| The big talk in Nebraska politics over the last thirty days has been speculation that former Senator Bob Kerrey may throw his hat in the ring and run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Ben Nelson. Kerrey has recently said that he expects to announce a decision sometime next week. Obviously, Kerrey's decision will have huge ramifications for Nebraska's political scene this year.
Everybody I've talked to is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for Kerrey's announcement. The Democrats and Independents I talk to would be thrilled with a Kerrey candidacy. Kerrey brings a certain star power to Nebraska politics and his entry into the race would make Nebraska one of the marquee U.S. Senate races this year. It would rank right up there with the Senate race in Massachusetts between Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren and incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown.
On the other hand, the vibe I've received from Republicans is that they dread a Kerrey candidacy. They know deep down inside that that their weak field of candidates can't beat Kerrey. Jon Bruning is bedeviled by questions surrounding his numerous conflicts of interest and his sudden, unexplained vast wealth. State Treasurer Don "Quixote" Stenberg is making his fourth run for the U.S. Senate and is fast becoming the Harold Stassen of Nebraska politics. State Senator Deb Fischer is largely unknown and lacks the ability to raise enough money to wage a competitive campaign. It's no wonder that out of state groups run by Karl Rove and funded by billionaires are already running ads against Kerrey.
The Republicans are so desperate to scare Kerrey out of the race that they financed a largely bogus poll we discussed here that vastly over sampled Republicans. Around 55% of the sample were Republicans. In contrast, the Nebraska GOP conducted their own poll in December 2011 and their sample consisted of 46% Republicans. Our analysis here at New Nebraska indicated that if Magellan Strategies had used a sample similar to the Nebraska GOP poll, Kerrey would be in a dead heat with Bruning and Stenberg. That is a remarkable showing since Kerrey has been largely out of the public eye here in Nebraska for ten years and his potential Republican rivals have been running high profile, nearly non-stop election campaigns since at least the beginning of the 2010 election cycle.
The Republicans have been making a big deal out of the fact that Kerrey hasn't lived in Nebraska since 2001. In my opinion, the GOP is being hypocritical in raising this "carpetbagger" issue. When Tom Osborne first ran for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District in 2000, he had been a resident of Lincoln and the 1st Congressional District since the early 1960s. Nevertheless, Osborne considered himself a citizen of the 3rd Congressional District the same as he considered himself a citizen of any other part of the state. Apparently, Nebraska Republicans agreed with him since they didn't raise any objections to his residence status and because he was overwhelmingly elected to the House of Representatives in 2000.
In a recent interview with the Omaha World Herald, Kerrey confidently stated, "I'll always be a Nebraskan." As we all know, Kerrey grew up in Lincoln, was educated in Nebraska and set up a series of successful businesses in Lincoln and Omaha. With the exception of the three years Kerrey spent serving our country in Vietnam, he has spent the vast majority of his life in Nebraska. (Kerrey has certainly spent a much higher percentage of his adult life in Nebraska than did former Senator Chuck Hagel.) Kerrey still owns two businesses in Nebraska and pays property taxes in the state. As Kerrey said, "I could relocate to Beijing, China, and die after several years, and I'd die a Nebraskan."
Bob Kerrey could certainly offer something unique to Nebraska and the entire country. He served our country with incredible heroism in Vietnam where he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor when many other people stayed home. In his stint in the U.S. Senate, Kerrey voted for the then controversial 1993 Clinton economic program. Every Republican predicted that this package of tax increases and spending cuts would cause a recession and instead we saw the greatest peacetime economic boom in U.S. history. Approximately 22 million jobs were created between 1993 and 2001. (In contrast, only 3 million jobs were created during the Bush Administration.) Kerrey's service on the 9/11 Commission certainly gives him the necessary national security credentials to be an effective U.S. Senator.
My message to Bob Kerrey is that most Nebraskans would welcome you back with open arms and would be willing to support your candidacy. Your country and your state need you. Come back to Nebraska. As you know, this is a great place to work and live. |
