When we got word that the format of Scott Kleeb's debate against Mike Johanns in Grand Island, Nebraska last Thursday night allowed Scott to ask Mike a direct question, there was no question what our campaign would do.
We turned that debate question over to Scott's Nebraskan supporters.
Our campaign sent out an email across Nebraska and in response Scott received 164 questions to ask Mike Johanns at the debate. Now, while these questions speak a great deal about how Nebraskans feel about Mike Johanns, we think they speak even more powerfully about the concerns Nebraska's voters have about the future of our nation.
Tonight, I'd like to invite you to take a look at what amounts to a snapshot of Nebraska and the issues facing our nation in 2008...
Nebraskans care about our the earth and our environment:
"If elected, what specifically will you do to address the global warming problem?"
-Dana from Minden, Nebraska
Dana's question is valid, since Mike Johanns in on the record claiming that global warming is "contested science." Minden sits in an area prime for the development of wind power. As Governor and Ag Secretary Mike Johanns did little in support of wind power and supported a Bush veto of a bill with $1 Billion in research for the development of cellulosic ethanol.
Nebraskans care about jobs and our economy:
"What are us low income people supposed to do, how are we going to make it?"
-Denise from Huntley, Nebraska
Denise's question is a powerful question. In the twenty years Mike Johanns has been in government, low-income Americans have seen their share of the household income and their quality of life decline. Unemployment is up in Nebraska, like it is across the United States. With 70% of American concerned we are in a recession, and 40% of Americans concerned that we are facing another depression.
That issue hits small towns especially hard. Huntley is a village of 67 people that lies off a spur road in Harlan County, Nebraska. Like so many citizens of Nebraska's small towns, they face the challenges of shrinking population and government policy that has failed to invest in the future of our rural areas. Scott Kleeb has a great deal to say about rural America, and is proud to have a run the kind of campaign that allowed Denise to ask her question and get it before our nation.
"Do you believe healthcare is a right, a privelege, or a responsibility?"
-Marla from South Sioux City, Nebraska
We honestly can't say how Mike Johanns would have answered that question, but we know full well how Scott Kleeb would. For Scott, health care is a moral imperative. Scott is for quality affordable, accessible and portable health care with mental health parity and an emphasis on access to care in rural areas.
"What would you do as senator of Nebraska to create and secure more jobs for Nebraskans in this time of weakening economy?"
-Christopher from Lincoln, Nebraska
Scott's answer is clear. He would invest in Nebraska, in energy programs that build power lines and solar capacity, in roads and education.
Finally, here is the question that Scott did ask at the debate. It's about Social Security:
"President Bush traveled the country touting his plan to privatize Social Security. I believed at the time it would have been a huge mistake. You were in his cabinet at the time, so obviously you supported it. We now see what a huge mistake it would have been, putting even more money into the Black Hole known as Wall Street. Why should we trust your judgment now when the Bush-Johanns administration was obviously flawed?"
- Paul from Scribner, Nebraska
Mike Johanns responded by saying that he thought that privatizing Social Security was "a dumb idea." Which begs the question why in the heck Mike didn't speak up on that issue when he was one of the very few Americans sitting at the policy table with George W. Bush?
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Conclusion:
Those are just a few of the questions that Nebraskans had for Mike Johanns and our nation. I could go on and on discussing Scott's stands on the issues, but that wouldn't help make things any more clear than everyday Nebraskans have made them above. There is one thing that's clear in Nebraska and across America tonight: America's voters have hard questions for those who would serve our nation in elected office.
These are real people, with real lives, in real cities and towns. These are people like you and me:
"Why did Johanns show no leadership during Nebraska's budget crisis while he was governor? All he did was kept reciting no new taxes and left it up to the legislature to make the difficult budget decisions."
-Gwen from Lincoln, Nebraska
"Mr Johanns, as Secretary of Agriculture under President Bush your greatest responsibilty was in ensuring the recent Farm Bill passed muster. Why did you feel it necessary to return to Nebraska to run for office before you actually finished and fully guided that bill with the Congress?"
-Byron from Eddyville, Nebraska
"Your commercials say you want to create jobs & train people for new jobs. Where were you when the vice grip plant in DeWitt, NE closed & all jobs went to China?"
-Judi from Elyria, Nebraska
"Is he still okay with closing down all of the mental hospitals and saying that mental patients should stay home with their families. I have a friend who works in a hospital in Lincoln and she says they don't know how to handle all of the patients they get because so many of the hospitals are closed down."
- Will from Omaha, Nebraska
"If you are elected Senator for Nebraska, what will you do to restore the rights guaranteed to Americans under the U.S. Constitution that have been removed by the current administration with the help of Congress?"
-Scott from Kearney, Nebraska
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{Paul Delehanty is Online Communications Director for Scott Kleeb. Please VISIT our website and DONATE to Scott. Your contribution will go directly to getting Scott's message to every last Nebraskan.}