When you think of the bastions of progressive liberalism, three cities automatically come to mind: San Francisco, California; New York, New York; and Fremont, Nebraska.

Yes, Fremont, Nebraska, home of Lynne Walz. The candidate who Governor Pillen’s spokesperson said was propped up by far-left donors and staff. Pillen’s campaign said that Walz wants to “trick Nebraskans by pretending to be a moderate.”

I needed a break, so I went on a road trip last weekend to visit a few rural Nebraska towns that have been in the news lately. I wanted to get a taste of what was going on in the less populated parts of the state. So, I hit the road to visit two towns that have been in the news recently: McCook and Lexington.

I wasn’t quite sure of what I’d find. I wasn’t even quite sure what I was looking for, but I wanted to get a feel not only for those two towns but for rural Nebraska in general.

You probably didn’t realize it at the time, but if you voted for Donald Trump, you voted for explosive diarrhea.

Before I get accused of having TDS or Trump Derangement Syndrome, what I just wrote is a stone-cold fact.

Last year, due to DOGE cuts, the CDC stopped mandatory monitoring for cyclospora, the parasite found in unwashed food that causes that condition. So far, more than 30 states, including Nebraska and Iowa, have reported over 3,000 illnesses, with Michigan alone reporting more than 1,250 cases.

In my 30+ years of doing this kind of work, I have met many politicians of all political persuasions. And with very few exceptions, I have found them all to be decent people. That doesn’t mean that I agree with them all or would even consider voting for many of them. But regardless of party, they all seem to me to be good men and women who want to make democracy work.

I put Congressman Mike Flood in that category.