90 Seconds to Midnight
It’s the closest that the world has ever come to Midnight on the Doomsday Clock. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists ticks the proverbial clock, representing how close the globe is to a “doomsday” scenario of nuclear annihilation.
If Nebraska were to have its own Doomsday Clock, it would be uncomfortably close to the midnight hour too. Given the awful bills pushed by MAGA Republicans including LB626 (abortion ban), LB77 (permitless carry), and LB574 (trans youth ban), our state inches closer to some backward dystopian universe than an actual state.
However, one of the unique things about the Doomsday Clock, unlike other clocks, is that it has the ability to tick backward.
Resetting the Clock
In our country, elections are what move the Doomsday Clock. The Lincoln City Elections are tomorrow, Tuesday, May 2nd, and represent a chance for the voters of Nebraska to diffuse tensions in the state.
Elections represent an inflection point, one where the people of a country, the accountants, teachers, grandparents, kids, and everyone in between all have the collective power to decide which way our clock is ticking.
Right now, there is a very tangible divide in politics. Whether it be at the national level, in our state, or at the local level, every position that candidates hold is deeply scrutinized. There are no more “small disagreements” in politics… every vote, every position, is now a matter of life or death.
The divide in politics means that each election has more drastic consequences than the last. In 2022, the GOP ran their most extreme slate of candidates across the country and got their butts handed to them for it. They seemingly have not learned from their failures, continuing to attack widely popular positions such as the right to legal abortion, common sense gun regulation, and the right of all students to a high-quality public education.
Only by mobilizing and getting out to vote can the people of Nebraska tick their doomsday clock away from the authoritarian “midnight” that the GOP so desperately wants in this state.
Lincoln’s Options
In Lincoln, the difference between the two prospective Mayors could not be more apparent. Democratic incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird has spent her campaign honing a positive message, emphasizing the deliverables of what has changed during her time in charge.
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Mayor Leirion has invested in Lincoln’s communities. Personally– the Mayor’s investment in Lincoln has drastically improved my quality of life. I travel for volleyball, and the recently finished southern beltway cuts the time from Highway 2 to West “O” St in half! New investment in downtown and Haymarket businesses is also apparent, with new and exciting developments constantly popping up.
On the flip side, her opponent, Suzanne Geist, recently quit her job to “focus on campaigning”. The newly unemployed Geist has spent her time meeting with her donors, all of whom can be found at a Ricketts family reunion.
Mrs. Geist has spent a great deal of time campaigning on the idea that Lincoln is some crime-riddled third-world country, and it’s all Mayor Leirion’s fault. However, according to LPD, violent crime is down 20% in the last 5 years. I have cited my sources, with the hope that maybe some GOP candidates could use it as a reminder of the importance of actually telling the truth.
Personally, I would rather vote for the candidate who runs on hope, optimism, and tangible results as opposed to a fearmongering quitter… but maybe that’s just me.
The Power of People
The Abortion Ban bill, LB626, failed by one vote. After months of fighting, protesting, making calls, and battling against injustice, the will of the people prevailed.
The bill, which would have effectively ended legal access to abortion in Nebraska, failed to make it out of this round of debate. Though it represents a great win for women’s healthcare in the state, it is certainly not the end of the fight.
Radical legislators will continue to try to push through extremist, culture war policies, no matter how many tries it takes. Whether it’s books, access to abortion, or the rights of LGBTQ individuals, the bans will not stop until we vote each and every one of these extremists out of office.
Suzanne Geist is one of these extremists, and on May 2nd, the people of Lincoln, with the support of Democrats across the state, can make Geist’s campaign a failure, just like the Heartbeat Bill.
In Other News…
This was a week of a lot of ups and downs– so in the next ½ a page– I’ll try and sum it up for you!
On Monday, noted white supremacist Tucker Carlson was fired from FOX News. The firing stemmed from a series of complaints about Tucker’s interactions with and comments towards women in the workplace. Wow– consider me shocked that the guy who hates minorities also hates women. Goodbye and good riddance.
President Joe Biden also announced his re-election campaign on Monday. President Biden and Vice President Harris need national support to beat the red party run by the orange man. Nebraska played a critical role in 2020, let’s make sure our support helps the White House in 2024 as well!
The NDP will be participating in South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo festivities the weekend of Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th. Democrats including Senator Tony Vargas, the Latinx Caucus, Douglas Co Democrats, and Sarpy Co Democrats will be marching on Saturday. More information and volunteer opportunities will be available soon.
Donate: The NDP put in time and resources in order to send texts, get vote by mail applications out, and put a voter guide in the mailbox of every Democrat in Lincoln! Please consider donating so that the NDP can fund future endeavors
LINCOLN: GET OUT AND VOTE TOMORROW!!! – click here for info
Thank you for reading
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at jack@nebraskademocrats.org.
All the best,
Jack Schiewe
