Gov. Pete Ricketts continues to have the state in a headlock with his incompetence and malevolence when it comes to public health during the pandemic.
Just this week, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which Ricketts controls, denied a request by Douglas County — the state’s most populous — to implement a mask mandate in the face of soaring COVID cases and a rapidly dwindling number of available ICU beds. HHS Director of Public Health Gary Anthone said his agency had to balance the benefit to the public with “individual liberty.”
Translation: “If I had not denied the request, the governor would have fired me.”
But the pièce de résistance of Ricketts’ reckless disregard for the health — and lives — of Nebraskans was the fact that the state began running ads urging unvaccinated nurses to apply for jobs at the state’s veterans homes and other facilities.
This all came down as hospitals across the country — and some government agencies — are requiring employees to be inoculated against the coronavirus if they wish to keep their jobs.
State Sen. Carol Blood, after being contacted about the ads by concerned healthcare workers, demanded that Ricketts explain why unvaccinated staff members are being recruited for state-run veterans facilities, as the Washington Post reported.
“It’s important that state leaders honor the science,” Blood said. “This is a slap in the face. We can do better for our veterans.”
Not, it would seem, under Ricketts’ Reign of Error.
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The deadline for award nominations for our Morrison-Exon event is less than a week away! Sept. 1 at 5.p.m CT.
The Morrison-Exon dinner, which is our annual fundraising event, is when we celebrate the volunteers and party leaders who build and grow the Nebraska Democratic Party.
But because the Delta variant is on the rise and because Gov. Ricketts has made it clear he will not follow the CDC guidelines — should they suggest no more gatherings over 100, etc. — the State Central Committee recently voted make the last SCC Meeting for 2021 (on Oct. 3) and the ME 2021 event (Nov. 6) online events.
Get tickets to the Morrison-Exon event here.
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If you are attending the Nebraska State Fair, which started today and runs through Sept. 6 in Grand Island, please stop by the NDP Booth in the Pinnacle Bank Exhibition Center, Booth L102!
If you can’t make it, please click on the links below to take our voter survey, register to vote or visit the NDP online story!
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Save the date for our annual Salute to Senators, which will be held outside at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo on Sept. 14.
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Join us on Zoom Sept. 12 for a great Block Captain training! Sign up here.
And click here to find out more about the Block Captain program.
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The NDP has launched a Mobile Office project designed to help our party better communicate with and serve our communities across the state.
The Mobile Offices will allow us to provide our local parties with a comprehensive and professional kit that can be used for fairs, parades, voter registration drives and more.
They are available to county parties, affiliated caucus and policy councils and other Democratic operatives across the state.
As a grassroots initiative, the project relies on the leadership and participation of local leaders. Those looking to request a Mobile Office should be prepared to return the office or help deliver it to its next location.
Each Mobile Office contains a canopy tent for outdoor use, parade banner, table, comprehensive collection of literature, a wide range of basic tabling items, first aid kit and optional display components upon request.
Fill out the NDP Mobile Office request form!
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Our series of training for campaigns, led by state Sen. Carol Blood, continues.
Sign up for the next session on Sept. 26: Logical Fallacies — How false statements are used to distort issues in political debates and campaigns.
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Join the NDP for a night of fun and trivia! Five rounds of trivia questions ranging from current politics, past politics, Nebraska history and so much more. Grab your team of six, or if you are solo, we will match you with other solo players.
Nov. 7, 2021: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. CT. Via Zoom
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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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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 Mike Luckovich.
–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
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IMPORTANT DATES
Sept. 1: Deadline for submitting nominations for NDP Morrison-Exon Awards
Sept. 12: Block Captain training
Sept. 13: Special legislative session on redistricting
Sept. 14: Salute to State Senators
Sept. 26: Campaign Training: Logical Fallacies
Oct. 3. SCC meeting
Nov. 6: Morrison-Exon event
