OMAHA – In the new Crossroads GPS attack ad on Bob Kerrey, Karl Rove must have forgotten that he served President George W. Bush for eight years. President Bush initiated, and signed, legislation establishing the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) in 2008.

Now Rove is attacking Bob Kerrey in a new ad from Crossroads GPS, his Super PAC. He is specifically attacking him for serving on the board of Genworth, a company that did the same thing many other companies did – considered options available through the TARP program.

“If Rove had a problem with this, he should have convinced his boss, President Bush, not to sign the legislation establishing TARP in the first place,” said Paul Johnson, Kerrey Campaign Manager. “Rove is hypocritical at best and devious at worst.”

In fact, contributors to Crossroads GPS include companies that took TARP money. JP Morgan Chase received $25 billion alone in bailout funds. Morgan Stanley received $10 billion.

Another irony in Rove’s attack is that State Senator Deb Fischer is the candidate in this race whose victory was paid for by a Wall Street broker.

“State Senator Deb Fischer owes everything to Wall Street,” Johnson said. “Joe Ricketts bought her the primary victory with Wall Street cash. Now he, and all of his wealthy Wall Street friends, will expect something in return. If Fischer goes to Washington, she won’t be serving Main Street.”

Chris Triebsch, Press Release

Fischer First Embraces 18% Spending Plan, Then Runs from It by Trying to Change Number

OMAHA – Following last Friday’s debate, State Senator Deb Fischer falsely told reporters that her budget proposal would set federal spending at 19.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product. The Omaha World Herald reported today that Senator Kerrey was right that Fischer’s plan would set spending at 18 percent of GDP.

Further, The Omaha World Herald pointed out that Fischer embraced 18 percent spending at the State Fair debate last month.

“Fischer is running away from her spending plan because she knows Nebraskans are figuring out what it would mean to Medicare, Social Security, Pell Grants, Rural Development, Veterans benefits and important assistance for working mothers,” said Paul Johnson, Kerrey Campaign Manager.

“She recently celebrated her budget plan over cupcakes and champagne with her billionaire benefactors in Washington, D.C. But her plan isn’t being celebrated by Nebraskans, so she is fudging the numbers. It is time for her to be honest with Nebraskans.”

According to numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Congressional Budget Office, State Senator Fischer’s budget plan would result in between $6,200 and $8,000 more in out-of-pocket costs for seniors because of the cuts that would be required to Medicare and Social Security under the Fischer plan.

Excerpt from the Omaha World Herald:

A dispute erupted after the debate over how much Fischer wants to cut the federal budget. Kerrey has repeatedly accused Fischer of wanting to trim back federal spending to 18 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) — a charge he made several times in the debate.

Kerrey said such a cut would have a “drastic” impact on popular federal programs that Fischer says she supports and would require wholesale cuts to veterans and agricultural programs.

Kerrey based his assertion on Fischer’s support of a Republican bill in Congress known as Cut, Cap and Balance, a measure that stalled in the U.S. Senate.

Fischer says the bill would reduce spending to 19.9 percent of GDP — a substantial cut, but somewhat less than Kerrey’s claim. (Currently, federal spending is 25.3 percent of GDP.)

Who’s right?

We think Kerrey has the better argument on two fronts.

Fischer bases her assertion on the spending-limit portion of the bill. It would have ratcheted down federal spending to 21.7 percent of GDP for fiscal year 2013, then drop it to 19.9 percent of GDP by 2019.

However, Fischer ignored a second key component of the bill that would require Congress to submit to the states a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That portion of the bill offered up several possible scenarios, including a possible spending cap of 18 percent of GDP.

Fischer previously never raised an objection to Kerrey’s argument that she wants to slash federal spending to 18 percent of GDP.

In fact, in an August debate in Grand Island, Fischer appeared to embrace the idea, arguing: “We can reach 18 percent of GDP. We were at that in 2001. We do it by cutting spending.”

Omaha World Herald 9-30, 2012

Chris Triebsch, Press Release

Included in the Celebration was Senator Jim DeMint, one of 8 Extremists Who Filibustered the Veterans Jobs Bill Last Week

OMAHA – State Senator Deb Fischer’s billionaire benefactors toasted her pledge to them in a celebration in Washington, D.C. yesterday. As promoted, the celebration took place over cupcakes and champagne.

http://politicalpartytime.org/party/33537/

“She would clearly prefer to have cupcakes and champagne with her billionaire benefactors in Washington, D.C. than to talk to Nebraskans about her budget plan,” said Chris Triebsch, Kerrey Campaign Spokesperson. “It’s easy to see why. Only in Washington D.C. is her budget plan a cause for celebration. Her proposals are going over like a lead balloon in our state as Nebraskans become aware of the economic disaster it would create.”

Included in the celebration was Senator Jim DeMint, who just last week voted to filibuster the bi-partisan Veterans Jobs Training Bill. He was one of 8 who voted against a motion to proceed to consideration of the bill. The purpose of this legislation was to facilitate job training and job opportunities for veterans and it had broad bipartisan support.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/250391-gop-kills-veterans-jobs-bill-with-budget-vote

Fischer’s budget plan would mean a nearly 30 percent cut in Veterans Services.

Specific cuts compared to 2011 would include the following:

Income security for veterans: $17.04 billion

Veterans education, training and rehabilitation: $3.1 billion

Hospital and medical care for veterans: $14.5 billion

Veterans Housing: $366 million

Other Veterans benefits and services: $1.9 billion

Fischer would also take a hatchet to programs like Head Start, USDA Rural Development and Pell Grants. And rural hospitals across the state would be in jeopardy because of the Medicare cuts that would be required under her spending proposal.

“She can’t defend her budget plan to organizations like the League of Municipalities and the Rural Health Care Association,” Triebsch said. “But she doesn’t need to defend her plan to her billionaire benefactors in Washington, D.C. They are fully behind her.”

“The Fischer campaign is all about parades and platitudes in Nebraska – and cupcakes and champagne in Washington, D.C.”

Chris Triebsch, Press Release

Fischer’s Support Nosedives as Facade Crumbles

OMAHA – State Senator Deb Fischer continues to rack up a large list of snubs, avoiding speaking engagements with non-partisan Nebraska organizations and young people.

She recently snubbed student organizations at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Those organizations invited both candidates to speak in a joint appearance. Kerrey accepted while Fischer has failed to respond.

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/opinion/article_5e584e62-01fe-11e2-b0e4-0019bb30f31a.html

She also declined to attend joint speaking engagements last Thursday in Kearney from the Nebraska League of Municipalities and the Nebraska Rural Health Care Association.

“She is avoiding important speaking engagements because she knows she has an indefensible budget plan that would be an economic disaster for our state,” said Chris Triebsch, Spokesperson for the Kerrey Campaign. “Instead of engaging in serious debate, she pads her schedule with non-speaking engagements like parades. She is running a campaign of parades and platitudes.”

Fischer has also declined to appear before the Nebraska Ethanol Producers, the American Coalition for Ethanol, American Legion Cornhusker Boys and Girls State and a Creighton University Health Care forum, among others.

“The extent to which Fischer will go to avoid defending her budget plan is remarkable,” Triebsch said. “She knows her budget proposal would require a 29 percent cut to Medicare, which would result in more than 3,500 jobs lost due to the impact on rural hospitals. Rather than defend the indefensible, she continues her game of dodge ball.”

A recent poll from the Omaha World Herald shows Fischer’s campaign of parades and platitudes isn’t playing well in Nebraska. Her poll numbers have slipped by more than 15 points from where the Fischer campaign claimed to be in June.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120923/NEWS/120929929/1685#kerrey-fischer-campaigns-encouraged-by-world-herald-poll

“The more Nebraskans learn about Deb Fischer, the less they like,” Triebsch said.

Matt Bai, The New York Times Magazine | Link to Article

When Bob Kerrey left the Senate after two terms in 2001 — mainly, he says now, so he could remarry and start a new family away from politics — he was considered a statesmanlike and contemplative presence in a city that still valued both qualities. Kerrey had been a serious presidential candidate, a respected voice on health care and intelligence and co-chairman of one of those bipartisan commissions to reform entitlement programs. His closest friends included the small crowd of Vietnam veterans from both parties — John McCain, John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, Chuck Robb, Max Cleland — for whom party loyalty seemed well down the list of daily concerns.

To continue reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/yes-bob-kerrey-wants-to-go-back-to-washington.html

Michael Gerson, The Washington Post | Link to Article

WASHINGTON — By endorsing Deb Fischer—the surprise winner of Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary—Sarah Palin let a competent candidate slip through her normal screening process. Fischer is no Sharron Angle or Christine O’Donnell—tea party favorites in 2010 who seemed to view accomplishment and deliberation as pernicious establishment vices. Fischer is a tough, effective, respected state legislator—and, in the few polls available so far, is leading her Democratic opponent, Bob Kerrey.

In electing Fischer, Nebraskans would send a staunch, predictable conservative to Washington, which has considerable merit. But Kerrey complicates the choice. Ideological conformity is relatively common in the capital city. Independent thought is rarer. And a Democrat who is keen to confront the nation’s largest challenge—a fiscal crisis driven by entitlement costs—is rarest of all.

To continue reading: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bob-kerreys-case-for-entitlement-reform/2012/05/24/gJQA4EUAoU_story.html

OMAHA – Former United States Senator Bob Kerrey accepted the first debate invitation of the general election campaign and encouraged State Senator Deb Fischer to do the same.

The American Legion Cornhusker Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Cornhusker Girls State have invited both U.S. Senate candidates to a debate on June 5th at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“I encourage State Senator Deb Fischer to join me in accepting this debate invitation,” Kerrey said. “In fact, I hope she will accept many more debates. Nebraskans deserve the opportunity to learn about our candidacies and determine which individual is prepared to work across party lines to address the important issues facing our state and nation.”

Kerrey said he believes having the first debate in conjunction with Boys and Girls State sends just the right message.

“Washington’s inability to enact entitlement reform and prevent our nation from falling behind in education would have an enormous impact on our children,” Kerrey said. “That is why it is so important to send someone to Washington who has experience working across the aisle to solve problems.”

Chabella Guzman, Scottsbluff Star Herald | Link to Article

He’s back.

Bob Kerrey is back in Nebraska and he’s ready to work. The Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate said he is focused on the issues facing the state and country.

With the primary over on Tuesday, Kerrey will have six months to convince voters that he is best suited to represent Nebraska in Washington, D.C.

Kerrey knows that while many people are welcoming, there will also be the attack ads.

“Attack ads are all over the country,” he said. “They went after Jon Bruning saying he wasn’t conservative enough and the ad (Joe) Ricketts did was nasty and brutal.”

Kerry said he’s not particularly worried about the ads or even losing the election.

“I’m worried about losing our grip on representative democracy,” he said.

Kerrey said he believes the federal government has taken too much control from the state in several areas, including education.

The federal government has a limited amount of control, he said. It exerted a great of control with the No Child Left Behind program that Kerrey believes made things worse in schools.

It is the state and local school districts that need to govern, he added. Kerrey has relatively high confidence in schools dealing with issues and believes the public wants the districts to handle their schools.

“The No Child Left Behind has soured a lot of people,” he said. “It was a lot of testing, regulations, orders and mandates that frankly weren’t funded. We need to cut the mandates out that were imposed and give the school districts the flexibility they need.”

He added that the federal government can assist the states in many areas, but shouldn’t try to establish a superintendent of education inside the U.S. Department of Education.

Kerrey also talked about the deficit problem and creating a balance between spending cuts and taxing.

“Anytime we do deficit reduction in a honest fashion we need spending cuts,” he said. “It would not be fair to leave anything off the table, I know it will produce angry people, but that happens in tax reform.”

It has long been known that the western part of the state often sees more money used in the eastern half of the state. Kerrey believes all Nebraskans should get their fair share of monies in the state.

The Nebraska Department of Roads, with the passing of LB 98, is authorized to implement a federal buyback program. The state now receives the money and doles out so much per county and project.

Kerrey said if elected, he would meet with the State Roads Commissioner and county roads departments and work to make sure both sides of the state were able to accomplish road projects.

“I would work it out so that the Heartland Expressway can get built,” he said. “There are legitimate grievances here in the west.”

He added that the eastern part of Nebraska often only looks at population, when the west needs funds just as urgently for roads and infrastructure.

“I would work to make sure western Nebraska gets their fair share.”

To continue reading: http://www.starherald.com/news/local_news/kerrey-focuses-on-issues/article_1edf3fc8-a0a3-11e1-b308-001a4bcf887a.html

OMAHA –The key contrast in this Senate election was made clear at Tuesday’s Republican Candidate Debate.

When the candidates were asked, and pressed, by NET Radio’s Fred Knapp to identify a Democrat they would be willing to work with on any particular subject, they spent more than five minutes flinching. Ultimately, they couldn’t even name one Democrat they would work with.

“If my opponents are sent to Washington, they will be swept up in the same partisan gamesmanship that is preventing the nation from solving serious problems,” Kerrey said. “Nothing is going to get done if Democrats don’t vote for good Republican ideas and if Republicans don’t vote for good Democratic ideas.

“I can tell you how I would have handled that question,” Kerrey said. “I worked with President George H.W. Bush and Newt Gingrich to balance the budget and cut spending. I worked with Senator Jack Danforth on calling attention to the still growing crisis of entitlement spending. And I worked with Congressman, and now Senator, Rob Portman on a nationwide investigation into IRS abuses that helped lead to groundbreaking reforms. If sent back to serve, you won’t see me flinch. I will work across party lines once again. We don’t have the luxury of playing games anymore because we have too many serious issues to address.”

Read the transcript of the exchange at Tuesday’s debate:

Fred Knapp: Many readers and, presumably, viewers want to hear how you would work to address the excessive partisanship in Washington. Could you name one issue and one Democratic senator you could work with on a particular subject? Mrs. Fischer?

Deb Fischer: Well, I can tell you my experience in the Nebraska Legislature. We are officially nonpartisan in the Legislature, as you well know. In order to get a big policy issue passed you have to work with your colleagues. I’ve done that. I’ve taken on tough issues. I’ve built coalitions. I’ve gathered information and worked hard. And we’ve gotten a lot passed. I think my record shows that I am able to work with a variety of people, under a variety of issues, and I’ve been able to get things done.

Fred Knapp: But as you mentioned, the Unicameral is structured that way. When you get into the hyper-partisanship in Washington, do you envision being able to continue that?

Deb Fischer: I believe I’m known for establishing relationships and establishing good relationships in the Legislative arena. As I’ve said, I’ve done that. It’s hard to say which United States Senator – on either side of the aisle – that I would anticipate being friends with because I don’t know these people. But if I’m elected and go to Washington I will obviously take time, get to know them, establish relationships. It would be nice to see the Senate go back to that body it was established to be; where you could have debate, where you could have consensus building. We can’t make those changes unless we change who we send there.

Fred Knapp: Mr. Stenberg?

Don Stenberg: Well, I’d be happy to work with any Senator that wants to cut federal spending, that wants to reduce federal regulation, that wants to defend the 2nd Amendment, that wants to develop our domestic energy resources. And I think that sometimes we lose focus that the important thing is to get the right policies. And sometimes we focus on the process. Now we had a time for two years when the Democrats controlled the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, and that gave us ObamaCare, it gave us Dodd-Frank, it gave us a failed 787 billion dollar stimulus. They all got along great but the policies were all wrong. So I’m going to go to Washington to fight for the right policies and I’ll work with anyone who’ll support those policies.

Fred Knapp: Mr. Bruning?

Jon Bruning: Well, I think that’s a fair point. I’m somebody who was elected president of the National Association of Attorneys General by a bipartisan group. Well, what did I do with that presidency when I was running that organization? Well, the main thing I did was help file the lawsuit – lead the lawsuit to overturn ObamaCare. We were mocked when we filed that lawsuit. If you recall, it was a group of 13 Attorneys General. Professors from around the country said, “These folks can’t be successful. They’re not likely to win.” We won at the District Court. We won at the Court of Appeals. I was in the Supreme Court for every minute of the argument. We’re now a bipartisan coalition of 26 states and I think it’s important that we stick to our principles. I am somebody that will fight to repeal ObamaCare and I think it’s critical that we reduce the size and scope of our national budget. We right now have 15.6 trillion dollar national debt. It has to be reduced. We’re in a very bad place as a county economically and we must reduce that debt.

Mike Reilly (Moderator): With respect, I’m not sure any of you named a Democratic senator who you could work with on a particular subject. Democratic U.S. Senator – work with on a particular subject. Mrs. Fischer?

Deb Fischer: No, I did not name one.

Mike Reilly: Can you now?

Deb Fischer: As I said, I would wait to see and meet the people and know who they are and see if we can develop working relationships.

Mike Reilly: There’s no issues you find common ground with any Democrats on now?

Deb Fischer: I haven’t researched where they stand on issues.

Mike Reilly: Mr. Stenberg?

Don Stenberg: Well, I’m pretty much in the same boat. I’m focused on running a campaign for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska; talking about issues that are important to the people of Nebraska. I haven’t, in the process of doing that, met any Democratic United States Senators and haven’t really given a lot of thought to where each of them is on any particular issue. But as I said in my earlier comments, I’ll be happy to work with any U.S. Senator of either party that wants to cut the budget and reduce federal regulations, repeal ObamaCare, and develop our domestic energy resources.

Mike Reilly: Mr. Bruning?

Jon Bruning: Well, I’d tell you one person I could work with. It’s Joe Lieberman if we’re talking about Israel. I don’t know that Joe and I agree on much else – whether it’s national debt or deficit. He voted for ObamaCare, I disagree. But when it comes to Israel I agree with Joe. I’m an unabashed supporter of Israel. I’ll do whatever we have to do to defend our friend in Israel. We have shared values. In a very rough neighborhood, Israel is a white beacon of hope and so I’ll do what it takes to defend Israel. And I agree with Joe Lieberman on that issue.

OMAHA –The Veteran Student Organization at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is hosting a “Conversation with Senator Jim Webb and Former Senator Bob Kerrey” on Saturday.The Senators will discuss the G.I. Bill and other issues relevant to students and veterans.

Senator Webb led the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill to passage, benefiting about 555,000 veterans on 6,000 different campuses last year. Students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha have benefited greatly from the G.I. Bill. UNO is one of the top military friendly schools, according to G.I. Jobs magazine.

Senators Webb and Kerrey will also discuss post-traumatic stress disorder and other health-related issues effecting returning veterans. According to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs website, an estimated 7.8% of Americans will experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives.

The UNO student event is open to the public. Event details are as follows:

Time: Event starts at 3:30; The Senators are slated to speak at 3:45
Date: May 5, 2012
Location: Milo Bail Student Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (Chancellor’s Room on the Second Floor)

Special Note: Since UNO graduation activities are scheduled on campus Saturday, please plan on arriving early for parking. OR, take advantage of the UNO Shuttle at Crossroads Mall. Shuttles run from the southwest corner of the Crossroads garage and pick up Milo Bail Student Center approximately every 15 minutes. If you enter the north doors at Milo Bail, someone will be available to assist you in getting to the Chancellor’s Room.

Senators Webb and Kerrey will have a few minutes to speak to the media following the event.

Senator Kerrey’s public schedule will also include an appearance at the Cinco de Mayo Parade Saturday morning in Omaha.