Entertainment, football and politics

A colleague once said that Nebraska football is what happens between sessions of the Legislature. Note that I didn't distinguish college football. Perhaps some of that and a lot of political football as well.

With the opening of Lincoln's new sports and entertainment venue -- The Pinnacle Bank Arena -- there are a number of common threads adding to the entertainment that football and politics have to offer.

Let's start with the entertainment. Michael Buble, a young performer who has brought big band classic songs to a new generation, was the opening act at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. He introduced football to the occasion when he recognized Jack Hoffman -- the popular Nebraska poster child for pediatric brain cancer awareness -- and showed the now viral and ever popular video of Jack making a touchdown on the Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium during the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers Spring Game. He followed that with his rendition of "Try a Little Tenderness," a song written in the early part of the last Century by Irving King and popularized years later by soul singer Otis ("Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay") Redding.

Buble's performance came the night before the UCLA Bruins refused to show any tenderness to the Cornhuskers -- who could've used a couple Team Jack touchdowns in the second half -- and succeeded in knocking the struggling Huskers out of the national polls, a rare occurrence in the past 40-plus years.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle Bank Chairman Sid Dinsdale was busy tossing his hat into the Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mike Johanns. Dinsdale joins Omaha attorney Bart McLeay, Midland College President Ben Sasse of Fremont and former state treasurer Shane Osborn in that race. The Democrats are still looking for a candidate. Pinnacle has 71 branches in Nebraska.

Speaking of banks, Falls City businessman Charles Herbster appears to have gone a long way toward bankrolling the gubernatorial hopes of state Sen. Beau McCoy of Elkhorn, one of five Republicans seeking the nomination. Herbster, who ended his own short-lived campaign, poured about $860,000 in cash and campaign resources into McCoy's campaign.

Herbster, a southeast Nebraska cattleman who also owns a manufacturing company in Kansas City, pulled out of the race to help his wife recover from complications with surgery. His donation included $594,000 in campaign cash and $265,000 in assets such as the services of pre-paid political consultants.

The donation likely sets a record and is legal under the rules and regulations of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.

McCoy and Herbster met each other several years ago at a Nebraska Cattlemen event. Both men are strong Christians who describe themselves as men of faith. McCoy entered the race as soon as Herbster dropped out, but he said he had no idea that Herbster would eventually transfer all of his campaign dollars into his account. McCoy said he believed that Herbster couldn't return the funds to the original donors -- mostly Herbster and his company.

Accountability head Frank Daley said Nebraska law does provide that option, but there is nothing wrong with Herbster's decision to donate it to another campaign.

In an era where candidates have been known to contribute large amounts of their own cash to run, it appears that the Herbster-McCoy connection has raised that bar again.

Expect some ribbing from Sen. Ernie Chambers when the gaggle of senators who would be governor -- McCoy and Sens. Tom Carlson of Holdrege, Annette Dubas of Fullerton and Charlie Janssen of Fremont -- return to the Legislature in January. One could likely expect Common Cause and their champion, Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln, to take another shot at changing campaign finance laws as well.

Throw in the highly contested primary in May and Nebraskans will have something to do between football seasons.