Alito & Thomas Have More To Fear From A Nebraska Independent Than From Either Corporate Party

“No one in the Senate— not Republicans or Democrats— even lifts a finger”

Imagine someone from the working class in the Senate!

I was out with some Democratic donors the other day and they actually wanted to talk about the upcoming election, something I usually try to avoid over dinner, since it’s what I live in from before dawn to after dusk everyday. But… hey, maybe I could inspire them to contribute to one or our candidates so… off I want. When I got to Nebraska they seemed genuinely fascinated. An independent running for Senate? I explained to them what we’ve already talked about here in regard to Dan Osborn. 

They wanted me to assure them that he would caucus with the Democrats. I couldn’t do that. I honestly don’t know if he will. “But he’ll vote with the Democrats, right?” On some things, I’m certain he will. But this guy is serious about not voting “with the Democrats” or “with the Republicans” but on doing what’s right for Nebraskans. One said he’d contribute if I could explain what that meant, although he was placated a lot when I told him that Osborn is pro-Choice and pro-labor and that he favors keeping government out of our private lives. But a lot of his biggest campaign issues are Nebraska issues— the “right to repair,” which Democratic donors never heard of, a lot of anti-monopoly stuff about family farms and ranches, reform of railway safety rules… stuff like that. As well as legalizing marijuana and passing congressional term limits. And he’s a Navy veteran and he’s got a lot of military vet stuff he wants to get done, which is kind of bipartisan.

The guy said he’d think about contributing but hasn’t yet. Osborn talks a lot about fixing federal crop subsidies, which favor corporate Agriculture over family farmers. “We can start by adjusting the insurance agent commission formula, which currently disincentivizes agents from selling to small farms; and by improving coverage for specialty crops,” isn’t something that is top of mind for a couple of very left-wing donors from Bel Air and Pacific Palisades.

Crooks

A day or two later though, I passed along an e-mail Osborn sent out to his campaign mailing list. Again, it wasn’t a Democratic message or a Republican message, but it seems to be a very appealing message, not just to folks in rural Nebraska but to Americans anywhere. “Sometimes when I read the news,” he began, “it feels like I’m living in the Twilight Zone. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito go on fishing trips on yachts, fly on billionaire’s planes, even get houses bought for them and their families… and no one in the Senate— not Republicans or Democrats— even lifts a finger. What’s the point of having ‘checks and balances’ if ethics violations on the Supreme Court go completed ignored?”

Is there anyone that wouldn’t appeal to? I don’t think Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) or Dick Durbin (D-IL) have any interest in hearing that kind of messaging. Osborn offered a solution: “Bring them in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and put them under oath to answer for their corruption. The Senate has subpoena power for a reason. It’s about damn time they used it.”

I guess that’s the way to get both sides of the aisles to hate you in DC… although probably not voters who have more of a tendency to appreciate common sense than senators do. Osborn went on: “I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I am sick and tired of watching corporations and billionaires buy members of Congress— and apparently now also justices on the Supreme Court too. I’m not taking money from corporate PACs. I worked for a corporation as a blue-collar union worker for over 20 years… I’m done working for corporations. I’m ready to be the 51st vote in the Senate for working people, and to actually stand up to politicians— on the both sides of the aisle— who take money from the mega-wealthy and then do whatever they ask… These justices seem to think that just because they have a lifetime appointment, they’re somehow above the law. They’ve never had to answer to a former union president like me.”

He’s running against a Republican backbencher who takes money from every corporate PAC ever invented and started her Senate career with a lie— that she would only serve 2 terms (12 years)… but is running for her third term now. Two consecutive polls have shown Osborn beating her— yeah in deep red Nebraska, where Trump beat Biden 58.5% to 39.4%. The Democratic Party isn’t even running a candidate in the race. And if you want to contribute to Osborn’s campaign, you can do it here.

Not every independent makes a great member of Congress. Bernie may be the best senator; Kyrsten Sinema may be the worst. But Osborn told me he thinks he can get some important stuff accomplished in a closely split chamber, which is likely what we’re going to see next January. And I know I don’t agree with him on every issue but… when he talks about his working class background and about not being ready to work for corporate special interests, that’s good enough for me in this race. That he gives identical stump speeches in front of county Republican clubs and county Democratic clubs says a lot about him too.