Tuesday, April 14, 2009

WWBD? (or, What Would Ben Do?)

Amidst all of the Omaha Mayoral endorsements yesterday -- Suttle by Mike Fahey, and Hal Daub by Dave Heineman, Mike Johanns, Lee Terry, Jon Bruning and around sixty-five others -- there was silence from one individual.

But an AP story, picked up in Sioux City (didn't see it any of the Omaha MSM), told of the position one U.S. Senator E. Ben Nelson has taken vis-a-vis the Omaha Mayor's race: 
Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson says he's staying out of it. 
His reason for not endorsing fellow Democrat Jim Suttle?
Nelson says he won't get involved because he has to work with whoever gets the job.
Well isn't that interesting?!

Because Nelson had no trouble endorsing Scott Kleeb against Adrian Smith in 2006.

And Nelson had no problem endorsing Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton and then John McCain in 2008.

Nelson now has to continue to work with all of those people (well, except Kleeb).

So why shying away from Jim Suttle? Does he dislike Suttle that much? Does he love Hal Daub that much?

Is he simply convinced that Daub is going to win?

Now there's one for you commenters to chat about. (And maybe the local MSM will pick it up as well...)

***

Hey many folks have been getting phone calls asking about their support for Jim Suttle lately.

The calls have included the questions:
If I said that Hal Daub received a pay raise while in Congress and voted against the minimum wage, would that change your mind to vote for Hal Daub?

If I said that Hal Daub was against a living wage for city employees while he was mayor, would that change your mind to vote for him?

If I said that Hal Daub put the city’s economy in bad position with the Qwest Center and has added millions of dollars of debt to the city and will be put on the backs of the taxpayers, would that change your mind of Hal Daub?
Interesting, interesting.

We see first that Suttle is looking to reach back into Daub's 1980's Congressional record to dig up any issues he can. Daub won't run from that, but it's funny that Daub was Mayor for six years, is running for the same office, but Suttle is trying to gain points on his job from twenty years ago.
If I said that Hal Daub expressed a video preference for "Safety Dance" over "Take On Me" would that change your mind to vote for him?
Then there's the "push poll" point at issue here (that the Suttle folks are spinning like mad on the comments board). Now, every candidate who does calls like this asks comparative questions like these to try to flesh out what issues to send to voters. But it's also a handy little vehicle for Suttle to hammer Daub on whatever message he feels will work for him.

And we will also have to see whether the Suttle camp comes out to say that they have a "poll" that shows them in the lead -- or shows their "poll" to potential donors -- basing it on these leading questions. It's one thing to use it internally. It's another to try to hang your hat on the voters that you've pushed.

We will wait and see.

***

And in case you missed it, embattled former Nebraska Senator, New Yorker and The New School President Bob Kerrey sent in the NYPD against students trying to take over the school...again

After the kids pretended they're were fighting "the Man", Kerrey sent in the cops to pepper-spray them back to the bowels of the local coffee shops.

So, since this keeps happening, it's only a matter of time until a bunch of these neo-radicals try to take over the Bob Kerrey Bridge, right?

(And then, how you'll get over to an empty field in CB, we have no idea...)

OPD, arm your pepper cannons!

27 comments:

That guy said...

First!

Anonymous said...

I heard Jon Blumenthal doesn't think Hal Daub is a "good" Republican because he has too much labor union support.

Sounds like he is playing with fire. He may blow up CC5 with a negative barrage.

No way he makes up 30 percentage point margin. All he would do is supress Republican turnout. Maybe costing Daub the election.

Anonymous said...

Third!! Made you look...

Anonymous said...

What's next focus group testing 80's era music videos to label Daub a career politician?

Too bad they didn't focus group test the music in the first Suttle commercials.

Anonymous said...

But when were these questions asked in the poll? If it's like any other poll in the history of mankind, the horserace poll is at the top, and the message questions are at the end. The message questions would be worthless if they came before the horserace question, because there's no way to measure movement.

According to their NADC report, Suttle contracted a firm out of Washington to do a poll back in January. I can only assume that they used the same firm for this poll. This isn't Jordan McGrain doing robo-dials out of his basement.

teamdaub said...

I can tell you they came at the end of this idiotic poll. How would I know? I was polled and I'm a tried and true DAUB Supporter. Read that a DAUB Supporter and I know several others.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha at the above.

Anonymous said...

What's your point? I'm a "tried and true" Suttle supporter, and I got called by a Daub poll before the primary.

So again, what's your point? To be accurate a poll must be random, meaning you will get people who will vote for the other guy.

You people are idiots.

Anonymous said...

2:22

Exactly. So how could questions asked at the end of a poll influence questions asked at the beginning? That doesn't make any sense.

Knucklehead said...

That's because it wasn't a "poll", it was an ID call with a persuasion component - to all likely voters.

3rd floor watcher said...

You Suttle people are not the subtle about playing dirty.

Anonymous said...

Wait you mean you identify voters in the first part before you push them in the second???

It doesn't work that way in marketing 101.

Good thing this is politics.

I agree about knucklehead.

Ricky said...

That is weird what is happening out there at the New School.
Those kids are more liberal than our former Senator.
He should come back to Nebraska, but he has a young child in school and probably does not want to change locations.

ricky from omaha

Big "O" said...

Hell, those Subtle people don't even know what they are marketing!!

Kyle Michaelis said...

SS-

Congratulations on surviving your brief flirtation with Republican apostasy. But, you're going a little heavy overcompensating with your recent Hal Daub-lovefest. You're also way off-track in your attempt to make a story of Sen. Nelson's not endorsing Jim Suttle for mayor.

Allow me to refer you to the following World-Herald article from Friday, February 27th - more than six weeks ago:

"City Councilman Jim Suttle held a fundraising event Wednesday at the Union Pub, a Capitol Hill bar known for rock-bottom beer specials popular among junior congressional staffers....

The suggested contributions listed for Suttle's event ranged from the $100 "friend" level to the $1,000 "host" level. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., attended as the special guest of the evening....

Nelson said he does not plan to formally endorse a candidate for Omaha mayor because he typically does not make an endorsement in local races. He said, however, that he is supportive of Suttle and that his presence at Suttle's fundraiser speaks for itself."
No worries, SS. We bloggers all bark up the wrong tree on occasion. Just doing my part to keep you honest while you persist in the unenviable task of convincing voters that Jim Suttle could possibly be worse than Hal Daub.

Street Sweeper said...

Kyle,

That's a cute gymnastic move you and E. Ben attempted ...but that's not what he told the AP two days ago.

Nelson specifically said he wouldn't endorse a candidate, because he might have to work with the winner.

So no matter what sweet nothings he may have whispered to Jimbo, he's not endorsing him NOW. To the public.

Thanks for reading.
-SS

Anonymous said...

Will Ben's hair endorse Suttle?

Anonymous said...

Let's remember that Suttle isn't the first Jimbo that EBen wouldn't endorse, but happilly gave cash to.

The last one lost too!

Anonymous said...

Any comments about the debate last night? I wasn't there and haven't found much about it. Anyone?

Good Republican said...

Anony Apr 14 11:28
Who is Jon Blumenthal to tell anyone who a 'good' Republican is? I've heard a couple of his supporters try to tell people who is a good Republican and who isn't. It just doesn't wash.

Blumenthal has never helped elect any Republican in the past, I can't see where this "driving force behind Omaha's growing economy" ever made any reportable contribution to Republican candidates, and he comes from a family of get this... 'good' Democrats - including his wife. Funny, a candidate for office in a conservative district is the only Republican in the family??? Huh?

Jean Stothert on the other hand has contributed both time and money to many Republican candidates. She has helped the CRs, YRs, and been on the Douglas County Central Committee.

If Blumenthal is trying to say Stothert's broad base of suport makes her a weak Republican, he must be taking a shot at the Hal Daubs, Jon Brunings, and Dave Heinemans of the world too.

Anyone who buys Blumenthal is a stronger Republican is plain crazy. If he is close to a 'good' Republican, he'll keep the race clean and talk only about himself. The above anony is right. Going negative could cost Daub the race.

65-35 said...

Good Republican, don't forget,several times in the past Blumenthal hasn't even supported Republicans by voting.

Makes you wonder if he made it to the polls to vote for himself.

Omaha Dem said...

Sweeper are you and Cleaner buddies or something? Both of your posts about Suttle are pretty slanted and biased.

Anonymous said...

Nelson is having a 9:30am press conference at Suttle's office tommorrow.

Good reportin' Sweep!

Anonymous said...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Anonymous said...

Anyone know why Jon Blumenthal's facebook page is no longer public?

I Know Why said...

He hid it because one of his Facebook friends called him out for making false and misleading statements about Jean Stothert.

He first deleted her posts. When she re-posted them, he de-friended her and made his profile private.

Guess he can't take the heat.

a Daubette said...

Hey 9:32 Anonymous

Oh my gosh ...Really? Sooooo

Did you find out how much it cost Suttle?