The Nebraska Examiner continues to provide valuable local news information, particularly on politics (https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/27/nebraska-gop-fight-with-delegation-spills-over-into-its-endorsements/) but their details could be a bit better.
The Nebraska Republican State Central Committee took to endorsing candidates in the primaries. Why? This is very troubling to see a party organization taking a stand on candidates already involved in contested races. This ultimately will hurt the NEGOP in fundraising. Endorsements are too much window dressing without much merit but why infringe on Republicans and their right to choose a candidate? If the Committee has issues with incumbents, they need to at least summarize or outline their criticisms.
US Senator Pete Ricketts has my support. I don’t always agree with him. He can be brash within the political party and many perceive his donations of cash as bribery. However, the anti-Ricketts crowd reminds me too much of the anti-Trump crowd in failing to make just and fair criticisms. Also, they are into too much rearview mirror politics. But to be fair, so are those who quit NEGOP after Dan Welch was voted out. Can these people get through the past and address the future? Grudges need to come to an end at some point, preferably before death.
Also, Congressman Adrian Smith is a good guy staying true to sound economic principles. Supporting any opponent of Smith sounds too much like a Democrat activist at work. Smith is solid! So is Congressman Mike Flood. Why no love for him?
But as for Congressman Don Bacon, he has really burned himself. Bacon has surrounded himself with DC lobbyists and political consultants who have no idea how to handle the Trump factor or the broader movement of independent conservatives. The McCarthy system was basically a government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists. Bacon supported McCarthy without any respect of how problematic McCarthy was. Perhaps Bacon could have avoided these problems if he had followed the advocacy of the Club for Growth, but instead, he voted his own way (https://www.clubforgrowth.org/scorecards/).
Bacon also contributed to the attacks on American History by taking issue with any mention of the Confederacy (https://omaha.com/news/military/rep-don-bacon-joins-movement-to-erase-confederate-names-from-army-bases/article_0dc04b7d-3c6f-5c43-bb41-90e5e8aeaa2f.html). Bacon’s actions reflected Nikki Haley’s effort to erase the Confederacy (https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/confederate-flag-furor/gov-haley-sign-bill-removing-confederate-flag-n389231). This hatred for historical monuments reached the point of removing the Reconciliation monument from Arlington cemetery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Memorial_(Arlington_National_Cemetery) and https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Confederate-Memorial). Hey, perhaps the best way to prevent Confederate monuments in your country would probably have been to let the South go. Realistically, these actions have become divisive as reconciliation is no longer accepted. Yankee colonization of Dixie is the result, even if it means tearing down Jewish art!
But even on small matters, Bacon has created conflict. The fact Bacon made a totally unnecessary comment about coffee is an example (https://omaha.com/news/local/government-politics/nebraska-rep-don-bacon-says-he-wont-retreat-after-skirmish-with-critics-on-social-media/article_e9c10b46-b0c1-11ee-8bb0-0b2d089a8be4.html). Hey, maybe you should try the coffee yourself (https://www.beardvet.com/collections/beard-vet-excellence-coffee). I still fail to understand why Bacon ever made any comment on coffee. Perhaps the post on X was done by a staff member who had been smoking pot all day and managed to put kitty litter in the coffee maker.
Dan Frei is in the race against Bacon and has run before (https://www.frei4nebraska.com/). Frei is hitting all the right notes in seeking to be part of the Freedom Caucus (https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/27/dan-frei-says-he-will-pursue-freedom-caucus-label-in-gop-primary-bid-against-rep-don-bacon/). The Freedom Caucus is heavily maligned in the mainstream media but these conservatives are trying to bring back the regular processes of the Congress. Right now, most Congressmen have no control over what issues they will be voting for and have little influence on what is placed in legislation. More candidates are looking to help expand the Freedom Caucus (https://www.housefreedomfund.com/).
I disagree on the Ricketts comment, but Dan Frie is the real deal. He is smart, intuitive and a true conservative. He listens, he knows we cannot continue funding Ukraine and not funding our borders. We the people are pissed and Don has been doing too much late night drunk tweeting. we have the receipts. he doesn't want the job anymore.
Dan Frei has my vote. I was active in his last campaign.