Navigation

Liberal Place: Omaha, NE
These are comments on Omaha, submitted by other Turn Left visitors. They do not necessarily represent the opinion of the webmaster. You may add a comment on Omaha if you want.
Compared to any city bordering a body of water (rivers don't count) Omaha is probably pretty conservative. But for the Midwest, it is rather liberal, at least the part of the city east of 72nd Street. Omaha has elected liberal Congressman in the past like Peter Hoagland (unfortunately, today an ultra-conservative is in office, thank the suburbs for that one). Omaha has a very progressive district called the Old Market, which caters to artistic and bohemian types. There is also a fairly active gay community, and a strong minority presence in parts of the city. State senator Ernie Chambers has single-handedly been a tireless advocate for working men and women, and other minorities. He personally filibustered to prevent Nebraska from banning gay marriages and support a bill to ban employment discrimination. Unfortunately, the conservatives may be gaining the upper hand. The recent city elections featured the narrow triumph of a conservative mayor over Brenda Council, a black woman who ran a strong, but too-clean-to-win campaign. But, give Omaha credit. The liberal part of the city is not going away, and is a breath of fresh air for anyone from the smaller Nebraska towns.

...and another comment...

When I came to Omaha in the early 1970's (I was invited to move here by a former lover), I expected to find a very conservative overgrown "hick town" where everybody is welcome, everybody, meaning those who are Caucasian, Christian, and, of course, totally het. Being only one of the three, I planned to move on if the relationship did not last.

What I found was a very diverse community of educated, articulate, fun- loving, and openminded people with a strong live-and-let-live attitude.

The one thing about Omaha residents and Liberalism, however, is that they do not like the "L word". Many claim to be conservative, but I would qualify that as a fiscal conservatism, with other "conservative" values such as the separation of church and state, the importance of means, equal rights, freedom of choice, etc.

Omaha is ethnically and religiously diverse. Omaha has long-standing and well-respected Jewish and Spanish-speaking communities. Although the city and state are mostly Republican, elected officials tend to be mixed in party afflilation and moderate to progressive in style, with a noted exception previously mentioned. Examples would be Sen. Bob Kerrey and the late Sen. Edward Zorinsky. Local and state offices are mostly nonpartisan.

Omaha has a very prominent, cohesive, and visible GLBT community. Pride parades and celebrations draw larger and larger crowds each year.

A recent incident brought national attention, where a minister of a mainstream Methodist church was dismissed by a higher church official for allegedly performing a lesbian union ceremony. Despite being cleared of charges by a church tribunal, the Bishop chose to terminate his settlement. Although there was some backlash from the right, the community as a whole was strongly supportive of the Reverend and his actions. His church was (and still is) one of two Methodist churches in Omaha to publically invite GLBT individuals to their congregations. (Side note: Although the bigots and the media tried hard to do so, they were unable to verify the sexual orientation, or even the biological sex, of the two individuals who were united. The Reverend and the community in general honored the right to privacy of those involved.)

Omaha has a stable economy. America's second richest individual lives in Omaha, in an upscale but nonpretentious midtown home. I would call Omaha a "capitalist" community, but one where the vast majority of residents think the church has no place in City Hall, and that City Hall has no place in the bedroom.

Omaha has low unemployment, a high literacy rate, and a highly-rated public school system. Cost of housing and cost of living in general is lower than in most major cities.

On the dark side, however, Omaha's public transportation is totally inadequate, mandating the use of private vehicles. Taxes tend to be on the high side in comparison to other cities of the same size. Violent crime seems to be much too high for this type of community. Local politics can be petty and frequently put those of Chicago to shame. (My pet peeve is Omaha drivers, but that's a story for a long rainy Thursday.)

  • Add a city. Be sure to tell why you think this place is liberal-friendly.

  • Comment on Omaha.

  • Go back to the master list of liberal friendly and unfriendly cities.