The Pete Ricketts Property Tax Fiasco
by Kyle Michaelis
I again over-reacted yesterday in my response to the latest development in this continuing saga. Though I still think that, from the start, the issue was poorly framed and the negativity was unnecessary, I've let my personal feelings obscure one very important consideration, one too often neglected by political observers who obsess over these sorts of things - most people don't give a shit.
Most Nebraskans are living their lives with very little concern for the fact that Pete Ricketts lost his attempt to cut his property taxes. Fewer Nebraskans care that Ben Nelson succeeded in a similar protest more than two decades ago. Some folks might follow the back-and-forth coming from the respective campaigns - they might even have picked a side - but, at the end of the day, it's just more political nonsense, one more trivial little excursion in a campaign that has already been fraught with silliness.
Voters don't take this stuff so seriously. Neither should I. Besides, the worst is most certainly yet to come with another 3 1/2 months before Election Day.
Candidates will make missteps. Campaigns will have their share of internal squabbles and political in-fighting. Good for them, but just because I follow these things - just because I continue to write about them - I really should be more careful in the future to remember that most of this is BS about which normal (and sane) people don't really care.
Of course, I would like to tell myself that's because they care about issues of substance and about the direction of our nation, but - for this morning, at least - I'm not really in the mood to trade in one delusion for what is probably another.
Pardon my momentary disillusionment - it's been a long week.
Most Nebraskans are living their lives with very little concern for the fact that Pete Ricketts lost his attempt to cut his property taxes. Fewer Nebraskans care that Ben Nelson succeeded in a similar protest more than two decades ago. Some folks might follow the back-and-forth coming from the respective campaigns - they might even have picked a side - but, at the end of the day, it's just more political nonsense, one more trivial little excursion in a campaign that has already been fraught with silliness.
Voters don't take this stuff so seriously. Neither should I. Besides, the worst is most certainly yet to come with another 3 1/2 months before Election Day.
Candidates will make missteps. Campaigns will have their share of internal squabbles and political in-fighting. Good for them, but just because I follow these things - just because I continue to write about them - I really should be more careful in the future to remember that most of this is BS about which normal (and sane) people don't really care.
Of course, I would like to tell myself that's because they care about issues of substance and about the direction of our nation, but - for this morning, at least - I'm not really in the mood to trade in one delusion for what is probably another.
Pardon my momentary disillusionment - it's been a long week.
posted at 10:30 AM
2 Comments:
DB - Yes i can certainly see that Nelson is nervous. That's why half his staff has left, his fundraising is in the toilet and he's down by 25 points in teh polls after spending more than 6 million ....
oh no, wait, that's Pete Ricketts.
Bulldog- why so angry? If Nelson is "nervous" and the Dems screwed up so royally with the property tax fiasco, why then all the name calling and why do we see a screeching attack ad from Ken Doll on the property taxes issue? why do you relentlessly call Rubin a racist? is this about Tio Tomas? I guess you dont understand what happened - he was calling Carlos Castillo the racist for not allowing blacks in North Omaha to vote. but why let facts get in the way? Why dont you identify yourself and apologize to Rubin for calling him a racist while hiding behind the muscles provided by your anonymity (and save the anonymity charge in retun to me - I'm not the one calling anyone a racist)
Oh, and if the law requires a balanced budget - why did Mike Johanns have so much trouble doing it? Not so easy as following the law is it? And Nelson saved Mikey with a huge payday that made up half of Deficit Boy Johanns' budget hole in 2003.
so Nelson's ad should actually say he balanced the state budget 8 times as governor and once more as NE's US Senator whe nthe GOP adimistratio nthat followed him couldn't figure it out. But you'd probably call that a desperate claim from Nelson, despite the facts.
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