From the New Nebraska Network:
After following Mark Fahleson ever since he became State Chair of the Nebraska Republican Party earlier this year, I have such low expectations of the man that I've practically given up distinguishing one childish antic from the next as he sets new standards for tastelessness in Nebraska politics.
Read practically any of Fahleson's blog posts or his Twitter feed, and you'll see what I mean. But, it's preparing for the likely match-up between incumbent Republican Congressman Lee Terry and Democratic challenger Tom White where Fahleson's obnoxious approach has truly been the most apparent.
Under his leadership, the Nebraska Republican Party began their "Report Tom White" hotline in July, digging for any dirt they could find on the candidate before he'd even made his campaign official. At the time, Fahleson specifically asked for reports on voters' "experiences with the State Senator" - as desperate and as open a call for mud-slinging material as you're likely to see anywhere.
Well, other than some attention on NNN, Fahleson's initial fishing expedition was given a pass by the media. So, I wasn't inclined to waste my time with Fahleson and give him any more attention when he issued a second call for Republicans to help him look for dirt on White - this time focusing on his recently reported financial holdings.
However, there were two very important differences between Fahleson's first and second fishing expeditions. The Nebraska Republican Party had now made a contest of their dirt-digging, promising a pair of Nebraska Cornhusker football tickets for providing "the most useful information" with which they could attack White. Thankfully, the other difference - the big difference - was that, this time, Tom White was ready to fight back!
After White sent a message to supporters and made sure the local media were aware of the GOPs latest tactic, the Terry campaign was quick to acknowledge its inappropriateness by asking Fahleson to "Ditch the reward." On Friday, Fahleson told the Omaha World-Herald he hadn't decided whether the contest would continue while childishly insisting that he'd done nothing wrong.
Oddly enough, this whole situation might say the most about Republican Governor Dave Heineman, who hand-picked Fahleson to do his dirty work at the Nebraska GOP. So far, the greatest political talent Fahleson has shown is trash-talking and mocking Nebraska Democrats for their lack of statewide candidates in the 2010 election. While Democrats should be concerned on that front, this is a pretty clear case of overcompensation on the part of Fahleson to make up for the beating Republicans took in the only two major elections under his watch - losing the majority on the Lincoln city council, losing the majority on the Omaha city council, and failing to take back the Omaha mayor's office.
In a Nebraska Republican Party where it wasn't long ago that Chuck Hagel played king-maker, Heineman's choice of Fahleson represented a radical shift to the right. While Heineman's got a firm hold on Fahleson's leash, there's no doubt that the party apparatus has given up any pretense of moderation and is now following the lead of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and FOX News with thoughtless abandon. Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the role Fahleson has most embraced as State Chair is that of GOP attack dog - stretching his leash just as far as it will serve Heineman's agenda.
Feeding fear and anger towards President Barack Obama are key components to Fahleson's strategy. From there, it's a matter of tying Sen. Ben Nelson to Obama in every possible way and hoping that's enough to do the trick in 2012, wiping out the last man standing in the way of total one-party domination. That's the game Heineman and Fahleson want to play, but White's challenge to Terry threatens to change the rules entirely.
White's been a target of Heineman and his allies since he first stepped into the Legislature - precisely because he's had the potential to be such a threat. Unless something drastic shakes up state government or a strong challenger emerges to put Heineman on the defensive, White should probably get used to being RePublican Enemy #1 as Fahleson and company take aim at him with everything they've got.
His first time staring down the barrel as a candidate for Congress, Tom White didn't flinch. Instead, he fought back and forced the Republican incumbent to disavow his party's tactics - their desperation already showing with more than a year until the 2010 election.
Of course, some people are beyond shame. At this writing, Fahleson's blog says he's still got two Husker football tickets for whomever sends him the best dirt on White before November 1, 2009.
As White told the World-Herald, "All we did was hold up a mirror to Republicans, holding them accountable for their behavior." Moving forward, we must all follow White's example, holding that same mirror to the people of Nebraska as they decide the type of leaders they really want and the future in which they truly believe.