My Senator Bill Nelson

Clarence William "Bill" Nelson is my senior U.S. Senator for the state of Florida.

My Bill Nelson Performance Scoring:

Character: Unclear whether Nelson is another smiling career politician or a civil servant who can demonstrate leadership and the delivery of forecasted, measured and sustained results.

Competency: Seemingly competent.

Contribution. Nelson has accomplished several low key legislative initiatives. However, relative to his time in the Senate, accomplishments are sparse for Nelson. His participation on several key committees put him in the position to show extraordinary impact on some of the toughest issues facing our country. Time will tell and this web site will report of Nelson's upcoming progress.

Bill Nelson Accomplishments

• Nelson's job approval was a low 49% during the 2006 campaign, clearly indicating that Floridian's expect more from him.
• Nelson has shown steadfast commitment to controlled government spending and a balanced budget.
• Nelson has championed improved health care for veterans and their families, and for a material Medicare drug benefit for seniors that achieves discounted drug prices. In January 2005, Nelson suggested expanding the Peace Corps into South America. The total costs and benefits of such a proposal were unclear. Nelson has a strong pro-choice, pro-environment and pro-public health voting record.
• Nelson talks and shows some limited action toward energy independence, however, results are scarce. This global issue threatens America's economy, promises inflationary damage and affects every American's earnings and livelihood. Unless Nelson and his colleagues provide more substantive results toward national energy independence, Americans and residents of all countries will suffer. I intend to monitor and periodically report on progress, or lack thereof, by Nelson on this issue.
• Nelson enhanced the much needed McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation to cease phony fundraising in a candidate's name. While the McCain-Feingold finance reform is a step in the right direction, it remains woefully inadequate and must enhanced as part of a continuous process to fill voids created by special interest groups and lobbying advocates.
• Nelson created legislation that prevents 'boutique doctors' from billing patient "access" fees to Medicare and other federal agencies.
• Nelson introduced legislation to terminate the expiration of disabled military retirees retirement pay and disability benefits.
• Nelson drafted increased criminal penalties for spammers who send junk e-mail messages and content that induce fraud, identity theft, obscenity, child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children. This is another case of a good effort which must be continually enhanced to address new technology innovations which hard Florida and other residents.
• Senator Nelson has been a successful advocate for citizens displaced by natural disasters. His participation has secured $14.5 billion of federal aid for victims of hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.
• Nelson sits on the Senate Armed Services, Budget, Foreign Relations, Commerce and Aging committees. He has also been named to the Democratic Leadership team as Campaign Committee vice chairman. Due to the material issues and challenges faced by these Senate committees, I would expect more specific contributions than I have seen to date. Multiple committee membership without demonstrated actions and measurable results are signs of a resume-builder and career politician. Senator Nelson is well past his introductory period and must use the current period to show political progress and results in order to demonstrate that he is more than a smiling career politician.

Bill Nelson Public Service History

Nelson began his career as a public servant in 1972 with his election to the Florida Legislature where he would ultimately serve three terms. Nelson was then elected to the U.S. Congress in 1978 and served six terms representing Orlando and the Space Coast. In 1990, Nelson was unsuccessful in his run for as the democratic nominee for the Governors spot. Nelson was elected to the Florida Cabinet in 1994 where he held the roles of Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal.

Nelson is a fifth generation Floridian. After initially spending three years at the University of Florida, he transferred to Yale University and received his BA degree in 1965. Nelson later received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1968.

"Sixty percent of our daily consumption of oil in this country is from a foreign source. Every alternative source is going to be very important to us. Within a decade, if America puts it mind to it, we could be independent of foreign oil." Bill Nelson

"You measure success by getting Iraq to be stabilized politically and economically. And that's not going to happen with all of the terrorists and the insurgents that are now in there in the short run. It's going to take a while....We can question whether or not we went in under false pretenses. And I am certainly one that's questioning that. And we can rail about that there was no plan for the peace, which I have done that after a brilliant military campaign. But now that we're there, I don't know that we have any other choice .... what's at stake is not letting terrorism get a foothold in that part of the world that is all the more close to the United States' interests, as well as all the more close to our ally, Israel, which is very, very close. " -- January 27, 2005 interview between Nelson and CNN's Judy Woodruff

Posted: February 10, 2007
Keywords: My Florida Senator, Bill Nelson