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Death of the Senate: My Front Row Seat to the Demise of the World's Greatest Deliberative Body
Something is rotten in the U.S. Senate, and the disease has been spreading for some time. But Ben Nelson, former U.S. senator from Nebraska, is not going to let the institution destroy itself without a fight. Death of the Senate is a clear-eyed look inside the Senate chamber and a brutally honest account of the current political reality.
In his two terms as a Democratic senator from the red state of Nebraska, Nelson positioned himself as a moderate broker between his more liberal and conservative colleagues and became a frontline player in the most consequential fights of the Bush and Obama years. His trusted centrist position gave him a unique perch from which to participate in some of the last great rounds of bipartisan cooperation, such as the “Gang of 14” that considered nominees for the federal bench—and passed over a young lawyer named Brett Kavanaugh for being too partisan.
Nelson learned early on that the key to any negotiation at any level is genuine trust. With humor, insight, and firsthand details, Nelson makes the case that the “heart of the deal” is critical and describes how he focused on this during his time in the Senate. As seen through the eyes of a centrist senator from the Great Plains, Nelson shows how and why the spirit of bipartisanship declined and offers solutions that can restore the Senate to one of the world’s most important legislative bodies.
In his two terms as a Democratic senator from the red state of Nebraska, Nelson positioned himself as a moderate broker between his more liberal and conservative colleagues and became a frontline player in the most consequential fights of the Bush and Obama years. His trusted centrist position gave him a unique perch from which to participate in some of the last great rounds of bipartisan cooperation, such as the “Gang of 14” that considered nominees for the federal bench—and passed over a young lawyer named Brett Kavanaugh for being too partisan.
Nelson learned early on that the key to any negotiation at any level is genuine trust. With humor, insight, and firsthand details, Nelson makes the case that the “heart of the deal” is critical and describes how he focused on this during his time in the Senate. As seen through the eyes of a centrist senator from the Great Plains, Nelson shows how and why the spirit of bipartisanship declined and offers solutions that can restore the Senate to one of the world’s most important legislative bodies.
- GenresPolitics
264 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2021
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2021
Ben Nelson, former Senator and Gov. of Nebraska, begins this wonderful, interesting, fun read of how the Senate should work with his thoughts on the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh. That takes a lot of integrity, pure guts, and savvy to state his principles on that controversial appointment (which Nelson has always done). From those first pages, I knew the book would be a learning experience and Nelson has not failed the reader. He explains our history of the Unicameral in Nebraska, the late George Norris (former Governor and Senator) who was Nelson's mentor and a wise, contributing Nebraskan throughout his life . . . and that's just the beginning of Nelson's journey into politics. Proud to be a Nebraska Democrat and to have voted for Ben Nelson in his elections for Governor and the Senate.
His historical ride is honest and fair; his memory is factual; some of his jokes fall short, but he is a fun, gentle man who enjoys people and a laugh; he is a family man; and his writing is well done and interesting. As a Nebraskan, I'm proud of Ben Nelson and his achievements. This is a book well worth reading!
Note: I believe this book was published prior to the Texas abortion ruling which has put women back 75-100 years. Kavanaugh doesn't deserve a seat on the Supreme Court and certainly doesn't have the right to vote on women's issues according to his documented despicable history with females, which I'm confident Ben Nelson would have added to his comments. Even though Nelson is pro-life in his own beliefs, he was always fair when representing the people of Nebraska and their best interests.
His historical ride is honest and fair; his memory is factual; some of his jokes fall short, but he is a fun, gentle man who enjoys people and a laugh; he is a family man; and his writing is well done and interesting. As a Nebraskan, I'm proud of Ben Nelson and his achievements. This is a book well worth reading!
Note: I believe this book was published prior to the Texas abortion ruling which has put women back 75-100 years. Kavanaugh doesn't deserve a seat on the Supreme Court and certainly doesn't have the right to vote on women's issues according to his documented despicable history with females, which I'm confident Ben Nelson would have added to his comments. Even though Nelson is pro-life in his own beliefs, he was always fair when representing the people of Nebraska and their best interests.
October 24, 2021
I have lived in Nebraska most my life, 30 of my 41 years on this planet. I have met Senator Nelson on a couple occasions. My impression of him then, after his tenure as a Senator, was that he is a quiet, thoughtful, and contemplative man. I also knew very little of his politics because I was a new mother and attending college while he was a Senator and just didn’t have the time or energy to follow his career. This book answered and cleared up so many questions. I now understand why he is a Democrat when his views seem so conservative to this very liberal minded citizen. I now understand my experiences with Senator Nelson are just the tip of the iceberg , there is so much more to this man. And I now understand how our Senate and political world got to where it is today. I’m not sure we can blame any one thing. The subject of the current state of the senate is certainly enough for a full book by itself , but I think Senator Nelson did a great job reviewing the events from his perspective. And that’s what this book is, it’s from one man’s perspective who was in the negotiating rooms, working with our Presidents, working with Lobbyist. While I do not agree with all Senator Nelson believes, I do respect him and his values. He believes in integrity, honesty, understanding, and hard work. Dare I say those are Nebraskan values?
September 7, 2022
Really interesting history but I mostly skimmed it. Great writing style
It seems like Nelson wanted to make a call to action, but his audience is Congress and that doesn't help me much.
It seems like Nelson wanted to make a call to action, but his audience is Congress and that doesn't help me much.
January 13, 2022
Senator Nelson approaches the chaos of the modern U.S. Senate with a delightful midwestern chipper as he explores the once-present human side of a once-great institution that is dying in its absence. His humor and charm elevate the text by invoking themes of collegiality which go on to underlie his prescriptions throughout the book. On the whole, "Death of the Senate" chooses to focus on what the Senate has lost with the decline of her norms and the spirit of bipartisanship. In choosing not to partake in the zeitgeist of polemic conjecture, Nelson's title offers tangible ways forward in a text that welcomes a broader audience than most.
Nelson closes the book off with a handful of common sense prescriptions to restore the U.S. Senate: (i) Senators should not rally or campaign against fellow Senators, (ii) sometimes, Senators should campaign for candidates that are not from their own party (iii) Senators must make building cross-party alliances a priority, (iv) Senators should spend more time in D.C. getting acquainted with their peers and working on solutions for the nation's ills (e.g. bipartisan lunches with experts who share a common set of facts, doing away with 'alternative facts') (v) Senators should engaging fellow Senators humorously but not invasively, (vi) Senator must have and use courage to call out bad behavior, even if it's in their own party, (vii) Senators must choose leaders wisely; those leaders must be able to be friendly with other leaders, and not mere partisans like Mitch McConnell, (ix) Presidents need to open lines of communication with Senators from both parties, (x) the outsized influence of money must be addressed and remediated.
Nelson closes the book off with a handful of common sense prescriptions to restore the U.S. Senate: (i) Senators should not rally or campaign against fellow Senators, (ii) sometimes, Senators should campaign for candidates that are not from their own party (iii) Senators must make building cross-party alliances a priority, (iv) Senators should spend more time in D.C. getting acquainted with their peers and working on solutions for the nation's ills (e.g. bipartisan lunches with experts who share a common set of facts, doing away with 'alternative facts') (v) Senators should engaging fellow Senators humorously but not invasively, (vi) Senator must have and use courage to call out bad behavior, even if it's in their own party, (vii) Senators must choose leaders wisely; those leaders must be able to be friendly with other leaders, and not mere partisans like Mitch McConnell, (ix) Presidents need to open lines of communication with Senators from both parties, (x) the outsized influence of money must be addressed and remediated.
February 5, 2022
When I saw that Sen. Ben Nelson had written a book, I HAD to read it! Sen. Nelson is as rare as an ice cube in the Sahara: a Democrat elected to multiple higher offices (governor and senator) in bright-red Nebraska. I will ALWAYS be grateful to him for his pivotal negotiations and vote for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Without the ACA, my severely-handicapped daughter would not have qualified for medical insurance. And, I myself would not currently have medical insurance either. So...thanks, Sen. Nelson.
All that being said, the book itself was very self-congratulatory. Sen. Nelson goes to pains NOT to call himself a "lion of the Senate," reserving that praise for men like Harry Reid, Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, and John McCain. However... he sure liked to associate w/ them and name-drop at every opportunity. I do appreciate the book's premise: that the Senate should be more bipartisan and that more would be accomplished for the American people that way. Sen. Nelson reiterates this point over, and over, ... and over. Sen. Nelson also unwittingly reveals WHY he could be elected to represent Nebraska: b/c he was an extremely conservative senator, aligning himself w/ Republicans almost one-third of his votes. And although I'm grateful for his vote for the ACA, as a long-term worker in the insurance industry, he destroyed the public option within the ACA, leaving all Americans still at the mercy of greedy, grasping insurance companies. In other words, he certainly was NOT a progressive Democrat!
B/c of his self-praise throughout the book, I really can't give this effort more than three stars.
All that being said, the book itself was very self-congratulatory. Sen. Nelson goes to pains NOT to call himself a "lion of the Senate," reserving that praise for men like Harry Reid, Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, and John McCain. However... he sure liked to associate w/ them and name-drop at every opportunity. I do appreciate the book's premise: that the Senate should be more bipartisan and that more would be accomplished for the American people that way. Sen. Nelson reiterates this point over, and over, ... and over. Sen. Nelson also unwittingly reveals WHY he could be elected to represent Nebraska: b/c he was an extremely conservative senator, aligning himself w/ Republicans almost one-third of his votes. And although I'm grateful for his vote for the ACA, as a long-term worker in the insurance industry, he destroyed the public option within the ACA, leaving all Americans still at the mercy of greedy, grasping insurance companies. In other words, he certainly was NOT a progressive Democrat!
B/c of his self-praise throughout the book, I really can't give this effort more than three stars.
January 26, 2022
4.5 rounded down. Overall, an insightful book of the years 2001-2013 while Sen Nelson served in the Senate, and his strong and clearly stated views of the Obama and Trump presidencies. Nelson is a far-right leaning Democrat, enabling him to work bipartisan deals to benefit the American people.
This book was more interesting than I expected. However, I was jarred by several grammatical errors throughout as well as repetitive content.
This book was more interesting than I expected. However, I was jarred by several grammatical errors throughout as well as repetitive content.
February 26, 2022
Having interviewed Senator Nelson for a magazine article, I found his writing to be in his voice. Pragmatic, hopeful, and no nonsense. His is the hope of adding and multiplying; not subtracting and dividing. I may not always agree with his position on issues, however, I always appreciate his love if this country. Our country.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews