Hyper-Partisan Gerrymandering Scheme Is Evidence Bacon Is Vulnerable
Last week, the Republican senators in the legislature unveiled their proposed map to draw the district lines for the congressional districts and legislative districts. It was a radical scheme that proves that the Nebraska Republicans are drunk with power and know that Don Bacon is vulnerable in 2022.
Senator Lou Ann Linehan’s map would move northern Douglas County into Nebraska CD01, move deep red Saunders County into CD02 and put more of Sarpy County into CD02. This hyper partisan proposal would insulate Bacon from any challenges and would create three deep red congressional districts. Heretofore, CD02 has been a swing district. It has elected three Democrats to the U.S. House since 1976, and Obama carried it in 2008, as well as Biden in 2020.
This extreme proposal generated a firestorm of criticism from both sides of the aisle. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said: “We see through the extreme map idea. It’s an old tactic used to negotiate to where they want us. They know splitting Douglas (County) in half would never pass a court challenge. If they want to try, we are ready to go to court.”
Even former Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman blasted the Linehan plan. Nebraska’s longest serving Governor tweeted: “Saunders County doesn’t belong in #NE02,” he said. “I grew up in Wahoo, and Saunders Co. residents want to stay in #NE01.” Heineman called on his potential rivals in the Nebraska gubernatorial primary to oppose the radical GOP scheme.
The Nebraska GOP’s motivation for this ridiculous plan is to prevent a Democratic presidential candidate from ever taking one electoral vote in Nebraska and to protect GOP U.S. House incumbent Don Bacon from a serious challenge from strong Democratic candidates in 2022. This map clearly proves that the Republicans are worried about Bacon’s electoral prospects.
Bacon is vulnerable because he has compiled a radical record that is out of the mainstream in CD02. After all, Biden carried this CD by a commanding 54% to 43% margin in 2020.
The extreme votes and decisions by Bacon that worry the GOP are as follows.
In 2017, Don Bacon said “Hell yes!” to voting to kick 20 million people off insurance and gut pre-existing conditions when he voted for the infamous Trump Care bill.
That same year, Bacon voted for the failed Trump tax bill that added $2 trillion to the national debt. 80% of the tax cuts went to the top 1%. The tax cuts for the wealthy are permanent and those for the middle class are temporary and tiny.
In 2019, Bacon voted for the Trump/Ricketts lawsuit aimed at throwing out Obama Care without a replacement plan. If Bacon had “won” his case, 20 million Americans would have lost insurance and pre-existing condition protections would have been eliminated.
Bacon’s lawsuit was so radical that it was rejected by the “new look” Supreme Court by a 7–2 vote. That would be like Charlie Sheen saying this party is too wild for me.
Overall, Bacon voted with Trump 89% of the time and voted with Trump 98% of the time during the 115th Congress.
Bacon’s extreme voting record has carried over into the Biden Administration. The CD02 incumbent voted against $1,400 relief checks, the biggest middle class tax cut in history, ramped up vaccine production and distribution, a 50% reduction in child poverty and a rescue package for state and local governments. That means that Bacon even voted to defund the police.
If Bacon had his way, we would still be in a recession. Instead, President Biden’s policies have created a record 4.5 million jobs in 7 months.
The former general’s record on women’s health care is as extreme as his voting record. Bacon has sponsored legislation that would ban abortions after six weeks. This extreme bill is 100% consistent with the recent Texas abortion law.
Don Bacon is a hyper partisan Republican and an ardent Trump supporter. The incumbent Nebraska CD-02 member of Congress is running on a phony platform of bi-partisanship and civility. Bacon is a loyal GOP party solider and he has a history of running deeply dishonest and vicious re-election campaigns.
Bacon is one of the most vulnerable GOP House incumbents in the 2022 cycle in light of Biden’s big win in CD02. Both Tony Vargas and Alisha Shelton have thrown their hat in the ring. Let’s repeal Don Bacon and replace him with a new member of the U.S. House who will represent the people — not Donald Trump or the GOP billionaire donor class. Let’s get it done!