Monday, July 03, 2006

Portrait of a Douchebag: Pete Ricketts

Politics isn't usually my thing, and you're going to have to forgive me for not using Photoshop to make this image, but this guy's TV ads are driving me nuts. Pete Ricketts, the Nebraska Republican senate candidate, is a douchebag. During the primaries, I got pissed at this guy because anyone that listens to him can tell he's just out to help other rich people like himself. We should keep the so-called "death tax," okay? It's a good thing to make sure that the people who can pay taxes do pay taxes. When you're a rich dead guy, it's a safe bet that you can pay, and it doesn't even affect the middle or lower classes. Ricketts tries to emphasize that his grandfather was a farmer and that he's just a good-old Nebraska boy to distract from this fact, and that's fine.

But Ricketts went completely overboard when he attacked current Democrat senator from Nebraska Ben Nelson. Nelson is out for his constituents, the people of Nebraska. He supports the military and ethanol research, and he's probably the least partisan of anyone in the Senate. Ricketts tries to make some bizarre connection between Nelson and the far left, like Kennedy and Clinton. And when Nelson ran an ad that simply called these claims ridiculous--not even attacking Ricketts' character or views, but only defending himself from this veiled attack--Ricketts ran an ad claiming that Nelson was engaging in mud-flinging "politics as usual." Well, Ricketts, your baiting didn't work as well as you thought it did, and you're obviously the one engaged in dirty politics.

If you're in Nebraska, do the right thing. Don't vote for Douchebag Pete Ricketts. Vote for Ben Nelson. I'm a Republican and I still urge you to vote for Nelson. Hell, even President Bush said Nelson's a good guy that puts partisanship aside.

3 comments:

  1. Ben Nelson does not support the death tax either. It isn't the "dead guy" Ben has a concern for; it is the family farmer and the small business owner.

    These cats want to be able to keep the farm or the hardware store in the family. They may have what seems to be substantial assets at death, but it is really just the capital required to provide a living for the dead guy's family.

    When a factory worker dies, we don't tax that portion of his employer's capital investment in the factory where he made his living. Why would you force the kids to sell the family farm? So the big corporate ag giants can buy it up?

    Your taste for progressive taxation and the often confiscatory death tax doesn't seem very Republican. You sound more like a socialist to me.

    BTW, I support Senator Ben Nelson, I live in Nebraska, and I'm not a Democrat or a leftist.

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  2. I'm a centrist myself. Nelson is the best. And no, the death tax isn't very "Republican", but it's a damn good thing to encourage capitalism. If you don't get to inherit as much, you work hard to make your own money. This is very American: hard work achieves results.

    Also, I think Ricketts' idea of a national sales tax is the worst piece of bullshit. He says it's easy to avoid, since if you don't spend money you don't pay taxes. What he doesn't like to point out is that ordinary people have no choice but to spend money, unlike rich bastards like himself.

    It's not like he stands a chance anyway. Nelson has a 68% approval rating.

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  3. Besides having a grandfather who was a farmer, and attacking Ben Nelson, what else does Pete Ricketts do? What qualifications does he have to be elected to Washington? None that I can see. I live in Iowa and am subjected to these inane ads. Thank God there are intelligent people who vote who can see through the self serving drivel Mr. Ricketts doles out.

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