when he left the Senate he was encouraged by friends, family and staff to write a book. He had not been thinking about writing a book. As he was considering it he reflected on his time in politics. He sat back and reflected on what he saw as Washington unraveling.
He wanted to be careful not to be someone that things "the good ol' days" as the way we had it. He understood that there may be a better way of doing things. He did not want to incriminate anyone. He knows that it is easier to be a critic than a builder and that doing what they do in the Senate is very difficult.
He believes that the influence of media has attracted different individuals into the field today than when he was in the Senate. He said that many of them would scramble to get noticed by the media, such as carrying a portable podium with them to be prepared for a press conference. He shared a story of Bernie Sanders who changed where he sat in the Senate Chamber because it had a better camera angle.
Ben said he would share that there are three additional things he sees different today than when he was in the Senate.
Money
The amount of money required to run a campaign today is staggering. He, like many others, put personal money into the campaigns. But, today the campaign has to work very hard to raise the money. The amount of time it takes to raise the money and keep it so it cannot be traced distracts from the issues and the work that needs to be done.
Politicians have always been required to file annual financial disclosures. They need to report changes to income and investments. Some do not provide honest reports and, again, it takes time away from important work to create false reports.
Work Across The Aisle
Ben stated that there was a time when this happened on a regular basis. He was in the Senate during the George W. Bush vs. Al Gore campaign. Before the results of the campaign, he was asked what he would do if George W. won and he responded that he would work with him - he always planned to work with the President regardless of party.
Nelson talked about events in 2005 that changed how the Senate worked with regard to a procedure that allows the Senate to override a standing rule by a simple majority. This came about because of the use of the filibuster by Senate Democrats over Supreme Court Justice nominees. Ben is credited for bringing the idea forward and organizing the "Gang of 14" - see Wikipedia (click here).
Have Fun
Ben recalled that, during the time that he was in the Senate, they were a group that knew what they wanted to do and how to do it. They were a spirited group. He said it takes people willing to do that - willing to do the work that will help them work together.
He believes that we can all move a little to the left or a little to the right rather than making dramatic changes. Individuals will get elected because their positions - even if far left or far right. But, when in office it is hard to lead from those positions.
Ben pointed to the 4-Way test stating "we should all get to this".
Ben's book:
Death of the Senate: My Front Row Seat to the Demise of the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.
From a Lincoln Journal Star Article (click here), we hear about the book's forward written by Trent Lott and Joseph Lieberman.
Lott and Lieberman write, "senators have few personal relationships with colleagues in the other party and they don't listen to one another. We all have a stake in saving the United States Senate, so that once again it becomes the world's greatest deliberative body and a bulwark of our democracy."