Meeting Scott Kleeb: NE Senate Update

I made him flinch.  

Just barely ... but it was there.  When Scott Kleeb extended a strong and confident hand at his new "Nebraskans for Kleeb" office here in Lincoln, I jokingly told him I was there to represent the Kossack Nation.  For the briefest possible second he stared blankly at me like I was reading from a Bulgarian phonebook – then he grinned and asked me my username.

And so it began ...

Scott Kleeb has opened two new campaign offices in his Senate bid.  I was at the opening of one in Lincoln, Nebraska last night.

First, let’s get my biases out of the way.

I’ve always admired Scott Kleeb.  Always.  Anyone familiar with that region of Nebraska knows that what he accomplished in his (alas) unsuccessful 3rd district House run against Adrian Smith in ’06 was nothing short of a miracle.  It is a spread-out area, making very difficult to get your message out and it’s largely populated with people not inclined to receive that message unless it comes with an RNC approval stamp.  But the message did get out.  People did listen.  And it was an inspiring race -- the closest a Democrat came to winning in over three decades.  It took an eleventh-hour Hail Mary visit from Bush and a sleazy last minute harassment-style robocall campaign in Kleeb’s voice for them to eke out a tainted victory.  

That said ... I was NOT particularly pleased when he first announced his intent to run for Senate.  And I made a few (regrettable) snarky comments along the way.  Not at Scott – but at my fellow Nebraskan Kossacks, who were a bit over exuberant and likely oblivious to the realities of the looming battle.  I wasn’t convinced that their excitement would be matched with the requisite commitment needed to pull off a successful Senate run.  I’m pleased to announce I might have been wrong.  The support is there and it’s growing.

I also had other misgivings.  I wondered if Scott’s reach was exceeding his grasp.  I had pictured him easily getting into the State Unicameral and, soon thereafter, the governorship.  And yet here he was rolling the dice on a Congressional position.  I thought he was throwing away solid capital he had built up on a fool’s errand – contending with Mike Johanns.  

The Johanns Factor

See, I can’t explain Johanns’s appeal, but I suspect it has something to do with goat sacrifices and a pact with Lucifer.  

The man has done nothing significant -- NOTHING, yet his star keeps rising in the political firmament.  And I’ve known him since his days on the County Board back in the 80’s.  He used the City Council to run for Mayor and that office to run for the Governorship; a typical self-aggrandizing career politician.  I had to sit back and watch this non-entity score points with Western Nebraska voters by claiming he lowered property taxes in Lincoln.  Technically, he did.  But he also raised the "rates", which meant that property owners were essentially paying the same (or more).  But they fell for it.  And he won the governorship.  And he was re-elected to a second term by an incredible 69% to 27% margin.  But I defy you to find a single Nebraskan who can tell you anything he did during his tenure except take up space and dream of higher office.  

That higher office came at the end of 2004 when he was elevated to Ag Secretary – frickin’ 9th in line for the presidency itself!  So, he drops the governorship, snubbing the very voters who swept him into office, claiming he could be more effective as Ag Secretary.  Subsequently, he drops out as Ag Secretary (his supposed "dream job") to pursue the Senate, presumably claiming he could be more effective there.  This begs two questions: Effective at "what" and "for how long"?

But the sad fact remains: even though he has never done anything significant for the state and even though he changes job titles in mid-stream – he’s a national figure with heavy name recognition and the weight of that alone will be a very difficult thing to surmount.  This can’t be underestimated.  His initial bid announcement almost immediately forced two other GOP heavyweights to withdraw from the race.

We’ll need something close to a miracle.

But, as I’ve already said above – Scott Kleeb is kind of handy in the miracle department.  If anyone can pull a rabbit out of the hat here, it’s the Great Kleebini.  But he’s certainly gonna need some help, either in financial contributions or volunteer work or both.  

What I Saw Last Night

The location of the Lincoln office (325 S. 9th) is not very good, frankly.  Scott himself joked about this when he noted that no one had told him that P.O. Pears (a popular local bar directly across the street) had gone out of business.  They are off the beaten track and will get little walk-in traffic.  People who drop by will be going there specifically.  Johanns, on the other hand, has his office at 1201 O Street; pretty much the heart of downtown.  Is location very important in the web era?  I have no clue.  

On the other hand, "Nebraskans for Kleeb" is about five blocks from my house, which I take to be G-d’s way of saying: "Get off your dumb ass and help!  Outside of putting his desk on your front porch, what else can I do?"  It also has a very nice workspace and good people already starting to sign on.  By contrast, I recall Hagel’s first Lincoln office had a terrible location (10th & K) and was largely manned by one single lady for the first several weeks.

There were about 20 people there last night to hear Scott’s brief and informal speech.  Another 10 filtered in and out throughout the evening.  Matt Connealy was there in his capacity as the Executive Director of the Nebraska Democratic Party. I suspect that was Jeff Jacobs running around, keeping the potato chip bowl filled.   At around a quarter to eight, we all gravitated to the outer office just as Scott walked in the door.  Totally at ease, he made a quick circuit around the circle of supporters, shaking hands and exchanging a few brief words with each.  There was a photographer there; maybe from the campaign, maybe from the local media.  A few questions were asked, but this was more of a house-warming than a Chautauqua.

The issues raised are pretty much covered on his web site, though he did punctuate his special interest in economic and energy concerns, which actually impressed me quite a bit.  I mean, let's face it.  It's easy to go after crowd approval with a few quick zingers and hot-button issues.  It takes a certain amount of class and self-confidence to emphasize less glamorous meat-n-taters issues in addition to hitting the high-profile ones.

Bottom Line

Johanns is vulnerable.  He hitched his star to a fading president with a 28% approval rating.  That albatross around his neck will start weighing more and more as the roller-coaster stock-market, credit crises, summer gas prices, pending food shortages and a host of other problems continue to remind voters that a change is leadership is in order.

Johanns repeatedly sold out the state to further his own personal goals; a point that Western Nebraska probably appreciates more than the rest of the state, after Johanns resigned as Ag Secretary precisely at the time they needed him the most.

Johanns does have some strategic advantages, but they are not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination.  Our biggest threat is psyching ourselves out in advance.  I fell into that trap initially, but Scott tossed me a line tonight.

Of course, we still have to get by Raimondo first.  ;)

Wanna Help?

Main Web Site: KLEEB FOR SENATE

Nebraskans for Kleeb Hastings Office  (Main)
109 N. Hastings Ave
Hastings, NE 68901

Nebraskans for Kleeb Lincoln Office
325 S. 9th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508

Nebraskans for Kleeb Omaha Office
2819 S. 125th Ave # 278
Omaha, NE 68144

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