Nebraska really is a study in paradox. We are a red state with high taxes. We are a rural state with a thriving metropolitan area. We want to stop the brain drain and encourage people to move here while advertising that we’re not for everybody.

And that’s one of the things I like about it. The fact that we are different. Every other state has a bicameral form of government, but not us. There truly is no place like Nebraska.

But now it appears the Republicans in the state want to be like everybody else. Governor Pillen and other state Republican leaders want Nebraska to join the crowd and get rid of the way we split our Electoral College votes and move to Winner Take All.

Look I get it. Our new Felon in Chief wants Nebraska to be Winner Take All. The argument is that every other state besides Maine has WTA so Nebraska needs to fall in line and be just like them.

But why?

Making Nebraska Winner Take All might be good for Republican politics, but it certainly isn’t good governing. Taking away the voice of Democratic and Independent voters in the state is not the sort of thing George Norris had in mind.

As I pointed out in a previous column, we need to stop calling the Second District the “Blue Dot”. Calling it that just politicizes it even more. Maybe we should just call it “The Dot”. Or even the “Purple Dot”. Over the years this Electoral vote has gone to Republican and Democratic Candidates alike.

If the second congressional district was truly blue, how do you explain why they have voted for a Democrat for Congress only three times since 1950? Three times in 75 years. And one of those was a one-term Congressman who was a former Republican who switched parties.

As I’ve also mentioned recently, changing to Winner Take All is by far not the biggest problem facing Nebraska.

According to Senator Loren Lippincott and Governor Jim Pillen, it appears to be. This was one of the first bills introduced this session. With the current makeup of the Unicameral, it stands a real good chance of passing this time, making it the biggest case of voter suppression in Nebraska history.

Where is Ernie Chambers when we need him? Say what you will about the man, in his long illustrious career in the Unicameral he stopped a lot of bad bills from becoming law.

The current state of the Republican party is loyalty. If you want to have a successful career in Nebraska politics, you better do what the party wants. And when I say party, I mean Donald Trump, Jim Pillen, and Pete Ricketts and all the followers that don’t want to upset their leaders.

I hope there is a Republican Senator in our supposed nonpartisan Unicameral that will stand up and defend the current law. Perhaps a Republican Senator who is term limited, has no desire to run for office again, and sees the economic benefits to the state. Not to mention it helps our image as being something more than just a part of America to fly over.

I know I’m running against the wind on this. The logic for dividing our electoral votes is sound. Every state should do what we do. After all, shouldn’t the Republicans in California have a say in the Presidential elections too? Or Democrats in Texas. Even Don Bacon who signed a letter supporting getting rid of the “Dot” agrees that what Nebraska does is what every state should be doing. But party politics being what they are he has to go along to get along.

Look I get it, if Lippincott’s bill passes the big money guys in DC can just ignore us knowing that our five electoral votes will be a solid red. They can concentrate on the handful of swing states that will end up deciding who our next leader is. It’s good for the party but it’s bad for American Democracy.

For the time being, there still is no place like Nebraska. But if Senator Lippincott’s bill passes, we’ll be one step closer to being like every place else.

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.

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