Moderate candidate better represents Nebraska voters

With all of the mudslinging that’s currently plaguing the political spectrum on television and online, there should be some positivity extended on the airwaves. I have written about negative ads before, and even though they many times get their point across and can even aid in winning an election, they have a harmful impact on society and we should be wary of them. I want to tell you why you should vote this election. Even if you don’t vote for the person I think is the right candidate for the job, it’s still imperative to exercise this inherent right.

The positivity I previously mentioned refers to the candidate for the U.S. Senate from the great state of Nebraska, Dave Domina. I want to tell you a few reasons why you should support this man. Not why you shouldn’t support Ben Sasse. I am sure that if you have read any of my previous articles, you can probably assume I am a somewhat moderate person. Without regurgitating my resume, I want all readers to know I have bipartisan political experience from both sides of the aisle.

I have had the pleasure of working for former Sen. Ben Nelson in Washington, D.C., and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry here in Lincoln. Now that we have that out of the way, we can discuss why you should vote in the first place and why you should check the box next to Domina’s name.

Domina is representing the landowners in the Keystone XL Pipeline case and has done an amazing job thus far. The pipeline case has gained national attention and has made what was supposed to be a short process of running the pipeline through the state a several year-long debate that has engaged the White House, Congress and national media.

The pipeline has many opponents and proponents and I will not harp on this issue too much other than mentioning the fact that a pipeline project won’t be a save-all action for U.S. oil dependency and won’t save Nebraska from the pitfalls of a struggling economy – even though we actually never saw many of the negative effects from the Great Recession as a whole. The pipeline project will only create a small amount of jobs over a short period of time and while we shouldn’t be turning up our noses at job creation, we should be looking to more permanent job creation rather than a company’s one-time project.

Some conservatives feel the traditional “repeal and revert” option is best for Congress and the country as a whole. Many people on both sides of the aisle have been slinging mud at one another for some time now and this has only brought us further down as a country. Sasse wants to go to Washington and obstruct the process of Washington in order to repeal things and make sure nobody impedes on our freedoms.

For example, Sasse has used his own religious faith to justify repealing Obamacare. As much as I respect Sasse and his religious affiliation – since I very much have my own religious faith – I feel that going to Congress to simply repeal laws and return to traditional ways of thinking is not what we need in Congress. We need someone dedicated to cooperation who is willing to work with people on both sides of the aisle.

If you were to take a look at ads from the Domina and Sasse campaigns, they’re both using some form of negative advertisements. However, Sasse spends more time criticizing President Obama, Congressional Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, specifically. These people have next to nothing to do with Nebraska. Domina is committed to helping Nebraskans – not just throwing mud at Obama and everyone who disagrees with him on secular issues that rarely ever come up in Congress.

I implore you to vote for the cooperative Domina, rather than the obstructionist Sasse. While both men are educated and want to do what is best for the country, we also need to consider whether our senator is willing to work with both parties, carries moderate views and is able to represent all Nebraskans instead of just the Republicans who lean farther right than most on the political spectrum.

We need a moderate voice and a strong leader in Washington, not a loud voice and someone who constantly looks down their nose at leadership. While challenging authority is important, basing a campaign upon defiance alone won’t help the country. So please, vote Domina in 2014. And above all else – go to the polls on Nov. 4.

Mark Batt is a senior political science major, you can reach him at opinion@dailynebraskan.com