Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics

We have moved!

2010-12-20T00:02:00.000-06:00

That time has arrived, and we at Leavenworth Street are leaving our Blogger address. We have had success and good times here, but it is time to move on. So click here to go to LeavenworthSt.com and be sure to update your Bookmarks -- and tell your friends. (You can also go to LeavenworthStreet.com -- same thing.) We have shut down the comments here on the Blogspot.com address, but you can

Spatin'

2010-12-17T11:25:00.001-06:00

This morning the LJS’s Don Walton facilitated Ben Nelson’s hit on Jon Bruning over earmarks, who makes them and who gets them. Interesting stuff, and feel free to argue about that issue. But the real kicker came in the bottom half of the article where former state GOP chair, and 2006 GOP Senate primary candidate, Dave Kramer took shots at Bruning, Don Stenberg and (poor) Pat Flynn. Kramer,

Kay Orr for Senate?

2010-12-15T09:15:00.001-06:00

Well this one had us spitting coffee this early morning. Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post blog, The Fix, says that former Nebraska Governor Kay Orr has been approached to run for Senate in 2012. And her reaction? "I can't see any set of circumstances that would persuade me to get in there again," Orr said. "I'm flattered that I've had some people suggest that I do so. They think it would be

Why they did it

2010-12-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

The Omaha World Herald has spent a fair amount of time over the past week defending their reasons for posting an online database listing every person who signed the Mayor Suttle Recall petition. They’re claimed, “public duty”, and “openness” and all sorts of other reasons. Here’s one they left out: TO MAKE MONEY. The OWH’s internet pages got lots and lots of hits from their little

Chatelain Memo: Part Deux

2010-12-09T12:15:00.002-06:00

Leavenworth Street readers, we had to reassess our thoughts on this whole memo written by John Chatelain of the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee (MSRC). We read the memo and believed that some major thought went into this thing, and thus there must be some other motive -- involved with the court case -- that put this thing into action. But after listening to Chatelain on KFAB’s Tom Becka show (on

Why the Chatelain Memo?

2010-12-09T04:00:00.005-06:00

On Wednesday, Mayor Suttle Recall Committee (MSRC) Treasurer John Chatelain wrote an extensive memo criticizing the actions of David Nabity as they related to Nabity’s involvement with the MSRC. The OWH and Nebraska Watchdog among others have couched this as a hit by Chatelain on Nabity’s Mayoral ambitions. But is that all it is? First, click here to read the entire memo. (That is sort of

Thinking about it

2010-12-08T11:15:00.000-06:00

A few interesting notes from the story in the OWH about whether or not Ben Nelson will run for reelection in 2012. First various talkers predicted (as no doubt directed) that Ben will run again. Then again, Tony Raimondo also told us way back when that he would be a lifelong Republican, so take it for what it’s worth. But then note the names Robynn Tysver listed as being interested in a Senate

Candidating

2010-12-06T14:05:00.001-06:00

Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy was featured in the New York Times last week in a story about the nation’s Lt. Governors. Well kind of. He was listed first anyway, and got the large photo, standing behind Governor Dave. Sheehy’s chunk in the article was... How does a lieutenant governor shake hands with the governor? He clasps firmly and extends two fingers up the governor’s sleeve

Counted

2010-12-04T15:05:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post to say the signatures to Recall Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle have been officially counted. They (semi) officially got 28,720 signatures, 2,077 more than the needed 26,643. But the kicker in that sentence is "semi". The semi is Judge Pete Bataillon's hearing on December 20th. At that point we will hear if more than that 2,000 plus will be thrown out, or all of them, or nothing.

Piping up

2010-12-03T04:00:00.004-06:00

We have been watching the issue of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline with interest for the past number of months. All along we have felt that we have been hearing from only one side on this issue, and have wondered about it. The state group, Bold Nebraska, run by avowed Democrat and leftist, Jane Fleming Kleeb, has been the main bunch pushing against the pipeline. And of course whenever

UFOs

2010-12-02T09:50:00.004-06:00

We are still getting a kick out of the half-(bottomed) attempts by Forward Omaha, Vince Powers, and all of the rest of Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle’s mouthpieces to nix the Recall. Their Exhibits? Five undercover, shaky, videos, with fishbowl-like audio, of circulators. Which they have lied about. Lied?! Well then the Anti-Recallers should be thrown out, no? You’d think so, wouldn’t ya? For

The “other” Nelson

2010-12-01T08:45:00.011-06:00

We felt it necessary to bust out a quick post regarding the OWH’s latest anti-Recall column, prior to this morning's hearing on the issue. This time instead of the OWH publisher writing an Op-Ed, or a reporter expressing their opinion, they actually got one of their columnists to write an anti-Recall piece. So Robert Nelson summarized some undercover videos that the Anti-Recallers showed him of

Do you recall?

2010-11-30T09:55:00.003-06:00

You know that Leavenworth Street does a year-end round up of political quotes. One of our favorite (if not extremely labor intensive) posts. Well, Noelle Obermeyer of the anti-Recallers gave us a hit for November: “We've had people call back and say, 'I signed the petition, but I didn't know it was to recall the mayor.'”Yowza. Noelle, here is what we would like you to do. Make a list of all

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

2010-11-25T09:30:00.001-06:00

Do you need a pre-Turkey appetizer of politics while you throw back some Joe and listen to the parades trundle past Macy’s? Of course you do! *** First, KMTV tells us that brand-spanking-new Communications Director for Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle has banned them! They’ve been banned! (Well, apparently from any interviews, anyway.) And for what? For releasing public information. Yup. Seems

Jumping the gun

2010-11-22T09:55:00.008-06:00

First we just would like to let everyone know that, Yes, Coach P. called us up and screamed at us on Saturday night. But we are OK with it. And after talking to our high school blogging coach, we want you to know that we are not quitting. OK? OK. *** So, we thought it interesting that Robyn Tysver of the OWH put together a list of Omaha Mayoral maybes, if a) the recall signatures go through

They’re IN

2010-11-19T14:25:00.000-06:00

The signatures are in. Or at least they might as well be. The OWH is reporting that “they have learned” that the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee will be turning in 37,000 some signatures. We were informed on Wednesday that they had somewhere in the neighborhood of 32K sigs -- so if you had the “Under” (Noelle Obermeyer, we are looking in your direction ), you lose. Speaking of Ms. Obermeyer (

3PM Friday

2010-11-19T09:10:00.001-06:00

At 3:00 PM today (Friday) the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee will submit their gathered signatures to the Douglas County Election Commissioner. As we (1st-ed-ly) noted earlier this week, the Recallers state they have enough signatures to initiate an up-or-down vote on Suttle. Channel 6 is reporting that they are looking at having 30% more than the 26,000+ sigs, anticipating that as many as that

Word on the Street: Recallers have the signatures

2010-11-17T14:15:00.000-06:00

Leavenworth Street has learned, albeit not officially, that the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee has obtained more than the 26,643 signatures needed to force a vote on a recall of Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle. We have been told that when the Recallers turn in the signatures on Friday, the numbers will be around 31 - 32,000 -- more than 5,000 over the needed number. There have been standard rumblings

Monday meanderings

2010-11-15T09:45:00.007-06:00

Can Jon Bruning be beaten in a three-way race? Omaha attorney, and former Senate candidate, Dave Kramer tells the AP that he thinks it is possible. Of course anything is possible. The theory is that Bruning would be joined by two other relatively strong candidates -- in this scenario, Don Stenberg and Mike Foley (who gave Don Walton a “maybe, maybe not”) -- in the 2012 GOP primary. We would

Friday machinations

2010-11-12T14:35:00.001-06:00

We keep reading, via our news service, that Republicans are trying to get Ben Nelson to switch parties. We just don’t see it. Not that Republicans won’t try. But we just don’t see someone like Nelson switching parties. Of course it could only come about if Republicans could wrest control of the Senate. But even then, what does it do? It would simply force the President to bust out his veto

Veterans Day 2010

2010-11-11T09:40:00.002-06:00

Thank you to all of our Veterans, on Veterans Day today. Take a moment to remember our Vets today, and if you get the chance, thank one in person. *** And a story and info here about the Veterans History Project, being pushed now by Mike Johanns, among others.

Will Nelson stick around for 2012?

2010-11-09T23:30:00.000-06:00

Hopefully by now you have seen the poll that Senator Ben Nelson’s spokesdude, (former OWH reporter) Jake Thompson is so pumped about. It shows that... 55% of Nebraskans think Ben Nelson should be replaced in 2012 Nelson would lose to Jon Bruning 50% - 35% Jon Brunings “Favorable” rating is 53% But Thompson is pumped that Nelson’s Favorable is 50%. Rock on Jake. Rock on. *** So that leaves

Who can challenge Bruning?

2010-11-05T12:00:00.006-05:00

With Attorney General Jon Bruning’s announcement of an “exploratory committee” for U.S. Senate run, we will look at who we think else has a chance. Because, with $600,000 coming from his old 2008 Senate warchest, you have to think that Bruning is driving the candidate bus right now. Everyone else will be passengers who must wrest control from Bruning if they want the win. So who are some of

Bruning for Senate

2010-11-04T17:35:00.001-05:00

From the Bruning camp at JonBruning.com Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning will hold a press conference at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, November 5th in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda in Lincoln.Get your yard signs ready. And once again, who else? *** And at 9pm this evening, a Tweet from Attny Gen Bruning: Announcement tomorrow morning 10am re Sen Nelson's Senate seat. Isn't it time we rein in

Heineman WILL NOT run in 2012

2010-11-04T15:02:00.002-05:00

In his 3pm press conference today, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman will announce that he will NOT run for the U.S. Senate in 2012! Details to follow. *** The MSM sites can tell you more about Governor Dave's decision. Loves his job, hates DC. That should do it. Now... *** Hurry, hurry! Step right up! Give us your names! Our short list: Attorney General Jon Bruning Republican National