Nelson: Election a ‘wake-up call'

Sen. Ben Nelson said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday that the results of the Massachusetts election for a Senate seat should serve as a “wake-up call” to Washington that people are frustrated with partisanship.

Republican Scott Brown was chosen to fill the seat formerly held by the late Edward Kennedy, giving the GOP the 41 votes needed to block legislation.

The new split in the Senate means that Democrats must reach across the aisle to work with Republicans, Nelson said, and Republicans have an obligation to work with the majority.

“Bipartisanship should be the word of the day,” he said.

Nelson said Democrats should not try to rush the final bill through before the new Massachusetts senator is seated but that it's up to Senate leadership to plot a course forward on health care.

“The overriding message from (Tuesday's election) is that people are upset because Washington is dysfunctional and not working together for them,” Nelson said. “The vote should end the situation where one side thinks it doesn't need the other, and the other thinks there's no need to work together for the good of the nation.”

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