Isn’t it funny how the political party that’s always talking about state’s rights tried to take away one of ours?

Kudos to the one Republican senator in the state who dared to stand up to the convicted felon running for President. Kudos to Mike McDonnell who wouldn’t be swayed by the political pressure put on him.

The fact that I’m praising Mike McDonnell must be a sign that hell has frozen over.

When Senator McDonnell was the head of the fire union and was Omaha fire chief we did not get along. My commentaries on the radio about his actions were less than complimentary.

The fact that I’m complimenting him now surprises me. But to be fair he deserves it.

I’m not just saying this because of him standing firm on the blue dot. I’m also saying it because of his stand on abortion. While I personally disagree with his stand on abortion, when his long held religious beliefs could no longer abide by the Democratic party’s position he switched parties. He stood by his convictions. That’s a sign of integrity.

As a recent addition to the Republican party, it would have been easy for him to succumb to the pressure being put on him to change his vote, but he stood firm. He had the courage of his convictions. In an age when too many Republicans seem to have lost their backbone, Mike McDonnell showed he still has his.

Both Jean Stothert and Don Bacon supported suppressing the vote of their constituents to join the MAGA crowd. The Mayor and the Congressman have been the only two Republicans that I have voted for during the Trump takeover of the Republican party. Have they both turned MAGA? Both candidates chose Trump’s demands over their constituents voting rights.

In fact, at a presentation he gave recently to the Free Speech Society, the congressman admitted that the way Nebraska splits it’s votes is the right way to do things, but since 48 states are winner take all, we should all join them.

So much for Republicans believing in states rights.

I’m not sure where this puts Mike McDonnell politically. He’s kind of on a political island. If he decides to run for mayor will the Republicans abandon him? Will the Democrats welcome him back and support him?

Only time will tell and we’re still eight months away from the race for mayor.

Personally, when it comes to politics, I’m much more concerned with the quality of a candidate than I am with what political party they belong to. Mike McDonnell showed me a quality that I had not seen from him before. Integrity.

I didn’t see that integrity in him when he was the Fire Chief or the head of the union. Maybe it was there all along, or maybe he’s changed over the years. I know I have.

I know that I’m not going to agree with a lot of McDonnell’s positions, but he will still have my respect.

If Republicans were truly concerned about state’s rights, they would be promoting the way Nebraska and Maine divide their electoral votes and have it spread to all 50 states. Studies show that if every state did it like we do, it would benefit the GOP.

It’s much easier to control states where its winner take all. During a Presidential year they can ignore all but a handful of swing states. They can’t ignore us. If the other 48 states did what we do they couldn’t ignore them either. After all there are Republican votes in California and Democratic votes in Texas. Nebraska does it right.

And it appears we will continue to do it right at least through the 2024 election.

As I have said many times, we don’t need voter ID we need voter IQ.

And as philosophers have said for centuries, “Actions speak louder than words.”

The recent actions of the Republican Party show they don’t believe in states rights, just like they didn’t believe in reducing deficit spending or fixing the affordable care act. They talk a good game, but their actions don’t support their words.

Maybe if Trump loses the election the Republican Party can get back to what it once was.

After all, hell has been known to freeze over from time to time.

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.