Posted on 09/27/2006 4:37:29 AM PDT by George W. Bush
Rove: Get Ricketts to D.C.
By Don Walton / Lincoln Journal Star / September 24, 2006
Karl Rove finally said what Nebraska Republicans have been waiting to hear.
“Let me make it clear,” the White House political strategist told about 150 people at a GOP reception Saturday in the Haymarket in Lincoln.
“The president of the United States would like to have Pete Ricketts in the U.S. Senate.”
That public affirmation has been high on the Nebraska GOP’s wish list since Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson began using the kind words Bush said about him in a 2005 Omaha speech in his re-election campaign.
The White House would prefer to have two senators from Nebraska on the Republican side, Rove told the breakfast buffet reception in the Apothecary Building loft.
Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel told the audience the difference is the 95 percent support he provides the GOP and the White House, and the 50 percent support Nelson may provide.
“Why can’t Nebraska have two conservative senators who support the Republican position?” Hagel asked.
The reception followed a round of Friday appearances in Omaha at which Rove boosted Ricketts.
On Friday night, Rove told a private fund-raising dinner at the home of Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of Ameritrade and Pete’s father, that Nelson is not a dependable vote when it really matters.
Hagel echoed that refrain on Saturday.
“He has never ever thrown a vote to (the Republican position) when it really counted.”
Even in supporting Bush’s tax cuts, Hagel said, Nelson “added $20 billion in federal spending” as the price for his vote.
The Nelson campaign responded swiftly to Hagel’s remarks.
“Without Ben Nelson, there wouldn’t have been a tax cut,” campaign spokeswoman Marcia Cady said.
As for the $20 billion addition, she said, that represented badly needed fiscal assistance for the states to avoid local tax hikes.
“Nelson said that if you’re cutting taxes in Washington, you shouldn’t be raising taxes in Lincoln,” Cady said. “He was looking out for Nebraska.”
Bush came to Nebraska more than a year ago and said he “appreciates working with Senator Nelson because he sets partisanship aside to get things done,” Cady said. “We still believe President Bush feels that way.”
GOP rhetoric this weekend indicates Ricketts “wants to go to Washington and represent his party instead of the people of Nebraska,” Cady said.
Hagel said Ricketts would demonstrate the courage required to tackle such issues as Social Security reform and comprehensive immigration reform.
“Mr. Nelson is not going to provide that courage,” Hagel said.
As he did in addressing Ricketts campaign volunteers in Omaha a day earlier, Rove said the key to a Ricketts victory is getting Republican supporters to the polls.
Control of both houses of Congress is “up for grabs” in November, Rove said.
What’s on the line in the Senate, he said, is vital national security needs, tax cuts and “whether good judges are confirmed.”
Rove said Hagel “taunted me” for a second time Friday night, suggesting Bush come to Nebraska next month to campaign for Ricketts and watch the Huskers defeat Texas at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 21.
Bush has a birthday party scheduled at the White House that day for his brother Marvin, who turns 50 Oct. 22, giving him “an excuse” not to come to the game, Rove said.
Ricketts, the object of most of Saturday’s attention, skipped the Haymarket event to campaign in Norfolk.
A handful of anti-Rove demonstrators stood outside on the corner of Eighth and P streets prior to the reception.
Highlights include Nelson accusing Ricketts of getting a big property tax valuation reduction. Then it turns out Nelson was doing the same thing long before Ricketts did. Now Ben Dover Nelson is running ads saying that at Ameritrade, (the filthy capitalist) Ricketts fired 1,000 (oppressed) workers and got bonuses worth over $1 million. As the article indicates, Nelson has been pretending that Bush has endorsed him, another tissue of his lies.
It all sounds very tame but this is blood-in-the-water politics for Nebraska where even white bread is considered a little too exciting by some.
Chuck Hagel supports Bush? Who'd a thunk it after some of the things he has said over the last 2 or 3 years.
vaudine
Hagel, what a dillweed.
Hey!! that's the plan (secret of course -- put on your tim foil hats) Let Hagel get the idea that he has a chance at the nomination. at least until it is too late for him to run for his Senate seat again.
He won't get the nomination and we could get someone like Johanns, Stenberg or my favorite -- John Bruning
HAGEL FOR PRESIDENT!!
I'm just not sure The Hagel will fall for it. Every now and then, reality seeps in and he stops acting like McStain's Mini-Me for a few months.
Well, Nelson like Nelson in Fla. is going for a landslide. Sorry for us, but both Nelsons will be returned to the Senate. Rove , Hagel or not.
Hagel Conservative?
They are probably right to a degree, but Nelson is the most conservative D in the Senate, and frankly, attacking him on taxes just doesn't work. He got his political career started by beating an incumbent R Governor who raised taxes by saying he wouldn't, and he didn't.
Anyhow, it would be nice to have a Ricketts victory, but realistically, I don't see it happening, and unless we wind up at 50/50 or worse, it's really not that bad that Nelson is around.
No, I'm sure he does support Bush 95% of the time. It's just the 5% when he choses to do it, because he does it at damaging times and on very, very important issues.
Nelson's been more supportive of Iraq then Hagel.
It depends on what you mean. He's fantastic on tax & spend issues, he's just horrible on foreign policy and such.
Nebraska on the Republican side, Rove told the breakfast buffet...Damn, I read that wrong. Thought it said,
Rove ate Buffett for breakfast...That's a headline I'd love to see.
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