One of the good things about writing this column for the Omaha Daily Record is while it may not have the widest reach, the people it does reach are important decision makers in the state.

The column today is specifically targeted to reach those decision makers because Nebraska is on the verge of possibly making a big mistake and I’m going to do all I can to prevent that from happening. But I need the support of the state senators, chamber of commerce members, lawyers, lobbyists, and everyone else who reads this.

WE MUST NOT BECOME A WINNER TAKE ALL STATE!!!

Recently Lindsey Graham took a break from debasing himself in front of national TV cameras to kiss the former President’s behind in a more private setting in Lincoln Nebraska.

Lindsey Graham joined Jim Pillen and several state senators to get them to vote for winner take all in Nebraska. And it looks like they may have made some progress. While it doesn’t appear that Pillen has enough votes to avoid a filibuster in a special session, some Republican senators including former Democrat Mike McDonnell have indicated they are thinking about changing their position.

Please contact your state senator, the governor, all five members of our federal delegation and ask them this simple question: How does making Nebraska a winner take all state benefit the people of Nebraska? I know how it benefits the Republican Party, but how does it benefit the citizens they are supposed to represent?

Want to bet they won’t have an answer for that?

Republicans have won the Second district’s electoral vote far more times than they’ve lost it. If they want to get back to winning that vote they need to nominate better candidates. Suppressing the vote of people with a different point of view is not the way to do it.

As a follow up question ask these Republican state senators how they feel about J D Vance being a heartbeat away from the highest office in the land. Do they really feel good about the guy who opposes childless cat ladies and promotes the lies about Haitians eating dogs and cats having his finger on the nuclear button?

If Nebraska becomes winner takes all, our state becomes irrelevant when it comes to presidential races.

Over the years presidential candidates and their surrogates have made stops in the Cornhusker state. Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, George W.Bush, Paul Ryan and most recently Tim Walz to name a few. Millions of dollars have been spent in this state on television and radio ads, hotels and meals for support crew, money spent to rent the halls for the rallies and employ the staff to operate cameras and microphones, not to mention the untold free publicity as the national media focuses on us from time to time. Tell me Governor Pillen, Congressman Bacon, Senator Ricketts, how does losing all of that benefit Nebraska?

The answer is it doesn’t and they all know it. What they also know is that it benefits the Republican Party and probably their future in it. But we the citizens and our tax coffers get screwed.

Now if I were king of the world, or dictator for a day, I would make every state like Nebraska. After all, there are Republican Districts in places like California and New York and Democratic Districts in numerous red states. They should have their votes count in Presidential elections too.

But I’m not king of the world. I am just a commentator using the voice that I have to keep Nebraska just the way it is. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

And let your state senator know you feel that way, because if we don’t speak out loudly on this issue, carpetbaggers like Lindsey Graham will sweep in and take our vote away from us.

Please spread the word. Don’t think Pillen and company can’t get this done. They can if we let them.

The readers of this publication are powerful people. Please use that power for good.

Thank You.

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.