Fact:

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Nelson has raised more than $2 million from insurance and health care interests in his three campaigns for federal office. … Sen. Nelson has received $1,195,299 from insurance interests, $399,345 from health professionals, $258,483 from the pharmaceutical industry, and $195,138 from hospital and nursing home interests.

Fact:
Insurance and health care interests are practically willing to have their genitals severed with a dull knife without anasthesia in order to stall healthcare reform proposals.

Fact:
Due in large part to the actions of one Ben Nelson, Senator, alleged Democrat, healthcare reform proposals appear to have been duly stalled till after the August recess.

Which sets the stage not just for a lot of anger directed at Ben Nelson, but for a world class slanging match.

Enter stage left:

The PCCC (Progressive Change Campaign Committee) and Democracy for America (DFA), a group founded by (Howard Dean), recently launched (an) ad in Nebraska, which slams Nelson for delaying healthcare reform and accepting political contributions from the healthcare industry.
[...]
In the controversial ad, Mike Snider, a Nebraska restaurant owner, accuses Nelson of “leading the charge to delay heath reform this summer.”

Nelson spokesman Jake Thompson fired back:

Nebraskans don’t need outside special interest groups telling them what to think. Senator Nelson has nothing but praise for Nebraska groups working toward health care reform. Unfortunately, he says, these outside groups undermine the sincere and dedicated efforts of people in our state.

“Recently, similar ads have run in Nebraska. Those ads by other special interests prompted hundreds of Nebraskans to call our offices, with 9 to 1 urging Senator Nelson to do exactly the opposite of what the special interest group wanted. In short, the ads backfired.

(Just to be clear, “Recently, similar ads have run” doesn’t refer to the Mike Snider ad, but some earlier ads.)

Thompson concluded with this unfortunate rhetorical flourish:

If this is an indication of the politics going into August, then healthcare reform may be dead by the end of August.

Which inspired Adam Green, co-founder of PCCC, to unleash this response:

Ben Nelson just called a Nebraska small businessman whose health insurance costs went up 42%, an out-of-state special interest, while never disputing that he is bought and paid for by health and insurance interests who gave him millions to vote against his own constituents … If Ben Nelson stands behinds his spokesman’s words, he just proved himself a fundamentally corrupt and out-of-touch politician who feels perfectly comfortable lying to his constituents and going to bat for private insurers who fear competition and want to rip off the people of Nebraska.