This is an open-forum. Talk about the protest this morning, Social Security, or anything else that comes to mind.
Protest Photos
UPDATE: More than 300 hold very ‘visible’ protests - Omaha World-Herald
UPDATE 2: In Heartland, a Social Security Battlefield - Washington Post (Subscription)
UPDATE 3: No senator left behind? Well, one - Omaha World-Herald
I know several UNO students that could’ve given the “Benator” a ride.
UPDATE 3: Little love for Bush outside Qwest - Lincoln Journal-Star
See how many UNO students you can spot in the Journal-Star picture.
Best line of the day (from a Bush supporter):
“I’m gonna learn you an education: Bush is gonna save us all!”
Many people exiting the convention center after the speech made remarks that we should educate ourselves regarding the plan put forth by Mr. Bush, so I did. This thing is a monster…we can contribute up to 4% of our income in addition to the payroll tax and if we do, we have a 50/50 chance of seeing the equivalent dollar amount of today’s benefits when our generation retires (which will be worth like next to nothing due to inflation.) Wow…I think I’ll just burn my dollar bills, at least that way I can get some heat from them next time my toes are freezing from standing outside protesting Bush’s idiocy.
I guess the “education” remarks are what really goaded me the most, as I’m probably more educated than the vast majority of those in attendance today at the speech.
BTW, if social security dollars are invested in the stock market, wouldn’t that merely benefit the corporations which receive those investment dollars - much more-so than the average investor whose stocks have been flat/down ever since Bush has been in office?
Has anyone noticed how slanted the media coverage has been on this whole thing? One station said only 100 protestors were there.
For those that left you should have stayed it got really interesting after evryone came out of the Qwest Center. I think our next step should be to inundate Senator Nelson’s office with our opposition to this so called “reform”. We want to make it crystal clear that on the issue of S.S. ,
we will not tolarate his usaul DINO behavior.
100 is certainly wrong. 400 might be slightly high, though 375 peak I think is about the best bet we have. We did very careful counts, and I for one, didn’t over estimate at all. We had 300 for certain for about half an hour there, and 200 for certain for over an hour and a half.
So any newsmedia reporting 200 or less is doing shoddy, or slanted, journalism. I don’t know whether I’d rather they be incompetent or right wing on purpose. I think I’d lean towards incompetent.
Matthew Lyttle, wherever you are, I hope you find some way to turn a count under the real count into another example of the liberal news bias.
Also, did anyone else notice that the OWH photo they used was not a very emotional, effective, or all around good photo, and the caption focused on how nice and empathetic the Bush supporter lady was? I saw the photos the Central High School Register students took, and they were much better. But I think it was more likely a case of chosing a bad photo on purpose, cause the OWH photographer got some of Abbey crying that were really touching. Plus, her life story is like the ultimate trump card 2 line caption.
Gosh I just hate the Omaha press.
What? Oh, I’m sorry, I must’ve missed that. I think I’m coming down with a cold.
(Blows nose.)
From the newer OWH story:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1328778
“By 5 a.m., as lines built outside the arena, a band of protesters began forming at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue. By 8 a.m., the group had grown to 350 - enough to surprise some blue-state Californians on business in this reddest of Republican states.”
350! That’s more like it. Very reasonable estimate. And in a story published only an hour or two after my comments…. hmm. I wonder if the OWH is back to reading our blog? I can only hope so.
Get well soon matt.
Take a look at the Swing State Project.
The site gave the protest and UNO Blog two thumbs up.
I am getting disturbed about the articles that I am reading when the topic of Nelson comes up. Bush and his croonies seem to think that they have a lock and the Senator. what are we going to do to let the Senator know that his base will not tolerate collaboration on this issue?
Whatever we do we need it to be big. Had I known that he was going to campus for a press conference we could have put him on the spot then and there. Anyone with suggesstions let me know
one more thing. Mattie should be eating a little crow today after all of his doom and gloom predictions about the protest.
What crow? (Cough.) Me trying to warn you? I’ve seen worse doom and gloom. (Can’t say where, though.)
Thanks John. (Sniff.) I’ll try.
The privatization thing is a scam, but not nearly as big of one as social security in general. I think that people should be able to opt-out of the social security program, as almost every private investment plan returns more than social security.
Social Securtiy is not a scam, it is just insurance.
But if you want to save more for retirement (which everyone should), you can get your own I.R.A or a ROTH I.R.A.
Daniel
Is anyone else getting sick of the right-wing lurker, Mathew Lytle. All he does is come in here and make fun?
Adam, the point of a blog is to have opposition, there would be no arguement without a different point of view. In the words of their president, BRING IT ON!
Good point Mike.
Adam, me a lurker? For one, I’ve commented on several of these posts, which, from where I stand, doesn’t qualify me as a lurker.
Second, I showed concern because this blog gives me more feedback than I usually get off of the UNO Gateway website. Granted, many don’t like what I write, and to the same token, I can’t understand what some other posters write, but I respect this blog because of the feedback it generates for my work. I showed concern over this protest because early in 2002, on a trip to Washington, I almost met the business end of an MP-5 machine gun wielded by a Secret Service member. (And all I was there for was a Civics class field trip.) I didn’t want your group to come even close to that. (Besides, that may be more concern you may get from other Republicans.)
Third, if you don’t like the fact that I’m conservative, deal with it. I don’t yell at everyone here because many of them are liberal. I’ve learned to deal with it. True, I’m probably General Custer here, but I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care.
Fourth, I really was sick. I had a sore throat on Thursday, add on a stuffy/runny nose on Friday. I felt like s*** just yesterday, and I’m starting to recover.
Oh, and for the record, I really can’t mention where I’ve seen worse doom and gloom. Probably because I think I’ve forgotten. It happens.
Adam just didn’t get the memo that we are all friends on unodemocrats.com.
We like Matthew because he increases our readership (when he mentions our buttons or our blog in his column) and we increase his (when we link to his stuff). Plus we both give feedback on each other’s work, even if usually we gang up on him to show how his faulty rightwing logic was missing the truth of any given issue (sorry but I had to put that in there).
Then he makes fun of us for reading the wholly respectable NYTimes, and we make fun of his use of Faux News.
Though I am getting tired of the random poster who calls himself “Republican” only because I really really want to know where “Republican” learned about our blog. Other than that, anyone who reads, posts, and replys to posts, is a friend at UNODemocrats. Even if they get most aspects of National Policy way wrong.
I agree with Robin. And someone else mentioned it at the protest that we need to bombared Senator Nelson’s office with our views in opposition of the privatization of S.S. We should also let him know that we are the ones who do the free labor and work very hard when it comes to campaigns. Who thinks we should see about another democratic canidate for Senator in Nebraska, like Gary D. !!!!! But in all seriousness we need to let the Senator know that we are not going to take DINO’s in Nebraska anymore and the Privatization is a sham to help out corporate america only.
From how i look at it, Nelson is screwed no matter what. If he votes for privitization, he will lose a lot of Democratic support, and would have no chance of re-election. He probably would not gain much republican support out of it as well, considering the times that we are in where people rarely cross over party lines anymore. If he were to vote against privitization, he would lose the republican support he needs in this oh-so-red state of Nebraska. I’m not trying to be pessimistic about things, but does anyone really believe that Nebraskans would vote for a democrat with the divisiveness we have seen the last 4 years?
Mike - you have a good point, I think we just have to rely on people going to the poles and saying “oh that govener guy, I’ll vote for him.”
Lytle - I am lost on the General Custer remark, please clarify.
Because Custer was alot of different things to many people.
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Daniel
I agree that ben is in trouble. Lets face it, if he does vote for privitization who else are the democrats going to vote for? Run somebody that has absolutley no name recognition? Even in a red state, incumbancy is a huge advantage to have. The way I see it is as follows: We are in Nebraska. We have a democrat (granted he’s more of a pseudo-democrat at this point) in the Senate. We cant relenquish that seat. We are never, at least not anytime soon, going to elect anybody who is as progressive as I’d like to see, but I also think we have to take what we can get. I know that there are a lot of better candidates out there, but I don’t think any of them can win in Nebraska. I may be wrong, and maybe I’m giving in too easily, but I’d rather see Ben in there who at least claims to be democrat then somebody who won’t even listen to us. Then again, I’m also convinced that if we do our part we can get him to take a stand against privatization. Thats all for now.
Cody
No prob, klaus.
In 1876, at the Battle of Little Big Horn, General Geroge Custer found himself (and his legions) outnumbered by the Lakota and Cheyenne tribal warriors. (Shortly before his death.)
In this case, for this blog, I am Custer, and as far as views, I am seriously outnumbered.
Hope this helps.
Good enough for me
i would like to point out the nebraska is a lot more liberal now than it was a couple years ago. I think nelson, with some hard work and lots of volunteers, could pull out a victory even if he votes against privitization, which he should. I do not think he will win if he votes for it. I am not going to sit back and take what I can get, when i know i could get something better or at least make a statement and let DINO’s know that we want a real democrat in office and we will not put you back in office if you go against everything we have worked so hard for. And no truman dinner for you next year!!jk
amanda, how are you basing your assertion that nebraska is more liberal now than it was? I think it is just the opposite in my opinion.