Amazing race
- Thread starter Eric the Red
- Start date
hack
All-Conference
being the governor isn't 'the man'. he's the executive of state but still has to have his agenda passed thru the Unicameral.
he's still going to have to work with people who may not be on *his team*. which may all be moot if he don't get the nomination.
according to AP as of 22:00...
Governor - GOP Primary
650 of 1704 Precincts Reporting - 38.15%
Heineman, Dave 57,865
Osborne, Tom 50,903
Nabity, Dave 6,262
it's still early, and tom may be counting on the western nebrasksa vote to pull him thru.
he's still going to have to work with people who may not be on *his team*. which may all be moot if he don't get the nomination.
according to AP as of 22:00...
Governor - GOP Primary
650 of 1704 Precincts Reporting - 38.15%
Heineman, Dave 57,865
Osborne, Tom 50,903
Nabity, Dave 6,262
it's still early, and tom may be counting on the western nebrasksa vote to pull him thru.
Last edited by a moderator:
Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
:thumbs
hack
All-Conference
looks like Osborne just read the writing on the wall. he just conceded to Heineman according to OWH.
current stats here.
-UPDATE-
Heineman benches Osborne
BY ROBYNN TYSVER
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - In besting a legend, Dave Heineman did everything right.
Fifteen months after inheriting the Governor's Office, the one-time Republican Party operative showed himself to be the master of the political game Tuesday, toppling revered former Cornhusker football coach Tom Osborne.
He did it by wielding the full power of incumbency, attending every small-town ribbon-cutting he could, solidifying his support with rank-and-file Republicans and pushing for tax cuts in the Legislature.
"A year ago, I think maybe I was the only one who believed this was possible, except for the people standing up here," Heineman said from a Cornhusker Hotel stage where he stood with his wife, Sally Ganem, son Sam, 21, and Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and his family.
Heineman will face Democrat David Hahn, a Lincoln businessman, in the fall.
The governor said his hard work was just beginning.
"Somebody asked me if I was going to take a day off. I can take a day off after November," he said.
Heineman thanked his opponents, Osborne and Dave Nabity, saying they "made us better for the competition." He also acknowledged Osborne's status among Nebraskans, calling him an "extraordinary man."
"Everyone in this state has enormous respect for what he's done for this state," Heineman said.
A few blocks away, in a different hotel ballroom, Osborne consoled his supporters and, it appeared, himself.
"This is a tough one to take," he said. "It's hard and, I guess, it's always hard to lose the last one."
Osborne edged out Heineman in the state's three most populous counties, Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy, and some of the counties in the far west. But that wasn't enough of a margin to overcome Heineman's widespread strength in the eastern two-thirds of the state.
It was a stunning end to a race that began with many assuming it would be a political coronation for Osborne, the man who brought glory and three national football championships home to Nebraska.
"It's amazing," said Loree Bykerk, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
"When Osborne threw his hat into the ring, I don't remember anyone thinking he would lose. People were saying things like 'Running against him was like running against God,'" she said.
But despite Osborne's iconic status, his campaign stumbled early.
In April 2005, when he jumped into the race, the 69-year-old said he wanted to serve only one term. Rank-and-file Republicans quickly bristled: Why unseat a Republican governor for another who would serve only four years?
Osborne, who underwent a heart bypass in 1985, also was dogged by questions about his age and health.
He assured Nebraskans that his doctors had given him the green light to run, but questions about his stamina persisted. People often commented - sometimes to him personally - that he looked tired.
His biggest liability, however, may have been his lack of experience in hardball politics. It quickly became apparent that Osborne was playing on Heineman's turf.
Osborne's three landslide victories for Congress against mostly marginal candidates did not prepare him for a fight with a seasoned politician, one who spent 30 years honing his skills and who entered the race with the GOP establishment in his corner.
A West Point graduate, Heineman was a disciplined candidate who made few mistakes. He knew how to run a campaign. He knew how to build support.
He earned gratitude from the agricultural community by going to Cuba and selling Nebraska products. Western Nebraska heaped praise on Heineman when he chose Chimney Rock to appear on the Nebraska quarter.
Heineman moved up from a lieutenant governor appointment to governor when Mike Johanns became U.S. agriculture secretary.
Within six months after taking office, the state's accidental governor began to become simply "Governor Dave" to some.
Meanwhile, Osborne too often appeared to be out of his league on the political field - when he was in Nebraska.
He never resigned his congressional job, which meant he often left the playing field wide open, for weeks at a time, to an opponent who ran up and down the state scoring political points.
In addition, Osborne had trouble sticking to, and honing, a simple political message.
When Heineman hammered him for his support of in-state tuition for illegal immigration in the closing days of his campaign, Osborne responded with a television advertisement that touted his tough stance on border security and talked about his opposition to methamphetamine.
"The bottom line is, I didn't do a good enough job communicating to people and to getting the ideas I had across," Osborne said.
Asked if he could have been a better politician, Osborne responded, "You know I've got to be me. I wouldn't feel good standing here today if I felt I had distorted things or been something other than who I am or what I am."
Two of the defining issues of the race involved volatile school disputes: elimination of elementary-only school districts mostly in rural Nebraska and the Omaha Public Schools' proposal to take over parts of some suburban districts.
Heineman made his position clear from the outset: He opposed elimination of the rural schools and OPS's move. Osborne carved out a nuanced position too complicated for a 30-second sound bite.
On the rural schools, Osborne said he supported the closure of some of the schools that were costing taxpayers upward of $50,000 a student, but he opposed closing schools in desolate rural areas.
Osborne said in the closing days of his campaign that, if he had one regret, it was wading into the rural school debate.
He said his campaign was hurt by the perception among some that he opposed rural schools. "Probably, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't even mention Class I schools," he said. "I was in favor of almost all Class I schools, but I just wanted to be sure they were cost-effective."
Despite the loss, Osborne said Tuesday night that he hoped his campaign, in which he talked about the need to reduce taxes and cut state spending, would spur changes in state government.
Heineman called Osborne's challenge a plus for him - "the most positive competition we've ever seen in a primary."
And he said he would continue to run on the record he has built during his short time on the job.
"This is just in 15 months. Think of what we can do in the next four years," he said.
current stats here.
-UPDATE-
Heineman benches Osborne
BY ROBYNN TYSVER
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - In besting a legend, Dave Heineman did everything right.
Fifteen months after inheriting the Governor's Office, the one-time Republican Party operative showed himself to be the master of the political game Tuesday, toppling revered former Cornhusker football coach Tom Osborne.
He did it by wielding the full power of incumbency, attending every small-town ribbon-cutting he could, solidifying his support with rank-and-file Republicans and pushing for tax cuts in the Legislature.
"A year ago, I think maybe I was the only one who believed this was possible, except for the people standing up here," Heineman said from a Cornhusker Hotel stage where he stood with his wife, Sally Ganem, son Sam, 21, and Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and his family.
Heineman will face Democrat David Hahn, a Lincoln businessman, in the fall.
The governor said his hard work was just beginning.
"Somebody asked me if I was going to take a day off. I can take a day off after November," he said.
Heineman thanked his opponents, Osborne and Dave Nabity, saying they "made us better for the competition." He also acknowledged Osborne's status among Nebraskans, calling him an "extraordinary man."
"Everyone in this state has enormous respect for what he's done for this state," Heineman said.
A few blocks away, in a different hotel ballroom, Osborne consoled his supporters and, it appeared, himself.
"This is a tough one to take," he said. "It's hard and, I guess, it's always hard to lose the last one."
Osborne edged out Heineman in the state's three most populous counties, Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy, and some of the counties in the far west. But that wasn't enough of a margin to overcome Heineman's widespread strength in the eastern two-thirds of the state.
It was a stunning end to a race that began with many assuming it would be a political coronation for Osborne, the man who brought glory and three national football championships home to Nebraska.
"It's amazing," said Loree Bykerk, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
"When Osborne threw his hat into the ring, I don't remember anyone thinking he would lose. People were saying things like 'Running against him was like running against God,'" she said.
But despite Osborne's iconic status, his campaign stumbled early.
In April 2005, when he jumped into the race, the 69-year-old said he wanted to serve only one term. Rank-and-file Republicans quickly bristled: Why unseat a Republican governor for another who would serve only four years?
Osborne, who underwent a heart bypass in 1985, also was dogged by questions about his age and health.
He assured Nebraskans that his doctors had given him the green light to run, but questions about his stamina persisted. People often commented - sometimes to him personally - that he looked tired.
His biggest liability, however, may have been his lack of experience in hardball politics. It quickly became apparent that Osborne was playing on Heineman's turf.
Osborne's three landslide victories for Congress against mostly marginal candidates did not prepare him for a fight with a seasoned politician, one who spent 30 years honing his skills and who entered the race with the GOP establishment in his corner.
A West Point graduate, Heineman was a disciplined candidate who made few mistakes. He knew how to run a campaign. He knew how to build support.
He earned gratitude from the agricultural community by going to Cuba and selling Nebraska products. Western Nebraska heaped praise on Heineman when he chose Chimney Rock to appear on the Nebraska quarter.
Heineman moved up from a lieutenant governor appointment to governor when Mike Johanns became U.S. agriculture secretary.
Within six months after taking office, the state's accidental governor began to become simply "Governor Dave" to some.
Meanwhile, Osborne too often appeared to be out of his league on the political field - when he was in Nebraska.
He never resigned his congressional job, which meant he often left the playing field wide open, for weeks at a time, to an opponent who ran up and down the state scoring political points.
In addition, Osborne had trouble sticking to, and honing, a simple political message.
When Heineman hammered him for his support of in-state tuition for illegal immigration in the closing days of his campaign, Osborne responded with a television advertisement that touted his tough stance on border security and talked about his opposition to methamphetamine.
"The bottom line is, I didn't do a good enough job communicating to people and to getting the ideas I had across," Osborne said.
Asked if he could have been a better politician, Osborne responded, "You know I've got to be me. I wouldn't feel good standing here today if I felt I had distorted things or been something other than who I am or what I am."
Two of the defining issues of the race involved volatile school disputes: elimination of elementary-only school districts mostly in rural Nebraska and the Omaha Public Schools' proposal to take over parts of some suburban districts.
Heineman made his position clear from the outset: He opposed elimination of the rural schools and OPS's move. Osborne carved out a nuanced position too complicated for a 30-second sound bite.
On the rural schools, Osborne said he supported the closure of some of the schools that were costing taxpayers upward of $50,000 a student, but he opposed closing schools in desolate rural areas.
Osborne said in the closing days of his campaign that, if he had one regret, it was wading into the rural school debate.
He said his campaign was hurt by the perception among some that he opposed rural schools. "Probably, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't even mention Class I schools," he said. "I was in favor of almost all Class I schools, but I just wanted to be sure they were cost-effective."
Despite the loss, Osborne said Tuesday night that he hoped his campaign, in which he talked about the need to reduce taxes and cut state spending, would spur changes in state government.
Heineman called Osborne's challenge a plus for him - "the most positive competition we've ever seen in a primary."
And he said he would continue to run on the record he has built during his short time on the job.
"This is just in 15 months. Think of what we can do in the next four years," he said.
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indianahusker
Special Teams Player
Well, I certainly won't vote for Oz.
I don't live in NE anymore... <_<
Dag nabbit. I miss the Fatherland...
I don't live in NE anymore... <_<
Dag nabbit. I miss the Fatherland...
Last edited by a moderator: