Finally, the left-wing, pro-environmentalist, anti-war candidate is getting into the U.S. Senate race in Nebraska.
No, not Mike Fahey or Scott Kleeb.
We’re talking about the Green Party candidate, Steve Larrick. The Green’s press release says that Larrick, who ran for the 1st District House seat in 2004 and for State Auditor in 2006 and got about 3% of the vote each time, says that he will announce on Sunday at the State Capitol in Lincoln.
So beyond our fear of seeing Larrick’s welcome video in an office next to a plant, what is the point of this announcement?
Well, we first give a Tip of the Lid to our comrades at the New Nebraska Network, official un-official blog of the Nebraska Democrat Party for noticing this story in the LJS. But we see this next line from them:
No, not Mike Fahey or Scott Kleeb.
We’re talking about the Green Party candidate, Steve Larrick. The Green’s press release says that Larrick, who ran for the 1st District House seat in 2004 and for State Auditor in 2006 and got about 3% of the vote each time, says that he will announce on Sunday at the State Capitol in Lincoln.
So beyond our fear of seeing Larrick’s welcome video in an office next to a plant, what is the point of this announcement?
Well, we first give a Tip of the Lid to our comrades at the New Nebraska Network, official un-official blog of the Nebraska Democrat Party for noticing this story in the LJS. But we see this next line from them:
Larrick doing any better than that in the Senate campaign is probably dependent upon the total failure of Nebraska Democrats to recruit a legitimate candidate. If that's not reason enough to root against Larrick, I don't know what is....though he'd be perfectly welcome to run in the Democratic primary. (Emphasis added.)
Couple this cry for someone - ANYONE! - to run as a Dem, with the word that Scott Kleeb is much more interested taking another shot at Adrian Smith than losing badly to Mike Johanns (should he win). We sense an increased sense of desperation among the Nebraska Dems.
We had to chuckle when 2006 Democrat 2nd District House candidate Jim Esch concluded his statement about not running next year by conceding the 2008 race to Terry saying that in 2010 “you really could have a meaningful race.” Add to that Dem Chairman Steve Achepohl’s conversation with Joe Jordan where he says that while he hopes to find an opponent for Terry, “I’m not God.”
Congratulations on your victory, Lee – you know, unless St. Peter comes to run against you.
So the Dems don’t have a candidate for the 1st District, no one in the 2nd District (though State Senator Tom White apparently likes having his name thrown around), a one-time loser who wants to roll the dice to become a two-time loser in the 3rd, no one for the Senate and they’re now trying to recruit a Green Partier who received a total of 6% of the vote in the last two elections combined.
Someone check to see how many offices Kate Witek could run for at the same time…
***
Mike Johanns will be holding a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, and the host list is a veritable who’s-who of the Senate Republican leadership: McConnell, Lott, Alexander, Cochran, Grassley, Hutchison, Stevens – among the fourteen Senators listed on the event. Of course the host-with-the-most will be Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who is pushing hard for Johanns – and against Jon Bruning – these days.
Figuring that Bruning will end the next quarter with over a millions bucks in the bank, Johanns will need to concentrate his efforts on fund raising. One needs only to look at his bare-bones website to know that they will be conserving cash in order to not allow Bruning to get a competitive edge cash-wise.
Could Bruning compete with Johanns in paid media? Maybe.
Will he have a message that could challenge the GOP establishment-backed Johanns Juggernaut ©?
We will wait and see…
We had to chuckle when 2006 Democrat 2nd District House candidate Jim Esch concluded his statement about not running next year by conceding the 2008 race to Terry saying that in 2010 “you really could have a meaningful race.” Add to that Dem Chairman Steve Achepohl’s conversation with Joe Jordan where he says that while he hopes to find an opponent for Terry, “I’m not God.”
Congratulations on your victory, Lee – you know, unless St. Peter comes to run against you.
So the Dems don’t have a candidate for the 1st District, no one in the 2nd District (though State Senator Tom White apparently likes having his name thrown around), a one-time loser who wants to roll the dice to become a two-time loser in the 3rd, no one for the Senate and they’re now trying to recruit a Green Partier who received a total of 6% of the vote in the last two elections combined.
Someone check to see how many offices Kate Witek could run for at the same time…
***
Mike Johanns will be holding a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, and the host list is a veritable who’s-who of the Senate Republican leadership: McConnell, Lott, Alexander, Cochran, Grassley, Hutchison, Stevens – among the fourteen Senators listed on the event. Of course the host-with-the-most will be Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who is pushing hard for Johanns – and against Jon Bruning – these days.
Figuring that Bruning will end the next quarter with over a millions bucks in the bank, Johanns will need to concentrate his efforts on fund raising. One needs only to look at his bare-bones website to know that they will be conserving cash in order to not allow Bruning to get a competitive edge cash-wise.
Could Bruning compete with Johanns in paid media? Maybe.
Will he have a message that could challenge the GOP establishment-backed Johanns Juggernaut ©?
We will wait and see…
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7 comments:
I guess the question you have to ask yourself - Is Kleeb not jumping at the chance to run for Senate because he doesn't want to represent Nebraskans? - Or is he hoping to run against Smith again because he is thinks he might win so he can serve someone else other than Nebraskans?
I gotta give the Professor a "D" for initiative and intent to serve Nebraskans.
"Like a Rhinestone cowboy...getting cards and cash from people I don't even know...And offers comin' over the phone..."
From out west I think Kleeb is a better fit in liberal Lincoln and Omaha. Smith is doing what Republicans do in the 3rd. Represent Republican values.
There are many Republicans that campaigned for Kleeb that are liking what Smith is doing.
For a guy that is 30 years old and has never had a full time job and his parents are part of the Nebraska brain drain, I am afraid Kleeb is going to find a second shot at Smith a wider margin of defeat than his first shot.
I like Scott but there were just too many Colorado vehicles parked around his events. He will not get my support again if he runs for the 3rd.
Sincerely
A Democrat for Smith
I hope that the Green candidate isn't going to be contributing to global warming by criss-crossing the state for no good reason.
For a guy that hasn't even decided if he'll run, let alone what he wants to run for, Kleeb has sure been acting like a candidate. His web site encourages you, time and time again, to send him some mooo-lah. He's been spotted at many a Democratic event, rehashing his dusty old country-boy phrases and he still likes posing for the cameras.
All hat, no cattle.
One out in the third,
You hit the nail on the head. Kleeb just wants to win to represent someone other than Nebraskans. Guess that's why last time around he told Howard Dean, very publicly, that he would support his agenda. I'm pretty sure that agenda doesn't reflect most in Nebraska.
Pen rider has it right as well, and very clevely stated, "all hat, no cattle."
Y'all are cookin on this one already!
instead of NE Dems blogging on their websites, why don't they text each other? I mean all 5 of them would really streamline resources and provide efficiency to themselves......oh wait...streamline and efficiency? Those are bad words to Libs.....
Keep on bloggin' boys. and girl. (want to be inclusive here).
Gig 'em,
-The 12th Man
P.R.
Maybe it's time to pass some sweeping legislation that states if you solict campaign contributions you should at least have filed for the office you intend to run for.
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