Allegations of extreme views during Nebraska floods, bloody deal
LINCOLN — U.S. Rep. Mike Flood and his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Carol Blood, engaged in a lengthy debate Sunday, arguing that the other side was more extreme, Out of touch with voters.
Flood, who is seeking a second full term in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, said his election would “turn a new page” in 2022 for “Washington’s ultra-liberal agenda,” which he said was “bloody Plan” will follow closely. Bullard said Flood had fostered “excessive partisanship” and inaction during his time in Congress and that she would not follow Democrats.
U.S. Rep. Mike Fraula, ahead of Nebraska’s first congressional district election this fall, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Nebraska Public Media studios in Lincoln, Neb. Mike Flood and Democratic challenger Bellevue state Sen. Carol Blood began an hour-long debate. (Screenshot of Nebraska Public Media live broadcast)
“My opponent has endorsed Kamala Harris, and if she goes to Washington, she will be a rubber stamp for the Democratic Party, which will be bad for Nebraska,” Flood said.
“You can go on and on about Kamala Harris, I don’t know her personally and I don’t think she’s standing here debating Congressman Flood,” Bullard said.
The two candidates answered more than a dozen questions in an hour-long debate hosted by Nebraska Public Media at its Lincoln studios and in partnership with the Nebraska Examiner, In partnership with the Lincoln Star-Telegram, the Omaha World-Herald and KRVN Rural Radio Network. No live audience was present.
Aaron Sandford, political reporter for the Nebraska Observer, moderated the debate. A panel of three local journalists serve as moderators: Kassidy Arena (Nebraska Public Media), Chris Dunker (Lincoln Magazine Star) and Dave Schroeder (KRVN).
foreign policy
One of the topics on which the candidates divide most involves foreign policy, including their views on the Israel-Hamas war, including a possible ceasefire and national security threats.
Bullard said people must remember the innocent bystanders caught in the Middle East conflicts and they must be protected. She said everything the United States does should support these people and move toward peace.
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Norfolk, the 2024 Republican candidate for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, with state Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue Interviewed by reporters after the debate. September 15, 2024.
Flood said he supports Israel and described the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, as “their 9/11.” He said Israel had the right to retaliate and “annihilate Hamas” and said the war extended to relations with Iran.
“War is terrible. War is unfair. War is abhorrent,” Vlad said. “But when a putrid-animal terrorist group like Hamas does what they did on October 7, we have no choice. They must be eradicated.”
Bullard said she agreed what happened last October was horrific, but said Congress rarely talks about the “innocent people” killed by Hamas and Israeli forces.
“We have to protect people who have nothing to do with this conflict but who happen to be living there, trying to survive and provide for their families,” Bullard said.
national security and immigration
Bullard said she considers Russia to be at the top of “a long list” of national security issues that also include agricultural terrorism and protecting Nebraska’s farmers, crops and water. She said the United States should not try to appease Russia, which she said was former President Trump’s policy.
“We’re not here to be good friends,” Bullard said of Russia.
Flood said the biggest threat is China directly seeking to usurp the United States’ “superpower” status and challenge its economic power before 2050.
“China is a powerful country and they want to end the United States,” Flood said.
State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, the 2024 Democratic candidate for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, speaks with U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska Interviewed by reporters after the debate. September 15, 2024.
Flood praised Bullard for his support of Offutt Air Force Base over the years but disagreed with the push for an “awakening” or “Green New Deal” on environmental policy “in every corner” of military policy. That distracts North Korea, China and Russia, he said.
Bullard said Flood ignored the effects of climate change and the need to provide troops with all the tools necessary to take care of their families and ensure their equipment remains up to date.
Bullard said Congress also needs to get serious about funding judges and “staff on the ground” at the U.S.-Mexico border. She said asylum seekers should not have to face a year-long wait to appear in court.
Flood said he supports Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” executive order, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their applications are pending instead of waiting in the United States for certain promises the president has made to them.
Gun violence and federal legislation
On issues surrounding gun violence, including after last week’s shooting at an Omaha high school, both Flood and Blood agreed that mental health needs to continue to be a focus. Both said the Second Amendment right to bear arms needed to be preserved.
Democratic state Sen. Carol Blood and U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska will face off in the 1st Congressional District. (Photo courtesy of candidates. Capitol photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
Bullard, who served eight years in the Legislature and eight years on the Bellevue City Council, said “thoughts and prayers” are not enough and that any discussion about mental health must be preceded by action. She suggested the next steps would be secure weapons stockpiles and stronger national laws.
“Our children are more valuable than gun rights,” Bullard said. “… The murder of children every day has become the norm and we will never solve this problem unless we take action at the congressional level instead of enacting laws across America.”
Flood defended his record on mental health, pointing to his nearly 10 years in the Legislature, including six years as speaker. He said he has worked with local sheriffs and schools to increase safety funding and treat mental health as a continuum of care.
“I’m not interested in infringing on any of Nebraska’s Second Amendment rights, and I think we have to keep that in mind because it’s a right that’s given to citizens through the Bill of Rights and it’s a core value of mine,” Flood said. explain.
Other topics of note
Abortion: Flood said the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade on abortion policy was the “answer” to states’ 50-year desire to have individual policies. He praised Nebraska for passing 2011 legislation establishing the first 20-week ban in the country. Flood said he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life or health of the mother.
Bullard said there is no such thing as “abortion at or after birth,” a statement Flood said she supported and that abortion is a health care issue. She said she trusts people to work with their doctors to make the right decision. Bullard said abortion-related laws nationwide “criminalize doctors” and lead to fewer ob-gyns and clinics.
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood (center) speaks at a business forum with Nebraska’s congressional delegation in Ashland. Looking at him on the right is U.S. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska. (Aaron Sandford/Nebraska Examiner)
Artificial intelligence: Flood said he sees benefits and possible concerns about artificial intelligence, noting that the software could potentially help new customers with no credit history determine their creditworthiness. However, he said he is concerned that artificial intelligence could exploit certain biases and promote discrimination in violation of federal law.
Bullard said she often warned people during her tenure that artificial intelligence or robots were coming, but she said policymakers need to be educated before enacting policies. She noted that the more artificial intelligence is used, the more knowledge it possesses, and the more dangerous it can become.
Flood suggested that creators of AI models should subject their work to public scrutiny. Regulation may be needed to avoid upsetting the balance of market transactions or security, he said. Bullard said regulators need to have appropriate guidance in place before problems arise. But she said the laws could not amount to government overreach.
Student loan debt: Blood said the focus should be on “predatory loans” targeting 18-year-olds who take out loans without realizing the consequences. Flood said this is another way to avoid responsibility in order to support Democrats and Biden.
Bullard questioned why there is a double standard when it comes to providing “forgivable loans” to small businesses during the pandemic, including Flood and his Norfolk-based media organization. Flood said plumbers, carpenters and nurses should not be able to subsidize the loans of doctors, lawyers and accountants and that Biden should respect the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue.
State Senator Carol Bullard of Bellevue. February 27, 2024.
Farm policy and exports: Both candidates said Congress needs to take the farm bill seriously and that it should be updated every five years. Flood blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for being an obstacle to the bill advancing in the Senate, while Bullard said the U.S. House of Representatives needed to take its legislative authority seriously.
Flood said President Joe Biden needs to move toward foreign countries such as Mexico, while the United States looks to other markets to increase exports. Bullard said the country should continue to work with the association to find other channels in other countries for farmers to export their products.
Looking ahead to November
Bullard told reporters after the debate that her run for Congress was the last elected office she planned to run for, but said she would run for re-election if she won. She said she did not feast on “the trough of the lobby,” was not beholden to party labels, and believed “excessive partisanship is killing this country.”
Flood said after the debate that Congress differs from an officially nonpartisan legislative body because members are organized around party labels. He said if Brad sat “on the back of the bus,” she wouldn’t have an impact on what really matters.
Flood said during the debate that if voters took away one thing, it was that “the future of the country is at stake” come November. He said if Nebraskans are better off now under Biden than they were in 2020 under Trump, he invites them to vote for Blood. Otherwise, he wants to “win” those votes.
“The stakes have never been higher and the choices on the ballot have never been so stark,” Flood said.
Bullard said Flood helps illustrate the “hyper-partisanship” she is seeking to defeat. She said Congress and the country must move beyond a “nanny government” and respect the rights and freedoms of Nebraskans.
“We have to stop putting politics before people,” Bullard said.
Get the morning’s top stories delivered to your inbox
subscription
