# Liberty Movement > Liberty Campaigns >  Nebraska Senate Race?

## Brian4Liberty

A poll has been added to the thread to measure support in the GOP *Primary* for the Nebraska US Senate race. It is a more detailed take on the amount of support you would give to a candidate (in this case, two of the candidates). You can choose more than one selection (check *all* that apply).

Anyone from Nebraska? We have an open seat there, are there any liberty candidates running in the GOP Primary?

Anyone know anything about Bart McLeay, Ben Sasse or Shane Osborn?

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## Brian4Liberty

Bump.

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## angelatc

Do you know Laura Ebke?  She's running for a seat in the Nebraska House, and she's definitely one of us.  She's also on Facebook, and runs www.redstateeclectic.com .  I can check with her if she's not already on your list on contacts.

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## Hyperion

I believe Osborn is considered the favorite but I know little about him or the other candidates. Seems like this would be a good state for a Rand/Cruz type.

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## Bastiat's The Law

Bump for info.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Do you know Laura Ebke?  She's running for a seat in the Nebraska House, and she's definitely one of us.  She's also on Facebook, and runs www.redstateeclectic.com .  I can check with her if she's not already on your list on contacts.


Don't recognize the name. Is she on Twitter?

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## angelatc

> Don't recognize the name. Is she on Twitter?


Yeah, but not so much now that she's involved with her campaign.  She has been a political activist since she was born - her Dad is a former GOP chair.  But don't let that scare you.  She's definitely one of us.  No exceptions.  

@Laura_Ebke is her personal twitter, @LauraEbke2014 is her campaign.

This is her official campaign blog:  http://lauraebke.com/blog/item/12-costs#.UiTQgTZwqSo


And of course, if anybody wants to donate ..... she's got a meager $5000 goal.  She's halfway there.  https://secure.piryx.com/donate/8byo...r-Legislature/

This is a seat we could win.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Yeah, but not so much now that she's involved with her campaign.  She has been a political activist since she was born - her Dad is a former GOP chair.  But don't let that scare you.  She's definitely one of us.  No exceptions.  
> 
> @Laura_Ebke is her personal twitter, @LauraEbke2014 is her campaign.
> 
> This is her official campaign blog:  http://lauraebke.com/blog/item/12-costs#.UiTQgTZwqSo
> 
> 
> And of course, if anybody wants to donate ..... she's got a meager $5000 goal.  She's halfway there.  https://secure.piryx.com/donate/8byo...r-Legislature/
> 
> This is a seat we could win.


Yeah, she doesn't seem to be active on Twitter.

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## Spoa

Shane Osborn sounds pretty good. I'll have to find the source but he said somewhere that as a veteran, he doesn't believe we should be entering other countries and nation-building.

Also, he signed the Defund Obamacare pledge.

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## Uriah

Sasse raised over $800,000 in 8 weeks. He is known as the "anti-obamacare" candidate.

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## Anti-Neocon

Sasse seems like an undercover neocon.  I'd be very worried about him winning.



> “Our leadership and values in world affairs are sorely missed.”


Plus the neocons at the Weekly Standard seem to love him.

Anyone with me on *STOP BEN SASSE*?

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## Brian4Liberty

> Sasse seems like an undercover neocon.  I'd be very worried about him winning.
> 
> Plus the neocons at the Weekly Standard seem to love him.
> 
> Anyone with me on *STOP BEN SASSE*?


He probably is a neo-conservative.

What other options are there in the Primary? Any liberty oriented candidates?

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## AnarchoCapitalist

Osborn is the closest thing to the Liberty Candidate without a doubt. Sasse is part of Team Bush and super NeoCon/Viper that establishment loves, which means he's the worst of the candidates. Osborn has talked about the evils of central banking, which, in my book, is never a bad thing at all (most candidates have no clue what central banking is, what inflation is, what money is for that matter, let alone talk about it). 

Nebraska does have some VERY liberty folks running for state and local seats this time around, and with only 49 total state legislatures in the unique Unicameral, only a few can make a huge difference.

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## Brian4Liberty

Senate Conservatives Fund has endorsed Sasse. Too late to give them input. Of course they have a track record of supporting neo-conservatives like Ayotte and Rubio, at the same time they support some better candidates, like Rand, Lee and Cruz.

http://www.senateconservatives.com/s...se-in-nebraska

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## mz10

> Senate Conservatives Fund has endorsed Sasse. Too late to give them input. Of course they have a track record of supporting neo-conservatives like Ayotte and Rubio, at the same time they support some better candidates, like Rand, Lee and Cruz.
> 
> http://www.senateconservatives.com/s...se-in-nebraska


SCF only looks at fiscal issues. The neocons new strategy is to promote hardcore fiscal cons who also want to blow up the world (see: Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Liz Cheney)

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## compromise

> SCF only looks at fiscal issues. The neocons new strategy is to promote hardcore fiscal cons who also want to blow up the world (see: Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Liz Cheney)


It's a stretch to call Cotton a fiscal conservative. He's definitely to the left of Paul Ryan.

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## Brian4Liberty

http://sassefornebraska.com/bens-philosophy

Yep, he is a hard-core globalist, corporatist, and neo-conservative on foreign policy.

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## Brian4Liberty

> SCF only looks at fiscal issues. The neocons new strategy is to promote hardcore fiscal cons who also want to blow up the world (see: Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Liz Cheney)


They have always done that. Stealth candidates. They also turn out to be RINOs. They aren't even fiscal conservatives.

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## Brian4Liberty

Here's an interview with Osborn. He was a military pilot, and was involved in that famous international incident when the Chinese forced down a US spy plane (via collision). He was the pilot. He seems like he may be more aggressive on foreign policy then most people here would be comfortable with.

The establishment probably doesn't like him because he seems to be a true fiscal conservative that pushes for real transparency. Can't have that.

http://www.teapartyexpress.org/7113/...rom-nebraska/3

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## mz10

> It's a stretch to call Cotton a fiscal conservative. He's definitely to the left of Paul Ryan.


He's the kind of guy who, like Rubio, knows when the scorecard is coming out and makes sure to vote the way they want him to in order to improve his score

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## MichaelDavis

> SCF only looks at fiscal issues. The neocons new strategy is to promote hardcore fiscal cons who also want to blow up the world (see: Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Liz Cheney)


http://congress.freedomworks.org/legislators/tom-cotton

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## compromise

> He's the kind of guy who, like Rubio, knows when the scorecard is coming out and makes sure to vote the way they want him to in order to improve his score


Cotton is far worse than Rubio on both fiscal issues and foreign policy. Cotton is a complete fraud who opposed defunding Obamacare.

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## Anti-Neocon

These are the races that we shouldn't be apathetic toward.  *Whoever wins this primary will almost definitely win the general election.*  You've got someone like Osborn who may not be 5 star liberty material, but at least seemingly has his head on straight.  Compare him to someone who would be a fervent supporter of neoconservatism on the US Senate floor.  *We talk about how much we hate McCain, Graham, Ayotte, Rubio, etc, but when it comes to actually stopping these enemies of the people from getting in office, I see nothing.*  I honestly don't even think the "losertarian" movement is at fault here; it seems to be more of a general apathy to actually achieving political success.

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## AnarchoCapitalist

First poll shows Osborn up big FWIW ... 


He's not 5 star, as the poster above says, but Osborn will vote against Big Government more than he will vote for it. He has proven to actually cut (yes CUT) at the state level, so he does have a track record. 


Stay FAR away from the Viper Sasse though ...

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## Spoa

I don't think Sasse is as neocon as some of you are making him seem to be:




> DW: So I’ve asked a lot about health care. Different question: If the Syria crisis is mostly behind us, what do you think of the resolution to that?
> 
> BS: What was the resolution? The diminishing of the American brand in the world? 
> 
> DW: When it came to chemical weapons, having the Security Council setting up the program instead of sending missiles in there.
> 
> BS: I’m a guy who’s running a college, and getting to know the people in Nebraska, I’m not an expert on these kinds of issues, but from where I sit and listen to Nebraskans, you don’t hear the president making any public case for why there is a clear national security interest in country X, country Y, country Z, and I think the American people overwhelmingly believe that the first duty of government is to defend us from enemies foreign and domestic, *so we need a robust military to fulfill its primary duties, and then we want to be incredibly reticent to ever use it. We want to be strong enough to do anything that we needed to do to protect our people, but reticent to ever get in to conflicts where Congress is voting to send somebody else’s kid to die.
> *
> When you listen to people in Nebraska, and they hear the Syria conversation, the thing you hear every town hall you're at is, "If we go to war in Syria, why wouldn’t we be in war in 20 countries right now? How do we know that his one is a higher priority than any other?" And there’s so little trust of and good will toward this city that there’s just not a lot of confidence that serious adults are helping to create order. What are our risks? I don’t think the American people have heard President Obama make a compelling case.


http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/20..._ted_cruz.html

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## Spoa

Here's another article:




> For a time, he was charged with addressing a problem in Iraq where women were having babies at home rather than risk going to a hospital. He spent a week in the Green (protected) and Red (dangerous) Zones of Baghdad. There, he met soldiers who were serving their third 15-month tour of duty in six years.
> 
> “It was harrowing to see,” he said.
> 
> But since he’s not yet a Senate candidate, just engaged in a “listening tour” that should culminate in a decision by mid-July, he won’t say whether the war was a mistake. *He does say he’s a believer in the Powell Doctrine, former Defense Secretary Colin’s Powell’s belief that nations should be reticent to go to war but do so with “unquestionable resolve” once all other political, economic and diplomatic means have been exhausted.*


http://watchdog.org/90508/a-new-face...ics-ben-sasse/

I like both him and Osborn and think either will be good for Nebraska.

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## Brian4Liberty

At this point, I'd go with Osborn in this race.

No 100% pure liberty candidate in this race yet.

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## Brian4Liberty

> First poll shows Osborn up big FWIW ... 
> 
> He's not 5 star, as the poster above says, but Osborn will vote against Big Government more than he will vote for it. He has proven to actually cut (yes CUT) at the state level, so he does have a track record. 
> 
> Stay FAR away from the Viper Sasse though ...


Good to know.

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## compromise

I'd support Sasse if he wins the primary.

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## Bastiat's The Law

So who are the best candidates here for federal and local offices?

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## Brian4Liberty

> I'd support Sasse if he wins the primary.


You going to send him money?

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## compromise

> You going to send him money?


That depends on how he's polling and what more we find out about him in the coming months.

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## Anti-Neocon

> I'd support Sasse if he wins the primary.


You would support the idea of a neocon in the Senate who would probably be stuck there for decades?

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## compromise

> You would support the idea of a neocon in the Senate who would probably be stuck there for decades?


If what Spoa said is true, I'm not entirely convinced he's a "neocon" in the vein of Kelly Ayotte or Tom Cotton. I'd have to know more about him first.

If he's more like Ron Johnson or Tim Scott, then I would probably support him.

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## MichaelDavis

> If what Spoa said is true, I'm not entirely convinced he's a "neocon" in the vein of Kelly Ayotte or Tom Cotton. I'd have to know more about him first.
> 
> If he's more like Ron Johnson or Tim Scott, then I would probably support him.


Kelly Ayotte and Tom Cotton > Statist Democrats.

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## Anti-Neocon

> If what Spoa said is true, I'm not entirely convinced he's a "neocon" in the vein of Kelly Ayotte or Tom Cotton. I'd have to know more about him first.
> 
> If he's more like Ron Johnson or Tim Scott, then I would probably support him.


Judging by where his support is coming from, I bet he is definitely a neocon, probably very close to Ayotte or Cotton.  However, he is also running for election, so he is going to say what's popular at the time.  Keep in mind that also-US Senate hopeful Liz Cheney is also adopting the same exact kind of rhetoric in regards to Syria.

Ayotte and Rubio got into the Senate through the Tea Party wave, not by talking like neocons.  But all the neocons loved them and magically when they got into office guess what - they started talking like neocons!  We can't afford to let Sasse or Cheney do the same thing.

_"Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."_ - George W. Bush

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## FSP-Rebel

> Kelly Ayotte and Tom Cotton > Statist Democrats.


Not in terms of our standing in the GOP as a whole. We don't need fresh young neocon talent w/ legit resumes stacking up against the likes of our trio in the Senate thus far. More of them would not push average republican Senators in our direction on critical policy decisions.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Judging by where his support is coming from, I bet he is definitely a neocon, probably very close to Ayotte or Cotton.  However, he is also running for election, so he is going to say what's popular at the time.  Keep in mind that also-US Senate hopeful Liz Cheney is also adopting the same exact kind of rhetoric in regards to Syria.
> 
> Ayotte and Rubio got into the Senate through the Tea Party wave, not by talking like neocons.  But all the neocons loved them and magically when they got into office guess what - they started talking like neocons!  We can't afford to let Sasse or Cheney do the same thing.
> 
> _"Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."_ - George W. Bush


Agree. Vetting is very important.

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## Brian4Liberty

> First poll shows Osborn up big FWIW ... 
> 
> 
> He's not 5 star, as the poster above says, but Osborn will vote against Big Government more than he will vote for it. He has proven to actually cut (yes CUT) at the state level, so he does have a track record. 
> 
> 
> Stay FAR away from the Viper Sasse though ...


Do you have a link to that poll?

Is it this one?

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...te-gop-primary

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## jurgs01

> Judging by where his support is coming from, I bet he is definitely a neocon, probably very close to Ayotte or Cotton.  However, he is also running for election, so he is going to say what's popular at the time.  Keep in mind that also-US Senate hopeful Liz Cheney is also adopting the same exact kind of rhetoric in regards to Syria.
> 
> Ayotte and Rubio got into the Senate through the Tea Party wave, not by talking like neocons.  But all the neocons loved them and magically when they got into office guess what - they started talking like neocons!  We can't afford to let Sasse or Cheney do the same thing.
> 
> _"Fool me once, shame on  shame on you. Fool me  you can't get fooled again."_ - George W. Bush


I agree we need to be careful, but hearsay is not the remedy.  Is it because he was a Bush appointee?  Remember, that the Bush campaigning in 2000 is someone that a lot of us would have supported.  The inner-circle of Neocon vipers had his full ear after 9/11, but I'm sure there were some good people he appointed throughout government.

Like I said, I am open that Sasse may be a Neocon in disguise, but want to see something more substantial.

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## Brian4Liberty

> I agree we need to be careful, but hearsay is not the remedy.  Is it because he was a Bush appointee?  Remember, that the Bush campaigning in 2000 is someone that a lot of us would have supported.  The inner-circle of Neocon vipers had his full ear after 9/11, but I'm sure there were some good people he appointed throughout government.
> 
> Like I said, I am open that Sasse may be a Neocon in disguise, but want to see something more substantial.


I posted this link earlier in the thread. It is essentially a restatement of the PNAC philosophy. And the meaning behind opposing "isolationism" is obvious.




> The first duty of the U.S. government is to protect its citizens from enemies foreign and domestic. What does this mean?
> 
> *American leadership and global preeminence are essential to advancing our nation’s interests and values, and we must maintain a security posture and military and counter-terrorism budgets sufficient to ensure peace through strength and to deter all competitors.
> *
> America is defined by a belief in universal values grounded in human dignity and liberty, and by simultaneous commitments to promoting religious freedom, human rights, and *democracy*, and to prudential skepticism of unnecessary military entanglements.
> 
> America is faithful in our commitments to allies, who need to know that the U.S. is a reliable friend who will not sacrifice them for the sake of expediency.
> 
> American sovereignty undergirds international legal commitments, and multilateralism is a pragmatic tool to advance our national interests, rather than an end in itself.
> ...

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## jurgs01

> I posted this link earlier in the thread. It is essentially a restatement of the PNAC philosophy. And the meaning behind opposing "isolationism" is obvious.


That is certainly a warning sign to be cautious, but the statement isn't enough for me to condemn him outright.  It will cause me to look deeper into his words and speeches though.

If the guy turns out to be a Jim Demint, I wouldn't be unhappy at all.  A good fiscal conservative fellow traveler.  I would say the jury is out.

I spend a lot of time now going through people's speeches and voting records, and a lot of time the rhetoric surrounding them doesn't match the substance (from all sides).  It has caused me to be a bit more skeptical on either embracing or condemning someone.

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## mz10

> Kelly Ayotte and Tom Cotton > Statist Democrats.


Punishing bad political behavior > Voting for lesser of two evils

If you consistently vote against liberty, you don't get our support, even if your voting record will be marginally better than the other guy's. Working within the Republican Party doesn't necessitate that we support every Republican.

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## mz10

> I posted this link earlier in the thread. It is essentially a restatement of the PNAC philosophy. And the meaning behind opposing "isolationism" is obvious.


His use of the word "isolationism" is in the paragraph about trade and is right next to the word "protectionism." Is it possible that he is using that word in its proper context, to describe people who support embargoes, etc.? He also mentions "skepticism of unnecessary foreign entanglements." There's a lot of wordplay in here, and it may not be as straightforward as we're making it out to be.

Not suggesting he's one of us, but it's worth a second look

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## Brian4Liberty

> His use of the word "isolationism" is in the paragraph about trade and is right next to the word "protectionism." Is it possible that he is using that word in its proper context, to describe people who support embargoes, etc.? He also mentions "skepticism of unnecessary foreign entanglements." There's a lot of wordplay in here, and it may not be as straightforward as we're making it out to be.
> 
> Not suggesting he's one of us, but it's worth a second look


Just one of many hints.  

Weekly Standard likes Sasse...they have no doubts about where he stands.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/keyword/Ben-Sasse

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## Brian4Liberty

> If the guy turns out to be a Jim Demint, I wouldn't be unhappy at all.  A good fiscal conservative fellow traveler.  I would say the jury is out.


Agree. The jury is out until a candidate (Osborn or Sasse) has an actual voting record.

We could get another Ted Cruz from this race, or we could get another Kelly Ayotte or Marco Rubio. As it stands today, my take is that we have better odds with Osborn.

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## Anti-Neocon

Can't believe anyone actually pretends not to know what he means here!  Match blue with blue, and red with red.



> America’s economic interests depend on robust global engagement, advancing free trade, promoting a level playing field for competition, and resisting the false allure of isolationism and protectionism.


You bet I'll oppose this guy with my money, even versus a typical Democrat.

I'm a bit shocked that some people here are trying to defend a supporter of "robust global engagement".  Was the Bush presidency a success too for "keeping us safe"?  Is that what we're turning into?

The jury is not out for me.  He is a neocon in the truest sense of the word.

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## jurgs01

> Can't believe anyone actually pretends not to know what he means here!  Match blue with blue, and red with red.
> 
> You bet I'll oppose this guy with my money, even versus a typical Democrat.
> 
> I'm a bit shocked that some people here are trying to defend a supporter of "robust global engagement".  Was the Bush presidency a success too for "keeping us safe"?  Is that what we're turning into?
> 
> The jury is not out for me.  He is a neocon in the truest sense of the word.


He could be talking about economics and diplomacy.  Calm down there Francis.  Like I said, you could be right, but a prudent person digs deeper and watches closer to prove what their intuition tells them.  Ron Paul could have said the same thing in a different way (talking about not being isolationist, but non-interventionist).  The most troubling thing to me is his focus on funding the GWOT, but there aren't many Republicans who meet my standard on that.

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## Anti-Neocon

> He could be talking about economics and diplomacy.  Calm down there Francis.  Like I said, you could be right, but a prudent person digs deeper and watches closer to prove what their intuition tells them.  Ron Paul could have said the same thing in a different way (talking about not being isolationist, but non-interventionist).  The most troubling thing to me is his focus on funding the GWOT, but there aren't many Republicans who meet my standard on that.


Sometimes you've got to read between the lines.

Besides, was he talking about economics and diplomacy when he was talking about "promoting democracy"?

And no, Ron Paul would never say anything like what you can find on Sasse's website.  What you find on his website is thinly veiled neoconservatism, and what you see in his associations is neoconservatism.  Put 2 and 2 together.  You don't get 5.

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## Anti-Neocon

Thankfully, I don't think we'll have to worry about Sasse cause Shane Osborn is not only someone who can be a good Senator, but someone who seems to have this nomination all but locked up.

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## jurgs01

Understandable.  Because of what you pointed out, I am looking very closely at him.  I'm not ready to give him the full Neocon label yet, but if there are more signs I will lean that direction.  He wasn't a liberty candidate on my evaluation anyway, just a fellow traveler.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Understandable.  Because of what you pointed out, I am looking very closely at him.  I'm not ready to give him the full Neocon label yet, but if there are more signs I will lean that direction.  He wasn't a liberty candidate on my evaluation anyway, just a fellow traveler.


History from the past several elections tends to indicate that when a candidate is vague about foreign policy or civil liberties, they are trying to fool us, not the neo-conservatives. They have back-room access, and you can bet they have vetted candidates that they support. The same can be said about size and scope of government. Many who claim to be conservatives on that account turn out to be establishment, status quo, big government types.

I certainly applaud Sasse for being strongly against Obamacare, which seems to be his biggest selling point, but that in itself tells us nothing about where he will stand on other issues.

One last item: the "Chamber of Corporatism" is a pet peeve, YMMV. Sasse seems to be courting them. For those who don't recall, the Chamber was very vocal, along with Senators like McCain and Graham, is calling for the House GOP to pass the Democrat continuing resolution, and increase the debt limit.




> Ben Sasse is doing what few Republicans have been able to accomplish: He's uniting the *GOP establishment* with anti-establishment conservatives in his bid to become the next U.S. senator from Nebraska. 
> ...
> "We're grateful that all types of folks across Nebraska are responding to our conservative, solutions-oriented message.  This week, for instance, we've sought the support of gun owners, of Christian service organizations, and of the *Chamber of Commerce*.
> ...
> http://www.weeklystandard.com/keyword/Ben-Sasse





> TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
> 
> The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations, and dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending America’s free enterprise system, urges the House of Representatives to pass H.J. Res. 59, the “Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014,” to ensure the uninterrupted funding of the federal government into the next fiscal year at spending levels consistent with P.L. 112-25, the Budget Control Act of 2011.
> 
> The U.S. Chamber of Commerce fully recognizes the importance of restraining federal spending, both discretionary spending and mandatory spending, to reduce federal budget deficits, contain the growth of federal debt, and thereby re-establish fiscal discipline in the near-term and for the long haul. *However, as the Department of Labor’s recent lackluster jobs report reminds us, the U.S. economy continues to underperform, reinforcing the need for the federal government to preserve its normal operations* pending a successful outcome of broader budgetary reforms. It is not in the best interest of the U.S. business community or the American people to risk even a brief government shutdown that might trigger disruptive consequences or raise new policy uncertainties washing over the U.S. economy.
> 
> Likewise, *the U.S. Chamber respectfully urges the House of Representatives to raise the debt ceiling* in a timely manner and thus eliminate any question of threat to the full faith and credit of the United States government. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has indicated the Treasury may exhaust its borrowing capacity and cash management tools as early as mid-October.
> ...
> *We therefore urge the House to act promptly to pass a Continuing Resolution to fund the government and to raise the debt ceiling*, and then to return to work on these other vital issues.
> ...

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## jurgs01

This is all I could find on either Osborne or Sasse on civil liberties or foreign policy:
http://watchdog.org/89976/nebraska-s...n-nsa-scandal/

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## Hyperion

Sasse has been endorsed by the Club For Growth. The Club isn't perfect though.

Anytime the term 'isolationism' is used in the discussion of foreign policy, it's a red flag. It's a word designed to invoke thoughts of abstaining from WW2 instead of a thoughtful deliberation as to how those events didn't occur within a vacuum.  Everything in his rhetoric suggests he's supportive of using the military rather carelessly without consideration to the morality or financial cost.

Throw in the Weekly Standard love and it's a dangerous combination.

Support Osborn.

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## Brian4Liberty

> This is all I could find on either Osborne or Sasse on civil liberties or foreign policy:
> http://watchdog.org/89976/nebraska-s...n-nsa-scandal/


Good find. It would have been nice to hear Sasse answer the same question about Snowden.




> Asked whether he thinks the NSA leaker, former security consultant Edward Snowden, is a hero or traitor, former state treasurer Shane Osborn said via email that this is a bigger issue than whether Snowden acted appropriately or not.
> 
> OSBORN: Recent controversies show government has too much power.
> “The real issue here is that government has gotten too large and too powerful,” said Osborn, who is running for the seat that will be vacated by U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns. “It’s an outrage that regular Americans cannot, and do not, trust our own government.”
> 
> Osborn found himself in the international spotlight in 2001 after his U.S. Navy plane collided with a Chinese fighter plane and he landed the plane on a Chinese island, where he and his crew were held captive for nearly two weeks. Osborn said having served his country, he knows first-hand the importance of being vigilant and aggressive in fighting terrorism.
> 
> Osborn said the Patriot Act should be re-examined regularly to make sure liberties are protected and government isn’t abusing its “loyal and law-abiding citizens.”
> 
> ...

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## AnarchoCapitalist

People, trust me, Sasse is NO GOOD. He's a snake and he isn't even "fiscally conservative."

He is the establishment's guy. He has that rhetoric makes himself sound all "conservativey" but he is NOT. He comes from the Bush camp, and the guy behind his campaign is a rotten snake who was behind making sure RP got shut out of the Neb state convention. He IS NOT LIBERTY in any sense of the word. 

Remember folks, Bush's rhetoric sounded ok when he was a candidate too ...

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## gnuschler

FreedomWorks endorses Shane Osborn: http://pac.freedomworks.org/press-re...te-in-nebraska




> *Washington, DC-* FreedomWorks PAC announced today its official endorsement of Shane Osborn for the U.S. Senate. After a thorough review of the candidates in the race, FreedomWorks PAC believes Shane Osborn is the clear choice for limited-government voters looking to preserve economic freedom and rein in Washingtons out-of-control spending.
> 
> FreedomWorks PAC President Matt Kibbe commented, Our country is at a crossroads. The next generation of leaders we choose is going to have to make hard choices about our nations future. We need leaders with the courage and conviction to stand up to the Washington elite and K street money. We need Shane Osborn in the Senate. Osborn is on a mission to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with common sense, patient-centered healthcare solutions. He has a proven track record of opening up government for the world to see and stood with the grassroots uprising before it was cool. He has never abandoned the fight. Shanes dedication to constitutional principles and a return to fiscal sanity is beyond reproach.
> 
> Kibbe continued: The Senate does not need more smart people with generally nice sounding ideas, it needs heroes. The time for giant voices and strong principles is now. Shane Osborn has proven himself to be all these things and more. Nebraska and the country will be proud of the work Shane does in the Senate.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Senate Conservatives Fund has endorsed Sasse. Too late to give them input. Of course they have a track record of supporting neo-conservatives like Ayotte and Rubio, at the same time they support some better candidates, like Rand, Lee and Cruz.
> 
> http://www.senateconservatives.com/s...se-in-nebraska





> FreedomWorks endorses Shane Osborn: http://pac.freedomworks.org/press-re...te-in-nebraska


Well, that's pretty interesting.

Jim DeMint left the Senate Conservatives Fund to go to the Heritage Foundation. This situation may indicate that since he left SCF, they have gone more in their Ayotte, Rubio, neo-conservative direction.

And how about the Heritage Foundation? 

It seem that Heritage has a video featuring Osborn, but nothing on Sasse...

http://blog.heritage.org/2009/06/11/...-shane-osborn/

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## Brian4Liberty

Poll added to thread.

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## MichaelDavis

> Punishing bad political behavior > Voting for lesser of two evils
> 
> If you consistently vote against liberty, you don't get our support, even if your voting record will be marginally better than the other guy's. Working within the Republican Party doesn't necessitate that we support every Republican.


Who should I vote for in the general election, then? The Losertarian Party candidate? Republicans > Democrats 99.999% of the time.

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## lib3rtarian

*Club for Growth PAC Endorses Ben Sasse For U.S. Senate*

Link to Article: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/perm/pr/?postID=1251 _Club for Growth President Chris Chocola: Ben Sasse is the rare candidate who can clearly and forcefully prosecute the case against ObamaCare, not only because its an unconstitutional assault on our liberty, but also because hes read every word of it._ 
*
Washington, DC*  The Club for Growth PAC today announced that it is endorsing Midland University College President Ben Sasse for United States Senate in Nebraska. The seat is currently held by incumbent United States Senator Mike Johanns, who is not running for re-election in 2014: 

Ben Sasse is the rare candidate who can clearly and forcefully prosecute the case against ObamaCare, not only because its an unconstitutional assault on our liberty, but also because hes read every word of it. *said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola.* We need more Senators like Ben Sasse who will stand on principle to challenge the big-government status quo in Washington and his unique skill-set makes him ideal for the job. Club members look forward to strongly supporting Ben Sasse for the U.S. Senate.

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## compromise

Tea Party Express posted some audio clips from Osborn last month. They haven't ever mentioned Sasse, so I'm guessing they're leaning towards Osborn. 

I hope this split in the Tea Party doesn't result in a moderate winning, as in Nebraska in 2012 (TPE backed Bruning, SCF, FW & CFG backed Stenberg, SarahPAC backed Fischer who was the weakest of the 3 and she won).

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## Brian4Liberty

> *Club for Growth PAC Endorses Ben Sasse For U.S. Senate*


So Club for Growth is also endorsing the underdog Sasse (according to one poll), over a front runner (Osborn) who seems to be the better and more transparent fiscal conservative? 

FreedomWorks has endorsed Osborn. If the US Chamber of Commerce backs Sasse, it will be obvious that he is not only the neo-conservative favorite, he is also a corporatist favorite (not that those are mutually exclusive in any way).

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## Brian4Liberty

> Tea Party Express posted some audio clips from Osborn last month. They haven't ever mentioned Sasse, so I'm guessing they're leaning towards Osborn. 
> 
> I hope this split in the Tea Party doesn't result in a moderate winning, as in Nebraska in 2012 (TPE backed Bruning, SCF, FW & CFG backed Stenberg, SarahPAC backed Fischer who was the weakest of the 3 and she won).


Some of these endorsements make no sense. If the poll from earlier in the thread is correct, Osborn is the front-runner. Why are these PACs jumping in to support an underdog, who is not better according to anything we have been able to dig up?

One hint at this point is that Osborn has a proven record of pushing for fiscal transparency. Corporatists would not like that. And the neo-coonservatives have apparently had some backroom discussions with Sasse which leads them to believe they should support him.

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## Anti-Neocon

> Some of these endorsements make no sense. If the poll from earlier in the thread is correct, Osborn is the front-runner. Why are these PACs jumping in to support an underdog, who is not better according to anything we have been able to dig up?
> 
> One hint at this point is that Osborn has a proven record of pushing for fiscal transparency. Corporatists would not like that. And the neo-coonservatives have apparently had some backroom discussions with Sasse which leads them to believe they should support him.


Agreed on all accounts.  For what it's worth, it seems CFG wants you to think they endorsed him mainly because he was screaming the loudest against Obamacare.  Not like I have anything against CFG's endorsements in general (they are supporting Amash), but they must be hiding something because any serious candidate will be anti-Obamacare.

One thing I've noticed about CFG is that they are vehemently pro free trade agreements, and I think Sasse's got their back strongly on that one.

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## gnuschler

The Hill: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...-nebraska-race



> National conservative groups are duking it out in the Nebraska Republican primary, buoyed by the confidence that even the bloodiest of primary fights wouldnt cost them a seat Democrats arent even contesting.
> 
> The sleepy race drew national attention on Tuesday when former state Treasurer Shane Osborn broke a prominent national conservative group away from the conservative pack, gaining the endorsement of FreedomWorks. Two other groups, Senate Conservatives Fund and the Club for Growth, endorsed his opponent, Midland University President Ben Sasse.
> 
> Establishment Republicans are focused on more competitive 2014 races and arent expected to engage heavily in the race because theres no risk of a weak candidate losing the seat for the GOP.
> 
> Democrats havent fronted a candidate for the Nebraska seat, which is coming open with the retirement of Sen. Mike Johanns (R).
> 
> The lack of a threat from Democrats makes Nebraska a good opportunity, however, for conservative groups to put their thumb on the scale for the candidate of their choosing.
> ...

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## Brian4Liberty

> The Hill: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...-nebraska-race


Good find.

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## compromise

> Agreed on all accounts.  For what it's worth, it seems CFG wants you to think they endorsed him mainly because he was screaming the loudest against Obamacare.  Not like I have anything against CFG's endorsements in general (they are supporting Amash), but they must be hiding something because any serious candidate will be anti-Obamacare.
> 
> One thing I've noticed about CFG is that they are vehemently pro free trade agreements, and I think Sasse's got their back strongly on that one.


Freedomworks also score free trade agreements and they still backed Osborn. I'd be surprised if Osborn was against them himself.

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## AnarchoCapitalist

I can't believe in a RON PAUL forum, anybody would say ONE GOOD thing about Sasse. He loathes RP, his ppl loathe RP, and he will doesn't intend on hiring staffers from outside the beltway, so it is business as usual with this Scumbag. 

Besides, a birdie tells me Sasse is on video saying things that will destroy his campaign as soon as its released.

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## MichaelDavis

> I can't believe in a RON PAUL forum, anybody would say ONE GOOD thing about Sasse. He loathes RP, his ppl loathe RP, and he will doesn't intend on hiring staffers from outside the beltway, so it is business as usual with this Scumbag. 
> 
> Besides, a birdie tells me Sasse is on video saying things that will destroy his campaign as soon as its released.


Do you have any source to back this up or are you talking out of your butt?

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## jurgs01

> Do you have any source to back this up or are you talking out of your butt?


Glad to see there is someone else skeptical of internet forum "facts."  I certainly have my radar on Sasse to dig more deeply based on some (compelling) circumstantial evidence and ties, but I'm not sure why some people just have a switch that automatically throws people into a category.

McCain, Graham, King, etc are all bona-fide NEOCONs deserving of every bit of scorn.  We certainly have to be wary, but that doesn't mean we have to be shallow on facts (otherwise, we are no different than the spin machine MSM).

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## gnuschler

FreedomWorks PAC Comments on its Endorsement of Shane Osborn for U.S. Senate in Nebraska: http://pac.freedomworks.org/press-re...ate-in-nebrask




> FreedomWorks PAC is proud to endorse former Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn for United States Senate in 2014. 
> 
> After a thorough review of the candidates in the race, FreedomWorks PAC believes Shane Osborn is the clear choice for limited-government voters looking to preserve economic freedom and rein in Washingtons out-of-control spending. 
> 
> An accomplished leader and authentic conservative, Osborn is the true anti-ObamaCare candidate in the race. 
> 
> *1. Osborn is one of us, a principled constitutional conservative unafraid to stand out in a crowd.* 
> 
> *2. As Nebraskas State Treasurer, Osborn proved himself a smart and aggressive fiscal hawk.*
> ...

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## Anti-Neocon

Wow, the self-proclaimed "loudest voice against Obamacare" forgot he was for it.

I thought at least the guy had some fiscal conservative cred, but that he hasn't.

I wonder why CFG endorsed Sasse over an actual conservative?  Makes no sense.

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## compromise

> FreedomWorks PAC Comments on its Endorsement of Shane Osborn for U.S. Senate in Nebraska: http://pac.freedomworks.org/press-re...ate-in-nebrask


I am 100% in Osborn's camp now.

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## MichaelDavis

FreedomWorks is the most genuine and consistent political organization in the country. The Club for Growth has made some great endorsements, like Rand Paul, but also bad ones, like Tom Cotton. It looks like Shane Osborne will be our candidate in this race.

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## compromise

> FreedomWorks is the most genuine and consistent political organization in the country. The Club for Growth has made some great endorsements, like Rand Paul, but also bad ones, like Tom Cotton. It looks like Shane Osborne will be our candidate in this race.


FW is mostly run by libertarians at the moment. They really help build bridges between the liberty movement and the rest of the Tea Party.

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## CaptLouAlbano

Sasse just posted a pretty good video.  BTW I am supporting Osborn

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## gnuschler

> FW is mostly run by libertarians at the moment. They really help build bridges between the liberty movement and the rest of the Tea Party.


I recently made the case in another thread that, following Dick Armeys ouster last year, FreedomWorks has become the hub of the broader liberty movement:




> I continue to believe that the Ron Paul movement needs a home or umbrella under which it can organize, and I continue to think that Campaign For Liberty has proven insufficient. Instead, I think we should utilize FreedomWorks as that home:
> 
> Since the ouster of Dick Armey last year, FreedomWorks has become much more libertarian.Following Armeys ouster, they added Sound Money and Civil Liberties to their stated issues, and scored the vote on Justin Amashs NSA bill.Much to my surprise, they came out against the Syrian strike (I figured they would take no position), and suggested they would score that vote as well.FreedomWorks recently published the results of a poll that suggested the Republican Party is being realigned towards libertarian values*
> Among the major conservative grassroots organizations, FreedomWorks would seem to offer the best fit for the Ron Paul movement.
> 
> _*FreedomWorks Poll Finds Big-Tent Libertarian Values at the Highest Level in a Decade  http://www.freedomworks.org/press-re...ertarian-value (just in case Rachel Maddow is viewing this)_

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## AnarchoCapitalist

> Do you have any source to back this up or are you talking out of your butt?


Ben and his campaign went out of their way to make sure RP didn't get the nod in Nebraska. They corrupted the county conventions and actively spoke out against "the nutjob Ron Paul". I heard these things directly from their mouths. 

Sasse is just like the Senator who is retiring; that is, a moderate business-as-usual, do-whatever-the-party-leadership-tells-me guy. He wants nothing to do with the term liberty or "little l" libertarians. Take a look at the folks running his campaign. They are snakes who have a history of lying and sabotaging any idea of a "liberty movement" whatsoever.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Here's an interview with Osborn. He was a military pilot, and was involved in that famous international incident when the Chinese forced down a US spy plane (via collision). He was the pilot. *He seems like he may be more aggressive on foreign policy then most people here would be comfortable with.*
> 
> The establishment probably doesn't like him because he seems to be a true fiscal conservative that pushes for real transparency. Can't have that.
> 
> http://www.teapartyexpress.org/7113/...rom-nebraska/3


And here it is:




> Osborn on the recent Iran deal.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				Release: Osborn Has Grave Concerns with Iranian Nuclear Agreement  November 24, 2013
> 
> ...

----------


## Brian4Liberty

Sasse has not been tweeting about Iran.

https://twitter.com/Sasse4Senate

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## compromise

> And here it is:


So Osborn vs. Sasse is pretty much Cruz vs. Rubio?

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## Brian4Liberty

> So Osborn vs. Sasse is pretty much Cruz vs. Rubio?


Could be.

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## RandallFan

> Senate Conservatives Fund has endorsed Sasse. Too late to give them input. Of course they have a track record of supporting neo-conservatives like Ayotte and Rubio, at the same time they support some better candidates, like Rand, Lee and Cruz.
> 
> http://www.senateconservatives.com/s...se-in-nebraska


Also Jeff Flake because his McCain hating opponent was a multi-millionaire.

There's also the immigration issue in Nebraska. Deb Fischer voted against the Nebraska Dream Act which helped in her primary. If Sasse continues to not answer questions on immigration he should be pounded on that issue. An endorsement from Paul Ryan doesn't help. The Tea Party Gubernatorial candidate is pushing for an Arizona style law after the illegal who raped and killed the 90 year old woman as well as other incidents.

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## compromise

> Also Jeff Flake because his McCain hating opponent was a multi-millionaire.
> 
> There's also the immigration issue in Nebraska. Deb Fischer voted against the Nebraska Dream Act which helped in her primary. If Sasse continues to not answer questions on immigration he should be pounded on that issue. An endorsement from Paul Ryan doesn't help. The Tea Party Gubernatorial candidate is pushing for an Arizona style law after the illegal who raped and killed the 90 year old woman as well as other incidents.


To be fair, Flake had a lot of people fooled, even Justin Amash. His record in the House was excellent.

----------

