Posturing Pete and more — #NebDems News

A day after Gov. Pete “Gosh My Daddy’s Rich” Ricketts rejected a request from the White House to take in refugee children from the Southern border, he doubled down on his pro-gun rights credentials by signing a symbolic proclamation Wednesday designating Nebraska as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State.”

Second Amendment sanctuary” refers to a declaration that a state, county or city will not enforce federal gun laws they consider to be too restrictive. At least four states, including neighboring Kansas and Wyoming, have declared themselves “sanctuary states,” according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Ricketts seemingly has seized on every frenzied GOP chest-thumping issue of late. But he is not alone. Far from it.

The Washington Post’s Paul Waldman has a theory:

For decades, Republicans have faced a fundamental mathematical problem: Their primary policy objective is to represent the interests of corporations and wealthy people, but that means that by definition their true constituents are only a small portion of the electorate.

So they have found a variety of solutions to assemble electoral majorities, with different issues emphasized at different times. Whether it’s social conservatism or hyper-patriotism, they regularly reach for something else to appeal to more voters than their economic program can on its own.

… But if Republicans are going to argue explicitly in terms of class, then they should present some policy ideas that would actually improve the lives of people who live paycheck to paycheck. And that’s something they just can’t seem to bring themselves to do.

Right, Pete?

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For decades, infrastructure in Nebraska has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. The need for action is clear: Nebraska’s infrastructure received a C- grade on its Infrastructure Report Card.

President Biden’s American Jobs Plan will make a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure.

In Nebraska there are 1,302 bridges and over 1,125 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 6.6% in Nebraska and on average, each driver pays $461 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair.

The American Jobs Plan will devote more than $600 billion to transform our nations’ transportation infrastructure and make it more resilient, including $115 billion for repairing roads and bridges.

READ MORE NEBRASKA FACTS.

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Read more about our great Democratic candidates in the Lincoln (May 4) and Omaha (May 11) city elections.

Lincoln City Council at-large candidates: Bennie Shobe, Sändra Washington and Tom Beckius.

Lincoln Board of Education candidates: Kathy Danek in District 1, Barb Baier in District 3 and Don Mayhew in District 7.

For Omaha mayor: R.J. Neary.

Omaha City Council candidates: Pete Festersen in District 1, Ben Gray in District 2, Juanita Johnson in District 2, Danny Begley in District 3, Vinny Palermo in District 4, Patrick Leahy in District 5, Naomi Hattaway in District 6 and Sara Kohen in District 7.

See important voting information and dates at the NDP Voting Center.

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Sign up here for this great training Saturday!

Joining us will be: Sue Martin, Nebraska AFL-CIO president/secretary-treasurer; John Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union president; Matt Lathrop, Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys lobbyist; Jenni Benson, Nebraska State Educators Association president; David Corbin, Nebraska Sierra Club legislative chair; Rene Fry, Open Sky Policy Institute executive director; and Amanda Temoshek, Friends of the University PAC director

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If you are interested in helping write a couple of Letters to the Editor — or even a guest op-ed — over the next year or so, please sign up here to help us support Democrats and our ideas.

The LTE Program is fairly new, but we’ve had some early success.

We can help give you pointers and show you how to submit your letter!

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Help build the NDP and become a Monthly Donor!

Some 550 Democrats ran in races across Nebraska in 2020 and had a 71 percent win rate. Many of the services we offered those candidates were bolstered by our Monthly Donors.

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Welcome to the Party calls have resumed! We are excited to cover topics like city elections, voter registration and the Legislature. We also will be giving our caucuses and councils the floor to talk about their goals and how you can get involved.

The next call is April 20.

If you have suggestions for topics to cover, please email gina@nebraskademocrats.org.

 

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Get your Biden and NDP swag at the NDP/Shirts 101 store!

The store now features some terrific Jomaha/Blue Dot swag!

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We leave you this week with a rendering by Drew Sheneman on the GOP’s reluctance to embrace President Biden’s America Jobs Plan.

–By Kevin O’Hanlon/NDP Communications Director

NOTE: If you’d like to receive #NebDems News via email, just let us know by sending a note to: info@nebraskademocrats.org

                                      IMPORTANT DATES

April 17: Candidate Training: Who are They?

April 20: Welcome to the Party call

April 23
Last day to request an early ballot by mail for the City of Lincoln general election

April 30: Last day to request an early ballot for the City of Omaha general election

May 4:
 Lincoln General Election

May 4: Welcome to the Party call

May 11: Omaha General Election

May 11: Welcome to the Party call

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