People keep talking about change, Raimondo says, and he’s the one who knows how to make change happen. He points to his leadership in a management buyout of Behlen in the 1980s amid two years of $7 million losses as evidence.

"You talk about change. We had to totally change production in some business units and change the market that product went into. We had to change cultures."

"We don’t talk change, we do it," Raimondo says.

...

Omaha World Herald
Sunday, May 4, 2008

Johanns, Raimondo are Strong Choices for Senate Contest

Nebraskans would be well-served this fall if the state’s U.S. Senate contest matches Republican Mike Johanns against Democrat Tony Raimondo.

These two candidates have the weightiest records. A general-election matchup between them would offer voters two contenders with impressive experience and compelling cases to make for themselves.

Johanns and Raimondo deserve approval in their parties’ respective primaries on May 13.

...

On the Democratic side, Raimondo stands out for his long record of accomplishment and civic dedication. He is a business leader who grew an international business in a small Nebraska city where skeptics told him it could not easily be done.

He has extensive firsthand experience in dealing with companies and governments around the globe. His decades of practical experience in the world of international business have given him important insight into economics, work force training and education.

In Columbus, Raimondo has earned respect as a civic leader. On a statewide level, he has been a dedicated promoter of efforts to inform young people about the employment opportunities in Nebraska’s manufacturing sector.

Raimondo is an economic conservative and a political centrist – a position on the ideological spectrum quite similar to that of his close friend, Sen. Ben Nelson. Partisans who paint Raimondo as a pure Republican who switched parties opportunistically would have a hard time explaining his long support for Nelson as his previous support for centrist candidates.

Raimondo is a competitor of unusual determination and strength. Those qualities would serve him well if he is given the opportunity to go up against Johanns in the general election...

The cavernous TV studio is dark except for the bright lights in the corner.

Tony Raimondo is sitting at ease in the glare, talking about jobs and trade and “getting America back on the move.”

And when the taped interview with Todd Andrews at KETV in Omaha is done, Raimondo heads to the Old Market to lunch on fish and chips at Upstream Brewing Co.

...

Sure-footed and on-message, no longer trailing off into undisciplined meandering, Raimondo is making the case that he’s the most experienced and best prepared Senate candidate, particularly at a time of economic recession.

“I’ve been creating jobs for 40 years and balancing budgets in good times and bad.”

"I am much more in favor of substantial dialogue, working with our allies," rather than a U.S. military attack, Raimondo said during a Lincoln debate.

Although Iran represents "a potential threat," he said, "we have moved in a unilateral manner much too frequently."

...

Raimondo said he’s pro-life and opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother. However, he said, ... "I don’t want more government inside our family bedrooms..."

On economic issues, Raimondo said the stimulus tax rebate approved by Congress represents "a short-term package" for dealing with the recession.

"We need a lot more discipline on the budget and more focus on creating jobs," he said. Increased funding for infrastructure development would be a substantial job creation tool, he said.

Read the entire article.