Winning re-election to the Omaha City Council was not enough for Chuck Sigerson.
Sigerson lawsuit says he was libeled in campaign flier - Omaha World-Herald
The flier that went out said that Sigerson…
“abused his position.”
“sexually harrassed a minor.”
“embarrassed our city.”
I have no idea why Sigerson wants to relive this embarrassment. Most people in the City of Omaha had forgotten about this incident. The flier didn’t do much harm since he won re-election, and I don’t see how Sigerson can gain anything from this lawsuit. If anything, it is going to hurt him. On Sunday, all the major news channels led with this story and reminded people that Chuck Sigerson “allegedly” molested a Red Robin. Does Sigerson want people to be reminded of this? And with James Martin Davis representing the defendants, this promises to be a fun case to watch.
Also, if you are looking for a State Farm Agent, then Chuck Sigerson is your man.
Reuters
Senators reach compromise on filibusters - Omaha World-Herald
In a dramatic reach across party lines, Senate centrists agreed Monday night on a compromise that clears the way for confirmation of many of President Bush’s stalled judicial nominees, leaves others in limbo and preserves venerable filibuster rules.
“In a Senate that is increasingly polarized, the bipartisan center held,” said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., one of 14 senators - seven from each party - to sign the agreement that pledged lawmakers to “mutual trust and confidence.”
Senator Ben Nelson was one of those “centrists” Senators that played a significant role in the compromise. It’s not clear what this compromise will mean for the country and the Senate. But what a great day for Senator Ben Nelson and his re-election campaign. I can see the commercial now… “When the Senate was in a bitter feud, Senator Nelson stepped up and worked with Republicans and Democrats to prevent a crisis. Our founding fathers would be proud. Senator Nelson is not only great for Nebraska, but he’s great for America.”
On the flip side, it’s not surprising that Senator Chuck Hagel was absent from this group. Hagel claims to be a “maverick” but he’s really just a rubber stamp for the Republican Party.
Plus, Sen. Ben Nelson was quoted on the Drudge Report.
Who do you think were the winners and losers in this compromise?
Most of our Omaha readers didn’t follow the Lincoln city council elections very closely. If you did, then you’re aware they were extremely negative and partisan (many would say worse than Vokal vs. Boyle). The bulk of the attacks were centered around City Councilman Terry Werner. Unfortunately, Werner was defeated in the May 3rd election. For the chairman of the Lancaster Republican Party, winning wasn’t enough.
GOP chairman taunts Werner - Lincoln Journal-Star
Ten days after the May 3 election, the chairman of the Lancaster County Republican Party sent an e-mail to ousted City Councilman Terry Werner in which he taunted Werner for losing his council seat and said “having a private eye follow you was a joy.”
Editorial: Local GOP needs better leadership - Lincoln Journal-Star
If you would like to contact Jim Haga (the chairman of the Lancaster Republican Party), please call (402) 202-4399.
It looks like this topic is popular with the Nebraska blogosphere…
Lincoln Republicans: Spying or Lying? - New Nebraska Network
Private Eye - Lincoln Life
Sore Winners - dick’s blog (lincolnblog)
This is still a developing story…
Federal judge rules gay marriage ban unconstitutional - Omaha World-Herald
U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon struck down Thursday Nebraska’s constitutional provision prohibiting gay marriage or civil unions.
Joseph Bataillon was nominated by President Clinton and was confirmed by the Senate 100-0 in September of 1997.
As the returns roll in, post your thoughts on them, if you’re not at one of the parties with us.
Results should show up here even before the News reports them.
Boyle denies any connection to anti-Vokal mailing - Omaha World-Herald
A postcard aimed at damaging Councilman Jim Vokal’s re-election chances against challenger Anne Boyle threw one more wild card into the hard-fought District 3 race.
The message on the pink card has nothing to do with anything that could come up before the City Council. One group mentioned in the card has disavowed the message, and another group listed is nonexistent. No return address was on the card, which apparently went to a limited number of houses Friday in the district.
If you read that entire news story, you will probably feel like you’ve wasted your time. I was tempted to get out my decoder ring to find out what the World-Herald was talking about in this article. It wouldn’t have bothered me if the World-Herald had decided not to run a story about this flyer. But since the World-Herald decided to cover the story, they have a duty to report the news not cover it up or withhold the facts.
“The message on the pink card has nothing to do with anything that could come up before the City Council.” What in the hell does this sentence mean? After reading that sentence, I got a weird feeling that Jim Vokal was the lone gunman on the grassy knoll. In reality, World-Herald reporter David Kotok was doing some opining in this “news” story. The World-Herald reported on the contents of an attack ad on Chuck Sigerson. I don’t remember the last time a mascot issue was brought before the City Council. It looks like we have a double standard at the World-Herald. Why am I not suprised.
Yesterday, KMTV3 ran a story about the “pink” flier and they showed the contents of the flier on air. If someone has a copy of the flier and can scan it in, please email a copy to us.
P.S. I have seen the flyer, and I apologize to our readers if this post seems cryptic. Many of our readers are aware of the contents of the flyer, and the issues have been discussed at length in the comments section of one of the posts on this blog. OK, I’m done being cryptic.
It was a only a matter of time before the “Red Robin incident” got brought up in the District 7 City Council Race between Chuck Sigerson and Tim Lonergan.
Democrats disavow attack ad on Sigerson - Omaha World-Herald
I don’t know what the mailer looks like, but I think it might look like this…
From WLOS
Religion and politics clash over a local church’s declaration that Democrats are not welcome.
East Waynesville Baptist asked nine members to leave. Now 40 more have left the church in protest. Former members say Pastor Chan Chandler gave them the ultimatum, saying if they didn’t support George Bush, they should resign or repent. The minister declined an interview with News 13. But he did say “the actions were not politically motivated.” There are questions about whether the bi-laws were followed when the members were thrown out.
This story is just developing so not much is known about the situation yet.
Afghanistan’s Karzai to visit state - Omaha World-Herald
Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, will receive an honorary degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and visit cattle feedlots during a one-day visit to Nebraska later this month.
For most College Democrats this doesn’t seem like a big deal, until you read the rest of the story…
He will spend May 25 visiting the study center in Omaha and touring agriculture facilities in Cuming County.
Of all the places to visit in Nebraska, Karzai chose West Point. If Karzai wants to know about Cuming County, all he has to do is ask Till.
Ironically, May 25th is my birthday. Do you think Karzai will buy me a round?
This is Omaha Mayoral Candidate Dave Friend and a duck. I wish I could make this stuff up, but I’m not that talented.
This picture appears on a direct mail piece, and you can find the piece at his website.
I wanted to make a joke about this picture, but I think the picture speaks for itself.
In order to be protected from “lawyers,” I will try to comply with the Fair Use Doctrine. To comply, I have to criticize the picture. So here is my criticism… “What the hell was he thinking!?!”
