The Omaha Blues Feel So Good!

I have voted for Jimmy Carter, John Anderson, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton twice, Al Gore, John Kerrey and Barack Obama in my lifetime of Presidential tallies. Hey there's a couple of winners in there, perhaps four winners had there been no Florida or Ohio cheats. But until 2008, I really had never voted for a winner. Because of the antiquated electoral college system, my vote for a Democrat in the red state of Nebraska never counted. And it never would have, except for a law passed dividing the electoral votes of this state up by congressional district.

There are three districts in Nebraska. The First District consists of Lincoln and unfortunately, about another 200,000 genetic Republicans in such bastions of progress like Fairbury, Seward and Eagle. So when Lincoln votes Democratic, the rest of the district overwhelms it with their Republican disease. The Third District is hopeless. Full of dying, dusty, small towns that won't be around in 50 years, these gun nuts and Jesus freaks vote Republican because Daddy and Grandaddy told 'em too.

The Second District consists of Omaha and a county (Sarpy) so full of military retirees that they often refer to their own families as Maggot and the Numbnuts. For years the Omaha Democratic vote was buried by Maggot and the Numbnuts and the Republican occupation. But this year was different. Despite Sarge and the platoon's votes, the force was overrun by the Omaha insurgency and Barack Obama, the leader of the Omaha terrorists, WON!

My vote counted. For perhaps the only time ever, it counted. See the little jut out to the west of Iowa. That's me. I counted. Suck that, Maggot!