Here are some updated statistics with accompanying charts that demonstrate the sad state that the NDP currently finds itself. Over the past 36 years, the NDP has gone from having a membership of near parity with the NEGOP to amounting to less than 1/3rd of all registered voters in the state.

All annual data is derived from the Nebraska Secretary of State Canvas books for general election results except that for 2016 comes from data collected just prior to the recent primary election. What becomes obvious is that the NEGOP has shown a small amount of growth, but the NDP continues its slide to the bottom. Nonpartisan voters will soon outnumber Democrats in this state if something drastic doesn't turn things around.

I believe that the inclusion of the many Bernie Sanders supporters that were, until very recently, registered as Independents may swell the NDP's ranks. However, if the party treats these newcomers with the kind of mindless disrespect that appears to be happening in some places, they will go away and the NDP will continue to rot.

The future belongs to the younger people. They are the ones that will live in the world we create today. Let us old timers step aside and welcome these kids that have a fire in their bellies and a willingness to step up and do the hard work it takes to become a successful party. Too many of today's NDP members have become too soft, with their sense of entitlement to the positions they have held for far too long. It is time to get out of the way and watch the Revolution begin!

Registered Voters by Party Affiliation in Nebraska 

Year	Republican	Democrat	Nonpartisan	Other Parties	Total	R %	D %	Nonpartisan %
1980	424,963	376,534	54,471	214	856,182	49.63%	43.98%	6.39%
1982	416,938	362,188	52,995	0	832,121	50.11%	43.53%	6.37%
1984	454,546	386,465	61,524	91	902,626	50.36%	42.82%	6.83%
1986	435,289	359,281	55,192	0	849,762	51.22%	42.28%	6.49%
1988	435,472	378,360	65,019	138	878,989	49.54%	43.04%	7.41%
1990	449,335	374,023	67,221	0	890,579	50.45%	42.00%	7.55%
1992	464,955	389,102	97,144	194	951,395	48.87%	40.90%	10.23%
1994	456,399	365,872	97,050	0	919,321	49.65%	39.80%	10.56%
1996	502,038	384,887	127,894	239	1,015,058	49.46%	37.92%	12.62%
1998	521,137	390,776	144,183	255	1,056,351	49.33%	36.99%	13.67%
2000	537,605	392,344	153,088	2,180	1,085,217	49.54%	36.15%	14.31%
2002	543,935	381,991	152,874	4,744	1,083,544	50.20%	35.25%	14.55%
2004	544,979	378,157	157,021	7,685	1,087,842	50.10%	34.76%	15.14%
2006	573,016	370,724	187,060	7,622	1,138,422	50.33%	32.56%	17.10%
2008	558,308	393,468	195,459	10,110	1,157,345	48.24%	34.00%	17.76%
2010	549,011	380,252	212,461	333	1,142,057	48.07%	33.30%	18.63%
2012	558,145	374,075	228,361	3,290	1,163,871	47.96%	32.14%	19.90%
2014	559,364	357,835	235,922	5,719	1,158,840	48.27%	30.88%	20.85%
2016	564,721	359,829	233,410	7,411	1,165,371	48.46%	30.88%	20.66%

A Blast from the Past

While digging through some of my old archives, looking for some data to update the charts in another post down below, I came across this letter that was included in the packets distributed to all of the delegates to the 2014 NDP State Convention. At least, it was supposed to have been. It was my bid to become the State Chair of the NDP.

I am amazed how everything I wrote about then hold true today. The difference being, with the advent of an army of Bernie Sanders delegates, the things I wanted to change are now, possibly within grasp.

While I no longer am seeking the post, I hope that someone, with all the right credentials, may arise from the Sander's camp to take the reins of the NDP in hand and guide it to a brighter future. Anyway, I hope you all might enjoy reading this, unless, of course, you are one of those that are part of the problem, and not the solution.

Fellow delegates to the 2014 NDP State Convention,

Our Constitution says that we are the “supreme governing body of the Nebraska Democratic Party.” We are the only representatives to our party that are elected according to the statutes of the State of Nebraska. And yet - unless you are elected here as one of our party’s officers, as a delegate to the State Central Committee, or are chosen to represent one of the various affiliated organizations privileged to occupy a seat on the State Executive Committee - once you leave here this weekend, your work is done and your “authority” is nullified by the aforementioned.

This is the fourth State Convention that I will have attended as a delegate. I have also served as the Chair of my county, as a State Central Committee Delegate, as the Associate Chair of the 3rd CD, and have served on numerous committees over the years. I was instrumental in the formation of the 3rd CD Organization, and have served in a variety of roles within it. I have, until recently, taken an extended hiatus from party politics. I will admit that, for some persons of authority within the NDP, I was a particularly uncomfortable presence. I believe strongly in holding the feet of those in charge to the fire. I do not tolerate those that abuse their roles to satisfy personal agendas over that of the people that elected them as representatives.

I have been particularly upset with the numerous times I have seen the State Convention and the State Central Committee pass resolutions or bylaws that were immediately relegated to the trash bin as they were uncomfortable for those behind the curtains. Actions demanded by the State Central Committee were often totally ignored by the State Chair and the Executive Committee - those whom our Constitution says are subordinate to them. I have witnessed out and out violations of our Constitution and Bylaws. Our resolutions and our party platform are universally ignored despite the Constitution’s demand that they be promoted. It is time for such things to end.

As your State Chair I would hope to return the NDP to its glory days such as in the early ‘90s when Democrats counted two Senators, one Congressman, a Governor and Lt. Governor, a State Treasurer and a State Auditor. Since 1980 we have seen a consistent decline in the percentage of Nebraska voters registered as Democrats. Back then we were nearly nose and nose with the Republicans, holding 48.85% of all registrants. After the recent primaries, our numbers have declined to an all time low of 31.15%. Most recently we have been able to count ZERO federal or statewide offices held by Democrats and we have lost the office of mayor in Omaha. This is not the kind of “continuity” I envision as being healthy for our  party.

I would love to tell you that by electing me as your State Chair everything would immediately turn around and our party would enjoy unheard of successes. I would be a fool to promise that. What I will promise you is that, as your State Chair, I would recognize my role as the least important Democrat in the state, because I would be subservient to you all. For me, the most important Democrat in this state isn’t the highest office holder, it is the common registered Democratic voter. All of us that are here for this State Convention, each of you that will serve on the State Central Committee, and every member of the State Executive Committee or the various other committees would be reminded by me that you are here to serve your fellow Democrats, not to take advantage of them, or to lord your “power” over them. I would demand hard work from each and every one of you, and I would hold people responsible for their duties as they are described in our Constitution and Bylaws, not merely according to my whim.

We have an awful lot of work to do. That work is rebuilding the Nebraska Democratic Party from the ignoble state that it is in today. What needs to be done is mostly on the local level. I see the NDP office as a place that should provide help wherever it is needed, not merely a site for fundraising and event planning. We can hold all of the self-congratulatory dinners we want to, but they don’t elect Democrats to office. We can hold fund-raiser after fund-raiser, inviting those who are already in our fold, but we will not grow our party by rubbing elbows with each other - there are too few of us!

Those counties and organizations that are already well organized don’t need interference from the state office. Our resources are needed to help grow in areas where there has been too little activity by our leadership. The requirements of the vast rural areas of our state are far different than those in Lincoln and Omaha. We need to develop strategies that will enhance our presence in those areas dominated by the GOP today.

What I propose is a revolution. It will be uncomfortable for some folks that are entrenched in their cushy roles in the party, as it should be. The alternative is more of the same “continuity” which will result in 3rd party and Independent voters outnumbering Democrats in this state by 2020. I’m not so much into golf tournaments and fancy dinners as I am getting down into the trenches and fighting for what we, Nebraska’s Democrats, stand for. Elect me and I won’t lead from the rear.

Are you up to it?

Brian T. Osborn

CA Dems put legalization of medical marijuana in their platform

Today I read that the Democrats in California have made the legalization of medical marijuana a part of their platform. This reminds me of the resolution that I put forth at the 2010 Nebraska Democratic Party State Convention (the NDP's "Supreme Governing Body" according to its Constitution) that stated quite simply, "The Nebraska Democratic Party supports and promotes the legalization of medicinal marijuana." That, by the way, passed almost unanimously.

Of course the people who run the NDP, not its elected majority, but the few oligarchs that REALLY run the show, put the kibosh on that. We can't, after all, have a political party doing what its collective membership has democratically decided to do. The will of the ruling class is so clearly superior to that of the rubes that elected their representatives at their county conventions. The oligarchy's right to veto or ignore the will of the electorate is manifestly evident. Proof of that is the extraordinary number of federal and statewide offices filled by successful candidates from the NDP, due exclusively to their wise guidance.

Answer #2 to "Why a political party?"

My second answer to my question I posted on the Nebraska Democratic Party CD3 Facebook page of "why does a political party exist?" 

#2 (with more to follow): A political party exists to serve its membership by providing up-to-date information and all means of support that its membership requires.

 A political party should provide a useful service that is attuned to the needs of its adherents. This means that all documents, policies, rules, etc. that delineate the rights and responsibilities of the various officers and members are kept up to date and made readily available to all of its members at all times. It should be responsible for doing all it can to assist its constituents in the sharing of ideas and following their wishes in how the party is governed. It should serve as a hub for the free flow of communication and sharing of ideas and opinions. What we currently have within the NDP is an office in Lincoln that serves to suck money out of every Nebraska Democrat that it can, a center that disseminates propaganda generated by a very few "authorized" spokesmen of the party, a leader that continues a policy of censorship against any party members that hold heretical thoughts, and an absolute dearth of current, necessary information. 

A county chair or committee that exists outside of Lincoln or Omaha has practically no influence over the guidance of our party. They also have practically no access to the tools that they actually need. The are given a Vote Builder that may be helpful in the cities, but is absolutely worthless in the rural areas. Help that does come is usually late and inappropriate. I remember getting a packet of materials for our county fair two weeks after it was over, mostly consisting of flyers to sign up and send your dollars to the state office. This did nothing to help us in my county. 

The NDP website is a disgrace. The current NDP Constitution and Bylaws has not been updated. The one displayed, if you can find it, was approved by the 2010 State Convention. The lists of officers, county chairs, SCC and SEC members, committee members, etc. is all outdated. The website serves only to put out propaganda from the hierarchy. There is nowhere on there that a common registered Democrat can have his/her voice heard. And as far as I am concerned, the common registered Democrat in this state is our party's "most important Democrat." 

We have an excellent opportunity to place a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion and to send three Democratic Representatives and one Senator to Washington in 2014. We need to find valid candidates for the Unicameral and all of the open statewide offices as well. But if a common Democrat in this state can't even find the information of how to go about it, what good has our party done them? Most Nebraska Democrats only know the party as that pain-in-the-ass that keeps begging them for money.

Answer #1 to "Why a political party?"

My first answer to my question I posed on the Nebraska Democratic Party CD3 Facebook page of "why does a political party exist?"

#1 (with more to follow): A political party exists to advance the philosophies, ideals and principles of its membership.

A political party should use its resources to educate the voting populace about the things its adherents collectively have agreed upon, as embodied in its Constitution, its Bylaws, its Platform, and its Resolutions.

The Nebraska Democratic Party has become an organization that follows the will of what some of its "leaders" have called its "most important Democrats," i.e. its elected politicians or its candidates. Rather than selecting candidates that subscribe to what the party's legally elected delegates have debated and agreed to, the party hierarchy has subjugated the will of the party members to the whims of the candidates. They have put the cart before the horse.

Our party has a roadmap to the future, but if those holding the reins fail to follow it, they then bear the blame for straying from the road and leading the team off the cliff. Those members who were elected by their counties to represent them at our State Conventions, then go there just to hobnob with the bigwigs, listen to speakers while clapping mindlessly, eat the free donuts and fill a seat only to rubber stamp the will of others, are guilty of having allowed our party to decay into its present state of irrelevance. Those who were elected to fill the positions as members of the State Central Committee but merely sit on their hands without ever questioning anything, nor advancing any fresh ideas are guilty of abandoning the duties they were entrusted with. Those who were chosen to sit on the State Executive Committee but then feel they have the authority to usurp the power of the SCC or the State Convention are traitors to our party. Those who use their offices for the mere exercise of their "power" over others are nothing but egomaniacal cancers within our party.

Being elected to an office means having to serve others, not having them serve you. Anyone that has made promises to win a position within our party, and then not attempted to succeed in fulfilling those promises is just a liar and a thief. They lied to get the job, then have stolen the opportunity from someone else might have had the wherewithal to actually serve their constituents.

I am no longer willing to hold my tongue, acerbic as it may be, because there is too much at stake for me to remain silent. The woman that kept interrupting me at the meeting in G.I. once told be to take my copy of the NDP Constitution and throw it in the wastepaper basket because I insisted that we should be following it. And yet, she continues to pretend to be a "leader" of this party. People like her serve only themselves, NOT the registered Democratic voters of this state. It is time we elected people to the roles of leadership within our party that are willing to do the hard work of advancing the causes that Nebraska's Democrats have collectively decided to support.

If we are to become a party that WINS elections in this state, then we must become a party that is willing to FIGHT. Sometimes, that will mean having to fight amongst ourselves. If we can't do that, then we deserve to lose.

Question: Why a political party?

(This is a post I recently wrote on the Nebraska Democrats CD3 Facebook page)

At our last CDO3 meeting, just before lunch, hoping that it would create at least a modicum of debate, perhaps some thought, perhaps some introspection: I asked, "What is the purpose of a political party?"

My query was greeted as though I had asked everyone to swallow a turd. Did anyone take me up on it? Nobody approached me with their thoughts on the topic. Not one person indicated that they had given it the slightest consideration.

Because of this kind of response, I am given to thinking that perhaps none of those present really cares about questioning what the true purpose of our party is. I am often told that it is to "elect Democrats." Well ... we have been failing quite miserably at that, haven't we?

There is currently not a single federal or statewide elected official from our party. Can anyone honestly tell me that what we have been doing is being done right? If so, where is the evidence? I sure as hell don't see it.

Later, at the same meeting, I queried a representative of the state party why my thoughts are still censored from the NDP Facebook page. I was given the usual, "We'll look into it." Well, I'm still blocked from participating there.

While I was discussing this, one person from Hastings rudely interrupted me, as she does to practically anyone who dares to disagree with her. Another woman, from Grand Island, invited me to "Take it outside."

Honestly, I ask each of you, is THIS the kind of party we have become, one in which you either toe the ideological line set by a few, or get the hell out? Do we hold the moral authority to use the word "Democratic" in our name when debate is stifled and those with diverse views are ostracized and marginalized from our party? Are we nothing but sheeple - gutless followers of those who dictate the direction our party takes without ever having achieved any kind of consensus from us?

I'm going to ask you all again, "What is the purpose of a political party?" If I receive no replies, then I'll have to assume that you all haven't a clue.