We need better answers than this

When I asked Herbster questions about election integrity, this is the answer I got. He preceded the comment in this video by saying, "You keep doing what you're doing, and I'll keep doing what I'm doing," and that the plan was for him to become the next governor of Nebraska. Simply wanting to become governor doesn't mean that he should be, and I think that we need to press him harder to give more substantive answers than this.

Herbster relies far too often upon the endorsements of others. He also has a pattern of engaging the audience during candidate forums which is quite clever, to be honest, but it's still trickery of a sort. Go and watch the candidate forums which he has attended and you will see. He often begins with the feel-good proclamation of "I bring you greetings from the 45th POTUS." That is followed by him pointing out someone in the room whom he will ask the audience to recognize and applaud. He eats up valuable time that should be spent answering the questions that are put to him, and he does it in a clever way which leaves the audience with a positive "feeling" about him because they are all applauding the good qualities of OTHERS besides Herbster. He leaves people with a "feel good," positive vibe, but I think people need to dig deeper and realize that what he is truly doing is avoiding giving substantive responses.

I will say this about him, though--even when he has been visibly annoyed at me pestering him with questions, he has never been unkind toward me. (His campaign staff have been a bit pushy in trying to get him away from me, though.) I do press the candidates hard when I approach them with my questions. Their run for office is a job interview, and so they should be willing to answer the questions. (Not everyone is nice when approached, but Herbster has always been polite and kind.)

I feel like Herbster is running because someone told him that he should. (Perhaps it was even Trump who did.) But I feel that those who are looking to Herbster to be like Trump are going to be greatly disappointed. Herbster has billboards up in Omaha boasting of his endorsements from Trump and Noem. The billboards read, "Great minds think alike." But I think that great minds think DIFFERENTLY. It was Trump's unique willingness NOT to give a fig what others thought of him and to chart his own path in politics which was so admirable. Trump didn't cozy up to anyone for endorsements when he entered into the world of politics. He was confident enough in his own ideas to put forth a message that challenged the status quo. Herbster doesn't have that kind of confidence and is relying far too heavily on the accomplishments of others to recommend him.

Jennifer Hicks
Candidate for Nebraska Attorney General
voicesofnebraska.com