Up from the Ashes
After last November’s coronation of Barack Obama, liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans joyously did an ideological Snoopy Dance over the grave of fiscal conservatism. For example, columnist Sam Tanehaus declared: “What conservatives have yet to do is confront the large but inescapable truth that movement conservatism is exhausted and quite possibly dead.”
Are You Ready to Rumble?
As I’ve written here before, a philosophical Battle Royale is shaping up in various state senate seats featuring bona fide card-carrying conservatives vs. what appear to be establishment-backed tax-hikes-are-on-the-table Raggio Republicans. While not all of these candidates have announced – or even made a definite decision yet for that matter – here’s a possible right-vs-middle […]
Do Your Believe in Miracles?
From John Fund in Friday’s Political Diary:
It’s the Spending, Stupid
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released a new report this week which showed that Nevada’s generally low-tax/pro-business environment was a driving force behind our economic success from 1997 through 2007. As the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted in a story on Friday, ALEC found “that income taxes are more important to entrepreneurs than any other […]
Is There a Lawyer in the House?
Nevada’s Legislature (thankfully!) only meets for roughly 120 days every other year. Let’s face it, they do enough damage as it is. Can you image the trouble we’d be in if those people were allowed to meet every year on a full-time basis. Oh, the horror!
Big Trouble in Little GOP-land for Raggio
In the last election, Republicans in the state Senate lost two seats – Sens. Bob Beers and Joe Heck – which also cost the GOP its majority. Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio was reduced to the rank of Minority Leader while Democrat Sen. Steven Horsford moved into the big office with a 12-9 governing […]
Drive-By Muthings: August 9th
* In response to our announcement last week that former Michigan GOP chief Saul Anuzis and I were forming a Dump Reid PAC, someone from the email address RUBINCOMP@AOL.COM wrote: “Sorry, but I’m not a war monger, or racist or liar or someone who hates everyone with brown skin or infirmities, therefore I can’t support […]
Iron Fist Adds Pair of Velvet Gloves
As part of my effort to create jobs and get the economy moving again, I’m officially announcing today the addition of two new key staffers for Citizen Outreach.
Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Way to Fix Education
The start of yet another school year is right around the corner and once again we’re reminded that a large number of Nevada’s government-run public schools aren’t cutting the mustard. Instead, many of them are cutting the cheese.
Political Potpourri for the Dog Days of Summer
With the addition of Robin Reedy, Lynn Hettrick and Stacy Woodbury to senior staff positions in his administration, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is finally portraying an image of experience and competence. Alas, this amounts to closing the proverbial barn door after the horse is already out.
The Pale Pastels of a Consensus Builder
There’s a GOP primary smackdown shaping up in the north for the seat of moderate term-limited Nevada State Sen. Randolph Townsend between Townsend’s hand-picked successor, Ben Kieckhefer, and conservative Assemblyman Ty Cobb.
Moderates vs. Conservatives: Part 463
If you haven’t read THIS excellent article – “State GOP prepares for ideological battle over taxes” – by Las Vegas Sun reporter J. Patrick Coolican today, don’t miss it.
Seen and Heard at GOP Confab
I attended last night’s Nevada Republican Party special meeting in Las Vegas where former Gov. Bob List was elected as the party’s new National Committeeman, replacing Joe Brown who has been appointed to the state’s Gaming Commission. A few observations:
What If Gibbo Appoints Himself?
Many readers have written worried that if Sen. John Ensign resigns from his seat in the Senate, Gov. Jim Gibbons would just appoint himself to replace him. Now knowing Gibbons, such a self-serving act certainly isn’t out of the question. But the more likely scenario is that he’d appoint Rep. Dean Heller. But what if […]
Helpful Senator, Harmful Senator
Jon Ralston reports on a recent campaign strategy session for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “At that meeting,” writes Ralston, “not only was the $25 million figure discussed but so was $5 million to be used by the state party to create a ground campaign.”
Readers Write: The Ensign Escapades
As of this morning, the results of our unofficial, unscientific online survey of Nevada conservatives and Republicans show that 34 percent think Sen. John Ensign should resign, 60 disagree and 6 percent are undecided. So let’s talk a little about that since I know this is a rather painful experience for many of us on […]
The Anna Nicole Legal Mess Continues
On June 25th oral arguments were heard in Seattle as Marshall v. Marshall – a/k/a Anna Nicole Smith case – returned to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Legal teams representing the late Anna Nicole Smith and the family of J. Howard Marshall II again presented their cases before the three-judge panel.