Candidates trade barbs at Boys State
If there was anyone in the crowd who believed teenage disinterest in current events will end democracy as we know it, they probably walked out of Kimball Hall Thursday newborn optimists.
The two candidates for the 3rd District congressional seat being vacated by Tom Osborne squared off before more than 200 teenage participants of the American Legion’s Cornhusker Boys’ State.
Buzzed on that particularly potent strain of teenage testosterone, the high school juniors infused the normally subdued University of Nebraska-Lincoln recital hall with pep rally energy.
It would have been reasonable to expect a few jokes for the young men, platitudes about the importance of being an active citizen but few specifics from Adrian Smith and Scott Kleeb.
Not to be.
Instead, the two candidates — both young enough (their 30s) they can claim having been in high school in the not-so-distant 1980s and ’90s — were grilled by the teens with tough questions about top issues facing the state and country.
Iraq, domestic surveillance by the federal government, immigration, ethanol, climate change and one doozy about water that had six subsets of questions were among the questions popped at the candidates.
“These are amazing questions,” said Kleeb, a Democrat who works as a Sandhills ranch hand, has a doctorate from Yale in history and has acquired the nickname “Mr. November” because of his calendar-boy looks.
By the end of the more than hour-long debate, the high schoolers had more insight on differences between the two candidates than maybe any group in the state at this early point in the race, which will culminate in the November general election. Among them:
n Smith, a state senator from Gering, doubts human actions are to blame for global warming as “climate change, in large part, is a natural occurrence.” While Smith is concerned regulations to reduce emissions could hinder Nebraska economically, Kleeb suggested action needs to be taken soon to slow global warming and that “we can both be green ... and economically viable.”
n Kleeb didn’t directly answer a question about whether the federal government has overreached itself in its national security efforts and infringed on personal freedoms, but he suggested it may have. Smith, meanwhile, said, “I struggle to find abuses of the system.”
n Smith voiced strong opposition to embryonic stem-cell research, while Kleeb, speaking generally about all stem cell research, said it holds phenomenal potential and that the research “right now is being frozen.”
Their thirsts for policy positions quenched, the high schoolers craftily formatted the forum so they could watch the candidates trade barbs. They allowed the candidates to ask each other questions, an unusual occurrence for debates.
Kleeb wanted to know how Smith, campaigning in a heavily agricultural district, could have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a group that has sharply criticized farm subsidies and expressed opposition to spurring ethanol production with tax incentives. Smith accepted about $390,000 from the anti-tax group Club for Growth during the primary election campaign.
Smith, meanwhile, was curious why Kleeb decided to run for office when he had “never resided or voted in Nebraska” and chided him for attending out-of-state universities such as the University of Colorado.
“Ooooohhhhh,” the boys in the audience moaned in response.
Kleeb has deep family roots in western Nebraska but spent much of his childhood at an Army base in Italy, where his parents were teachers.
“There was some crossfire,” Mikel Shybut of North Platte said after the debate. Clearly exhilarated by the exchange, Shybut pumped his fist for emphasis. “It was just amazing — they had some tough questions.”
Reach Nate Jenkins at 473-7223 or njenkins@journalstar.com.
The two candidates for the 3rd District congressional seat being vacated by Tom Osborne squared off before more than 200 teenage participants of the American Legion’s Cornhusker Boys’ State.
Buzzed on that particularly potent strain of teenage testosterone, the high school juniors infused the normally subdued University of Nebraska-Lincoln recital hall with pep rally energy.
It would have been reasonable to expect a few jokes for the young men, platitudes about the importance of being an active citizen but few specifics from Adrian Smith and Scott Kleeb.
Not to be.
Instead, the two candidates — both young enough (their 30s) they can claim having been in high school in the not-so-distant 1980s and ’90s — were grilled by the teens with tough questions about top issues facing the state and country.
Iraq, domestic surveillance by the federal government, immigration, ethanol, climate change and one doozy about water that had six subsets of questions were among the questions popped at the candidates.
“These are amazing questions,” said Kleeb, a Democrat who works as a Sandhills ranch hand, has a doctorate from Yale in history and has acquired the nickname “Mr. November” because of his calendar-boy looks.
By the end of the more than hour-long debate, the high schoolers had more insight on differences between the two candidates than maybe any group in the state at this early point in the race, which will culminate in the November general election. Among them:
n Smith, a state senator from Gering, doubts human actions are to blame for global warming as “climate change, in large part, is a natural occurrence.” While Smith is concerned regulations to reduce emissions could hinder Nebraska economically, Kleeb suggested action needs to be taken soon to slow global warming and that “we can both be green ... and economically viable.”
n Kleeb didn’t directly answer a question about whether the federal government has overreached itself in its national security efforts and infringed on personal freedoms, but he suggested it may have. Smith, meanwhile, said, “I struggle to find abuses of the system.”
n Smith voiced strong opposition to embryonic stem-cell research, while Kleeb, speaking generally about all stem cell research, said it holds phenomenal potential and that the research “right now is being frozen.”
Their thirsts for policy positions quenched, the high schoolers craftily formatted the forum so they could watch the candidates trade barbs. They allowed the candidates to ask each other questions, an unusual occurrence for debates.
Kleeb wanted to know how Smith, campaigning in a heavily agricultural district, could have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a group that has sharply criticized farm subsidies and expressed opposition to spurring ethanol production with tax incentives. Smith accepted about $390,000 from the anti-tax group Club for Growth during the primary election campaign.
Smith, meanwhile, was curious why Kleeb decided to run for office when he had “never resided or voted in Nebraska” and chided him for attending out-of-state universities such as the University of Colorado.
“Ooooohhhhh,” the boys in the audience moaned in response.
Kleeb has deep family roots in western Nebraska but spent much of his childhood at an Army base in Italy, where his parents were teachers.
“There was some crossfire,” Mikel Shybut of North Platte said after the debate. Clearly exhilarated by the exchange, Shybut pumped his fist for emphasis. “It was just amazing — they had some tough questions.”
Reach Nate Jenkins at 473-7223 or njenkins@journalstar.com.
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