Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Ricketts Buys His Way Back on TV

by Kyle Michaelis
Multi-millionaire son of a billionaire Pete Ricketts decided to spend this week's allowance on some more commercial time supporting his bid for the Republican Party's 2006 Senate nomination.

The Lincoln Journal-Star's Don Walton reports:
Looks like Pete Ricketts may be about to show up in your living rooms again.

Word's out that his campaign has purchased about $100,000 in 30-second television ads in the Omaha and Lincoln markets this week, and they may stay "up" the rest of the way to the May 9 Republican senatorial primary election.

No confirmation or comment from the Ricketts campaign.

Campaign finance reports show that Ricketts spent $617,000 on TV and radio ads last November...In addition, his report listed $114,000 in media production costs...

Ricketts' latest ad can be seen right here. You're also likely to catch it during local newscasts.

To be honest, I think there's something a little bit repulsive about this ad. What was almost charming in Ricketts' biographical ad last November, here comes across as overly-slick. And, at this point in the campaign, it seems reasonable to expect a little more substance than Ricketts' speeding through his unformed ideas for responsible government.

Particularly interesting is Ricketts' failure to differentiate himself from the Republican Party in charge of every level of the federal government, a fact he conveniently leaves out as he attacks Washington D.C. politicians for their reckless spending and lack of accountability.

If Ricketts is serious about "stopping the tax squeeze on middle class families," are we to assume he doesn't support making President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy permanent? Otherwise, how exactly does he propose we pay for the "War on Terror" and our continuing occupation of Iraq?

Unless he's just going to do what the Republicans in Congress are already doing - shifting the tax burden on to college students and the working class while passing mountains of debt to future generations. Ah yes, there we have it - a Republican's idea of fiscal responsibility and Pete Ricketts' notion of Nebraska values.

If nothing else, he's at least looking out for daddy and the rest of the Ricketts clan. The best interests of America and Nebraska voters is another story completely.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ricketts has been saying the crap for months: "I support Nebraska Values". He needs to get a new schtick or he'll be old news after the primary.

2/16/2006  
Blogger decemberx said...

I have to laugh at someone who claims to be "fiscal conservative" yet has so far poured $3 million (at last count, and we haven't even got to the primary yet) into a political campaign. Hopefully it'll backfire on him, like Glenn Friendt's $1 million attempt to be elected mayor of Lincoln...

3/30/2006  

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