I can feel it Nebraska! Watching the CT-Sen results come in while watching C-Span and reading blog posts, I could sense a shift in the air and a pulse in the ground. An unabashed Democrat knocked off the entrenched incumbant. And that's the key word: INCUMBENT. Chances are your current congressman will feel at least a little uneasier at breakfast this morning.
Living in Omaha, we have been graced with one of Tom Delay's most durable rubber stamps, Lee Terry. So durable, I believe they've had to change the rubber. Omaha, Douglas & Sarpy Counties, however have the opportunity to get a leader who will be beholden to nobody but the people. Jim Esch is that leader. While Terry's campaign is supplied with special interest money, Jim has kept a campaign promise to accept no special interest or PAC money. And even though being heavily outspent is likely, the feeling of success is palpable. (more below the fold)
jimesch.org
I've done some volunteering for Jim, and he gets a great response wherever he goes. He's a 30 year old lawyer born and raised in Omaha, in the Creighton Jesuit tradition. Fitting for such a Catholic town Omaha is. He cut his teeth doing non-profit fundraising. After that he worked for the Chamber of Commerce and helped with Omaha's economic development. And there's been a lot of development.
Now, Nebraska is no doubt a current red state. However, not too long ago we had Democrats in the gov's mansion, two senate seats, and in one of three rep seats. The party had some down times since then, but we've slowly gained traction. And that traction is turning into momentum! Jim's everywhere! The parish festivals, the latino and African-American neighborhoods, retrirement homes, medical centers, Legions, unions, Kiwanis, mega-churches, Optimist Clubs, etc... And the response has been nothing but positive. People are open-eared and receptive.
I've been around politics enough to be trapped in the thinking that it's the money that matters. That if you don't have X amount in the coffers at the reporting date Y your campaign is a lost cause. But reading Kos's latest post about how they went from 18% to Lamont's victory speech last night makes me see the possibilities. I'm not lying. I Can Feel It In Nebraska!
jimesch.org
