Terry TV: a response

New Lee Terry TV spot, responding to the Tom White claim.

See it here:



Well, Tom White started this whole pay raise "issue" and Terry frames it right up.

And really, this is the issue that the White camp thinks is going to carry them to Washington?

Freezing salaries?

The funny thing is, with Terry responding to it and frankly, whacking the softball out of the park, the Terry camp has to be thrilled that THIS is where Tom White is spending his money.

With a month left, we will see if they have anything else.

***

New Terry mailer as well.

Now where have we seen HER before...?

***

You know, why would Democrat Vice President come to Omaha today to campaign for someone who is an avowed Independent?

Oh yeah.

It is because Tom White is a hard-core Democrat who supports ObamaCare and Speaker Pelosi.

Well, good thing Biden visited White so we could all remember.

***

Well, we see that Ben Nelson is in favor of compromising to raise taxes.

There's a shocker.

***

UPDATE

Here is what you need to know about Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Omaha Thursday:

Biden:  "Tom White: He's my kind of guy!"

Tom's TV tale

Tom White's new ad up (no word on the actual buy).
See it here:



A couple things:

White keeps trying to hit Lee Terry on his TARP vote... THAT TOM WHITE SAID HE SUPPORTS!

You know, the TARP vote that White said was critical and saved the financial system?

It is hilarious that the Democrats (like Brad Ashford...what?) have been bitching and moaning about Terry's spots about the pay raise issue. Terry's spots are accurate and factual.

But White comes out and tries to sell:

1) That he is somehow against Trillion dollar spending -- after supporting the two biggest budget busting Trillion dollar plans that the President and the Democrat controlled Congress passed; and

2) That Terry is bad because he supported TARP -- WHICH WHITE SUPPORTS.

Is anyone paying attention?

***

And on the political side of things...still, a manufactured pay raise issue?

That's what the White camp feels is going to float them to victory?

White has taken two spots now trying to push that issue. And you know what? Keeping spending Tom! Hey why not try the "Lee Terry just doesn't GET IT." Ooooh! That'll really bring the house down.

Average 2nd District Voter:
"Gee, while I know Tom White is for ObamaCare and spending zillions of dollars of my tax money, darnit, he thinks Congress is paid too much. He has my vote!"

Yup, that's what you hear all across the 2nd District.

Wow.

***

And was it just us, or did the OWH miss Tom White's biggest claim to fame in the legislature?

The Drop Your Kids Off In Nebraska Safe Haven bill.

Anyone else remember that?

Sure, sure, between the parking lot fist fights, disdain by colleagues in the the legislature and the Court House and attempts to call himself an "independent" we may not have seen it.

But really, that's the one, right?

***

And, once again, let's read that headline:

White labels himself ‘independent '

Uh huh. That's nice.

Well, then. How about, "Michael Moore labels himself 'Six Foot blonde Woman'"

Or, "Hamster labels itself '40 story building'".

Wow, it's so easy!

***

And last but certainly not least, we want to celebrate the life of Roy Smith.

Smith was a leader of the community, involved in every level of politics and government and gave of himself tirelessly for those around him.

He was intelligent, articulate and was a man of ideas and accomplishment.

The OWH's write-up on Sunday gave a great view of Smith's life.

If you haven't read it, you should.

Roy Smith worked to make a difference in his community.

And he succeeded.

***

Saturday, October 2nd, at noon at Bellevue University and at the Douglas County GOP, the Nebraska Republican Party will be holding a phone bank and door to door effort.

Learn more from GOP Chair, Mark Fahleson, here:

Suttle Booed at Nighthawks Opener

Ah, the perils of the public appearance.

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle was the official coin-flipper at the opener of the Omaha Nighthawks UFL game at Rosenblatt Stadium tonight.

And he was BOOOOOOOOOED.

Heartily.

Now THAT's a poll.

Oh well.

Comes with the territory, right?

Of course, when you are threatened with a recall, it stings just a leeeeeetle more.

We would add that when Suttle was opening the CWS back in June, it wasn't nearly as bad.

Times change.

(And GO NIGHTHAWKS!)
(And GO Huskers!)

Jane Kleeb’s lovefest with Bill O’Reilly

The next time you hear the gang over at Kos, or heck over at the Nebraska Democrat Party or their assorted blogs, harsh on FOX News, you tell them to listen to their Liberal/Progressive Leader, Jane Fleming Kleeb.

In a short piece on The O’Reilly Factor, Bill and Mrs. Kleeb practically held hands and actually did agree that Democrats make up bullsh*t issues, and that FOX is the voice of moderates.

Wait, she didn’t really say "moderates", did she?

Feel free to watch the whole piece, but be sure to check it out at 3:08:



You will hear Jane say the following:

I don’t consider FOX an enemy.

I consider FOX definitely representing more MODERATE and definitely more conservative voices...

So there you go Democrats. We are glad THAT discussion is over.

Now Jane, please admit that Keith Olbermann is an Marxist/Leftist extremist who kicks dogs.

Dems demand: Show us your poll!

Today the Omaha Mayor Suttle Recall group announced their plans to go forward with collecting signatures for a recall.

First, say what you will about the organization of the group, they managed to turn a quick , foregone conclusion into a two-day story (by announcing their announcement two days early). Not political rocket-science, but well executed.

So, in that run up, Democrats and Suttle supporters (not necessarily the same group, by the way) has had plenty of time to formulate a response.

And guess what it was?

“Oh, yeah?! Well show us your poll!”

Really.

OK, more specifically:

“If this group is going to keep advancing the erosion of our election process, they need to come forward with full disclosure of the secret polling data that is driving them.”

Because that will...um...well, we don’t know what.

If you have the polling data that shows the public doesn’t like what the Mayor is doing then that will show that the public doesn’t support the Mayor?

This is one of the goofier arguments we’ve ever heard.

Hey, Democrats! Why don’t you get one of your 501(c)(4) groups, that seem to be flush with cash, to run their own poll! It is a foregone conclusion how it will turn out.  And then you can...well, again, we don’t know what.

“Show us your polling data”? (Shaking head.)

***

The next funny thing being touted by the Mayor and his spokespeoples is their argument against the Recall:

That would be, “The Mayor is doing a great job and his policies are good for the city”, right? That’s their argument, correct?

No?

Wait, coming from spokesperson, Catherine Mrs. Senator Heath Mello, it’s “Recalls are real expensive!”

Huh.

That’s right up there with, “Do you know how expensive smoke alarms are?” Or, “Do you know what baby car seats COST?”

You either need them, or you don’t.

So the question is, “Does Omaha need to recall its Mayor?”

If the Mayor’s office can’t tackle that simple question, they have already lost.

But maybe they know that...

Tom White changes his tune on TARP

Lots of reading for your political eyes.

In Politics Daily, the author looks at the Congressional race in Nebraska’s second district, and gets all hot and bothered that Lee Terry doesn’t brag optimism about his race.

Sure, some pols will tell you, “I’ve got it in the bag,” but what does that do to your supporters? Encourage them to stop canvassing the neighborhood and stay home on Election Day, that’s what.  So we won't get excited about Lee being his usual cautious self.

Beyond all the rest, what was interesting was Tom White’s “flim flam” about the TARP bailout.

You will remember that White’s recent TV ad says,

“Terry voted for wasteful spending, like the Wall Street bailout...”

Uh...but when actually trying to nail down White on this issue, what do we hear?

"I don't deny that saving the financial system was critical," he said with a bit of inadvertent understatement. "It was and it did. But what was done was done very poorly – and, of course, it was done under the Bush administration. And they did not control where that money went . . . There's a lot to legitimately criticize about TARP and his vote, while still recognizing the necessity of saving the financial system." Parse that answer – if you can.

OK, let us parse away!

“Saving the financial system was CRITICAL.”

“(The TARP vote) was (critical)...”

“(The TARP vote) did (save the financial system).”

So, Terry’s “wasteful” vote was critical, and it saved America.

Well, then thanks for clearing that up, Tom White.

And this clear-as-mud response is one reason why you’re no longer on the Democrat’s most favored list.

What’s that? Well...

***

If you read CQ Politics, you can see that the Terry-White race is not on many analysts’ radar:

Aside from GOP Reps. Anh “Joseph” Cao (La.) and Charles K. Djou (Hawaii) — both of whom represent heavily Democratic districts — there are three Republican Members whom Democrats believe they have a chance of defeating in November. They are Lungren and Reps. Dave Reichert(Wash.) and Charlie Dent (Pa.).

(We will give you a second to search for Lee Terry’s name there. You good? Good.)

***

And for an analysis of Nebraska’s Second District, the AP has done a little research.

You can find an interesting review of the trend for voters to register as Independent, rather than Republican or Democrat in the Omaha area.

Tom White’s campaign man, Ian Russell, spun it that Republican Primary Matt Sakalosky voters,

...could turn to White, whom Russell called "an independent leader" and "a fiscal conservative."

Riiiiight. THAT’s where they’ll turn. To the Democrat who supports ObamaCare at the trillion dollar stimulus. Uh huh.

But for a more critical analysis of the trend, look no further than Terry’s Manager, David Boomer:

Turnout among unaffiliated voters tends to drop in mid-cycle election years, he said, as it did in 2006, when about 32 percent of nonpartisan voters cast ballots -- compared with nearly half of all registered voters that year. Terry garnered about half of the independent vote in 2008 -- a year when nonpartisan voters across the country cast ballots 2-to-1 for Democratic President Barack Obama, Boomer said.

"If the Democrats could win every independent voter in November -- and the turnout is the same as it was in 2006 -- it would still come out even ... and that's not going to happen," he said.

Terry's campaign has also been targeting independent voters this year, Boomer said.

"If there's a nonpartisan voter out there who is likely to vote in November, they've heard from us four, five or six times this summer," he said.

That’s just a little more definite than, “we hope Sakalosky’s people vote for the Democrat”, eh?

***

Finally, 3rd District Congressman Adrian Smith, has this request to YOU, to help ID wasteful spending:



This is actually fairly interesting. Smith notes,

We are launching an experiment - the first YouCut Citizen Review of a government agency. Together, we will identify wasteful spending that should be cut and begin to hold agencies accountable for how they are spending your money.

First, we will take a look at the National Science Foundation (NSF) - Congress created the NSF in 1950 to promote the progress of science.

For this purpose, NSF makes more than 10,000 new grant awards annually, many of these grants fund worthy research in the hard sciences.

Recently, however NSF has funded some more questionable projects - $750,000 to develop computer models to analyze the on-field contributions of soccer players and $1.2 million to model the sound of objects breaking for use by the video game industry.

Help us identify grants that are wasteful or that you don't think are a good use of taxpayer dollars.

(Now if we can only figure out a way to swing some-a-that soccer cash, we’d be singing a different tune...)

Hey and, superficially, Smith's delivery on this was good, huh?  Nice work.

Terry TV: White Lies

New TV ad up by Congressman Lee Terry.
See it here:



This is, of course, a response to the last Tom White ad. The main crux of that spot was that White would vote to cut or freeze Congressional pay. (Which seems like sort of a goofy issue on which to base your first campaign spot, but anyway...)

So Terry's spot nails White on that issue, and then hits him again his support of the $2 Trillion spending.

White shouldn't worry though, because that is probably the last time Terry will mention that.

Probably.

Maybe.

***

Don't forget to enter our contest to win Omaha Nighthawks tickets or gear (or for any other UFL team)! You have until midnight tonight!

***

**UPDATE**

The Terry camp seems to be supporting each new ad with a mailer drop as well.

See the latest coming to a mail box near you!

Confirmed: A vote for White is a vote for Obama/Pelosi

Democrat Vice President Joe Biden will be coming to Omaha for a country club fundraiser for Democrat Congressional candidate Tom White.

No more evidence is needed to show that Tom White will be a solid vote for the Obama-Pelosi Democrat policies.

If that’s what you want, Tom White is your man.

(Biden will surely let you know that White supporting ObamaCare and porkulus is “a big f**king deal.”)

***

On another note, the Washington Post listed their Top Seven prospects for Republican to Democrat turnover in the House.

Nebraska’s second district was NOT on the list.

Oh well.

***

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle gave his defense against the recall efforts.

In his statement he said, “City government must be efficient and innovative to save tax dollars... ”.

Or, what? It should be changed?

We’re fairly sure this is an argument FOR booting Suttle asap.

***

Be sure to take part in our Omaha Nighthawks contest!

And GO HUSKERS!!!

Nighthawks Now!

Say hey Leavenworth Street readers, a little jag for ya.

The UFL -- league of the Omaha Nighthawks featuring Ahman Green, Jeff Garcia and Maurice Clarett, just to name a few -- has offered a promotion contest for you, right here on Leavenworth Street.

So, to get in on this here is what you need to do:

First, watch this 30 second UFL commercial from YouTube.



Next, go to the comments section on this post.

YOU WILL NEED TO SIGN IN TO BLOGGER. This must include an email address where I can contact you back.

Then, leave a comment, about “This ad shows why politics and football go together because...” you know, just to keep things a little Leavenworth Street centric.

The comments will be viewed for originality,creativity, humor, taste, writing style and wit.

The contest will close at midnight Central, Monday, September 20th.

The best comment, chosen solely by me, under my complete discretion, that is 100% infallible, will win either:

Nighthawks Gear
This can be any single item under $40 from UFL-store.com

OR

Tickets
Two to any 'home' UFL game. (Nighthawks first game is Friday, September 24th at Rosenblatt.)

I will then contact the winner via their email address (if you win you will get an email from LeavenworthSt@gmail.com), and get their contact info for the prize.

Have fun (and be creative) Leavenworth Street readers!

And GO NIGHTHAWKS!

(Oh, and Gooooooooooooo Huskers!!!!!! And have a great weekend.)

DISCLAIMERS:
Leavenworth Street and Street Sweeper are purely passing this along, after being contacted by the UFL marketing group, LA Online Media . We gain nothing and have no monetary stake and no relationship or partnership in the UFL or the Nighthawks or the tickets or the gear or the sponsor, LA Online Media. If there are any problems with the tickets or the gear, you will need to go through the sponsor, as we will not be able to help you in any way, shape or form. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Your mileage may vary.

Why Blue Hens scare Ben Nelson

A Tea-Party supported candidate, Christine O’Donnell, won the Delaware Republican U.S. Senate primary last night against a much better funded, establishment, but much less conservative, RINO-labeled, Rep. Mike Castle.

So why should that have Senator Ben Nelson worried?

Well, it’s like this:

Nelson (not unlike current Democrat 2nd District House candidate, Tom White) has always tried to position himself as a “conservative”. He votes that way on occasion, and certainly invokes the ire of many Democrats for that proclivity.

But if Nelson were a Republican, and voted the same way -- with Harry Reid, for ObamaCare, for the various stimuli packages -- he’d be labeled as a RINO. He maybe could get away with that in some place like, say Delaware, but he could never last, voting as a RINO Republican, in Nebraska.

But back to Delaware. Delawarians...Delawareites...Blue Henners -- the majority of GOP ones -- showed that they are sick and tired of the RINOs. They want someone who will vote conservatively and stop the government-knows-all policies that Castle was pushing. They pushed away the RINO for the real deal (and did not even care about those who said O’Donnell can’t win in November).

Well, back in Nebraska, Nelson has always depended on those who were into him being a RINO. There are plenty of Nebraska Democrats and Independents who would be hard core Republicans on the East coast. And Nelson, as a Democrat, has catered to that crowd.

But that group, nationally, has diminished. Those who want conservatives, are tired of the RINOs -- or better CINOs. Nelson’s career has depended on those who want the CINOs. But Delaware, and much of the national mood that fostered the Tea Party movement, displays that “Toss the CINOs” groundswell.

The poll from last week that showed over 60% want Nelson out confirms that as well. One only has to ask -- "If they’re not going to take it in Delaware, why would they take it in Nebraska."

Nelson is VERY luck he is not up this year.

Will that mood change in two years?

Nelson is hoping so.

***

Oh, and that same analysis goes for the Omaha Mayor Suttle Recall movement as well.

And if you haven’t read it, Joe Jordan gives a nice analysis of what is going on there over at Nebraska Watchdog.

***

Not that we really needed them to tell us, but interesting that the oil pipeline company took the time to call out the political tactics of Bold Nebraska and their liberal enviro brethren.

The oil companies -- backed by UNO analysts -- show that Bold and the others are frightened to stand on their own arguments to make their case. Instead they have to inflate the own support (oh, by the way, it ain’t an election) with bogus poll questions.

The funny thing is, if they were smart they’d show that GOP Senator Mike Johanns is reasonably questioning the pipeline and what is going on to put it in place. Oh, but that would be pointing out that an eveeeel Republican is the voice of reason in this scenario, and they simply can’t have that.

The pipeline, as it is currently envisioned, may or may not be a good idea.

But reasonable people now know that if you are looking for balanced, informed, and unbiased information, you sure as hell don’t go to Bold Nebraska.

Oh, and that goes for pretty much anything else they're pushing.

But you probably already knew that.

Bike Czar - 1, Pot Holes - 0

A brand new fire-engine red SUV.

Increased salaries for staff.

Increased taxes.

And now...a bike coordinator?

These are but a few of the bone-headed moves by Omaha's Mayor Jim Suttle.

And the Bike Man is hired just as Ron Penzkowski (we're guessing he'll go back to his real name now) is canned? No idea if one has anything to do with the other.

Here's the thing on the Bicycle Czar: His salary came from "other sources" right? Hmm, well, there is still federal tax money involved there, so at the very least, EVERYONE is still paying.

But beyond that, while generally we are in favor of building up the city in new and different ways...who is going to pay for all these innovative Bike Czar ideas?

New bike lanes? Improved side streets? New trails? Are any of those items free?

And are the roads paved?

This is the sort of thing that will actually help MayorSuttleRecall.com.

***

Remember the Obama-Terry voter?

Remember Democrat Richard Carter?

Well, the Lee Terry campaign has a new Democrat on their team, this time new Co-Chair Rita Hejkal.

Rita is a Pro-Life Democrat who is well known in the pro-life community.

Hejkal says,

“I will work hard to spread the message throughout the Second District that pro-life

voters should support Lee Terry for Congress,” Hejkal said. “Tom White’s support

for Obamacare, which provides taxpayer funding of abortion, is just one of his

disqualifications for public office.”

Another shot across the bow.

***

Hey Don Walton! Thanks for the props, but hey, Street Sweeper isn't "elusive"!

"Elusive" is when you can't find, say, a senior Senator for a Town Hall meeting...

Nelson responds!

Democrat Senator Ben Nelson took the time to respond to his critics today -- this time via the “Letters to the Editor” section of the LJS.

Nelson is still -- STILL -- trying to wash the stench of the Cornhusker Kickback off his lapels.

It’s not working.

This time Nelson tries to make some sort of argument that those mean GOPers intentionally tried to tarnish the good name of the University of Nebraska athletics with the sobriquet, “Cornhusker Kickback.”

Really.

Well here are two items to consider:

1) It’s the Cornhusker Kickback. Not the University of Nebraska Kickback.
It’s all in the word, “Kickback”. Aliteration, you see.
If it were about nunchucks, it would have been Nebraska Nunchucks.
Get it?

2) Of course the REAL issue of the Cornhusker Kickback -- the $100 million in Medicaid funding exclusively for Nebraska that was in the original deal -- was neatly summarized by Greta Van Susteren (that we will cut and past from our previous analysis):

4:30
Greta: "When was the first time you heard...that Nebraska would get ... a $100 million provision?"
Nelson: "Probably during the discussions on how we would get an opt-out."


8:30
Greta: "Who came up with the idea that $100 million would go to Nebraska? Was that your idea?
Nelson: I think it was the idea -- someone's idea to put it in.
Greta: Someone?
Nelson: There were various people involved at various times."


12:35
Greta: "Is (Majority Leader) Senator Harry Reid wrong when he says you wanted this (the Cornhusker Kickback), that you got it for yourself?"
Nelson: "I don't know what he means by 'got it for myself'".


13:05
Greta: "Whose idea was it for the $100 million? ... By whom?"
Nelson: "I didn't draw the bill so I don't know the answer."


Now keep in mind that during the rest of the interview Nelson was pulling out quotes and floor statements and articles (hence the reading glasses), and was trying to be as specific as possible.


But...not on the CRUX of the Cornhusker Kickback.
Not on the $100 million.
Not on who asked for it or who came up with it.


Now you can draw your own conclusions on this.

So who came up with Cornhusker Kickback that embarrased Nebraskans and angered the rest of the country?

Who do you think? (Hint: He likes to write Letters to the Editor.)

***

So 3rd District Congressman Adrian Smith has a second opponent -- Independent Dan Hill.

Well, we think he’s an “I” anyway.

See, we purviewed some of the signatures Mr. Hill sent in, and on 8/25/10 a certain “Scott Kleeb” of Hastings signed on .

Now why would Kleeb, the former (losing) Democrat nominee for both the House and Senate want Mr. Hill’s name on the ballot?

Hmm...could it be so that Smith’s vote is split?

Would there be such a...purely political reason behind Senor Kleeb’s signature?

Gee, imagine that.

***

Oh, and someone had brought this up a while back, so we thought we’d state the facts, in case you were wondering:

Congressman Smith’s voting percentages rank him 30th out of the 435 Members in the House of Representatives for the 111th Congress (according to the Washington Post).

And, also, Smith just earned National Right to Life’s sole endorsement for the 3rd District race.

***

Remember to take a moment out of your day tomorrow to remember those who perished on September 11, 2001 and those who continue to fight for our freedom.

Happy weekend and Go Huskers!

Polling Ben Nelson: Trouble

Leavenworth Street has received new polling data on Democrat Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson.

And it ain’t pretty.

But first, we are unable to divulge the source of this poll.
If that bothers you, we are very sorry, and suggest you stop reading now and click back to Daily Kos.

OK?

Good.

Now, for the rest of you, it looks like this:

Nelson Favorable: 49%
Nelson Unfavorable: 47%

But here is the kicker kids: Over 50% of Ben Nelson’s Unfavorables are VERY Unfavorable.

Ugh.
It gets worse for the Senator.

Nelson Re-Elect: 34%
New Person: 61%

Sixty-one percent! For ANYONE! (Sit back down Chris Geary.)

But back on that, 41% of those who want a “New Person” say that they “Definitely want a new person”.

How’s that for a starting place for a challenger?
To quote an unnamed source, “That kind of intensity makes pollsters wet their pants.”

To put this in perspective against, say, someone else who was polled recently, let’s compare this to the recent Rasmussen poll on Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman:

Heineman Favorable: 73%
Nelson Favorable: 49%


Heineman Unfavorable: 25%
Nelson Unfavorable: 47%

2012 is a ways off.
But it’s not that far off, if ya know what we’re sayin’.

(Uh oh!  Watch out for a barrage of new Nelson spots during the Idaho game!)

Terry responds to White

Congressman Lee Terry's campaign has responded to the latest ad by Democrat Tom White, via the YouTubes.

See it here:



Res ipsa loquitur.

White on the air -- firing back at Terry

Democrat CD-2 candidate Tom White is on the air with a new ad as well.
See it here.



White is trying to sell that Congressman Terry is really the one who wants to increase the deficit. Well, good luck on that one.

First, no matter what he says, had Tom White been in office back then (Xenu help us...), he would have absolutely voted for TARP. And no one thinks differently.

But in any case, on the question of the day, White has already said he would have vote with President Obama and Speaker Pelosi on the stimulus and health care.

Done.

And really, the "pay increase" question? That's what's going to win this election for White? Wow. Who is consulting this thing?

Oh, and by the way: "Independence for Congress"?
Gee, could have sworn that...
TOM WHITE IS A DEMOCRAT!

Terry on the air -- defining Tom White

Congressman Lee Terry has his second ad up on the air.
See it here:



Terry has stepped out and defined his Democrat opponent, Tom White, on the main issue of the day: Two trillion dollars in spending. Tom White has said he would have supported the Obama/Pelosi plan for spending your cash. Terry lets you know that.

The Terry camp notes that,

The federal government announced Friday that the nation lost another 54,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate increased to 9.6 percent.  Yet, the $814 billion stimulus program has stimulated only government spending. The government run healthcare law will cost $1.2 trillion in new spending, tax increases and Medicare cuts through fiscal 2017. 

You will see the spot on cable and broadcast at a "substantial rate", says the Terry campaign.

Will Tom White be able to respond?

New Governor Poll

A new poll by Rassmussen shows Gvoernor Dave Heineman still blowing out Democrat Mike Meister:

Heineman: 61%
Meister: 28%
Other: 3%
Undecided: 8%

500 likely voters.
Margin of error +/-4.5%

***

Rasmussen, who conducted the poll on September 2nd, notes that,

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

So with that in mind...

Governor Dave Heineman doing a good job?
33% Strongly approve
11% Strongly disapprove

Impression of Heineman
36% Very Favorable
8% Very Unfavorable

Impression of Meister
7% Very Favorable
11% Very Unfavorable

And some other info:

President Obama doing a good job?
18% Strongly approve
51% Strongly disapprove

How do you feel about a federal law that requires every American to buy or obtain health insurance?
20% Strongly favor
48% Strongly oppose

***

Have fun with that info kids.
It is clear that none of that data, or the rest, could help ANY Democrat.
But it will be fun to watch them all try to become radically more conservative as November approaches.

Doubt that the voters will get fooled again.

DCCC abandoning Tom White?

The New York Times reports (by Univ of Nebraska grad Jeff Zeleny) that the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is now setting up a firewall around its Democrat House incumbents to save them from disaster in November.

They state that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is contacting safe incumbents and telling them to give their cash to at-risk incumbents.

Further into their plan, they note that they are fighting for...

...five (incumbent) Republican seats they see as within their reach in Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois and Louisiana.

OK fans, what state do you see missing there?

Nebraska.

And whose seat do you NOT see mentioned by the Dems as “within their reach”?

Lee Terry’s.

So will the DCCC bother any further with the Tom White campaign?

You have to wonder. Their whole point is that they are in triage mode with their incumbents. Any cash they have lying around is going to those at-risk seats.

And to the White campaign?

“Good luck Tom. Uh...hope ya win, and all that.”

Gives a whole new meaning for “Red to blue”.

***

We mentioned back in our initial analysis of the Mayor Suttle Recall committee that they would likely be using paid petitioners to collect signatures for a possible recall of Jim Suttle.

Well, we hear now from spokesman Jeremy Aspen that they will NOT be using paid collectors -- if they do it -- and will instead be purely using their grass-roots efforts.

That’s pretty ballsy -- and potentially difficult.

They must feel pretty good about their volunteer potential. Which, if significant, should put a shudder down a certain mayor’s political spine.

***

For those of you outside of Omaha who read Don Walton’s glowing interview of Democrat Lt. Governor candidate Anne Boyle, an alert Leavenworth Street reader noted something Don left out:

Anne Boyle's husband, Mike, who “was mayor of Omaha and now is a member of the Douglas County Board”? Yeah, he was recalled as Mayor by Omaha voters.

Oh, and Anne? We would just note that she ran for Omaha City Council in her majority Democrat district.

Lost to Republican Jim Vokal.

We just want to keep everyone up to date.

Plea of Guilty

Former Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Mark Lakers plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of "abuse of public records".

He paid $500.

Which was MUUUUUCCCCCHHHH less than he claimed many "donors" contributed to his campaign.

Thing is, we still wonder if Lakers is the one at fault here. He certainly has the final word on how the filings are made. But it's not as if he was writing up the forms. That would be left to his campaign manager (or treasurer).

In any case, many many of the claimed donors stated that they never even spoke with Lakers, let alone pledged to contribute.  That will do him in.

We still think he could have survived to run his campaign, but that train has left the station (engineered by new Lt. Gov candidate Anne Boyle).

We hardly knew ye, Mark.

***

Word has it that state Senator Brad Ashford isn't crazy that his Mayoral desires went public.
Ah well.

And add a few more names to those who wouldn't mind occupying the third floor of the City-County Building if Jim Suttle is recalled:

Mike Friend and Mary Ann Borgeson.

OK, let's just admit that it would be a nutty free-for-all.

***

Ah Labor Day, Labor Day, what an unusual day.
You hire some dude, then send him away.
To celebrate work, by playing all day.
(paraphrasing Johnny Hart)

Have a grand weekend!

And GO HUSKERS!!!

Sing it, SpongeBob

We chuckled at the latest campaign effort by Mike Meister -- the campaign song.

You may remember Ben Nelson’s attempt at singing in “I’m from a Western town”. Well, Meister did not take that tact, instead getting some Irish folk singer (please tell us it’s not the Douglas County Public Defender) to bastardize a classic ballad.

You can hear it here, via Meister’s campaign page.

But the thing is, Meister didn't’ need to break out the mandolins and tin whistles.

He could have just linked to his theme song right here:



You’re welcome.

***

We are having a nice time experiencing the 2012 Senate campaign right in front of us, on a near daily basis, via the competing comments of Governor Dave Heineman and Senator Ben Nelson.

Every time Governor Dave takes a position, Nelson comes out and attacks him in full, all out, campaign mode. First it was Heineman’s position on education funding.

Now it is the Heineman letter to the state education groups and Nelson’s subsequent response.

Now you can all feel free to argue about the merits of Heineman pointing out basic math to the Ed groups. But we crack up that Nelson IMMEDIATELY jumped on it and chose to take on Heineman in tit-for-tat comments.

Nelson has a notoriously thin political skin, and can’t resist commenting on everything. It’s interesting to see how he keeps trying to sell his position on the Health Care law -- which fewer and fewer people like.

What will Nelson do next?

Would anyone really be surprised to see an ad by Nelson during the Western Kentucky game? (Of course, paid for by the DSCC.)

***
And on the Omaha front, there was word last week that another local politician would be interested in the Mayor’s job, should Jim Suttle be recalled.

Today, the OWH focused on said pol, this time discussing a City of Omaha/Douglas County merger.

The guy? State Senator Brad Ashford.

**Update 9/2/10**

When asked by Joe Jordan if he'd run, Ashford coyly responded, "I don’t know what I’d do."

(Discuss amongst yerselves.)