By now you should know that George Santos has been expelled from Congress. And I’m sure you know that he is only the 6th member to have ever been expelled. That story has been covered extensively.

I was glad to see that Congressmen Bacon and Flood did the right thing by voting to expel Santos. But it never should have come to this. George Santos should never have been elected in the first place. Or at least if he was elected the voters should have known for sure just what they were getting.

 The real story behind the Santos drama was how the news media and the Democratic and Republican Parties let this country down by not exposing his lies in the first place. Where was the local investigative media coverage? Where was the opposition research?

 So many of his lies were disprovable before the election. Didn’t anyone check out his job history? His educational background? Why weren’t his lies about his mother dying on 9/11 or if he was really Jewish and not ‘Jew-ish’ exposed?

 No, the real story behind George Santos getting elected is a story that is sadly being repeated all across the country with no signs of things getting better. Local news across the country is being decimated by limited staffs and social media. The major corporations that own the newspapers, TV and Radio stations are cutting back on support staff and investigative reporting. Plus, the politicians, talk radio and many cable news pundits, combined with the cesspool of social media that have convinced too many people that if there’s any legitimate news you don’t like just blow it off as “Fake News”.

 While Santos Congressional District did include parts of Northern Queens, it was primarily made up of a series of Long Island suburban communities like Oyster Bay Cove, Manhasset, Levittown, and many others. None of these communities have the media resources to do a deep dive into the candidates. It appears the only warning sign that Santos wasn’t who he appeared to be was one editorial in a suburban weekly paper that didn’t get much attention.

 But it’s not just the media’s fault. Where was the opposition research? Both from the Republicans during the primary and the Democrats during the general election? Where was the curiosity among the voters into just who this mysterious person was? Surely there had to be rumors. People had to know. How could he get elected in the first place and could something like that happen here?

Unfortunately, yes it could. In the last Nebraska Primary election voter turnout was only 32%. In the Republican Primary where there was a tight race for the Governors nomination between Jim Pillen, Charles Herbster, and Brett Lindstrom only 43% of the eligible Republicans voted. That means our choices were decided by a minority of Nebraskans that were primarily influenced by TV and Radio ads that were big on style and short on substance.

Until the Nebraska Democratic Party gets their act together again, the Primary election for Governor is the de-facto actual election for Governor. And a handful of Republicans financed in large part by the Ricketts political machine elected a governor that refused to debate or answer any tough questions from reporters. A governor who got elected by running TV ads with a shotgun and who dismisses an investigative report from the Flatwater Free Press that showed he had dangerous levels of potentially deadly nitrates in the soil of his hog operations. Nitrates in the soil contaminate the water supply and can cause cancer in many of the children the Governor says he loves so much.

 I started this column by blaming the media and the political parties. But I need to add a third group to make sure that the George Santos sideshow doesn’t creep into all of our politics. I need to blame the voters as well. We have met the enemy, and it is us. The voters that don’t pay attention. The voters that don’t do their research. The voters that just vote for the R’s or D’s regardless of their integrity, education, or criminal indictments against them. And last but not least, the voters that just stay home.

Soon there will be another Primary election. Our neighbors across the river will be holding a caucus that could determine our choice for President. I ask that you make the effort to be an educated voter and get of your butt and go to the polls. The future of our country depends on it.

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.