'Boots and Barbecue' Well Attended

Press Release

'Boots and Barbecue' Well Attended

Kleeb said that America has faced and overcome difficult challenges before by people discarding party lines and working together.

"We are past bipartisanship," he said. "The gas pump never asks you whether you're a Democrat or Republican when you fill up. Your doctor doesn't ask if you're a Democrat or Republican when he asks whether or not you have insurance. Your school doesn't care what your party is."

SIDNEY - Why is Democrat Scott Kleeb seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Chuck Hagel ®? Why is he confident that he can run a strong candidacy against Republican Mike Johanns to earn that seat in the November election? About 60 people gathered at Sidney's Legion Park on Thursday evening to listen to the candidate speak about his campaign and answer those questions.

During the "Boots and Barbecue" Tour of Nebraska undertaken by his campaign in recent days, Kleeb has been addressing voters about what he said was a very simple concept.

"I firmly believe that as a country, we can do better," the 32-year-old candidate told the gathering. "We can do better than a $9.4 trillion deficit, we can do better when it comes to our energy policy, we can do better for education … we can do better than 48 million Americans without health care coverage."

He said he was reminded of the first time he spoke in a public forum at a high school and talked to the students about the importance of the Constitution being a document of action, not simply a paper covered with words.

"We the people," he said. "We are what gives that document its power."

He explained that the reason he was running for office was because, like his grandfather, he believes in public service. He said his grandfather instilled in him that philosophy by showing that dedication in his actions, not by simply talking about it.

Saying too many politicians are seeking personal gain, the candidate said he views public office as a way to make change happen.

"Let me tell you why I am in this race," he said. "I am in this race because I've got two little girls and if we don't do anything about the (national) debt, guess who's going to inherit it?"

He talked about not wanting to put $30,000 worth of that debt on each of his children because of an "unwillingness to act."

Kleeb said that America has faced and overcome difficult challenges before by people discarding party lines and working together.

"We are past bipartisanship," he said. "The gas pump never asks you whether you're a Democrat or Republican when you fill up. Your doctor doesn't ask if you're a Democrat or Republican when he asks whether or not you have insurance. Your school doesn't care what your party is."

He said that Americans have many times proved that they can work together to achieve what others said was impossible.

He cited the example of the country using the resources to put a man on the moon after just 10 years when many so-called experts said such a feat would take twice that amount of time.

"The way we built our communities, the way we did put a man on the moon, the way we did solve whatever the question was at the time is the exact way that we are going to have to do it now," he said. "And it's not about partisanship."

He spoke about the country's energy policies and said that only by changing both production and consumption could the current situation be reversed.

He said that America has fallen behind many European nations in developing technologies that reduce independence on oil, a trend he would work to reverse.

In addition, he said Americans need to become smarter at how to use existing energy sources.

Kleeb said he believes the campaign against his opponent will be challenging but if the people of Nebraska hear his message and are willing to put hard work in to change the face of politics, he will be elected in November.

"It has to do with a simple word …," he said. "Change."

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