I drove to Grand Island to watch the Pete Ricketts-Dan Osborn debate. I like to go to these things in person whenever possible to get a feel for the room.

The venue where the debate was held was next to the Grand Island casino and racetrack. A fitting metaphor for a longshot candidate who has made this a real horserace.

You rarely see two politicians with such a different visual style on stage. With the senator in his blue blazer and the worker in his blue-collar informal apparel. It set the stage for an evening that was long on disagreements but short on fireworks.

Pete was far more polished than Dan, but he also came across as more rehearsed. Dan seemed a little uncomfortable up there but a lot more genuine.

It was almost comical the way the incumbent senator kept calling his challenger “Democrat Dan,” constantly reinforcing his message that Democrats are bad for America. A very interesting argument considering his wife is a Democrat who is running for the Board of Regents. More than one person online wondered if he calls his wife Democrat Susanne.

And that, to me, is what is wrong with American politics today. Pete attacking Dan as a Democrat plays well to his base, but as I sat there, I kept thinking that if he is reelected, he’ll be the senator for all Nebraskans, not just the 50% who are registered Republicans.

Yes, many Democrats are supporting Dan even though he has been a registered non-partisan his whole life. He didn’t switch party affiliation just for the sake of politics.

I too am a non-partisan voter. Does that mean I agree with everything Dan Osborn says? Absolutely not! I also don’t disagree with everything that Pete Ricketts believes either.

And that’s the main point that I took away from the debate. Dan agreed with the president on securing the border. He also agreed with Pete on his views on importing all that foreign ground beef. Pete didn’t say that he agreed with Dan about anything.

During the whole debate, Senator Ricketts championed his tax cuts, while stoking the flames of the culture wars. The Ricketts campaign is betting that the fear tactics that have worked to get Republicans elected in the past will work this election cycle again.

Osborn, on the other hand, is rolling the dice and wagering that people are tired of that rhetoric and are looking for someone who can work with the other side to solve problems instead of kicking them down the road. He made the point that a good idea is a good idea.

Is Osborn a little naïve when it comes to what he can accomplish in the Senate if he’s elected? Possibly. But that naivete might propel him to try to fix some of the things that are wrong in American politics today.

It really bothered me the amount of time Pete Ricketts focused on the support Dan Osborn is getting from Democrats. The head of the Nebraska Democratic Party, Jane Kleeb, and other high-ranking Dems were at the debate. But those Democrats are constituents of the Senator as well.

As I watched the businessman and the worker go at each other, I couldn’t help but think that they both need each other. Without the workers, the companies go down the toilet. But without the businessman, there aren’t any jobs in the first place.

I know Senator Ricketts thinks that government should be run like a business. Did he look down on his employees at TD Ameritrade the way he looks down on Democrats? Are the players on the Cubs costing him money or making him money?

Both sides need to work together in business, and they need to work together in politics too.

I’ll reiterate what Dan Osborn said: “A good idea is a good idea.”

I doubt the debate changed anyone’s minds. And I’m sure that the Ricketts campaign will continue to try to portray Dan as a Democrat and stoke the culture war fears.

If I were handicapping this race right now, I’d put the odds at even money, but we’re only rounding the second turn. I have no doubt it’s going to get a lot more intense when we head into the home stretch towards the finish line.

Perhaps it was fitting that the debate was held next door to a casino after all.

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.

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