Maybe I missed something. Maybe Governor Pillen was walking the streets of West Omaha knocking on doors and campaigning for Jean Stothert. Perhaps he marched with her in parades. Was he endorsing her in TV ads, and I just didn’t see it?

If he didn’t do any of that, then why is he blaming West Omaha voters for the mayor’s loss?

Governor Pillen seems to have little regard for voters in general. He has fought the will of the people on medical marijuana and now he’s blaming voters for the failure of his party to get his candidate across the finish line in this officially nonpartisan election.

The governor made a rare public appearance in his state’s biggest city to attend the Stothert election night event. Instead of being gracious in the loss, he chastised those Republicans who voted for Ewing or just stayed home. He blamed the voters and not the message.

Maybe even the Republican voters are getting tired of the anti-trans and anti-immigrant messages the party leaders have been putting out. You can only cry wolf so many times before it falls on deaf ears.

Maybe even Republican voters are getting tired of the authoritarian tone the party has accepted lately. Conservatives want to “own” the liberals instead of working with them to solve problems and move forward as a society.

Maybe the West Omaha Republican voters have remained the same while the party around them has changed. The Republican Party that first elected Mayor Stothert twelve years ago is no longer the same Republican Party today.

I can hear some of you thinking that the Democratic Party isn’t the same as it was twelve years ago either. And you’re right. But when Kamala Harris lost the presidential election, I didn’t see Joe Biden or any of the big-name elected leaders of the Democratic Party blame the voters.

They started to blame themselves. Was it Biden’s fault? Was it Harris’s fault? Was the party too woke? Did they not do enough to get out the vote in Pennsylvania and other swing states? Just what caused the loss? The party got introspective and started asking questions. And while they still might not have figured it all out, just by asking the questions and doing the soul searching, they’ve got a better chance of making substantial gains in 2026.

When the people lead, the leaders will follow. The people are leading, and the message they’re sending is that America is not a nasty country that wants to live in fear. Many Americans religious beliefs may not like or understand homosexuality, transgenderism, minorities or alternative lifestyles but in the land of the free shouldn’t they have the same rights as anybody else? Shouldn’t the same freedom that gives them the right to worship in the church of their choice give others who are different than them the right to live in peace as well?

With everything Jean Stothert has accomplished, did the so-called campaign experts really think the way to win an election was to scare people about what bathroom someone uses? Would she have had a better shot at selling the progress rather than selling fear?

Perhaps Governor Pillen is getting guidance from Washington, the land of Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Project 2025. Blame others for your failings instead of looking at what you might have done wrong.

When Walmart says that they are going to have to raise their taxes due to tariffs President Trump says Walmart should suck it up and eat the added expense.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.