" I smell a rat. What is the basis for this article if the NRCC has not confirmed any activity? Don Walton obviously knows something that we don't. I suppose that it should be obvious that the GOP is worried that Smith is a weak candidate despite his clear lead in campaign contributions, but again I ask, what is the basis for this article? "

" To answer the dear readers' curiosity, I uncovered this factoid reported by our D. Walton last Monday in the LJS: "In a communication sent last week seeking volunteers to help Smith turn out the GOP vote, Republican State Chairman Mark Quandahl wrote: “The 3rd District congressional race is going to close.”" I suspect this is his basis for this column. Fair enough. My apologies to Don. "

" There is simply no comparison between these two candidates. If 3rd District residents vote for the man, and not the party, then Scott Kleeb should be a shoo-in. "

" Maybe Nebraskans are finally waking up and don't want the same old same old. It's time for a change! "

" So often in political races we don't vote FOR a candidate as much as we vote AGAINST one. I don't want a congressman embarrassing Nebraska in D.C., and based on smith's performance in our legislature, that is very likely to happen. Kleeb can do the job, smith can't. Vote for the man, not the party.....................please! "

" Western and central Nebraska haven't seen progress citizens deserved for decades. Adrian Smith's work in the Unicameral was less than stellar ...is there a new docter for the House? "

" Regardless of what you think about Scott Kleeb, consider what you are getting if you vote for Adrian Smith. He is not a leader. The only legislation he wrote that became a law was his firecracker bill. This year, he skipped 50% of the Legislature's votes, so that he could campaign. Who was he serving there? Not his district and not the state - - he was serving himself. Ever wonder why he never elaborates on what exactly his "small business" is? His "small business" is owning a couple of storage lockers. No payroll; no families dependent on him as a supervisor or business leader; no major decisions that he himself must make. And contrary to what the Grand Island Independent wrote, Smith is NOT a "former schoolteacher." He has never been a teacher. He admitted this in the most recent debate. Please don't send a dunce to Congress. Vote for Kleeb, vote for a ham sandwich if you like, or leave that part of your ballot blank - - but don't vote for Adrian Smith just because he's there. Politicians should earn our votes, and someone who wants our votes just because they are of a particular party has not earned our vote - - or our trust. "

" Citizens of the third district are realizing "Thou shalt not kill" and "Love your neighbor" have global implications. "Do to others what you would want done to you" is about telling the truth, having government protect soldiers before putting them into unjustified battles. Choice is a matter the GOP has ignored and it takes people like Micheal J. Fox to stand up for research and Hope. Hope Republicans squandered on so many levels. "

" Ricketts and Smith could be a weak team for the 3rd district, a tough mind and intellect are needed to protect and preserve values. Don't take soldiers lives without justificatin; Representative Bereuter called the war in Iraq unjustified and was tired of politics in Washington. We hold the self evidence that all men are created equal, life, liberty and the right of soldiers to place Trust in leadership should never be betrayed...change is needed when Trust has been betrayed and good ole boy politics promotes the same old from within. "

" Fence-Fixing doctors are are to find, I believe Dr. Cherry in Bassett is one of the leaders in the state who knows the challenges and rewards of ranchers. Dr. Kleeb is more than a ranch hand, he is the hope for change in Washington and stewardship that has left rural Nebraskans behind. Hope and Trust are keys to democracy and leadership, Washington needs practical men who can mend political fences and rise up to challenges communities and the state has in a complex wporld. "

" Kleeb is the right man. He will look past party affiliation and will work for the good of the Nebraskans in the 3rd district. The Right to Life Pac has already spread it's lies by quoting "Scott Kleeb supports a policy of abortion on demand, which allows abortion for any reason." They don't mention how Kleeb does not fall under dualistic sides of prolife and prochoice. He said that he would do everything he could to reduce abortions. "

" Yep we need Dr. Kleeb. Smith is too shallow. "

" Being from the third district and a recent graduate of UNL, I will not return to the third district if Kleeb wins. Those who support Kleeb do not see past his superficial facade. He does not support my values; in fact he supports the flip side; a pro-choice, pro-civil union, ultra-liberal platform. If he could answer a question directly maybe others would see through it too. Instead, he'll tell you a long-winded story completely off topic from the question. I've lived in the 3rd district for 20-plus years and I do not know all the issues that stretch from corner to corner. I doubt in Kleeb's vast experience of being in Nebraska this past year he'll know what it takes to represent my thoughts and passions for the part of Nebraska I call home. "

" Independent not bound to extremist views, is what 3rd district citizens are calling for, their choice of Kleeb isn't a surprise or an urban myth. Real citizen needs and a real voice for the people are what Kleeb and his family have sttod for, both candidates are in their thirties but only one has insight into the military and foreign relations. "

" There maybe some in the 3rd District who are giddy about a non-resident liberal politician from Conneticut, but the vast majority of 3rd District voters want a representative who believes in the sanctity of live, of marriage between a man and a woman, and that the death tax should remain a tax of the past. Adrian Smith is a bright, young, and yet very experienced legislator who perfectly fits the kind of representative we want in Congress. But mostly, we prefer to send a 3rd District Nebraskan to be our representative. "

" Some progressive leadership for the 3rd District would be a breath of fresh air. But come on. It's not even a fair fight out there. The reactionary, myopic, superstitious voting majority in the third district will continue to vote against their self-interests -- as they have done, almost on auto-pilot, their entire lives -- and dutifully select the empty-headed Republican in the Navy-blue suit with the American flag lapel pin. Why? They don't know, except that somewhere burned into their back of their minds is the misnomer "traditional Nebraska values," and they've been conditioned over the decades to associate that empty term with the GOP's ongoing efforts to preserve the nostalgia for a way of life that never really existed.

The phrase "sanctity of life" really cracks me up, too. That's right out of the Republican House Campaign Playbook and people should recognize it as a throwaway phrase that appeals to hard-right religious fundamentalists. Man, wouldn't it be great to see the good, Christian people of the 3rd District realize that it's high time to take back the co-opting of their religion's name from a narrow sect of evangelical hard-liners whose sole purpose is to push their radical agendas onto the whole of society? Wouldn't it be cool if on Nov. 7, a majority out there woke up to the fact that they've been duped and betrayed by the GOP all this time through the use of hot-button social wedge issues they have no intention of doing anything about? And that electing Adrian Smith would just continue that same dubious pattern? Yeah, that would be cool ... but I figure the 3rd District majority will get exactly what it deserves come Nov. 8. His name is Adrian Smith. "

" Gone Country, 2:35 PM: Doesn't it bother you that Smith cancelled his appearance at the last debate in GI on the 23rd? Isn't that the true definition of "not giving a straight answer"?--it's no answers at all. And instead of attacking Kleeb by trying that old worn out "he's ultra liberal" jab, why not actually look at the issues? If you did, you'd find he's pro-life and believes marriage is between a man and a woman. And I'd recommend that you look at the Club for Growth's web page. You'll find that Smith's picture is on the front page, and that the Club for Growth prides itself in being able to control its candidates. It sends them "warnings" about upcoming votes that the Club cares about and it's willing to support other candidates in upcoming primaries if its current candidates don't vote properly. Check it out at: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/howfind.php. Question is: Does Smith have your values? Is blindly toeing the Club for Growth line--and getting rid of farm subsidies in Nebraska--what 3rd district values are about? "

" Gone Country all you need is a little maturity and a few scars. Your view of the world will change. "

" I have lived 27 years in the 3rd district and don't profess to know all the issues at hand in our great state. I vote in every election, have interned with the Unicam. and still have a lot to learn. The "Rhinestone Cowboy" doesn't begin to have a clue...not only about the issues...but a real cowboy wears Wranglers and knows to keep his heels down too....especially when the cameras are rolling. "

" Smith has no idea how to lead or help Nebraska. Even though he has lived in Nebraska most of his life. He has taken money from a the Club for Growth, a group that wants to destroy farm subsidies, and the 3rd district needs those subsidies. He is in the backpocket of special interest and Republican Party. Look at Smith's record in the State house. Out of the many bills he proposed one passed and that was a law not requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets. In 8 years that is all he got done. The 3rd district needs an independent like Kleeb. If Kleeb gets elected he knows he has to be independent and vote in the 3rd district's best interest or he will get voted out in 2 years. Smith wont do that and thats a fact. "

" getting rid of farm subs worked for all farmers in Canada...the average joe farm boy is getting rich based on the supply-demand economics "