Former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub, who was defeated by Mike Fahey in 2001, is considering a run for office. The rumors have been flying since Fahey's 2005 reelection that Daub was considering a run for mayor in 2009, but today's Omaha World-Herald gives an indication that Daub may have his eyes set on another office: the U.S. Senate seat held by Chuck Hagel.
After winning a special election to succeed P.J. Morgan as mayor in 1995, then narrowly defeating Brenda Council in 1997, Daub saw his term in office marred by bickering and infighting with the Omaha City Council. In 2001, when Fahey defeated him, most of the Council was also swept out of office. If he tries to run against Fahey for mayor, I wonder if he would even have a chance.
In 2001, Fahey won largely because he promised to work with the City Council and restore civility in City Hall. In the last five years, he's done tremendous work with redevelopment in Omaha. His resounding victory in 2005 against a member of a prominent political family in Omaha gives an indication of just how much the people of this city appreciate Mike Fahey's leadership.
If he ran for an open Senate seat, Daub would likely face Jon Bruning, who faced no opposition in his race for Attorney General this year, in the primary. Rep. Lee Terry might also jump into the primary. Bruning would have to be the favorite to win the Republican nomination. On the Democrats' side, Fahey has expressed interest in running for Senate before, and Scott Kleeb is a favorite choice of many Democrats as well. The Democratic field for Senate, like the Republican field, will depend on whether or not Chuck Hagel decides to stroke his ego with a run for President. Either way, it seems, Hal Daub is giving the voters of Omaha, and Nebraska, yet another opportunity to reject him.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Lee Terry Thanks The Voters For Not Throwing Him Out Of Office
After a near shock from the incredible grassroots effort of Jim Esch, Congressman Lee Terry has evidently decided to put more effort into his post-election campaign than he did in his real campaign. He bought 17 billboards around town that thank the voters for being just Republican enough to save him from a pissed-off electorate. Well, what they really say is "Thank You for Your Trust," but the message is loud and clear.Terry has not accomplished anything as a member of the Republican majority, but that doesn't stop him from trying to explain what he's accomplished. You can hardly find an issue where Terry won't bring up a House bill he supported or "co-sponsored," and who can forget the comically bad issue ads Terry ran during the campaign: intellectual property and energy independence. Who knows what Democratic bills Terry will try to take credit for in 2008, but this election has shown that he can be held accountable. Will it mean anything to Terry? Time will tell. But unfortunately for everyone in the Omaha area, we have to see these billboards all over town for the next several weeks.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Why We Need To Get Out Of Iraq. Right Now.
After months of skirting around the issue by calling the various factions engaged in violence in Iraq "insurgents," and the ongoing civil war "sectarian violence," the media has finally reached reality. The United States is an occupying force in between warring factions engaged in a civil war. There is no way that this ends well.
Many of you will recall last year's Tribute to the Fallen in April. We placed 2,390 flags, and read 2,390 names. That was April 25, 2006. Seven months and three days ago. The number of U.S. soldiers dead in Iraq is now at 2,883. 2,743 American soldiers have died since Bush staged his photo-op aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared "Mission Accomplished." That's not even counting the tens of thousands of Iraqis - civilians and military - who have died in the war.
The arguments about why we shouldn't be there aside, the question becomes: can we afford to leave? But, how can we afford not to leave? It's clear that we are not orchestrating a peaceful solution between warring factions. In fact, many of the Shiites hold significant stake in the nominal government of Iraq. Execution-style deaths and bombings are often carried out by men wearing the uniforms of Iraqi security forces. But it's not even that simple. The Bush administration, convinced that we would be greeted as liberators, and woefully ignorant of the sectarian rivalries brewing just underneath the surface, plunged us into a war of choice, that inevitably spiraled into a civil war.
The most recent and deadliest wave of violence began on Thanksgiving Day. The Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad was attacked with car bombs and mortars, killing more than 200. Shiites retaliated by burning five Sunnis alive as they exited mosques. The violence is spiraling out of control, and our presence there is doing nothing to help. If this past weekend was any indication, the violence in Iraq is only going to get worse. John McCain and others believe that simply sending more American troops in to Iraq is going to make things better, but the only thing it will do is result in more American deaths. The longer we stay, the more our young men and women will be killed. I will not pretend that our exit will end the civil war that is already occurring. But I will not delude myself into thinking that staying will do us or the Iraqis any good.
Many of you will recall last year's Tribute to the Fallen in April. We placed 2,390 flags, and read 2,390 names. That was April 25, 2006. Seven months and three days ago. The number of U.S. soldiers dead in Iraq is now at 2,883. 2,743 American soldiers have died since Bush staged his photo-op aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared "Mission Accomplished." That's not even counting the tens of thousands of Iraqis - civilians and military - who have died in the war.
The arguments about why we shouldn't be there aside, the question becomes: can we afford to leave? But, how can we afford not to leave? It's clear that we are not orchestrating a peaceful solution between warring factions. In fact, many of the Shiites hold significant stake in the nominal government of Iraq. Execution-style deaths and bombings are often carried out by men wearing the uniforms of Iraqi security forces. But it's not even that simple. The Bush administration, convinced that we would be greeted as liberators, and woefully ignorant of the sectarian rivalries brewing just underneath the surface, plunged us into a war of choice, that inevitably spiraled into a civil war.
The most recent and deadliest wave of violence began on Thanksgiving Day. The Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad was attacked with car bombs and mortars, killing more than 200. Shiites retaliated by burning five Sunnis alive as they exited mosques. The violence is spiraling out of control, and our presence there is doing nothing to help. If this past weekend was any indication, the violence in Iraq is only going to get worse. John McCain and others believe that simply sending more American troops in to Iraq is going to make things better, but the only thing it will do is result in more American deaths. The longer we stay, the more our young men and women will be killed. I will not pretend that our exit will end the civil war that is already occurring. But I will not delude myself into thinking that staying will do us or the Iraqis any good.
3.0
While I've been a vocal and outspoken commenter at the NDP blog & Daily Kos, and given guest posts at the UNO blog, I've been neglecting this blog. Now, generally, that's because no one's reading here. One thing that I think was missing from Nebraska this year was a real "netroots" presence. We had an incredible grassroots organization building from the ground up, but we didn't get much attention on the net until the very end. As much as I respect and appreciate the forum of the NDP blog, I do feel that independent blogs have more "cred" with the netroots crowd, and the more, the merrier. I'll be keeping this up and contributing to our blog at the UNO Democrats, hopefully helping to build up a progressive blogosphere that reflects the grassroots we've built here in Nebraska.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
World-Herald Misses The Point Yet Again
The Omaha World-Herald, in its attempt to pass the blame for an incompetent class of entrenched lawmakers who have done nothing right and everything wrong, sought to blame everyone in Congress for the fact that nothing is getting done. Then, they sought to explain why people are so pissed off at Congress right now.
But they missed the point. Badly. Hell, they didn't even get within a mile of it.
By blaming both parties and both houses, and saying that nothing will change if the party control of Congress changes, the World-Herald again misses the point. They are right that this entire Congress has done little if anything to tackle the pressing issues of the day. They are even right in some respects that Democrats are to blame, too. But beyond that, things are just plain wrong.
People are pissed off for a variety of reasons, true, but one of the foremost among those isn't even mentioned in the OWH editorial: Iraq. The editorial makes a passing mention to the "war on terror," but the writer believes that issue isn't as pressing a concern, or as illustrative of the failures of this Congress, as immigration.
It's typical of a partisan paper like the Omaha World-Herald to focus on this issue, and it certainly is something that voters in Nebraska are focused on, but it's not the most pressing issue, and certainly isn't more indicative of the failures of this Congress as the corruption issue, or the out-of-control budget - which the editorial did mention.
So, why are people pissed off?
People are pissed off because this Congress has become a rubber stamp for President Bush.
People are pissed off because this Congress is the most corrupt Congress we've seen in a long time.
People are pissed off because their tax dollars are going to wasteful spending projects and Congressional pay raises.
People are pissed off because their representatives would rather pose for the cameras than get things done.
People are pissed off because any semblance of compromise has been destroyed. Any memory of leadership is long since gone. There is no room for independent thought, and no place for outside-the-box thinking.
People are pissed off because almost 3,000 American lives have been lost, and the only line of thinking coming from Washington is "stay the course."
People are pissed off because their leaders have lost touch. With their constituents. With their base. With reality.
But where the World-Herald completely misses the point... They buy into a self-defeating concept of democracy that leads us to a 98% incumbency rate for Congress. They say that all of Congress has done a terrible job, but the challengers couldn't possibly do much better, so we might as well stick with what we've got. This is harmful logic, though certainly not unexpected coming from a conservative newspaper. It's a common tactic of the guilty party to use one form or another of the "everyone does it" argument. You know the ones: "All politicians are liars and crooks," "Congress never does anything right, anyway," etc. The problem is that these fallacies protect the guilty at the expense of democracy. We never know if we could build a better Congress, because we accept at face value the claim that we can't. I believe we can, and I believe that democracy deserves a hell of a lot better than excuses and this lack of accountability. That's what these elections are all about: accountability.
But they missed the point. Badly. Hell, they didn't even get within a mile of it.
By blaming both parties and both houses, and saying that nothing will change if the party control of Congress changes, the World-Herald again misses the point. They are right that this entire Congress has done little if anything to tackle the pressing issues of the day. They are even right in some respects that Democrats are to blame, too. But beyond that, things are just plain wrong.
People are pissed off for a variety of reasons, true, but one of the foremost among those isn't even mentioned in the OWH editorial: Iraq. The editorial makes a passing mention to the "war on terror," but the writer believes that issue isn't as pressing a concern, or as illustrative of the failures of this Congress, as immigration.
It's typical of a partisan paper like the Omaha World-Herald to focus on this issue, and it certainly is something that voters in Nebraska are focused on, but it's not the most pressing issue, and certainly isn't more indicative of the failures of this Congress as the corruption issue, or the out-of-control budget - which the editorial did mention.
So, why are people pissed off?
People are pissed off because this Congress has become a rubber stamp for President Bush.
People are pissed off because this Congress is the most corrupt Congress we've seen in a long time.
People are pissed off because their tax dollars are going to wasteful spending projects and Congressional pay raises.
People are pissed off because their representatives would rather pose for the cameras than get things done.
People are pissed off because any semblance of compromise has been destroyed. Any memory of leadership is long since gone. There is no room for independent thought, and no place for outside-the-box thinking.
People are pissed off because almost 3,000 American lives have been lost, and the only line of thinking coming from Washington is "stay the course."
People are pissed off because their leaders have lost touch. With their constituents. With their base. With reality.
But where the World-Herald completely misses the point... They buy into a self-defeating concept of democracy that leads us to a 98% incumbency rate for Congress. They say that all of Congress has done a terrible job, but the challengers couldn't possibly do much better, so we might as well stick with what we've got. This is harmful logic, though certainly not unexpected coming from a conservative newspaper. It's a common tactic of the guilty party to use one form or another of the "everyone does it" argument. You know the ones: "All politicians are liars and crooks," "Congress never does anything right, anyway," etc. The problem is that these fallacies protect the guilty at the expense of democracy. We never know if we could build a better Congress, because we accept at face value the claim that we can't. I believe we can, and I believe that democracy deserves a hell of a lot better than excuses and this lack of accountability. That's what these elections are all about: accountability.
Friday, September 01, 2006
"Humane Care" Won't Make The Ballot
The "humane care" petition - supported by many out-of-state interests who wanted to use Nebraska as a testing ground for a radically conservative agenda - failed to make the ballot today. Seeing Nebraska as a conservative enough state to push their agenda, the "humane care" people, with close ties to the group that is pushing the disasterous "SOS" amendment, thought it would be easy to fool Nebraskans into signing these petitions.
It's clear, given the out-of-state interests that have pushed themselves into this state's initiative process, a process that is meant to be a democratic tool, in the truest sense of the word, that we need a serious reform in our initiative process. Something that gives the power back to the people, and takes them away from shadowy organizations that do nothing but use Nebraska as a testing ground for bad ideas.
It's clear, given the out-of-state interests that have pushed themselves into this state's initiative process, a process that is meant to be a democratic tool, in the truest sense of the word, that we need a serious reform in our initiative process. Something that gives the power back to the people, and takes them away from shadowy organizations that do nothing but use Nebraska as a testing ground for bad ideas.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Rumsfeld's 'Arrogance' Provokes Esch
From the "any press is good press" department, Jim Esch gets some coverage from the Omaha World-Herald for calling Donald Rumsfeld an "idiot" for his comments on Tuesday.
It's probably not smart politics to call the Secretary of Defense an "idiot." And for what it's worth, I don't think Donald Rumsfeld is an idiot. But there comes a point where you become so detached from reality that you are either a liar or a fool.Esch, the Democrat seeking to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Terry in the Omaha-based 2nd District, posted his comments Wednesday on a campaign weblog that appears on his Web site, www.jimesch.org.
"It's time to abandon this failed policy in Iraq," Esch wrote. "I will not stand by and watch another U.S. soldier die, so idiots like Don Rumsfeld can rewrite history."
"Maybe it is a little strong," Esch said when asked about the posting. "But I was a little fired up this morning" after reading Rumsfeld's comments.
Rumsfeld delivered Tuesday what was viewed as one of the strongest Bush administration attacks on Iraq war critics, comparing them to Nazi-era appeasers. He suggested that critics of the war effort "seem to not have learned history's lessons."
Esch said he found those comments infuriating because they typified administration efforts to label anyone who questions the war as unpatriotic.
For four terms, Lee Terry has been a Republican lapdog in the House of Representatives. He has shown no leadership, no initiative, and no solutions. But he has never faced a legitimate challenge to his seat in Congress.
In 1998, Terry defeated Michael Scott for the open seat 65-34%.
In 2000, He defeated Shelley Kiel 66-31%.
In 2002, He defeated Jim Simon 63-33%.
In 2004, He defeated Nancy Thompson 61-36%.
No candidate challenged Terry on the issues. And, given the showing of the last four challengers that faced Terry, Esch can't help but do better. We are in an environment today where our candidates have to stand up to the Republican incumbents and explain why their policies have been disasters. So, calling Rumsfeld an "idiot" may not be the smartest thing, but it certainly grabbed the attention of the local press, and allowed Esch to speak directly to Rumsfeld's comments in the media.
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