Why Nebraska may make GOP pay for its awful bill
By Michelle Goldberg / The New York Times
It’s hard to think of a major piece of legislation more hated by more people than the monstrous bill Republicans passed last week. It is, of course, almost universally reviled by Democrats, but there’s also opposition to it in every part of the Republican coalition. Susan Collins, perhaps the most moderate Republican senator, and Rand Paul, one of the most conservative, both voted against it. Elon Musk called it “insane” and threatened to form a new political party over it. Sen. Lisa Murkowski tried to distance herself from it immediately after casting the craven vote that put it over the top.
In a June Quinnipiac poll, only 29 percent of respondents, including a relatively anemic 67 percent of Republicans, approved of the bill, which makes deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while adding trillions of dollars to the national debt. As Republican leaders twisted arms in the House to get it over the finish line, Steve Bannon, a critic of parts of the bill, warned about the implications for the midterms if “feckless” Republicans didn’t find a way to defend it.
Had Dan Osborn won his independent Senate campaign in Nebraska last year, it’s possible the bill never would have passed. Now, as he starts a new independent run for the Senate in 2026, he thinks some Republicans have buyer’s remorse. “They were sold a bill of goods that if you work hard in this country, your government is going to be there, to have a level playing field for you to get ahead,” Osborn, who announced his candidacy on Tuesday, told me. “But now we’re seeing tax cuts for the billionaires at the expense of workers, people that are struggling to get by.”
A big question — and not just in Nebraska — is whether the pain caused by this bill will be enough to shake partisan loyalties. Democrats are favored to win the House next year, but the party faces a brutal Senate map. It’s defending seats in purple states like Georgia and Michigan and can’t flip the chamber without upsets in some states that are bright red.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/goldberg-why-nebraska-may-make-gop-pay-for-its-awful-bill/
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