Nebraska Democratic Party: Kleeb Unique in 3rd District Field

Kleeb Unique in 3rd District Field

Apr 08, 02:53 PM CST

Here’s a great piece in today’s Kearney Hub about Scott Kleeb

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Having attended Monday’s forum, it was clear who was the candidate that held the audience’s attention most.

It was Scott Kleeb.

The difference was clear as the sky on an early spring morning in Western Nebraska.

Scott Kleeb took the time to actually think about the questions being presented to him and responded directly to the audience or panelist asking the question, while his opponents merely laid out answers clearly scripted well in advance that failed to address the primary concerns of the farmers and ranchers present.

Sincerity and honesty are leadership traits that are highly valued by the people of the 3rd Congressional District.

Scott Kleeb has shown a sincere interest in the thoughts and concerns of the people of the 3rd Congressional District.

Scott’s articlute and moving answers to the questions posed in Monday’s forum, show that he will be able to stand up and fight for the interests of family farmers and ranchers in Congress.
— Lee Clausen Apr 09, 12:34 AM CST #
Great story about the future congressman.———————Candidate lives ‘own stories’
Property valuations soar

Candidate lives ‘own stories’

Scott Kleeb is a 30-year-old ranch hand from Dunning who lives in a bunk house. He was born in Turkey and graduated from Yale. And he’s a candidate for Congress in western and central Nebraska’s 3rd District. But there’s even more to his story than that. "Read more...":http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/04/15/top_story/doc44402ffc52121789402152.txt
— vince powers Apr 15, 09:56 AM CST #
Candidate lives ‘own stories’

Scott Kleeb is a 30-year-old ranch hand from Dunning who lives in a bunk house. He was born in Turkey and graduated from Yale. And he’s a candidate for Congress in western and central Nebraska’s 3rd District. But there’s even more to his story than that

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/04/15
/top_story/doc44402ffc52121789402152.txt
— vince powers Apr 15, 10:55 AM CST #
3rd District candidate Scott Kleeb received an incredible write-up in today’s Hill. The Hill is one of 2 papers that circulates widely around Congress.

“link text”: http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/041906.html
— Brett Apr 19, 10:01 AM CST #
Here’s that Hill article again (link and text):

Kleeb Hill Article

In red state, Yale’s Marlboro Man vies for House seat
By Jonathan E. Kaplan

Scott Kleeb, the Democratic candidate for Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, is counting on his Western roots and a Yale doctorate to help upset his Republican opponent in November.

In the heavily agricultural and traditionally Republican district, where President Bush crushed Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) by 50 percentage points in 2004 and independent Ross Perot won more votes than Bill Clinton in 1992, analysts across the political spectrum would consider Kleeb a long-shot candidate in most years.

But this year’s anti-incumbent political environment and some Democratic wins in gubernatorial and Senate races in Kansas, Montana and Colorado have given Democrats a small measure of hope.

The incumbent, GOP Rep. Tom Osborne, is running for governor. While he cruised to victory when he won in 2000, the last time there was an open seat, in 1990, Democrats came within 4,000 votes of winning.

In Nebraska’s 2nd District, Democrat Maxine Moul reported $178,000 on hand in her bid to unseat GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. In nearby Wyoming, Democrat Gary Trauner has raised almost as much money as Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.). In Montana, Monica Lindeen is running against GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg, who holds a commanding 2-to-1 fundraising advantage.

Republicans say they see no room for Democratic optimism in Nebraska.

“We’re confident that either of the Republicans, whomever is the nominee, will cruise to victory in November,” said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

But Kleeb is raising money and traversing western Nebraska, playing up his Western roots — he was a member of University of Colorado rodeo team and works on a ranch.

In fact, everything Kleeb does is tied to his roots, including his dissertation, which he researched while driving 65,000 miles in his pickup truck across the Western United States.

Kleeb documented the positive impact of British and Scottish investment, an early form of globalization, in Western ranches in the late 19th century. The gist of his thesis is that, in farming, bigger is not necessarily better — that the break-up of the small family farm and the creation of the larger corporate entities are having a negative impact on rural America — and that then, as now, consumers were willing to pay a premium for better products, specifically if they know where their beef is coming from.

He decided to run for Congress while researching his dissertation.

“I got frustrated that my party does not have a message or relevance to people here,” Kleeb told The Hill. “Something important is happening in rural America that is not being addressed.”

Kleeb stood out at Yale, in part because of his Marlboro Man looks. He’d often wear cowboy boots, a hat and work jacket. But his professors also respected his intellect. John Lewis Gaddis, a famed author and historian whose class on the Cold War is the most popular at Yale, selected Kleeb as a teaching assistant.

After the Democrats’ defeat in the 2004 election, Gaddis told Kleeb that Democratic prospects would not improve until the party became more competitive in the so-called “red” states.

“I had no idea he’d take me seriously,” Gaddis said. “He’s a natural politician. He can function equally well on ranches and here at Yale.”

Craig Smith, a principal with Penn Schoen & Berland and political director in the Clinton White House, also praised Kleeb’s political skills. Smith’s firm is Kleeb’s media consultant and pollster.

If Gaddis is Kleeb’s academic mentor, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), who runs the New School University in New York City, has become his political mentor. The two first met last summer in New York. The meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes but lasted for 90 and the topics ranged from politics to country music, said Kleeb.

Kerrey advised Kleeb to “know why you’re running and believe in that. Understand what it is you’re trying to do. Let it come from the heart and people will respond to that.”

Gaddis gave Kleeb some non-professorial advice “to drive to every small town, have a cup of coffee and listen.”

Kleeb faces no opposition in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side, Jay Vavricek, the mayor of Grand Island, Neb., reported having $109,517 in the bank and Adrian Smith, whom the conservative Club for Growth has endorsed, reported having $158,056 on hand.

Kleeb reported raising $102,000 in the first quarter of 2006 and has socked away $128,000. Top Democrats, including Sens. Ken Salazar (Colo.), Tim Johnson (S.D.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth (S.D.), have helped him raise money.
— Brett Apr 19, 10:09 AM CST #