As the last big Democratic holdout, Ben Nelson, negotiates with his leader, progressive religious leaders are weighing in, in response to his request to hear from them. There’s an interfaith group that sent a letter to the Omaha World-Herald as well as a lot of weighing in from Nelson’s co-religionists in the United Methodist Church. According to my sources, this includes a letter from the Methodist Bishop of Nebraska, Ann Brookshire Sherer-Simpson.

If any  religious denomination stands out for social reform in American history, it’s the Methodists. From anti-slavery to temperance to women’s rights, the Methodists were the ones in front, providing the leadership and organizational muscle. It would only be appropriate if the crucial vote for health care reform came from one of them. Here’s hoping.