Losing Elections for Dummies: 2024 Edition

(Chuck Muth) – I’ve been off the grid for the last two weeks while attending the Campaign Leadership College in DC and have a lot to catch up on.  So here’s a second Muth’s Truths for you today…

FLASHBACK: Nevada Republicans lost a critical U.S. Senate seat last year by fewer than 8,000 votes in an election where over 175,000 active Republican voters DID NOT VOTE.

One of the main reasons many of those non-voting Republicans gave for not voting was…

“It doesn’t matter. My vote doesn’t count. The Democrats will just steal it anyway.”

And with that in mind…

I’ve been actively involved in Nevada GOP politics for 30 years now.  And I’ve seen the party do some pretty dumb things.  Heck, I did some of them myself.

But I’ve never seen the party do anything as stupid as holding this presidential “caucus” two days after the state-mandated presidential primary next February.

Their excuse: The primary election isn’t safe and secure for Republicans – despite statewide Republicans Joe Lombardo, Stavros Anthony and Andy Matthews winning their races last year.

Many Republicans aren’t like you and me.  They don’t read the paper.  They don’t watch FOX News (or any other news).  They don’t listen to conservative talk radio.  They don’t follow politics on Twitter.  They don’t subscribe to political newsletters.

They’re more worried about how to put food on the table, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back.  They’re worried about paying the electric bill, getting their kids a decent education, and saving for retirement.

Oh, and who’s gonna win American Idol.

So how do you think they’re going to react next January when they receive their primary mail-in ballots or show up to vote in-person and find out that Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis aren’t listed on their ballots?

“ELECTION FRAUD!”

And they’ll stay home AGAIN next November.  And the GOP will AGAIN lose seats they could have and should have won. This is stupidity on steroids.

Nevertheless, Carson City Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Ruch wrote in her newsletter a couple weeks ago…

“Don’t waste your time participating in the PPP (presidential preference primary) on February 6. We ask that you only participate in the Nevada Caucus.”

Oy, vey.

Now, in an effort to justify their stupidity, Nevada GOP leaders are making presentations around the state quoting something I wrote in opposition to a state-run primary and in support of using a caucus.

True, however…

That was written EIGHT YEARS ago.

Here’s the difference: The law has changed!

I was also against “ballot harvesting.”  But the law has changed.  So we have no choice but to play by the rules as they are, not as we wish them to be.

In fact, the Nevada GOP itself is now openly encouraging ballot harvesting this election cycle even though it adamantly opposed it in 2020.

Fact is, the Nevada Legislature switched our presidential selection process from a caucus to a primary in 2021. The GOP can still hold a caucus to choose convention delegates if it wants to, but it can’t cancel the primary.

So using what I wrote eight years ago before the law was changed is, at best, dishonest.  Which is all they’ve got because there’s no honest way to defend this monumentally, galactically stupid decision.

And by the way, if a state-run presidential primary is so riddled with fraud that they have to go with a caucus in February, then why are they still going with a state-run primary for NON-presidential races next June?

Their response will be: “It’s the law.”

Hypocrisy you could choke a horse with.

Meanwhile, Trump – the candidate the Nevada GOP is trying to stack the deck for at their caucus – actually said the following to Republican voters at a public rally in New Hampshire yesterday…

“You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes.”

Brilliant “strategery” there.

We’re doomed.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

• “He (Trump) is wedded to the teleprompter. He can’t get off that teleprompter! Any time he does, he says things like ‘don’t vote.’ He’s telling people not to vote. Like we have all the votes we need? Really?!” – Ron DeSantis
• “Telling Republicans not to vote. No wonder Democrats and their media mouthpieces love this guy.” – Christina Pushaw
• “Seriously? ‘You don’t have to vote.’ How does anyone think this is an OK thing to say?” – Chris Loesch
• “This is the type of talk that loses elections.” – Bryan Griffin
• “This is how we lose elections, folks. Don’t follow Trump’s advice. Get out to vote in 2024, no matter what kind of state you live in–red, blue, or swing.” – Jake Walker
• “Just one of many reasons why Trump is going to lose in an absolute landslide if he’s the nominee. The guy is incapable of course-correcting and learning from past mistakes.” – Scott Morefield
• “We have to consider at this point the very real possibility that he is actively trying to lose.” – Dylan T. Mitchell

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.  You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.