Supreme El Jefe' Daub

On Monday Omaha Mayoral candidates Hal Daub and Jim Suttle debated at the OWH.

And what did we learn?

Well, we learned that Jim Suttle thinks that Hal Daub acted as a "Dictator" during "the chaos" in his time as Omaha mayor.

You got that?

"Chaos" in Omaha. Of course emanating out of all that chaos was the Qwest Center, West Dodge Expressway, business parks, lower property taxes and on and on.

And all that happened, according to Suttle, while Daub was dictating to everyone first thing every morning ("I want a cup of coffee and a muffin!"). Was there a vote of the people? NO! Did he allow the City Council to discuss stuff? NO! Did he disband the media and take over the TV stations and begin broadcasting Radio Daub? YES!

Oh wait, what?

So what the hell is Suttle talking about? We have no idea.

But we did learn in that little debate that Jim Suttle doesn't know what an immigration Sanctuary City is. And we learned that he still has no concrete plans for pretty much anything.

How to deal with crime? Well, his Outcome is zero truancy and 100% graduation. Wow! What a GREAT idea! How to accomplish that? Well, we'll get everyone together...and...well...uh..., well, he's not SUBTLE about Omaha!

And that's pretty much how the whole thing went.

Daub was standard Hal Daub: On top of every issue. Knowledgeable about the facts. And slamming it back at Suttle time after time.

Example. (summarized)

Suttle: I really want to push wellness in our health care. That's really important and something we don't focus on.

Daub: I agree. That's why I founded the Wellness Council in Omaha (or whatever it was), and was President and CEO of a business in the wellness industry.

Anyway, the debate is an hour long and you can find it on Cox on Demand, or at the OWH's website by clicking here.

***

And if you're a concerned voter in Omaha this year, you pretty much can't complain about not having enough information on the candidates. Daub and Suttle have been to nearly every forum around, have debated head to head numerous times, and have their views (or lack there of) posted on their websites.

And now to bolster Daub and Suttle's views more -- along with all the City Council candidates, Cox has posted a teleprompted monologue from each of them (some very hostage video-esque) on YouTube.

And as if these poor suckers don't have it hard enough -- raising money, walking door to door -- we've put up the worst vidcap we could get of them.

(Hey, and guess if Jim Suttle is "Subtle about Omaha". Twice.)

And notice that each candidate uses around five minutes of time...except Jon Blumenthal (about a minute and a half). Waste of three minutes, or shrewd move to encourage someone to actually watch his whole video? You decide.

To check out each candidate's vid, click on their name below:

Hal Daub -- Jim Suttle

Pete Festerson -- Sharon Chvala

Frank Brown -- Ben Gray

Chip Maxwell -- Chris Jerram

Gary Gernandt -- Joseph Velasquez

Jean Stothert -- Jon Blumenthal

Franklin Thompson -- Walt Peffer

Chuck Sigerson, you got off easy...this time.

HDTV: Bridge toboggans

New Hal Daub for Mayor ad, with a theme near and dear to our hearts,
It's entitled, "Toboggan".

See it here:



Commentary later.

***

No disrespect to the Daub camp, but we still think Jim Suttle's own words are just as effective:



***

Suttle: Illegal immigration "plan" for Omaha

For those who have missed the latest issue in the Omaha Mayor's race, Jim Suttle has opened this can of worms:

He said:

"We need to...quit making criminals out of people, however they might come across our borders."

See Joe Jordan's report on KMTV here:

Apparently Suttle has a new amnesty plan for illegal immigrants in Omaha.

We're all ears Jim.

To boldly go...

In honor of the new Star Trek movie coming out, and a Cheez-It related site, we always figured Hal Daub and Jim Suttle would be interesting Klingons Vulcans and Romulans.

Click here to hear Hal as Spock.

***

Saw the recent Keith Olbermann screed against Ben Nelson. Quite honestly, just about any time Olbermann opens his mouth it's like nails on the blackboard. So his "Worst Person in the World" (gee Keith, hyperbolize much?) really meant nothing to us. His rant about how he is much different than Limbaugh or O'Reilly was nonsensical.

But he is correct in his criticism of Nelson's statement about what people listen to. We will give Nellie that those that only get their news from John Stewart are going to be less informed. It's a comedy show. On Comedy Central. Sure it's topical, but not much of a news source.

But Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Olbermann, Maddow and the like are all based on news channels. Listeners and watchers, at the very least, get network news at the top of the hour on those shows. And those viewers and listeners are usually well informed anyway.

Are they looking to bolster their own opinions? Sure, usually. But where exactly is one to get fully unbiased news? The New York Times? The Omaha World Herald? FOX? CNN? Please.

Heck even C-SPAN, that bastion of unbiasness, just shows Members of Congress giving their own spin on the issues of the day. Th intelligent viewer goes to multiple sources and filters out whatever they can. But one could do worse than going to Limbaugh or Olbermann as a news source.

Does that make the Benator the Worst Person in the World? Well not the worst...

***

Our good pal Jane Flemming Kleeb is keeping herself in the news these days. She is employed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and is pushing for the "card check" legislation where unions can jam a union down a business's throat -- without the vote of the workers. (Yeah, yeah, there are lots of other spins around what the legislation will do.)

And we'll give Jane her spin on the issue if she wants. That's her job. But what we find more interesting is her take on who should vote for it and why.

For some reason she gives Democrat Ben Nelson a pass on his leaning to vote Nay. But when she discusses Republican Senator Mike Johanns she says,

"The Republicans in our state generally get a free ride on these kinds of issues, but Johanns took union money and should stand up on this."

Wow. You got that?

If you, Elected Official, accept campaign donations from an organization, according to Jane, you are expected to tow their line. So Mike Johanns, if you take union cash, you had better vote union, no matter how bad the legislation. That's what taking their money is all about, yeah?

Amazing.

So keep that in mind should Mr. Jane Kleeb ever seek office again. With all his super-lib backers, you know how he'll vote. Just follow the money.

(Thanks to reader One Out in the Third for pointing us to this.)

Suttle responds to Daub

Omaha Mayoral candidate Jim Suttle has a new TV spot up responding to Hal Daub's recent ad, entitled, "Same".

See it here:



The TV buy for this spot is:

April 22 - 27, Broadcast: $19,585 (380 GRPs) 
April 21 - May 3, Cable: $7,500 (160 GRPs)

***

OK, let's get a few things out of the way.

What's with the wacky country-fied music? Kind of a Benny Hill meets Conway Twitty sort of ditty. They used the same thing in Suttle intro ads, and all we can figure is whoever is producing this stuff figures Omahan's like that crap. Mindboggling.

Next, does the Suttle campaign think the public wants more ass-shots of their candidate?

Do we really have to have the image of Suttle's back-side jammed into hiked-up dungarees burned into our retinas?

Oh the humanity!

***

So, as far as the content of the ad goes, you can see the Suttle theme of "Same Old Hal Daub" (which they stole from the pre-primary Vokal camp). Expect to hear that line about a thousand more times before Election Day.

As far as the claims that Daub supported the "same" taxes as Suttle -- that's technically false. Daub and Suttle never served at the same time, and any proposed tax increases would need be viewed at the time.

But then, Suttle doesn't mention Daub's point about Suttle's support of Property Tax increases.

And then there's the point about the Police. Daub's ad said that Suttle voted against Police funding three times. Further, Suttle said at a recent debate that, "more jobs, not officers, are needed to prevent crime." 

So then we see Suttle pounding in his sign that says, "more police fighting gangs."

Well, that proposal should be easy enough to nail down from Suttle's website info page. 

Huh. Nowhere to be found. Imagine that.

Suttle finishes it up with "Hal Daub: Why would we ever go back?"

Hmm. Forward thinking. A growing city. Lower property taxes. A wise use of tax dollars. Non-stop work ethic. Constant new ideas.

Those are just a few things we can think of for "going back".

Though spend about thirty seconds with Hal Daub and see if he isn't always about the future.

(Hmm. "Hal Daub: Back to the Future". That could have legs...)

Suttle: "We have it all wrapped up"

We had a recent story told to us -- second or third hand, so the details may or may not be exact.

Jim Suttle was glad-handing at his old company, HDR, the other day when someone wished him luck in the Mayor's race.

Suttle's reply?

"Nothing to worry about. Our poll says we have it all wrapped up."

Now THERE's a man who has confidence in his pollster.

It's interesting that Suttle has that much confidence in numbers three weeks out. Lots can still happen.

But we've seen similar numbers. Frankly, Hal Daub has ingrained high positives and high negatives. He has been around for a long while and many people have a set opinion on him. And we've seen numbers where Daub is hovering around 40%.

Then again, we've also seen numbers where Suttle has a difficult time breaking 40%. And we were reminded by the kids over on Dodge Street that polls showed Brenda Council with a lead very late in the game back in 1997. And we all remember how the Council administration went.

What should this tell the Suttle people? It should tell them to sit back and enjoy the ride, because that's how your candidate is treating it. You think you're going to get a single specific proposal Suttle now? You think he's going to actually provide any policy details within the next three weeks? Ha!

And the Daub folks? Here's a question: Do you think Hal Daub is going to quit this race? Do you think he's going to stop making phone calls, shaking hands, offering ideas, knocking on doors, stuffing mailers, talking to friends and convincing voters that HE is the best candidate to lead Omaha?  Yeah, we didn't think so.

The candidate's followers usually take the lead of their leader. It will be interesting to see how each side works in the next three weeks.

**Update at 3:50 pm**

Jim Suttle has placed a major ad buy, with TV commercials to begin today, most likely first on cable.   Keep an eye out, and be sure to chime in here.

HDTV: Daub on offense

After months of negative attacks by Jim Suttle, Hal Daub is finally striking back with an issue ad aimed straight at Suttle.

See it here:



Now the naysayers in the crowd may say, "What negative attacks by Suttle?"

Hmm.

How about on numerous occasions calling Hal Daub a "Bully"? Not pointing to specific issues in Daub's tenure as Mayor or on MECA or even back in his Congressional career. Just simply name calling. (Even if Suttle doesn't understand the words he is using at the time...)

Well, here Daub comes back at Suttle -- but not with name calling -- with not-so-subtle facts (har har har).

We like the spot itself. Very basic, with three main points.

We don't know Jim Suttle. (Whose name ID was in the cellar around January.)

Suttle voted against additional police. (A point Suttle seems to be proud of -- he mocked Daub's suggestion of hiring an additional 100 cops).

Suttle propsed various taxes, and voted to raise property taxes.

Note that Daub is going after the "Change" theme as well. It's a term we heard ad nauseam over the last year, except that now the word has come to mean, "Wait, you're changing what? By HOW much? Uh, I didn't sign off on that."

We already know what themes Suttle has been testing on his polling calls. It will be interesting to see what he uses in the media.

When he stops calling Daub names, anyway.

An "unfortunate" push

Let's back up one more time to the statement Senator Ben Nelson made when he endorsed Jim Suttle the other day:

Last Monday when I was asked if I was gonna make an endorsement I said, "No. I... gonna stay out of ... out of a non-partisan race."

And unfortunately the partisan blogs and conservative talk show hosts tried to make something out of that to hurt, uhhh, our candidate, Jim Suttle. And, uh, that didn't seem fair to me and didn't seem right.

So, let's look at the history of Nelson's non-endorsement, endorsements.

Back in February, Nelson attended a fundraiser for Suttle in Washington, D.C. -- where Nelson was listed as a "Special Guest".

The OWH went on to report that:

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.

(Note: We don't have a link for this quote. It was provided by a Nebraska Democrat, and we're taking him at his word that it is accurate. He may have gotten it via Nexis. But the particular quote is no longer in the OWH story on the intertubes. Was the quote taken out for a reason, or by request? We don't know.)

So, there you have Nelson in a nutshell: I don't want to be public about what I really think, but -- wink-wink -- you know what I really think.

Then, on Monday this week, Nelson told the AP that he won't be endorsing anyone, because, well...

...he won't get involved because he has to work with whoever gets the job.

So, which is it then? On the one hand, Nelson says that you can simply look through what he is really saying and know who he is endorsing. On the other, he says that you shouldn't look at what he really means, because, darnit, he's all about the good government.

So when Leavenworth Street pointed at him and said, "B.S!", Nelson called that "unfortunate".

Well yes that is unfortunate...for Ben Nelson.

It means that he isn't allowed to sit on the fence when it comes to politics.

It means he while he supports his Democrat buddy he can't sell the Republicans and Independents that he's just non-partisan about it all.

It means he has to get off the damn fence and take a stand.

What's unfortunate is that he had to be pushed.

It sure would be swell if he could be Senator All-Things-To-Everyone. Unfortunately, sometimes one has to actually take a stand.

Too bad, for Senator Nelson, it took a push from Leavenworth Street.

***

Hal Daub and Jim Suttle debated yesterday at the Omaha Press Club, and actually got into it a little.

They discussed crime, and Daub pointed to his published, detailed plans for fighting crime.

Jim Suttle, on the other hand has presented no plan said that the only way to fight crime is by getting everyone employed. (Oh, and remember that Suttle's "jobs" plan for all the gang-bangers is to build a bridge to Iowa and hope that a business grows out of a field.)

And then Suttle mocked Daub's suggestion that Omaha could use 100 more cops.

Here's Suttle's money question:

"Let me just ask a hypothetical question here. If each person in this room had five more police officers at their personal disposal, where would you put those officers?" asked Suttle.

"I want them to think about this because every time I ask it, I get silence. You see, we can put more and more officers here, there and everywhere, but it's back to the jigsaw puzzle (of creating more jobs)," said Suttle.

Silence? Here's an easy answer to Mr. Suttle's question: I'd put one in front of my house; one in front of my kids' school; one in front of where ever my kids hang out; one in front of the business I run; and one in front of YOUR house (to keep an eye on you).

There. I feel safer already.

So yeah, fuuuuuullllll employment is a noble sort of quest -- but Suttle hasn't come up with any sort of plan to achieve that. And the suggestion that proper policing is not a deterrent to crime, is simply ignorant.

As Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you." And some of those poor are going to resort to crime. And then some of the not-poor are going to resort to crime. And then some of the just pure deviant are going to resort to crime.

And may Jesus help you if you don't have the proper number of cops on the street to stop them.

***

There was one final zinger at the debate.

Along with Suttle's droning on about "civility at City Hall" crap, he has also been trying to hit Daub as a "professional politician".

Hal came back and:

...quizzed Suttle on how long he had served as public works director under former Mayor Mike Boyle.

Suttle served six years under Boyle and four years on the City Council. Daub has served about 14 years total in Congress and as mayor.

So apparently Suttle wants the Mayor's gig so that he can reach the "professional" ranks in four years, too.

But, on second thought, maybe it would be best if Suttle stays an amateur. For the benefit of everyone.

Nelson guilted into endorsement by Leavenworth Street

**Update, Thursday, 4/16, 11:30 AM**

Senator Nelson confirmed that it was Leavenworth Street that guilted him into this:

Nelson said conservative talk-show hosts and bloggers were trying to use his neutral stance in the race against his fellow Democrat, and he decided he couldn't let that stand.

Once again, thanks for reading Senator.

***

KMTV's Joe Jordan is reporting that U.S. Senator E. Ben Nelson will endorse Omaha City Councilman Jim Suttle for Mayor at 9:30 Thursday morning.

Just yesterday, Leavenworth Street pointed out that Nelson had endorsed numberous other candidates, but his failure to endorse Suttle was...suspicious.

A loyal reader also pointed out that Nelson had attended a D.C. fundraiser for Suttle back in January where he said while he wouldn't make a public endorsement, you knew how he really (wink wink ) felt.

So why the turn around from Nelson in a matter of forty-eight hours?

Well, we know that Nelson reads Leavenworth Street.

And we know that his Senate colleague, Mike Johanns endorsed Hal Daub.

And contrary to how he ran his 2006 campaign, Ben Nelson IS a Democrat.

So lump 'em all together and looks like Nelson will try to do for Suttle what he wouldn't do for Jim Esch -- that is, elect a local Democrat in Omaha.

Well, all we can say is, thanks for reading Senator. (We'll be sure to renew your subscription.)

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!

Tie-ing up endorsements

Councilman Jim Suttle was endorsed today by the duo of Mayor Mike Fahey and the Mayor's tie.

In accepting Fahey's endorsement, Suttle said to Fahey:

The Mayor's office is a "leadership platform", not a "Bully Pulpit" -- which you inherited from the previous administration.

So Dems used to hate when GWB said, "nuke-you-lar", but they're OK with Suttle bastardizing the English language?

Let's square this away again: "Bully Pulpit" is a term coined by President Teddy Roosevelt. The "pulpit" referenced is the position of leadership that an office holder has. 

The "bully" in that term, does not refer to a harasser who is kicking sand in your face. "Bully" means, "wonderful" or "terrific". So Bully Pulpit means a terrific platform that an office holder can use to further their public agenda.

The fact that Suttle has no idea what the term really means -- and that none of his staff have filled him in -- is baffling. Couple that with his proposals about business parks in Iowa, a complete lack of coherent statements on plans to run the city and, of course, the Pope opening the new stadium, and it all comes together.

Or, better said, comes apart.

Of course, Suttle discounts his endorsement by Fahey, since Fahey is just a Democrat like Suttle, so really just scrap the whole thing.  (Jim sez so.)

***



Across town, Hal Daub had a little endorsement shindig.  Outgoing Omaha City Councilman Dan Welch may have had the best line when he said:

"You could scour the nation and not find a person who is more qualified for this position."

At his jam-packed campaign HQ, Daub was endorsed by...

Sen. Mike Johanns,                  U.S. Senator - Nebraska
Gov. Dave Heineman,             Governor of the State of Nebraska
Rep.. Lee Terry,                       U.S. Congressman, Nebraska District 2 (Omaha)
Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy,             Lt. Governor- State of Nebraska
Atty. Gen. John Bruning,        Attorney General of the State of Nebraska
John Gale,                                Secretary of State - Nebraska
Mike Foley,                              State Auditor - Nebraska
Shane Osborn,                          State Treasurer - Nebraska
Rep.. John Y. McCollister,      Former US Congressman, Nebraska District 2
John S. McCollister,                 Former M.U.D Board Member
Dan Welch,                              Omaha City Council President
Jim Vokal,                                Omaha City Councilman, 2009 Mayoral Candidate
Franklin Thompson,                 Omaha City Councilman
Chuck Sigerson,                       Omaha City Councilman
Scott Hazelrigg,                       District 66 Board Member
Clare Duda,                              President, Douglas County Board
Mary Anne Borgeson,              Member, Douglas County Board
Kyle Hutchings,                       Member, Douglas County Board
Tim Dunning,                           Douglas County Sherriff
Tom Doyle,                              Douglas County Engineer
Kurt Geschwender,                  Former Candidate for NE Leg.
Stu Dornan,                              Former Douglas County Prosecutor
Gene Spence,                           Former Candidate for Governor of Nebraska
David Nabity,                          Former Candidate for Governor of Nebraska
Jerry Ryan,                               Former Mayor of Bellevue, Nebraska
Robert Cunningham,                Former Mayor of Omaha
Subby Anzaldo,                       Former Omaha City Council Member and Acting Mayor of Omaha
Sen. Mike Flood,                     State Senator & Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature
Sen. Brad Ashford,                  State Senator
Sen. Beau McCoy,                   State Senator
Sen. Abbie Cornett,                 State Senator
Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh,          State Senator
Sen. Tony Fulton,                    State Senator
Sen. Tom Carlson,                    State Senator
Sen. Tim Gay,                          State Senator
Sen. Scott Price,                       State Senator
Sen. Rich Pahls,                       State Senator
Sen. Pete Pirsch,                      State Senator
Sen. Mike Friend,                    State Senator
Sen. John E. Nelson,                State Senator
Sen. Charlie Janssen,                State Senator
Sen. Pam Redfield,                  Former State Senator
Sen. Mick Mines,                     Former State Senator
Sen. Mark Quandahl,               Former State Senator
Sen. Kermit Brashear,              Former State Senator
Sen. Jim Jensen,                       Former State Senator
David Kramer,                         Former US Senate Candidate
Richard Takechi,                      Member, Learning Community Coordinating Council
Don Groesser,                          Mayor of Ralston
Tony Sorentino,                       Board Member, Metro Community College
Ron Hug,                                 Board Member, Metro Community College
Lisa Cuevas-Jorgensen,            Former Board Member, Metro Community College
Mike Pate,                               President, Millard School Board
Linda Poole,                             Member, Millard School Board Member
Mike Kennedy,                        Member, Millard School Board Member
Julie Kannas,                            Member, Millard School Board
Tim Cavanaugh,                       Metropolitan Utilities District Board Member
Dave Friend,                            Metropolitan Utilities District Board Member & former candidate for Mayor of Omaha
Tim Fowler,                              Board Member, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District
Jim Thompson,                         Board Member, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District
Mike Cavanaugh,                     Board Member, Omaha Public Power District
Sandra Kostos Jensen,             Omaha Public School Board Member
Nancy Kratky,                         Omaha Public School Board Member
Van Argyrakis,                         2009 Mayoral Candidate
Randy Brown,                          2009 Mayoral Candidate
Nancy McCabe,                       Douglas County Republican Chairman
Beth Ragland,                          2ND District Exec. Committe Member at Large
John Sieler,                               2ND District GOP Chairman
Carol Pirsch,                             Former Douglas County Board member, Former State Senator
Mark Fahelson,                        Chairman, Nebraska Republican Party
Frank Christensen,                   Former Omaha City Councilman
Randy Ferlic,                           University of Nebraska Regent

Unions
Steamfitters and Plumbers Local Union #464
City Employees' Union, A.F.S.C.M.E. Local #251
Plumbers Local Union #16
The Civilian Management, Professional and Technical Employee Council
Construction Laborers Local Union #1140

Geez. We've been to Omaha Beef games that had fewer people. That's a cramped campaign HQ. As Chief Brody said, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Fahey hates Suttle less, or...

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will make an announcement at the Jim Suttle for Mayor HQ on Monday morning at 9:30 AM.

Fahey is going to announce that he is going to be non-committal in the Mayor's race.

Ha!

Well, what would one expect, after Suttle dismissed the importance of Fahey, a fellow Democrat, endorsing him:

"We are both Democrats. I am a protege of his. I think we have to put Fahey's comments into proper perspective."

Oh, wait. Suttle didn't say that about himself. He said it about Jim Vokal's endorsement of Hal Daub. But of course, if Suttle believes that to be the case with Vokal and Daub, it is certainly the case here.

After all, anyone who has been around City Hall for the past four years knows that Mike Fahey does not like Jim Suttle. As we mentioned before, Suttle has consistently been a thorn in Fahey's side, opposing him on key issues, and posturing himself for a run at the Mayor's office.

But Fahey's no dummy. He can't NOT oppose Daub, whom many local Dems hate with a seething hatred they reserve only for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Fahey would be persona non grata at the Holiday if he were to stand still and let Daub take the Mayor's office.

Fahey is a practical guy. So he will swallow his pride and "endorse" Suttle, and then belch and go on about his business.

Of course in real life Mike Fahey was front row and center at the most nationally televised CU game at the Q.

And that facility never would have happened if it weren't for the leadership of former Mayor Jim Suttle.

(Oh, wait...)

Who does Fahey hate less?

Jim Vokal endorsed Hal Daub this afternoon. 

(Photo from KFAB's site.)

And Joe Jordan says he thinks Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will endorse Suttle.

Hmm.

We don't think so.

We think there was a decent chance that Fahey would have endorsed Vokal, with whom he has a decent relationship, had Vokal made it through yesterday.

But with Daub and Suttle pulling through, it's a harder question.

Mike Fahey is not buds with Daub, whom he beat in 2001.  Nor is he BFFs with Suttle, who has been a thorn in the side of Fahey at times over the past four years.

So does Fahey dislike Suttle enough to endorse Daub?

Yikes.  Hmm.  Not likely.

But does Fahey dislike Daub enough to endorse fellow-Democrat Suttle?

Boy, ya gotta think that would take some convincing.

From Ben Nelson?  Bob Kerrey?  (Rahm Emanuel?)

It will be interesting to see what it takes for Fahey to hold his nose with one hand and shake Suttle's hand with the other.

But we have a feeling it won't happen.

***

On a semi-related note, is Suttle sporting a urban-camouflage suit in this OWH photo?  

If he stands in front of the First National building he would appear to be just a floating head...

It's Daub vs Suttle!

Hal Daub pulled in 35.6% of the vote, with Jim Suttle taking 34.3% to put those two into the May General Election for Mayor of Omaha.

Jim Vokal tallied 6% behind Suttle at 28.2% to drop out.

Throughout the Primary season Daub was hitting Vokal when he went after his opponents. So it looks like he got who he wanted.

Daub took it easy on Suttle during the Primary. Now, look for the gloves to come off.

As Daub said when dropping out of the 2008 Senate race:

"I don't want to give another concession speech."

***

Ben Gray beats Frank Brown by 12 votes!
A General Election battle lined up!

***

Chris Jerram wins it in the stretch to take on Chip Maxwell!
(Crystal Rhoades a surprising 4th place, 165 votes back -- remember that Democrat mailer she didn't get on?)

***

To get full vote results from the Douglas County Election Commissioner site CLICK HERE.

Primary Election Day diary #3

Get your vote tallies at the Douglas County Election Commissioner site CLICK HERE.

***

As the polls close, Rep. Lee Terry tells Joe Jordan he only sees one Republican pulling through the Mayoral primary -- based on voter registration.

"It would be a bit of a surprise to me if both people who come through were Republicans."

***

Final #s at 10:20 pm:

Daub: 15,516 -- 35.6%
Suttle: 14,910 -- 34.3%
Vokal: 12,263 -- 28.2%


***

FYI, in the 2005 Primary, about 42,000 votes were cast.
More registered voters today, but that's also the Obama effect.

Primary Election Day diary #2

Hey kids!  Not much to say other than if you want to vote, there are no lines!

Vote early late, vote often!

And as we'll be manning the internets here at the L. St. command post, please send us your blurry camera phone shots from your election night party and we'll do our best to post. 

Whether you're elated or depressed, remember to drive safely and get a cab if needed!

On to the evening!

Primary Election Day diary #1

Goooood mornin'!

A little early post for you poll workers and early risers (it's 6am bloggin' time.)

A quick post to tell you about a couple of late mailers we received.

Remember our post where we showed you District 6 candidate Walt Peffer's mailer telling you that he is the "True Republican candidate for City Council" against Franklin Thompson? Had all his GOP "endorsements"?



Well get this. Peffer has another mailer out there, but this one is specifically addressed, "To Walt's Democratic Friends".

And this one cracks on "Republican Franklin Thompson", like the GOP moniker is a dirty word.



The mailer goes on to knock various votes of Thompson, and we won't bother to even give the rest.

That's some cheek for a relatively serious candidate to play both sides of the party politics that openly. Though considering his campaign consultant is the former E.D. of the County Democrats, it's not that surprising. But still...

***

And then we received a bright red mailer that Democrat Jim Farho is sending. This one cracks on Democrat Chris Jerram for his various legal clients.

Like the old saying goes, you can pick your clients and you can pick your nose, but if someone sees you, expect it to come up on someone's campaign mailer.

We'd post that flyer, but frankly we haven't verified the claims that Farho is making, and we don't really want to get into Rex Moats territory here, if you know what we're saying.

The funny thing about the piece is that Farho doesn't go on to say, "Vote for Farho because he'll do X,Y, and Z and make the world a better place, etc." It just cracks on Jerram. Which would be fine if there were only one other candidate. But when there are five? Hmm...

***

As the day goes on we'll continue to post. If you see anything good, take a camera phone shot and send it in to us.

If you hear anything, or have any good poll or candidate stories, send those in.

And give us your thoughts.

Oh, and vote.

Mayoral Odds

We come down to our predictions (and odds) for the Omaha Mayor's race in tomorrow's Primary Elections.

While this race had a relatively fiery start, it's been a bit of a fizzle towards Tuesday's vote.

The police pension spiking started as a big issue, with the Omaha Police union throwing their weight around, claiming their opposition to Vokal was all about "saving the children".

Each of the candidates tossed out an economic development plan, about which there hasn't been much further discussion or debate.

Then the police pension plan came up again, with everyone throwing out their ideas (or lack there of).

But ask many Omahans and they'll tell you there's not much fire about this race.

An interesting nugget came the other day when Jim Vokal decided not to go on Tom Becka's afternoon radio show on KFAB. Becka was all wound up, and openly mocked Vokal and his campaigning style. One could say that you couldn't blame Vokal for avoiding what one caller called Becka's "woodpecker on crack" style. (Then again, Becka would likely have been polite to Vokal, so we can't really see where going on the show would have hurt him.)

But the real telling point was when Becka asked only pro-Vokal callers to chime in. And about three called in.

Now we KNOW there are more pro-Vokal peeps out there. And we don't doubt that Becka would have put them on. But we think it displays more of a complete disconnect right now in an election where there are no real driving issues -- or at least any that have really been driven by the candidates. One can only get so excited about cops retiring early.

So aside from the predicted low expected turn-out in a contested primary (unlike, at least, 2001 and 2005), where do we see things headed?

Well let's look at the pluses and minuses of the three major candidates:

***

Hal Daub

Omahans have shown that they either love Hal Daub or hate Hal Daub. (Well, love and hate are probably both too strong, but you get the picture.) It's notable that Daub has not had an easy election since his last House victory in 1986.

But by all accounts, looking back, he had a very successful tenure as Mayor. So why wouldn't Daub be cruising to a third term as Mayor?

Well, Daub has passionate supporters. He can raise lots of money in Omaha. And he will likely get his supporters out to vote. Daub's advantage is his West Omaha base, which traditionally has had a very high voter turnout -- even without a primary. One would think that this primary could work for him.

But Daub can have a ceiling in the Omaha electorate. While his supporters can turn out, his non-supporters can as well. Some will simply fill in an oval that doesn't have "Hal Daub" next to it. If turnout is strong in the eastern part of the city, that could pose a problem for Daub (especially if turnout is high in the Democrat District 3, with its competitive primary).

Note too the amount of cash that Daub has spent in the primary.  He doesn't think he has it in the bag.  And note the onus of his (or his subordinates) attacks.  All on Jim Vokal.  There has to be a reason for that.

There are Hal Daub yard signs all over town. But there are lots of houses where there isn't a Hal Daub sign. Do they vote too?

***

Jim Vokal

Let's face it, Jim Vokal is not an electric personality. Stand him next to the the frenetic Daub and you might grab his wrist to check for a pulse. But do Omahans see that as a bad thing? People liked Mike Fahey because he seemed even keeled. Daub lost back in 2001 mainly based on what some considered his disagreements with the City Council.

So does Vokal seem more...agreeable?

Well for one thing, in the now Democrat city of Omaha, Vokal is perceived by many as non-partisan. He beat Democrat stalwart Anne Boyle in a Democrat district. He has had a good relationship with Mayor Mike Fahey. But he still pals around with the Chuck Sigersons of the town, so he hasn't lost his GOP bona fides. This appeals to people.

But others feel that Vokal, still in his thirties, is lacking in experience. While Vokal has an eight-year record on the city council, in his professional life he doesn't have an extensive resume. The OWH pointed out that Vokal's managerial experience in pretty much nil in a position that is essentially the City manager.

But, do voters care? In many respects, people are looking to see what a candidate's vision is for the city, as opposed to how he manages, say, a snow storm. Then again, while someone like Daub certainly has that experience, how many non-Mayors do, yet are still elected? It is certainly a plus for Daub, but for many doesn't necessarily cancel out Vokal.

Like it or not, Vokal's biggest asset is probably that he is not Hal Daub. There's a reason that Vokal has been pushing his "same old Hal Daub" theme. While Vokal took a lot of shots from the police union, voters looked through the union attacks to see who they were coming from, and many have pointed at Daub. That may or may not be fair, but it it likely the case.

The question is, can Vokal parlay that anti-Daub sentiment into a #1 or #2 spot?

***

Jim Suttle

When Suttle got into the race, we thought he looked like the kind of guy who could potentially waltz into the third floor office at the City/County building based simply on his resume.

Let people know that he has worked with HDR. Push a few City Council votes. Be the Democrat successor to Mike Fahey and let it happen.

But then Suttle opened his mouth.

Toboggan runs. Papal visits. Iowa business parks. Platitudes to cut waste with no specifics. We got a chuckle out a line from the "Weird Harold", an online parody site:

Candidate Jim Suttle says he’ll solve the pension shortfall by “negotiating with the unions,” an ingenious gambit, which left the other candidates speechless. “That guy walks on water,” said Mayor Mike Fahey. “Did you hear him out there? Negotiating! I’ve been doing this job how long? I never thought of that!” Fahey was also “blown away” by Suttle’s secret plan to serve donuts at the negotiating table. “Forget subtle,” said the Mayor, “Jim is just plain wicked clever.”

After the Obama victory in Omaha and the prospect of an electorate splitting Daub on the ballot, Suttle could have been measuring curtains. Instead, there won't be the massive Obama turnout and voters who are looking for an alternative to Daub, particularly Democrats, may instead look to Jim Vokal. Or just stay home.

All that being said, Suttle has spent a wad of cash, and that'll get you someplace.

***

So where do we come down on Tuesday? Well, like we said on the District 3 race, we think it's going to be close.

We think Daub will take the the Primary, but won't get over 50%. We think that Vokal and Suttle will battle it out for second place.

And we think Vokal will pull it out.

So, because you can't win if you don't play, we provide these Leavenworth Street odds:

Daub into the General: 1:4
Daub over/under: 38%

Vokal into the General: 2:1
Vokal over/under: 33%

Suttle into the General: 3:1
Suttle over/under: 29%

PLACE YA BETS!

(Actual betting, para-mutual wagering, or keno playing, not allowed or endorsed by this web-log.)

City Council Pre-Primary Wrap

As we finish our pre-Election Day posts, we look at the rest of the City Council races.

(Note: These are all predictions, not endorsements.)

First we'd note that Chuck Sigerson has no opponent in District 7. Congratulations Chuck.

Then we look at the (essentially) two-person races, where both candidates will advance, though the winner on Tuesday will have a major upper hand:

Dist 1
Pete Festerson (D) vs. Sharon Chvala (R)
Festerson easy. We wish Chvala the best of luck, but we just don't see it happening.

Dist 2
Frank Brown (D) vs (mainly) Ben Gray (D).
Brown, though Gray could make a play.

Dist 4
Gary Gernandt (D) vs. Joseph Velasquez (D)
Gernandt easy.

Dist 6
Franklin Thompson (R) vs. Walt Peffer (R).


This race is interesting if only because the challenger, Peffer, has a little bit of name ID. Of course the name many may associate is from Sgt. Peffer's (outstanding) restaurant (originally on Saddle Creek, and now in Millard). The rest of Peffer's name ID comes from his time as former mayor P.J. Morgan's "Executive Assistant" (er, Chief of Staff?). Of course, that was a few years ago now.

But Peffer put out a mailer recently, where he touts himself as the "TRUE REPUBLICAN candidate" for City Council.



That had to raise and eyebrow on Republican City Councilman Franklin Thompson. Especially considering that almost all of Peffer's campaign contributions have come from (traditonally Democrat supporting) unions, and almost all of Peffer's campaign money has been paid to the "Pierce Group". Which would be Kris Pierce, former Executive Director of the Douglas County Democrats.



That's not to say Peffer can't have Republican values, and voting and all that. But that's gotta make one think, right?

In any case, we still think Thompson takes this with a bit of ease.

Dist 5
Jean Stothert (R) vs. Jon Blumenthal (R)


Are there some hot-button issues in this campaign between two Republicans? Has there been a major separation?





Oh sure, the Stothert forces have been bickering back and forth on the internets about Blumenthal's mailer claims. Blumenthal went on the offense about taking fire or police money.





But if there is something this campaign boils down to, we haven't seen it.

On the other hand Stothert lost a very close race for legislature. Built up name ID and a campaign organization from that. Has been on the Millard School board. And has spent a small truck load of cash on mailers and the like.

In a race like this, with no other significant separation, name ID is going to do it. And Stothert has built that up.

We pick her to pull it out on Tuesday.

Day before free-for-all

This is going to be a multi-post day.

We're going to start with the first majorly contested City Council race -- District 3.

We think this race is going to be close.

The candidates are:
Brian Buescher (R), Steve Cross (R), Jim Farho (D), Chris Jerram (D), Chip Maxwell (R), Crystal Rhodes (D).

We think this race comes down to three candidates, but it will be interesting to see how the others affect those three.

Brian Buescher, Chris Jerram and Chip Maxwell are our three top picks -- but only two get to advance.

Keep in mind this is Jim Vokal's current district. Vokal is a Republican and, as an incumbent, beat Anne Boyle back in 2005 for this seat. But make no mistake, this is a Democrat district.

So Chris Jerram would seem to have an edge, right? Well, maybe. Jerram's problem is that Jim Farho and Crystal Rhodes are Democrats fairly involved in their neighborhoods. Could those two peel off enough of Jerram's Democrat votes?



Note that in his mailers, "Democrat" is featured prominently for Jerram. And then there's all the "Green" talk that's gives many mid-town Dems a warm happy feeling. Jerram is no idiot in glomming onto that vibe.



Brian Buescher on the other hand is pushing for the "tough on crime" vote. That's an issues that gets to the heart of many in mid-town (or whatever the proper name is these days). Law and order is never a bad way to go.



And Buescher, like Jerram, has raised enough cash to help to get his message out.



And Chip Maxwell? He's really pushing his name ID in his old County Board district. His "A Name You Know and Trust" slogan, harkens us back to that crappy Eddie Murphy movie where Eddie's character had the same name as the former office holder and he ran for Congress as "the name you know", and won.



Not to say that Chip is any way comparable, but the lower funded Maxwell (as compared to Jerram or Buescher) has a bigger advantage in name ID, and absolutely has to ride that pony as far as we can. (And ouch!, that's some serious reading in the second piece. Definitely giving voters the benefit of the doubt that they'll read it.)



So who pulls this out?

Tough call.

It's tempting to just go with the top two funded candidates. But Maxwell's name ID will be tough.

We're going to pick Jerram and Buescher, just to make a call.

But it could easily be Jerram and Maxwell.
Or Buescher and Maxwell.
That's why they vote.

Many more predictions on ALL the races coming through the rest of the day (and hopefully completing them all before 5pm).

Come on back!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Driving around West O, a few names in our faces.

Hal Daub at 73rd & Pacific.

Jim Vokal at 140th & W. Center Rd.

Near 140th & Industrial Rd.
Jon Blumenthal
And Jean Stothert

Franklin Thompson cornering the bus-bench advertising market (which we like for the lower tier races).

Walt Peffer with a few signs out and about.

***

In the "in case you missed it" file, how about the Nebraska Democrats pissing of a whole slew of candidates by jerking them around on a recent mailing?

The OWH and KMTV reported on how Councilman Frank Brown was told by the party that the no other candidates in his District would be taking part in their organized mailing -- then finding his main opponent, Ben Gray, on the mailer when it went out.

Then in District 3, Dem candidate Crystal Rhoades said she told the party she would like to see the flyer before she blows $2,000 of her campaign money on it. She says they never got back to her, and went ahead and sent of the mailer.

Are we saying that if you're a Democratic candidate that at some point the party will jam a shiv in your back?

Well, we'd just say, watch yourselves independent Dems. Watch yourselves...

***

On yesterday's April Fool's Day jokes, hopefully a few of you noticed the mnemonic from the first letters of the caption to the newspaper photo. We were up late trying our hardest.

And we even received emails about Jim Esch's "announcement" on KFAB that he was running a write-in campaign for Mayor. We did a similar joke last year regarding Tom Osborne, though credit Scott Voorhees for actually getting Esch (and KETV's Rob McCartney) on the air to plug it. Click here for the KFAB podcast of the show.

(Now the real question is who is on Esch's arm in the other half of the pic on KFAB's site...)

***

The OWH attempted an April Fool's "jokes" in the Living section yesterday.

They actually had a couple of funny ones, to wit:

Senators pass “No Death Penalty” bill; Ernie Chambers is incensed.

“Seriously?” said the former senator. “Thirty-eight years I was there — and you wait until— seriously?”

Play ball!
Millard, Ralston, Bellevue and Papillion move forward on baseball stadium plans.

But the rest? Their idea of an "April Fool" was to post "likeness" photos of the three Mayoral candidates.

You know, as if they were, "separated at birth" from those individuals.

Gee, there's a novel idea. Now it's not as if Leavenworth Street invented this idea -- though we've certainly been the major force (as it were) behind doing them in Nebraska politics.

But, two things:

1) It's not an April Fools joke. April Fools jokes are meant to trick you in some way, maybe kind of outrageously. So the "wacky healdines" = joke. Separated at birth photos? Not so much.

2) Hey, if you're going to run with our idea, at least come up with your own suggestions! Hal Daub and Keith Olbmermann? Gee where have we seen that before?

And Jim Vokal and Lex Luthor? What, OWH, you couldn't even use Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey's Luthor, you had to go with Smallville, just like Leavenworth Street huh?

(It's a form of flattery...it's a form of flattery...it's a form of flattery.)

BREAKING NEWS: City of Omaha to take over bankrupt World Herald

On the heels of government bailouts and takeovers of AIG, GM and Fannie Mae, Leavenworth Street has learned that as of this Saturday, the City of Omaha will bailout and take over the embattled, and near bankrupt, Omaha World Herald newspaper.

We at Leavenworth Street, while not surprised by these events, think this is a travesty.

Nebraska's leading daily paper has seen a dramatic decline in readership over the past year with the rise of the internets and desertion of the paper by publisher John Gottschalk.

The decline in the quality of newsworthiness of columns (following the departure of Rainbow Rowell), a poor percentage in endorsing winners in political campaigns and expanded coverage of such sports as "outdoor living" and high school girls volleyball have been clear culprits.

The paper, though privately owned, was quickly seen as "too big to fail" by the Mike Fahey administration. "If the World Herald fails, where will we get our news," asked Fahey. "There would be no Briefly Metro News. No Lottery Results. And the Public Pulse writers would be relegated to commenting in web-blawgs. I don't think that's the kind of City we want to live in."

Fahey stated that the World Herald would be run by a public-private partnership, similar to MECA which runs the Qwest Center and the future Fahey Baseball Stadium. The group will be called, "Buf-Yan-Sok-Scott" and will have a board appointed by the Mayor, the Archbishop and the Berkshire Hathaway Board of Directors as well as a stenographer appointed by the City Council.

Initial funding of the board -- and thereby the World Herald -- is thought to be between $300 and $900 million, though projections are thought to be less depending on the fate of the Money and Living Sections. "We all have to tighten our belts. I would like a weekly recipe for paprika as much as the next taxpayer, but we have to make cuts somewhere. Funky Winkerbean will however, likely end up on the Opinion page," said Fahey.

Fahey has also made it clear that with the takeover of the news by the City, there will be no golden parachutes for retiring executives. "I have already demanded that Stu Pospisil return the Creighton Prep Basketball Champs mug he snuck into his backpack on Tuesday. And Robert Nelson can forget about getting that Ashlander of the Year award, and the ham that goes with it. No one is going to be seen as profiting on my watch."

Omaha Mayoral candidates, one of whom will have the burden of managing the newspaper in the coming months, have also chimed in.

"I hate the World Herald and the World Herald hates me," said former Mayor and candidate Hal Daub. "That being said, I will work to de-solve and re-volve the relationship with the newspaper and the City. This will be much like the sewer separation project, in more ways than one."

Jim Vokal said, "When Hal Daub was on MECA, he let the Royals go to Sarpy County. If he is in charge of Buf-Yan-Sok-Scott, who is to say that this won't happen again, and we end up with the Sarpy County World Herald? Under my watch, no one would be getting their news from Sarpy County -- unless it is that Bellevue Leader hybird that is pretty much the same as the World Herald anyway."

Councilman Jim Suttle responded, "Do we really need to be taking over the World Herald? Why not try some other ideas? Like getting the Dalai Lama into Omaha to read the news on the radio, like Roosevelt used to do. Or we could get a town cryer, like in the days of yore. We could bring back Jimmy "J.J." Walker, for a position like this. We need ideas. They don't have to be good ideas, or even sensible ideas. They just have to be words coming out of my mouth, while it's moving up and down."

It is not known what the last day of the paper will be, but it is thought that the headline will involve Nebraska football or possibly new parking near the Orpheum.