NE-03: Bush endorses Kleeb (D)

George Bush, trying to save his party's candidate in this Blood Red district:

"Now, it seems to me if you're sending someone from this country to Washington, you better have someone who understands what it means to be a farmer and rancher."

The New Nebraska Network agreed wholeheartedly:

Sounds like someone should have done a little better job of briefing President Bush on the candidates in Nebraska's Third District Congressional race. It's quite simple:

Scott Kleeb (D) = Fourth generation Nebraskan; Rancher with a PhD who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the history of cattle ranching

Adrian Smith (R) = Real estate agent and failed politician who is "not known as a skilled lawmaker" and "not known as a leader"

Via the new and improved Swing State Project.

Update: As pointed out in the comments, I guess this means that Bush endorses Jon Tester as well.

•  it just means that Smith looked up the words

  in his pocket dictionary.

  by lightnessofbeing on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:49:01 PM PDT

  •  Classic Bush.

    Can we get him to do a last minute 50 state swing?

    by IsraelHand on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:50:42 PM PDT

    •  yes, please...

      Mr. President, come on up to NJ-07; we need you to do some door-knocking in and around Woodbridge, Edison, So. Plainfield, North Plainfield, etc...

      by Hardhat Democrat on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:58:57 PM PDT

    •  Looking forward to Daily Show clips of this...

      but of course with all the other gaffes and news, who knows what will make the air.

      by Malachite on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:01:30 PM PDT

•  Bush endorsing Kleeb probably WILL save...

  ...Kleeb's opponent.

  by Hesiod on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:49:42 PM PDT

  •  Ah HA!!

    Now we realize Bush's devious strategery.  

    by Delaware Dem on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:55:38 PM PDT

  •  KISS OF DEATH!!!!!!!!

    I hope Kleeb showers extensively tonight...

    by Richard Carlucci on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:00:25 PM PDT

    •  I would help him

      ;-)

      by micha1976 on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:02:50 AM PDT

  •  If only anyone really heard the speech... (n/t)

    by dmsdbo on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:20:52 AM PDT

•  Amazing

  It's amazing to watch the wheels come of the Republican machine in real time...

  by Juppon Gatana on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:50:06 PM PDT

  •  I prefer slow motion

    by Delaware Dem on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:54:56 PM PDT

    •  Just TiVo some Fox news...

      and play it back in slo mo, have about the same effect. :)

      -Christina Baldwin

      by Erevann on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:01:42 PM PDT

•  The ultimate dirty trick

  Bush must know he's the kiss of death to GOP candidates so now he's endorsing Dems! Diabolical.

  by Blue Intrigue on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:50:07 PM PDT

  •  Bush is just HOPING there will be a kiss float

    made showing him and Kleeb.

    Dream on, Pretzelbreath!!!

    You couldn't even get a kiss float made with Charlie Crist!!!!! LOSER!!!!

    Maybe you could try for a kiss float with the image of Katherine Harris? Yeah, maybe THAT would be about your speed!!!

    by nicejoest on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:56:34 PM PDT

•  Does his capacity to be a moron

  know no depth?

  by robokos on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:50:43 PM PDT

  •  I think "know" may be overstating it.

    This is George W. Bush we're talking about.

    by Kagro X on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:52:00 PM PDT

    •  As Steven Colbert said....

      Bush thinks with his gut

      by speckitis on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:23:44 AM PDT

•  Yeah, but...

  consider what Bush must think it means to "understand what it means to be a rancher," and you see why this makes "sense."

  by Kagro X on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:51:18 PM PDT

  •  Haha

    Touché.

    by Juppon Gatana on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:52:50 PM PDT

  •  Exactly. He was trying to infer that he was

    "sent" to DC because he understands about being a farmer or rancher.

    Sadly, he has no clue that crops and animals are a necessary part of those definitions. And neither did the wahoos who voted for him.

    I don't think he wants to be standing next to Kleeb or Tester when he's pretending to be a cowboy.

    by PatsBard on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:19:53 PM PDT

  •  Didn't he milk a horse?

    A male horse?

    by iCaroline on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 07:02:25 AM PDT

•  I am so confused,

  has Bush seen the light and come over to the Democrat's? Too late. Don't want him. He totally wrecked his chance.

  by eastvan on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:51:20 PM PDT

  •  If Bush joined the Democrats...

    I would become a Republican.  And then I would kill myself.

    by Delaware Dem on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:54:17 PM PDT

    •  Maybe it's because he's figured

      out Republican's don't want him either. (that one is from my wife-credit where credit is due)

      by eastvan on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:57:10 PM PDT

    •  I've found Bush to be a great source of truth..

      assume anything he says is false and you'll be right 99.9% of the time.

      by java4every1 on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:59:03 PM PDT

      •  Every day, is opposite day...

        for poor ole George.

        -Christina Baldwin

        by Erevann on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:02:48 PM PDT

        •  His universe

          and daily reality must be very disturbing.

          by eastvan on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:10:15 PM PDT

          •  True enough...

            especially since the summer a certain mom started chasing him around the country, and banging away at his gates!

            Cindy was the spark, Katrina the flame, now... the firestorm!

            -Christina Baldwin

            by Erevann on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:46:14 PM PDT

•  Even Bush loves Congressman McDreamy

  by Delaware Dem on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:51:23 PM PDT

•  Bush is completely

  off his rocker right now.  He's out of his mind.  Listen to any audio of him the past few days.  He's completely around the bend, shrill, harsh, pleading, begging, pandering, desperate.

  This, however, is just unbelievable.  He endorsed the wrong guy!!!!  Bwahahahahahahahahaha.

  Add another seat to your projections, folks.

  by jsmdlawyer on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:51:36 PM PDT

  •  And McCain endorsed Tammy Duckworth

    Their freudian slips are showing.

    by PatsBard on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:21:34 PM PDT

  •  Bush's handlers are keeping him talking

    so that he won't have a chance to screw up anything important right before the election -- like sending the marines into Iran.

    By the way, who IS running the country while all of them are out campaigning?

    by Cato come back on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 09:55:35 PM PDT

•  This race isnt close?

  Pollster and electoral-vote.com dont have this race even as a race they are tracking. Why?

  by weathercoins on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:52:46 PM PDT

  •  Kleeb will win.

    There is not much polling on it.  

    by Delaware Dem on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:53:28 PM PDT

  •  Because it's in Nebraska...

    and 'conventional wisdom' tells us there's no way Democrats can compete outside of NY, CA and MA - well, they're all gonna be in for quite a fucking surprise tomorrow, yeeeeaaarrrgggghhhh!!!!!!!

    by Hardhat Democrat on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:05:46 PM PDT

  •  Electoral-vote.com

    only does non-partisan polls.  All the polls we've seen on this race are (D).

    by Marcus Graly on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:12:50 AM PDT

•  But but but

  Bush's real estate agent knew exactly what he wanted when he decided to become a farmer (of brush) and a rancher of stallions on his pig farm Western White House.

  Isn't that what they're paid to do?

  by Bionic on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:52:49 PM PDT

•  My mind is completely boggled.

  The man has gone further into deranged incompetency than I ever thought possible.

  This is a classic for the ages.

  by rhp on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:52:54 PM PDT

•  I'd vote for the guy who knows about ranching

  Bush doesn't know anything about real ranching.  He cuts cedars and hates horses.  What does he know?

  by ljm on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:53:49 PM PDT

•  Ooops.

  And how about that Dave guy who was really named Jeff? Or the Jeff guy who was really named Dave? This politics business is so confusing.

  by highlyunlikely on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:55:13 PM PDT

•  i wonder if laura

  orders georgie boy chocoloate flavored shoes for all the foot in mouth episodes he has?

  by fromer on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:56:18 PM PDT

•  I'm so surprised they are letting Bush speak

  live anywhere anymore. You would think by now they would have figured out that they need to pretape or prerecord everything that comes out of his mouth. Get him in front of crowds with NO Live camera's or tape recorders, then get the footage, cut and edit/splice it together and Presto. Send it out over the airwaves. Prepackaged propaganda that 35% of the country can enjoy. I wonder if they will ever let him out of his bunker after tomorrow? What time are Count Cheney and his daughter going hunting? Can wait for that loser pic of him and her in their Cammo with their Ammo. Perfect new ad for fathers supporting their daughters supporting civil unions or gay marriage.

  by Chamonix on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:57:12 PM PDT

  •  He might have snuck out...

    of bed tonight while the adults were planning voter-suppression strategery for tomorrow.  Big day, tomorrow is.  Lil' Georgie's probably all excited, he's just tryin' to help the grown-ups.....

    by Hardhat Democrat on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:10:18 PM PDT

  •  Or maybe...

    they can just rig him up with a device like they did in first debate against Kerry. Although that didn't exactly go so well, if I remember right.

    Damn...I'm not sure the Rethugs can do anything with the cretin at this point.

    by GiveNoQuarter on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:21:02 PM PDT

  •  They did

    This is as good as it gets. This was the final cut before they ran out of tape.

    LOL

    by PatsBard on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:22:47 PM PDT

•  Has Haggard made an endorsement here?

  If he has, it's not hard to guess who he picked!

  Perhaps dreaming of a "massage"....

  by michael1104 on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:57:31 PM PDT

•  little background on robo calls

  
  
  

  link to schedule e rnc
  
  
  link to coloradoan article noting conquest communications
  
  "...A poll released Tuesday by incumbent Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, shows the congresswoman up 7 percentage points on Democratic challenger Angie Paccione. The Musgrave campaign released its poll in response to a Paccione poll released Friday that showed the two sides knotted at 42 percent each, with Reform Party candidate Eric Eidsness getting 5 percent...'No other pollsters in the world show Angie Paccione ahead except her own pollster,' Musgrave spokesman Shaun Kenney said, referring to three independent polls that have shown Musgrave ahead of Paccione by 4, 4 and 6 percentage points...Musgrave's poll, done Sept. 26-27, was conducted by Conquest Communications Group in Virginia and included 400 likely district voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points."

  by YWNQRYO on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:58:22 PM PDT

•  Levity

  the night before. That's a good thing.
  Good job on LK tonight. It was nice to see Frum make a complete fool of himself in front of the tv world.

  by RustyBrown on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:58:52 PM PDT

•  The World Herald forgot to mention...

  Bush opened his speech with the following joke:

  "So Laura says, what do you think we oughta do on our 29th wedding anniversary? I said, why don't I go to Grand Island, Nebraska?"

  Classy guy.  Republican family values in a nutshell.  Ditches his wife to stump for two losers.

  by Omaha Cowpunk on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 07:59:25 PM PDT

  •  Oh no - that was the best gift he could have

    given her. She was probably dancing through the halls of the hotel she's staying at. (divorce pending, dontcha know...I know it's true 'cause the Enquirer said so)

    by PatsBard on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:25:38 PM PDT

•  How freaking classic is THAT!

  Is it just me, or do they all seem to be all twisted around and dumbfounded?

  So confused the best they got is totally missing the point of a poorly worded joke.

  Well... we certainly know who the joke REALLY is, now don't we?

  -Christina Baldwin

  by Erevann on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:00:37 PM PDT

  •  or who the joke's been on...

    for six looooooong years; in a few hours, it finally ends.....

    by Hardhat Democrat on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:13:05 PM PDT

    •  Ohhh so right...

      in a few hours, the joke ends, and the real work begins!

      -Christina Baldwin

      by Erevann on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:43:01 PM PDT

•  Awesome. Does that mean he endorses Tester also?

  I picture Bush as a "Chatty Cathy" type doll with a pull string that is going into meltdown mode form over usage.

  by Scout Finch on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:02:15 PM PDT

  •  And Peter Goldmark! WA-05

    by TGos on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 11:59:16 AM PDT

•  The Decider had another bad day

  The closer the election came to the finish line, the more President Bush's aides battled the perception he was doing his party as much harm as good and was unwanted in many races.

  On Monday, Bush jetted to a conservative corner of Florida's Panhandle, about as far as he could get from the state's three in-play House districts. To the White House's embarrassment and irritation, Republican Charlie Crist, whom Bush came to help in his bid to succeed the president's brother as governor, decided at the last minute to skip the chance to be by the president's side.

  Link
  They did invite Katherine Harris at the last minute to this event. But they didn't let her near the decider for even a photo op. Damm! She was just a warm up speaker about one hour before he showed up. And then they sent her to sit with the audience so no pictures could be taken of them together. So was he rallying for in Florida?

  Next up was Arkansas, where Republican Asa Hutchinson remained well behind in his race to keep the governor's mansion in Republican hands. Bush kept upbeat, talking of a party "roarin' into Election Day."

  Finally, he wrapped up the last campaign of his political career Monday night in Texas. It was somewhat of a sentimental stop, taking him to his home state, where he is more popular than he is in many other regions.

  It was still remarkable that, with so many Republicans around the country facing too-close-to-call races and with GOP majorities in the House, Senate and the nation's statehouses in jeopardy, Bush decided to spend capital on GOP Gov. Rick Perry, who hardly needed the president's assistance to get re-elected.

  by drsmith131 on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:04:28 PM PDT

  •  Can you diary this?

    It's too much fun not to share widely.

    by Inland on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:08:30 PM PDT

•  FYI - I'm seeing one positive McCaskill spot

  after another tonight.  Really not seeing any Talent commercials that I can think of all night.

  Oh....and Nancy Boyda's polling in KS-02 shows her up by 9 pts.

  by Scout Finch on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:05:42 PM PDT

•  Ha Ha Ha ROFLMFAO!!!!

  I have had an atrocious week, gawd awful. This made my day.

  by high uintas on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:06:20 PM PDT

  •  ...and it's only Monday

    Sheesh...I'm sorry, hope it gets better from here.

    by tommy s on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:16:54 PM PDT

    •  That does sound insane, doesn't it?

      I put my mom in the hosp. on Wed. last and got her home yesterday. My time frame is screwed up, big time. I know that tomorrow is election day, I am clear on that.

      by high uintas on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:26:30 PM PDT

      •  Hope tomorrow gives you a lift! n/t

        by Cato come back on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 09:50:42 PM PDT

•  has Smith commented on this? (nt)

  by tonyfv on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:21:26 PM PDT

•  It seems like we are not noticing the

  even more obvious piece of idiocy:

  Now, it seems to me if you're sending someone from this country to Washington...

  Uh, doesn't he mean "state"?

  by renaissance grrrl on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:24:14 PM PDT

•  'The farmer and the cowman should be friends' -

  wait - that's the wrong state.

  by Spud1 on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:24:42 PM PDT

•  Outstanding

  Folks need to understand that incredible job that Scott Kleeb and Ben Lumpkin and others have done in this election. This is amazing. FOr those who fail to understand, think about the fact that 75 percent of the NE3rd voted for Bush just 2 years ago.

  Should Scott win, and I think he will, it will be the upset of the year. These guys are making history and DailyKos was a part of it.

  OUTSTANDING

  by nebraska on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:25:24 PM PDT

•  Bush Not The Best At Endorsements

  Bush (August 4, 2000): Our next president should have never used cocaine, had a DWI or executed retarded people.

  by skidrow on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:31:50 PM PDT

•  Remember

  They have Bush on their side.

  by Sam Wise Gingy on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 08:32:34 PM PDT

•  And Peter Goldmark!

  Democrat Peter Goldmark in WA-05 is also a rancher.  So I guess President Bush endorses him too.

  by Goldy at HorsesAss on Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 09:28:02 PM PDT

•  Update

  Robocall Voter Suppression Targets Scott Kleeb

  by Skylewalker on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 12:33:31 AM PDT

•  Context !

  If Bush is a Rancher and Oilman, than certianly Smith is a Farmer and a Rancher.

  by koNko on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:18:53 AM PDT

•  Today, I am a Proud Nebraskan!

  In western Nebraska, it is a struggle to find comprehensive "news."  I live on the far eastern edge of NE 3, have no access to CableTV, use a DISH so am limited to what we can view.  This is probably true of much of rural NE3 as their news comes from local station affiliates, but receive much of their national coverage from Denver, Co. stations.  The national affiliates in Omaha and Lincoln do not extend into western Ne.

  So, it is with great wonder and awe given the lack of a cohesive news foundation, that NE3 Democrats and Kleeb have been able to succeed.  I am flabbergasted, shaking my head in humble disbelief, and amazed at the energy, stamina and drive we have seen from the Kleeb Machine.

  Win or lose today, my Hat is Tipped to Esch, Moul, Kleeb, Hahn and their loyalists who having faced tremendous odds in their disfavor, have accomplished so much.  Today, I am a proud Nebraskan!

  by JFinNe on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 08:10:17 AM PDT