Monday, February 04, 2008

How much for your Nebraska caucus vote?

First to put ya'll in the caucusin' spirit, here's a little Separated at Hat...er Birth for ya... Scotty Kleeb and Barack Obama...
***

Nebraska Democrat National Committeeman Vince Powers represents all that is wrong with our nation's current primary system.

Recently Big Bubba Clinton called Superdelegate Powers (he can vote for whomever he wants at the convention) asking him to support Hillary. Powers responded to Bill that his vote would go to whichever candidate campaigns, personally, in Nebraska. Bubba said he'd come. Powers said, not good enough, we need Hillary on the ground.

And why exactly? Does Powers think that Hillary coming to a steak fry in Blair will make her truly understand the Nebraskan's plight?

Powers, as others have said, is flatly selling his vote.

There's an old saw that back in the 1980 Presidential race, a New Hampshire-ite was asked who he was going to vote for in the GOP Primary. The guy responded, "Well, I like this Reagan fella, but I've only met him twice." So is that the new standard Powers and the Nebraska Dems want to set?

As long as the primary system is set up this way and people like Powers will try to get candidates to suck up to them personally, the system will continue down this ridiculous path. In the mean time, eat up those Obama radio ads. Aren't they swell?

***

Ben Nelson recently spoke energy policy breakfast in DC. The Hill caught Nelson's presentation, where he took time to take shots at ... Mike Johanns! You know just in case you were wondering what the tenor of the Senate campaign was going to be.

Now we knew he was bitter about Chuck Hagel's support of Pete Ricketts lin '06, but we didn't think Nelson would shoot this low, this early on. And what does Nelson try to hit Johanns on? The tired "Johanns left the Ag Dept early" schtick.

The funny thing is, Earl Ben Nelson is the LAST person who should be talking about this. Why? Because, you'll remember, it was NELSON who signed a pledge in 1994 that he would serve out his whole term as Governor -- then promptly ran for Senate just two years later. Gee Ben, we thought Governor was your "Dream job"...

And when pols complain about Johanns nowadays, it's because of the languishing Farm Bill.

But guess where that Farm Bill is languishing?

The Senate Ag Committee!

And guess who sits on that committee???

Yuh-huh, Ol' Bennie Nelson!

At this point we can pretty much guarantee that Nelson will next criticize Johanns for dying his hair...

***

We're waiting for just a little more info on Richard N. Carter, a Democrat who's "thinking" about running against Lee Terry. Of course, the local Dems are all hot and bothered about a veteran running as a Democrat -- except that, at this point, no one seems to know anything about the guy.

But we will say, if his plan is to be mysterious, he's doing it well. We'd expect that he'll be pressing the flesh hard on Saturday. In the mean time, he's Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster-esque. (We'll accept blurry photos here.)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everything you wanted to know about Richard Carter off The Metro College web site...It seems he is working as hard as Scott Kleeb (check out his office hours). It's nice to know taxpayer dollars are subsidizing his race for Congress. This guy teaches economics? Which version, Classical, Keynesian, or Pelosian? I suspect if you answer higher taxes and more government spending on his exams you get an A+...lol


Business Faculty

Richard Carter

Department Business
Office Phone 402-457-2582
E-Mail Address rncarter@mccneb.edu
Office Hours Monday:2:00-3:30p.m.
Tuesday:10:00-11:30a.m.
Wednesday:1:00-3:30p.m.
Thursday:10:00-11:30a.m.
Friday:
Current Courses ECON 1000 4A, 5A
ECON 1100 4A

Anonymous said...

"In the mean time, eat up those Obama radio ads. Aren't they swell?"

Sounds like someone is jealous they aren't getting any attention.

Eric said...

Guess what Mike, "office hours" are the times an instructor sets aside for students to come get help in the instructor's office. They are not a comprehensive listing of when the guy works. Six hours a week of office hours is actually quite a lot. Teaching three college courses is easily more than a 40 hr/week job.

Counting his office hours plus time in front of a class as the whole of his job is like saying a football player only works 16 hours a year.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Eric, it is not that hard. I teach a law class and so I am used to teaching at the university level. These are intro classes with a text and a teachers guide book. Your first semester teaching is difficult because you need to create your outlines and powerpoints, after that it requires very little preperation. Unless I'm mistaken, the supply and demand curve hasn't changed in recent memory or the definition of inflation. Mr. Carter has a masters, so he is no Phd like Ernie Goss at Creighton crunching numbers on a daily basis. Also, of those 6 hours posted, how many of those are spent with students?

Eric said...

Well Mike, since you teach a law class you should know how this works. After your first semester teaching, did you ask them to cut your pay in half because you weren't working as hard? When students didn't show up for your 40 hours of office hours, did you return your paycheck? I need to ask my wife why she spends so much time grading middle school math assignments at home since they haven't changed arithmetic rules since the days of ancient Greece.

Mr. Carter gets paid based on the workload he is given. If you have a problem with how much community college instructors are paid, that's fine, but maybe you should instead be attacking whoever is running for the MCC board. But complaining that 6 office hours a week aren't enough to accommodate the students (who aren't using them - according to you) is awfully trite. If the government is subsidizing Carter's run, then whoever you teach for is subsidizing the BS you're spewing here.

Anonymous said...

No not really Eric, I'm at a private university. Speaking of the governing board, I used to sit on the Metro Board of Governors so I am aware of how a community college works. Secondly your wife is in a different class of teaching. K-12 education has daily assignments and non-scantron papers and tests. I have yet hear of a k-12 educator not on their feet from 8 to 3 every day and dealing with disciplinary issues. I'm sure your wife is woth every dollar that she is paid.

Eric said...

Mike, I didn't say the government was subsidizing your BS, I said your school is. But, only under the insane logic you use when you say that Mr. Carter's employer is subsidizing his run for Congress.

And, wow, you used to sit on the Board of Governors for MCC and you're still trying pull this? I could understand you just being ignorant, but now it is clear you're just partaking in some underhanded, dishonest electioneering.

Anonymous said...

No I'm waiting for the predictable...I'm an Economics expert..ans we need more government investment in health care, education, welfare and every other social program. I'll bet you Lunch Eric, carter says something like this in his campaign.

Anonymous said...

Economics expert? As far as I know Mike Kennedy has a BS in Political Science, a law degree from Creighton, and didn't finish his Master's in Public Administration. If anyone is curious as to Mr. Kennedy's credentials as an economics expert, you may want to check out the public information computer down at the court house in regards to his expertise in economics and his abilities to manage his finances.

Anonymous said...

lol... anonymous At least I post my name.

Anonymous said...

So you are not disputing what anonymous posted? What's at the courthouse the people should know?

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see the Democratic party is so interested in my resume.....lol. It's no big secret either my son's illness at birth and my divorce left my family insolvent. Unfortunately, it happens to thousands of people every day. So Mr. Anonymous anything else you have to say.

Anonymous said...

This page is boring. Sweeper we need a good topic. How about a poll on how much Toni Raimondo can raise?

Street Sweeper said...

We start with three, count 'em THREE topics, and this is what happens.

(shaking head..)

Anonymous said...

On The Job Training for U.S. Presidency... it's not the right time for Obama. He'll be President someday I hope (seriously), but just not now. Please don't gamble with this primary.

Anonymous said...

Went to the court house today. Uh Oh, didn't like what I found.

Anonymous said...

FYI - the Senate passed the farm bill in December. The holdup is now because the Administration has threatened to veto the bill and they haven't had a chief negotiator to deal with the Congress.

But that's OK - I know the facts can get in the way of a good Nelson bashing.

Oh, and no matter how you slice it, Johanns quit before he finished his "dream job."

Anonymous said...

I'd rather have someone with no experience than the ones that say they have experience. It's thier experience that got us into the mess were in today. Can you believe congress is worried about steroids in baseball, while the war, the subprime loans, and the hole nation disintegrates. Give them all fiddles. Hats off to Mr. Carter for wanting to fix the mess the last REPUBLICAN congress, Senate, and President made!!!!