Monday mornings on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning have a way of feeling like a community meeting you didn’t know you needed — and this past episode was no exception. With Nebraska’s primary election just hours away, hosts Paul B. and Buddy to God opened the week with the kind of honest, grounded conversation that keeps their audience coming back. From a packed weekend in the community to a deep dive into the ballot with political analyst Precious McKesson, the show delivered everything from voting logistics to some genuinely candid takes on the state of democracy.
The hosts kicked things off by recapping a whirlwind weekend. The Vikings of Distinction ceremony, the Empowerment Network’s Rebuilding the Village Conference, and the kickoff of Content Creator Camp all drew community energy and attention. Paul B. also took a quiet moment to reflect on something more personal — the simple gift of being close to his mother again.
“Me and my mom lived apart from each other for a lot of years,” he shared. “So for me to be in Omaha, her to be in Omaha, and be able to see her on a regular basis is different. Really interesting, especially as a grown person now.”
It was a tender aside that set a human tone for the rest of the morning. But the conversation quickly turned to weightier matters. Buddy to God raised concerns about a coordinated push for a constitutional convention, warning that the effort felt less like civic process and more like political maneuvering. “It feels like they’re trying to redistrict their way into a 33-state majority so they can call a constitutional convention and legally change the constitution,” he said. Viewer Marla Harrison echoed the concern from a different angle, writing in: “White people don’t realize that dismantling most of the Constitution is going to hurt them more than us. Remember, Italians, Irish, and Greeks weren’t considered white.”
The hosts also addressed a local news item that caught everyone off guard — word that 17 Americans from a cruise ship were being quarantined at an Omaha medical facility. Buddy admitted it hit differently once the city’s name came up. And in the chat, viewer Pops offered a historical note: “I think Legionnaire’s disease began on cruise ships and spread like wildfire. I hope this one does not do the same.”
The heart of the episode, though, belonged to Precious McKesson, whose recurring segment “Politicin’ with P” has become must-see television for anyone trying to stay sharp on local and national politics. With the May 12 Nebraska primary just a day away, she arrived with both urgency and clarity — and she didn’t waste a second of airtime.
McKesson started by walking listeners through voting basics that too many people don’t know. Mail-in ballot holders, she explained, cannot simply show up at a polling place — they need to drop their ballots at an election commission box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Her advice? Don’t wait. “Get it in today so you can be in the first round of numbers when they drop results,” she said. And for independent voters wanting to participate in the Democratic primary, the path is simpler than many realize. “You have to ask for a Democratic ballot,” McKesson explained. “We are, if I’m not mistaken, the only party that allows independents to vote on our ballot.”
She also reminded the audience that the primary ballot extends well beyond the Congressional District 2 race that’s drawn national attention. The U.S. Senate seat, the Governor’s race, the Attorney General’s office, the Douglas County Attorney, the sheriff’s race, and legislative seats — 17 of them, by the Nebraska Democratic Party’s goal — are all in play. Some of those down-ballot races, she pointed out, won’t appear on the general election ballot at all, making tomorrow the only chance to weigh in.
On the national picture, McKesson didn’t mince words. “What we’re seeing right now is truly going back to the Jim Crow era,” she said. “They can’t win without cheating. And this is why I have a problem when people will sit behind keyboards and say whatever they have to say but won’t get out and vote.” Viewer Anthony Rogers Wright added important strategic context in the chat: “The first strategy is to stop being too drunk on federal elections. We need to learn from the right — when they got trounced by Obama in 2008, they shifted to a state and local strategy.” It was a point McKesson would likely agree with wholeheartedly.
Paul B. brought his own candor to the turnout conversation, noting a disparity he’s observed firsthand. “Do you know how many white Republican folks that I know that just go vote? They don’t even know who they’re voting for half the time. They just see the R and hit the R and keep it moving. With us, if we ain’t with it and don’t know nothing about it, we won’t even bother.” It’s the kind of observation that stings a little — because it’s true enough to take seriously.
McKesson also made a pointed call to candidates who seek out Black media platforms: show up with more than your talking points. “Don’t go on their platform and capitalize on their platform without investing in it,” she said firmly, noting that the Nebraska Democratic Party stands behind that position. “If you see me on here, I need to do some media buy — I’m going to show up because this platform is important.”
She closed with a message that felt both like a challenge and an invitation. “They are trying to erase our history and we are letting them when we don’t show up at the polls,” McKesson said. “We vote people into office — they work for us, we don’t work for them. If we start talking to each other and say, ‘Hey, how do we work together instead of working against each other,’ I think we’ll see a lot more work being done.”
Viewer Marla Harrison summed up the morning simply at the end: “Great show, brothers.” Hard to argue with that.
If this episode is any indication, 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning continues to be one of the most important conversations happening in this city. Tune in next time — your community needs you in the room.
