Tag: Lee Terry

Here’s a recent mailer sent out by the campaign of disingenuous, unaccomplished GOP Rep. Lee Terry:

You might recall Lee Terry’s almost-endorsement of Barack Obama earlier this year, when he said that his district was seeing a wave of “Obama-Terry voters”, whom he described as “people who want the right kind of change.”

Keep in mind that this is an R+9 district — although one that the Obama campaign is continuing to target and one where the DCCC has booked $435K worth of ad time. If Esch wins here, we’re talking about a big-time wave — it might still be unlikely, but it’s not nearly as far-fetched as it was a couple weeks ago.

Well, if there was any doubt about the competitiveness of Democrat Jim Esch’s race against unaccomplished GOP Rep. Lee Terry in Omaha, Nebraska, it should now be erased:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has made a six-figure investment in television ads to air on Omaha stations between now and Election Day.

The ads are part of a campaign to boost Jim Esch in his race against incumbent Lee Terry.

“They wouldn’t be doing this is they didn’t think this was a race that could be won,” said Esch.

Public documents indicate that the DCCC bought nearly $200,000 in television ads. Committee records last month indicated that the party recognizes Esch as a strong candidate to take away a Republican seat.

Remember, this is an R+9 seat that Bush carried carried comfortably twice. However, the GOP’s grip on the seat showed signs of loosening in 2006, when Terry won by a surprising 55-45 margin against the underfunded Esch. With the Obama campaign on the ground in Omaha and targeting its lone electoral vote and the DCCC now on the air, Esch no longer has to go it alone. This is a pretty big deal.

The DCCC’s Stakeholder blog has more.  

Earlier in day, we noted that the DCCC added businessman Jim Esch (and seven others) to its Red to Blue program. Esch is making his second try against GOP Rep. Lee Terry in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd District, which has a PVI of R+9.

This is an interesting race for a lot of reasons. Despite the lion’s share of the hype in 2006 being directed to Maxine Moul in Nebraska’s 1st and Scott Kleeb in the 3rd District, Esch came the closest to beating a Republican of all three Nebraska House candidates, falling short of Terry by 10% despite running a low-budget campaign. A poll from earlier this summer showed Terry leading by 47-38 — a similar 9-point margin, but under the 50% “vulnerability” threshold for incumbents. Even more interesting are the Presidential numbers in the district — that poll pegged McCain’s lead at a mere four points. It’s numbers like those that show you why Terry was mouthing off so loudly about “Obama-Terry voters” earlier this year.

I think it would take a big national win by Obama in order for him to pick off this electoral vote, and I don’t think that such a scenario is in the cards. But the effort is still being made, as evidenced by the Obama campaign setting up shop in Omaha on Wednesday:

“An Obama win in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is an important piece of our pathway to victory this Tuesday, November 4th,” said Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe. “By opening a Nebraska campaign headquarters – the first presidential campaign this cycle to do so – we are able to empower residents to join our grassroots movement for change.”

That event attracted 900 volunteers. However, it’s numbers like these that are the most interesting tea leaves of this election:

Figures from the Douglas County Election Commissioner’s Office show that almost 1,200 registered Democrats were added to county rolls in the past three months, compared with 53 for Republicans.

That was on top of strong Democratic registrations last winter. In February, for example, when Obama made a campaign stop in Omaha, Democrats registered more than double the number that Republicans registered.

The election office said it has a backlog of several thousand registration forms yet to process.

Karl Rove’s biggest success, and his longest-lasting contribution to the Republican Party, was his efforts to build the GOP’s base by activating conservative evangelical voters and making them aware of the stakes in the 2004 election. While Barack Obama’s ultimate fate this November is still very much up in the air, the numbers are pretty clear — in NE-02 and in key swing states around the nation — one party is growing their base, and the other is not.

SSP currently rates this race as Likely Republican.

Because it sure sounds that way to me. From Action 3 News Omaha:

Esch is hoping an Obama surge here will help him but Terry’s ready to fight, with help from an all new team, what Terry calls “The Obama-Terry voter.” Terry says they are, “people who want the right kind of change.”

Esch told me today he’d like to meet the Obama-Terry voters. According to Esch he, “can’t imagine what they look like.”

Note: Despite his apparent confusion, Lee Terry is not a superdelegate.

(H/T: Dave Sund)

Omaha, Neb. – Richard N. Carter, a U.S. Air Force Reserve Captain with active duty combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan, will file Friday with the Federal Election Commission to form an exploratory committee. Carter, a Democrat, is considering a run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.

   “Nebraskans know that this country needs significant change,” said Carter. “We are tired of the politics of division, fear, and intimidation. We are tired of politicians who march in lock-step with Washington party leadership in support of unpopular policies-policies which are not in the best interest of the American people.”

   “It’s time for a new generation of leadership to step forward and change the direction this country is headed. My experience as a combat officer in the United States Air Force and my graduate work in economics have prepared me to be that kind of leader for the people of the 2nd district.”

Carter is from Bellevue, Nebraska – where STRATCOM and Offutt Air Force Base are located. Jim Esch, who declined to run again in 2006, carried the city of Omaha, but was badly beaten in western Douglas County, Bellevue, Papillion, and La Vista. Of the 17,000 vote margin of victory, half of the margin came from heavily Republican Sarpy County.

As Richard came around to local party meetings over the last week, I had a chance to speak to him on the issues. He will represent this district well, and he is not afraid to take a stand on issues. We can always use more people like him in Congress.

Website: RichardCarter2008.com

Here we go again!

My only question is when will Congressman Terry run out of excuses to vote against this bill.  It’s one excuse after another:

From the Omaha World Herald Monday:

“Once again, illegal immigration is helping tie Congress in knots.

The subject has been injected into some seemingly unlikely discussions this year, including debate over a new farm bill.Now it has become a major hang-up delaying renewal of the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which Republicans and Democrats alike largely support…

Many Republicans who support Bush’s threatened veto…say the renewal legislation would give health benefits to illegal immigrants…the bill’s defenders disagree…

Against that backdrop, federal officials say they have no idea whether illegal immigrants have used the 10-year-old program because it hasn’t required proof of citizenship.At the same time, they say they have no anecdotal reports that participation by illegal immigrants is a problem.

That has prompted some Democrats and children’s advocates to accuse the bill’s Republican foes of using the immigration issue as political cover.

They contend that without playing the immigration card, it’s hard for GOP congressmen to side with Bush and oppose a kids’ health care bill…

“I feel they are sounding an alarm when I have yet to see any evidence there are a significant number of undocumented immigrants obtaining benefits,” said Tiffany Siebert of Voices for Children in Nebraska.”

So with no reports of wide spread use by illegal immigrants our own Congressman is making much ago about nothing.  (again!)

As quoted in the story:

…Terry said the bill would have led to “taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants.”

He is running out of reasons to be against what is an effective, affordable, and popular piece of legislation that will help millions of children in this country.

First it was that this bill would give Healthcare to people as old as 25 years old.  Which was debunked because the provision is for full time college students not everybody.

That was lie #1!

Then it was that those who make $80,000 a year will get coverage under this bill which was a flat out distortion of the truth.  The real issue was that the state of New York requested to have funds to cover that level do to cost of living with in the state.  It was denied and the state government is planning on covering the fees itself.

That was lie #2!

This next one wasn’t a lie, but an over reaction on Congressman Terry’s part.  His claim was that the bill would take kids who would already have insurance and put them on SCHIP.  True, but it is inevitable part of any program such as SCHIP.  But as countless experts will tell you, the amount of kids that wouldn’t have coverage regardless is worth the few what would.

That was over reaction #1!

Now we find ourselves listening to the boy Congressman who can not figure out a reason to be against his bill.  I guess that’s what happens when you are an out of touch, and pampered by my tax dollars.  (which pay for the healthcare you deny to so many children)

As the article notes, there is no reason to believe that illegal immigration is a major issue with the SCHIP legislation.  They are making something out of nothing.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley put it best:

“There’s absolutely nothing in this bill that would make coverage more easily available for illegal immigrants,” Grassley said. “Those who say otherwise believe what they want to believe, not the facts.”

TerryWatch.com