Waiting on Kerrey

As we wait (and wait, and wait) for New York’s own Bob Kerrey to make up his mind about moving to Nebraska so that he can move to Washington, we have to go back to his goofy Friday email to former radio host, and now Omaha City Weekly blogger, Steve Brown. Brown had emailed Kerrey to get his thoughts on Hal Daub dropping out, etc.

And we still can’t get over Kerrey’s transparently phony, pandering, condescending bit of palaver thrown down from Kerrey’s ivory tower. In his response to Brown, Bob decided to wax poetic about Fly-Over Country.

Kerrey told Brown how he’s “calling all his friends” in Nebraska.

"One friend had to turn his combine off in order to hear…"

(Oooh gee gosh jiminy! I’m here in New York City with cars honking and subways rumbling and this guy was, get this, on a TRACTOR! He he he, this is so neat!)

"Another just returned from checking his fences..."

(CHECKING FENCES! Oh wait ‘til I tell the other New Yorkers down at the bagel shop about THAT one! They won’t even know what that means!)

Then Kerrey, sipping a delicate Pinot Noir, gets philosophic:

“The harvest is underway, the yields are good and prices high.”

Um, yeah Bob, but are you going to leave your home in New York City?

“That’s why I worry about a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq…”

Bob are you going to move to Nebraska?

“…it’s why I worry about the future costs of entitlements…”

So you’re running, or you’re not running?

“blah blah blah Republicans should worry…”

Uh, yeah, great Bob, get back to us when you have something to say. OK? Thanks.

***

If Kerrey decides he’s not going to run, next everyone will look at Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey. But you don’t need to look much further than Fahey’s comments on Hal Daub’s departure to get a sense where Fahey is.

“I certainly understand why, at this time, he chose to vacate, and I wish him all the best.”

In other words, “Uh, yeah, me too.”

So that means the potato falls in Scott Kleeb’s lap, right? But these days many view Kleeb as being more interested in trying again against Congressman Adrian Smith than being the sacrificial lamb to the Johanns Juggernaut © (that’s right, it's OUR nickname).

(But if Kerrey does decide against running, we think it would be a smooth move to announce it at Hastings College and immediately endorse Kleeb. He’d be passing the torch, right? Make it happen Jane.)

And whither Anthony Raimondo? We’re not sure what his story is (though at least one commenter claims he plans to stay in the GOP).

***
And as long as we’re getting long-winded, a final note about that Don Walton poll story and his follow-up on Monday.

Don suggested that because he buried his mention of poll in the 12th paragraph of his story, it shouldn’t get as much attention. Huh? So we should instead focus on Mike Johanns' Kenyan Roast and ignore that flaming spear that’s been thrown down? C’mon Don.

All that being said, let’s see what the three polls looked like, prior to the Daub pull-out:

Of course, with Daub pulling out, all these numbers change. Though with Bruning getting on the radio and screaming about the “Phantom Poll” © (can anyone give Leavenworth Street credit?) and calling Johanns “Bush’s lapdog”, it’s possible that Johanns will hit 80% in the next poll…