Tim Clare: Humorist par Excellance & Candidate for NE Regent

I know that I haven't posted here in awhile (over two months actually) but I've been working on a doozy of a story about the State Department as well as actually physically working for a campaign this election cycle.

There was something though in my inbox that caught my eye and I had to share. It seems that I receive regular emails from nearly every campaign, PAC, and political party in Nebraska and I try to read most of the ones I get. (That being said, DO NOT sign me up for Scott Kleeb's email list, I will find you and I will laugh in your face)

So, I was rummaging through my spam folder when I found an email from one Tim Clare, candidate for University of Nebraska Regent. He seems like a decent and knowledgeable guy and I opened his email. It was titled "NU Regent Candidate Tim Clare sets the Record Straight‏", alright.. he has been hammered by his opponent recently. Then I go on to read a long diatribe or rhetoric about his conservative position on stem-cell research (that he shares with all of the Nebraska Congressional delegation.) Wonderful.


He also list a bunch of doctors that support him. Here's a copy of what he has written:

Locally, please note that the following doctors are supporting my candidacy:



Dr. Deepak Gangahar
Dr. Mike Duggan

Dr. Alan Berg
Dr. Susan Hansen

Dr. Dave Clare
Dr. Tim Govaerts

Dr. Cory Friesen
Dr. Marc Koenig

Dr. Kurstin Friesen
Dr. Steve Ackerman

Dr. Doug Netz
Dr. Walter Duffy

Dr. Steve Nagengast
Dr. Phil Essay

Dr. Paul Petersen
Dr. Joe Petty

Dr. James Gallentine
Dr. Bill Johnson

Dr. Sandy Gallentine
Dr. Chuck Reese

Dr. Keith Miller
Dr. Clark Antonson

Dr. Jeff Tomjack
Dr. Rob Rhodes

Dr. Pat Clare
Dr. Rex Largen

Dr. Marlon Weiss
Dr. Mike Ferris

Dr. Steve Martin
Dr. Ameeta Martin

Dr. Mark Heibel
Dr. Scott Noel

Dr. Scott Strasburger
Dr. Nate Green

Dr. Alan Nissen
Dr. Sushil Lacy

Dr. Tom Tegt
Dr. Bob Byington

Dr. Greg Sutton
Dr. Kent Reckewey

Dr. Mike Germer
Dr. Eric Crimmins

Dr. Doug Dalke
Dr. Scott Donkin

Dr. Tom Heiser
Dr. Dave Hilger

Dr. Mark Hinrichs
Dr. Max Linder

Dr. Bill Nye
Dr. Herb Reese

Dr. Bob Shoettger
Dr. Jerry Spethman

Dr. Jerry Tanner
Dr. Harry Tolly

Dr. Don Walla
Dr. James Weesner

Dr. Paul Zuercher

[Note: Emphasis is mine]

So, let's see here, Mr. Clare. Amongst the 55 doctors that "locally" support you:

• Two are related directly to you [See Dr. Pat Clare, Dr. Dave Clare
• Several of these "doctors" are actually people with MDs- such as Dr. Bob Schoettger - notice it is mis-spelled above without the 'c', who is a great guy and gifted dentist
• A comedian - Dr. Steve Martin - just kidding, he is the CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield Nebraska who lives in Omaha and has donated the max ($2,000) to President Bush in 2000, is a lukewarm supporter of McCain '08 ($500), as well as an enormous supporter of Ben Nelson 2004-06 ($5,500)
• and, Dr. Bill Nye (not, the science guy!) Who it turns out, along with his wife, are huge Chuck Hagel fans (they give him 500+ & 1000+ dollars in his elections, respectively) as well as being McCain 2000 fans

The list is long and filled with some great folks who may not fit the traditional interpretation of the term "doctor" or "local". The race is on.. and Mr. Clare's email definitely added some interesting angles and a moment of humor into the horse race.

Links:

The original press release on Tim Clare's website is here

Palin.. in Omaha

Who: Sarah Palin
What: A pep rally with your favorite moose hunter/hockey mom/pit bull/Alaskan Governor/Energy expert/Vice presidential candidate/Average Joe Six-Pack/Russian expert/woman
When: 6pm - Sunday, October 5th, 2008
Where: Omaha Civic Auditorium


Sarah Palin is coming... to Omaha? Yes that's right. The second district, where Obama has recently moved paid staff to try to capture their single electoral vote, will be receiving a visit from Gov. Sarah Palin today.

Why? The McCain campaign is looking to appear strong ever since they pulled out of Michigan and abandoned that state to Democrats. Now that Obama has the upper hand in the election the McCain camp is looking to hit him in other places in order to either strengthen areas that were thought to be solid or areas beginning to drift in the "wrong" direction.

Some have said that it was because the NE Republican party was somehow scared of a defeat of one or more of the Congressional offices going to a Democrat. Don't believe that bunk. Mike Johanns is looking to defeat Scott Kleeb in the Senate race by a margin of at least 15 points and Lee Terry is looking strong in the District 2 House race without much chance for defeat.

If you go look for "maverick" Palin to talk about bipartisanship for a little while before slamming Obama for the next hour. It is very possible that she will use her Obama is a "pal" to William Ayers for a third time in her speech. Mostly, if you go - enjoy yourself, listen, and tell us what you thought of it.

Teflon or Krazy: Obama, Hilary & McCain

Following up on a New York Times blog article titled "Krazy Glue Moments" which discusses why some we (the electorate) have different perceptions of candidate's gaffes, mistakes, and misdeeds depending on who they are and what they say. Why for instance do I still remember that damn turkey farm of Nelson's and that McCain angers easily but have to be reminded that Obama is a smoker and that Hilary was a Republican before she was a Democrat. So let's rate each of our Presidential Candidates according to their ability to deflect or attract negative attention. The scoring will be as follows: 0 is completely immune to being attacked for mistakes (aka being Reaganesque) to 10 being unable to sneeze without being lambasted for it.

Hilary Clinton: Can this woman catch a break?! No. She can't. The general perception of Hilary is that she will do (or say) anything to get into the White House (as a President this time). Therefore, anything that she says that is untrue feeds to that perception that she is will lie, cheat or steal in order to dupe more people into supporting her. Furthermore, over the years she hasn't exactly been making friends with the media or with Republicans and Independents.. so what your reap, is what you sow. Oh, and it doesn't help that you completely fabricate a story about how heroic you were in Bosnia, see video evidence totally discrediting you, then say that sleep deprivation made you say it, amend the story, have more video evidence come up, amend the story again, then be discredited a third time by dozens of witnesses and further video evidence.
Score: 8


Barack Obama: He's new, young, looks good, and he's black. If he was an athlete this would be a sure recipe for disaster, but for a politician it means no matter what he says (attacking Pakistan), or what he does (go to a Church of rather bigoted people), or what he thinks (hmm.. too many to list) is not going to make headlines for long. If all fails his campaign can always play the "They say that about him because he's black!" card, which if used seldom but effectively can make some pretty big problems go away. The Obama crisis management goes like this after a mistake or misdeed becomes public: 1) vaguely say that it was misunderstood, 2) claim it comes from the GOP or Clinton campaigns, 3) do something "courageous" like giving a speech on racism, 4) blame it on racists.. white racists, that is, 5) let friendly media outlets take care of it. It's a damn good plan.
Score: 2

John McCain: Well, he is a target for both Hilary and Obama camps but he is a war hero so you can't exactly criticize him too much (unless he threw away his medals..) McCain definitely has had his share of verbal gaffes describing himself as a "conservative.. liberal... republican" and discussing the support Iran was giving its enemy - Al Queda. Being a target of the entire Democratic party and the far right wing of the Republican party has not helped him out in the media. Although one might expect FOX News to be completely enamoured with the GOP nominee they seen to hold some disdain that he prefers MSNBC to them and therefore isn't even guaranteed positive coverage there!
Score: 6



And just for fun, Nebraska's (relevant or semi-relevant) Senate candidates.

Mike Johanns: The only words that could derail M.J. from becoming Nebraska's next senator are "I am a gay American". If he steers clear of those words.. he is a shoe-in and no matter what the media reports the is going to be elected by at least a twenty point margin. The only thing coming between him and being totally teflon is that the Farm Bill isn't exactly structured the way eachd farmer wants it to be. Besides that no matter what Ben Nelson or anyone else says... this non-charismatic Iowa farm boy will be our next Senator.

Score: 1

Scott Kleeb & Tony Raimondo: The truth hurts for NE Dems but the only way these two will ever get any real media coverage is either going negative or having very public nervous breakdowns. So in that sense no one is really paying enough attention to have anything stick to them kind of like when Mike Gravel cursed for a complete minute while discussing 'corporations', remember that? Didn't think so. So, for that reason NE Dem candidates for Senate get a new rating... the infamous and irrelevant -1.

Score: -1

Hagel's New Book: [[America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers]]

Leave it to an active Senator to write a book in which he takes no prisoners but doing just that is definitely one of the strengths of maverick Senator Hagel. His new book "America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers" hits stores on March 25th and will be in Nebraska a few days later to sign books.

This book will certainly be exciting if for just the thrill of reading what the maverick Republican is going to say about the Bush Administration, Iraq War, and how he sees the War on Terror(ism) going into the future. He comments on what he considers to be the true blunder of the Iraq War and why Washington's polarization is leading towards the creation of a new (and possibly viable) third party.

I know a lot of NE republicans may not like the guy for his views on those things but no one can call him a coward. Sen. Hagel is the kind of person who doesn't mask his words or play a game of semantics.. he says it like it is, and in that sense should has the original Straight Talk Express stashed away somewhere. Speaking of of which, after much whining about the lack of a clear endorsement in the Presidential race from Hagel, there are a few mentions of them (outside of that context) in his book. Sen. Hagel refers to Sen. Obama once in a chapter about the importance of dealing with nations directly when there is a crisis, however the mention is only connected to a bill Hagel and Obama co-authored strengthening the security of nuclear plants and fuels. As for Sen. McCain he gets heaps of praise in a larger section of his book dedicated to a vision of independent leadership and vision. (Also mentioned in that section is his colleague and former opponent in his victorious 1996 election, Sen. Ben Nelson (D) )

I am definitely going out to buy this book the first minute I can and think that anyone (no matter their political ideology) could benefit from reading it. The price is about 26 dollars and is available at a local bookstore near you or you can buy it at Amazon for about 17 dollars (and if you buy another 8 dollars worth of stuff shipping is free).

Amazon Listing