Randomly Noted

Let’s hope Nebraskans’ aversion to the cringe-worthy pork-barrel politics of Sen. Ben Nelson ushers in a new American politics this year – one where self-interest is sidelined and the national interest prevails. You may favor the Democrat’s health reform project, you may oppose it – you may, like many people, be uncertain. But it’s hard not to be repelled by the small-bore thinking that got healthcare legislation through the Senate in a pre-Christmas holiday scramble. That the people of Nebraska are put off by the Senator’s politics – forcing Nelson to justify his actions - suggests the intellectual independence of the American people has survived a generation of some of the crassest politicking on both sides of the aisle. If you’ve watched Nebraska politics for as long as I have (26 years and counting), Nebraskans’ reaction to the sweetheart deal Nelson secured for the Cornhusker State isn’t entirely surprising. This is a largely pro-GOP population which nonetheless routinely elects Democrats to the highest offices – some of them free-thinking types such as Bob Kerrey. Nebraskans’ feisty political independence has roots in 19th century prairie Populism. We may well see a (hopefully benign) 21st century Populist variant spread across the U.S. as Americans come out of the funk of severe economic recession and regain their confidence and convictions. Continue reading…