Congressman Don Bacon spoke at the Pachyderm Luncheon on Monday this week, one of his first public appearances in Douglas county since the change in county party leadership and subsequent censure motion in April.
Host John Sieler had made a concerted effort to endorse the federal delegation ahead of Bacon’s invitation to speak, which included an endorsement of the Congressman. The luncheon had among its guests campaign managers for Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts along with former Douglas County Republican Party chair Chris Routhe, who introduced Bacon.
Presidential Race
Bacon had plenty to say about the Presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Bacon criticized the current administration for problems on the border, crime, and the economy. He also zeroed in on Kamala Harris’ left-wing record.
“She was the number one most liberal senator when she was in the senate. Who’s number two? Bernie Sanders. She was to the left of Bernie Sanders. That does not work in this district,” Bacon said.
Harris currently holds a lead over Trump in various polls, which Bacon attributes to a “sugar high” coming off the convention and Harris getting “85% positive coverage in the media.”
Bacon also criticized Tim Walz for mischaracterizing his military service. “This man said he was in combat. He was not. Now, the staff, I guess, says he misspoke. We need to hear this from him.”
Bacon vs. Vargas
Congressman Bacon is currently running for a fifth term in Congress in a rematch against state senator Tony Vargas. Bacon contrasted himself with Vargas, who he criticized for either not voting or voting present on around 20% of the bills in the state legislature, including on issues like school choice and dismemberment abortion.
Bacon also criticized Vargas for supporting an amendment to LB 670, a Juvenile Justice Reform Bill, that made it “near impossible for law enforcement to detain violent juvenile offenders.” Earlier this month, a group of underage boys were taken into custody for the murder of 64-year-old Mursal Jama in Omaha, one of whom was just 11 years old. Omaha Sheriff Aaron Hanson spoke about this on KFAB on Aug. 16.
“When senators like Senator Vargas and Senator Patty Pansing Brooks were promoting these changes … we warned them these changes would be naïve.” Hanson said. “It would result in violence. And not only violence, it’s going to result in kids that are going to commit more serious crimes as juveniles and then as adults.”
Attacks in Israel target agriculture
Also speaking at the event was Paul Hamburg, an Israeli resident who was in Jerusalem during the attacks of October 7.
Hamburg talked at length about the Israeli lives lost during the attack, but also about the impact on Israeli’s agricultural economy. The 16 Kibbutz in southern Israel represent 75% of Israel’s fruit and vegetables, 50% of Israel’s eggs, and about 30-35% of Israel’s milk.
One illustration Hamburg passed around included details of 730 houses destroyed, 340,000 chickens burned in their chicken coops, and 11 football fields worth of greenhouses destroyed along with all their crops. An estimated $15 million of damage was done during the attacks.
Hamburg has raised money to procure equipment for 300,000 volunteers who had stepped up during the attack, including helmets and bulletproof vests, which he credits with saving at least 15 lives. Hamburg has raised $8 million in the United States for additional equipment over the course of ten weeks, and he would speak at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha later on that evening.
Bacon made a special point of stating his support for Israel, citing Genesis 12:3 and his experience visiting the Holocaust Memorial as a teenager in 1979. He has also repeatedly criticized Tony Vargas for not speaking out more strongly against anti-Semitism since the attacks of October 7.
Remembering Abbey Gate & House Leadership
During the Q&A, I commented that this was the third anniversary of the bombing of Abbey Gate. I asked Bacon if he thought anyone would ever be held accountable for the disastrous pullout in Afghanistan.
“I believe if President Trump is elected, those who had a hand in it will get fired,” Bacon said. He also mentioned that he has spent part of the week with the family of Cpl. Daegan Page, who had been killed in the attack, and he had been given a wristband in his memory. “I remember it with emotion, because he was a young man in service to our country, but in an impossible situation,” Bacon said.
One other guest asked Bacon about House leadership. Bacon talked briefly about Speaker Mike Johnson, who he described as “a nice guy, that’s why he’s there. I personally like him.” Bacon also seemed to harbor hard feelings about the procedural vote that led to McCarthy being ousted. “We have a new batch that tried to sink the rules if they don’t get what they want. And we should hold those guys responsible. They should be kicked out of their committees.”
Crossing the Finish Line
Bacon cited two polls that showed him leading Vargas by two or three points, which would likely still be within the margin of error. Another recent poll showed Vargas leading by two points, also within the margin of error. In 2022, Bacon won his race against Vargas by 2.6%.
While the state party endorsed Nebraska’s federal delegation over the weekend, including Don Bacon, disunity remains at the county level. It also appears unlikely that Bacon will be reaching out to membership in either the Sarpy or Douglas County GOP while their censure motions remain in place. It leaves one to wonder whether the party can come together in NE-02 in time for election day.
