ELECTORAL COLLEGE

The Mini-Mart at the Center of the Universe

Disturbances in the Nebraska CD-2 vortex

Photo by on

This article is a follow-up from The Unsung Hero of a Biden Victory: Nebraska CD-2, published on December 16th, 2020. To read this article, click here.

In the middle of the day
There’s a young man rolling around in the earth and rain
“Hey mister, if you’re gonna walk on water
You know, you’re only gonna walk all over me”

Omaha, somewhere in middle America
Get right to the heart of matters
It’s the heart that matters more
I think you’d better turn your ticket in
And get your money back at the door

Oh, sweet Omaha
Sunday morning, I’m coming home today
- Omaha, by the Counting Crows (selected lyrics)

Zoom in: 45th and L Street

There’s an unassuming mini-mart at the corner of 45th and L Street. It didn’t ask to be at the center of the universe, but it is. Mostly working-class folks gas up, buy a pack of smokes or a six-pack, and are on their way. You can even play the slots if you’re feeling lucky. My connection to this mini-mart is that my brother worked the night shift there for a while over two decades ago, and he was once held up at gunpoint for the meager contents of the register.