Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) is attempting to subdue the anger of pro-lifers who feel he betrayed them with his support for the Senate healthcare bill.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska)Senator Nelson aired a new television ad last night during the Nebraska-Arizona Holiday Bowl game in an attempt to justify casting the 60th vote in favor of the Senate healthcare bill. Nelson claims in the ad that he "took a commonsense approach to improve the bill," however the two-term senator alienated many of his past supporters who are pro-life when he supported legislation that allows taxpayer funding of abortion.

A Rasmussen poll earlier this week showed that Nelson would be defeated by 31 points in a potential 2010 Senate race with Republican Governor Dave Heineman.

Omaha, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska's Republican governor was concerned about expanded Medicaid costs in the proposed Senate health care bill, and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) says that’s what led to a compromise, in which the federal government will cover Nebraska’s estimated $45 million share over a decade.

Gov. Dave Heineman "contacted me and he said this is another unfunded federal mandate and it's going to stress the state budget, and I agreed with him," said the Nebraska Democrat on Sunday. Nelson himself served as Nebraska’s governor in the 1990s.

"I said to the leader (Sen. Harry Reid) and others that this is something that has to be fixed. I didn't participate in the way it was fixed."

But Heineman expressed anything but gratitude, saying he had nothing to do with the compromise and calling the overhaul bill "bad news for Nebraska and bad news for America"...