In my 30+ years of doing this kind of work, I have met many politicians of all political persuasions. And with very few exceptions, I have found them all to be decent people. That doesn’t mean that I agree with them all or would even consider voting for many of them. But regardless of party, they all seem to me to be good men and women who want to make democracy work.

I put Congressman Mike Flood in that category.

I went to his recent town hall in Bellevue the other day to see what they are like in person. I had seen the television reports of his other town halls. These town halls were attended by hundreds of people, most of them loudly disapproving of what the congressman had to say.

While listening to the congressman speak, I was reminded of Ice-T’s song, Don’t Hate the Playa, Hate the Game. And Mike Flood knows how to play the game.

I watched as he stood on stage trying to defend the Trump Administration’s policies. I wanted to yell out bullshit as he tried to sell the SAVE Act as a “common-sense” voter ID bill. I wanted to yell out, “JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!” when he gave a long-winded political response to a yes-or-no query. I wish I could have asked a follow-up question when he tried to sell the cuts in SNAP benefits as a fiscally responsible thing to do. I wanted to know why we have all this money for bombs, but not food.

When he complimented Ukrainian President Zelensky for running a small country that is using modern technology to hold Russia at bay, I said to myself, “You mean like Iran is doing to us with the Strait of Hormuz?”

To Mike Flood’s credit, he is one of the few elected officials holding in-person town hall meetings these days. Don Bacon, Pete Ricketts, and Deb Fischer hold tele-town halls where the questions are screened in advance, and very few critical views get through. Plenty of critical views were getting through at Congressman Flood’s gathering, which may have been the point.

The first town hall Flood held in 2025 after Trump was sworn back into office made national news. The sound bites showed angry Nebraskans. He liked the anger because seeing pissed-off Democrats pleases his far-right MAGA base. In fact, he told Don Bacon that the reason he still holds in-person town halls is so he can “own the libs.”

But the mood in the country has shifted since that first town hall. I’m not sure any libs were owned that night.

The country is at war, and inflation is running rampant. Nobody has been held accountable for the Epstein Files. The president’s approval rating keeps dropping as he falls asleep at cabinet meetings and basketball games. The farmers who make up a large part of the First Congressional District pay more for fertilizer (if they can get it), and they have a harder time selling their products overseas.

A group of Mike Flood’s political handlers sat up front and smiled as citizen after citizen expressed their displeasure at what is going on in America right now. I wondered what was going through their minds. Are they happy that these angry people might motivate their MAGA base? Or are they concerned that these angry people might hurt their candidate in November? Do they believe that when all is said and done, the culture wars will prevail, and people will be more concerned about bathrooms than the price of food and medicine?

I’m not sure if anything was accomplished the other night. Both sides did a lot of talking, but I’m not sure either side did a lot of listening.

I am sure that the town hall was a part of democracy in America. The Mike Flood supporters in the audience were outnumbered by the detractors, but everybody had a chance to be heard.

When it was all over and they left the hall, there was no shouting or fighting. Just two hundred Nebraskans trying to make sense of all that is going on. Two hundred good and decent people trying to make democracy work.

If I lived in the First District, I wouldn’t vote for Mike Flood. Not because he’s a bad guy, but because he’s carrying the water for some very bad policies. If Mike Flood doesn’t win reelection, it will say more about Donald Trump than it says about him.

Don’t hate the Playa, hate the game.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.