As I sit here on Sunday afternoon, I am trying to find ways to get the Husker football loss out of my mind. I came up with two positives. First, the Huskers have a bye next week, so the odds of a loss this week is very low. Second, come Wednesday morning, all the political ads, text messages, phone calls, and emails will come to an end. Halleluiah!!

Just imagine if every political ad was fact-checked and ambiguous statements required context. That would significantly change the content of many political ads. However, it is instead up to the viewer to determine the truth from misleading statements and outright lies.

One of my favorite promises is how candidates will fix the border problem, our national debt, every other decade-old problem that ails America. If it were that easy, it would have already been solved. At the federal level, we have the Presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The President has the power to issue certain executive orders, but those are generally limited. The U.S. Senate consists of 100 members, two from each state. Control of the U.S. Senate is determined by which political party has the majority of the members. Any registered Independents can choose to caucus with one party or the other. They then are counted in the total of the party they caucus with in determining a majority. In the event of a tie vote, the Vice President breaks the tie.

It is also important to note that the U.S. Senate must confirm any appointments to the Supreme Court made by the President. If your political party does not control the Senate and the Presidency, getting a Supreme Court justice confirmed becomes virtually impossible if they have strong political leanings. Also, keep in mind that “seniority” is huge at the national level. It is seniority that determines key committee appointments and chairmanships. We all want to vote for the person but don’t forget the impact that political parties have at the national level.

When it comes to passing legislation, keep in mind that your bill must pass both houses of Congress, and get signed by the President. Since most bills are combined into several other bills before final passage, it is very possible that you will be forced to choose if the bad parts of the bill outweigh the good parts of the bill if you vote yes. But rest assured, your future opponent will be sure to point out that you voted for a bill that had the bad components in it without pointing out the positive components. That is how politics works.

At the state level, we have one house (Unicameral) that is made up of 49 state senators. Each senator represents a roughly equal number of constituents. As the state’s rural areas have lost population, the geographic size of the districts has grown. The Unicameral is non-partisan, meaning that you do not run as a Republican or a Democrat. However, political parties do play a role behind the scenes and we’re all aware of other Senator’s party affiliations. The state is divided into three caucuses. Caucus lines are determined by the lines of the legislative districts, but are relatively similar to Nebraska’s three Congressional Districts. The third caucus is represented by 16 state senators, as is the first district, and the second district is represented by the remaining 17 senators. Membership of the 14 standing committees includes members from each caucus to ensure equal representation.

If you want to pass meaningful legislation with an element of controversy, it is imperative to know that you can get 32 other state Senators to join in voting for cloture (to stop a filibuster). The battle lines are clear between conservative vs progressives, and rural vs urban. If you can build relationships, and navigate those challenges, you can get legislation passed at the state level. But just remember: If it was easy, it would already be done.

If you have not yet voted, I encourage you to do so. Every vote counts, and votes are particularly impactful at the local level. And, remember, advertisements do not always tell the entire story.

It is a privilege to represent you in the Nebraska Legislature, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding issues that are important to you. I can be reached at 402-471-2729 or by emailing me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov.