That brings up a good point for campaign reform. Ads targeting/endorsing a candidate should be funded only by in state donors/groups.
You know, outsiders coming into Nebraska to sell something to us doesn't work.
I give you the example of the gay marriage issue on the November 2000 ballot.
I've told this story before, but it's a good story, and so I'll tell it again.
Now, the gay marriage thing would've lost anyway, but by a much smaller margin, if non-Nebraska special interests hadn't gotten involved.
The gay lobby poured tons of money into Nebraska that year, oddles of money, stacks of money, mountains of money, making Nebraskans in the advertising agencies wealthy. Damn, they poured a lot of money into Nebraska.
But the worst thing they did was send all these professional gays from New York City and San Francisco out here.
Now, Nebraska like anywhere else has gays, and franksolich will defend with his life their equal rights under the U.S. Bill of Rights (but no special rights not accorded anybody else). Nebraska gays tend to be like straight Nebraskans; modest, unassuming, aw-shucks, sorts of people.
These professional gays from New York City and San Francisco however were something else, in their attire and mannerisms. Something from another planet. In another galaxy. In another universe.
And they violated the first rule of politics in Nebraska; a rule scrupulously observed by every candidate, Republican and Democrat, who wishes to win here.
Cattle are normally placid, compliant, beasts, but can be "spooked" by sudden and bright colors, movements, noise. Spooked cattle are no laughing matter; people get injured and even killed, dealing with them. Even the people in the big cities of Nebraska appreciate the horrors and calamities of dealing with spooked cattle.
And so the first rule of politics in Nebraska is, don't spook the cattle.
Well, we had all of these professional gays from New York City and San Francisco here, prancing around, dancing around, hip-hopping, tip-toeing, swirling, gyrating, winking, bumping.....at the same time their ear-rings, nose-rings, chin-rings, teat-rings, navel-rings, groin-rings, and bracelets and necklaces glittering and sparkling, and all these bright flashy colors. And the incessant jingle-jangling of the same.
These professional gays violated the first rule of politics in Nebraska.
This is why gay marriage was rejected circa 70-30% rather than, say 55-45%.