So I’m driving to CPAC yesterday down Connecticut Avenue and there’s an accident. Traffic comes to a complete standstill. So I decide not to waste downtime that can’t be avoided and called Dan Burdish, our CEO, to find out what the Nevada Legislature was up to in my absence. When suddenly a big, burly DC cop approaches my passenger window and motions angrily at me. I wind the window down only to be told that it’s illegal to talk on a cell phone in the District, even if/when completely stopped in traffic.
I hope no one the Legislature is nanny-stater enough to propose such a dumb bill for Nevada. Oops. Too late. Click here
Another banner day at CPAC on Friday. If you’re a conservative and have never been to a CPAC, you have no idea what you’re missing. Among those I ran into and spoke with today: former Rep. Tom Tancredo, Andrew Brietbart, Rep. Steve King (repeal ObamaCare!), Grover & Samah Norquist, Sen. Orrin Hatch, former NM Gov. Gary Johnson, Brian Wilson (the talk-show guy, not the Beach Boy), Norm Singleton (Ron Paul’s legislative director), Michael Williams (Texas Railroad Commish and last week’s First Friday guest), Howard Sedgemark (death tax repeal), Mike Ostrolenk (Campaign for Liberty), Terry Scanlon (Capital Research Center), John Fund (Wall Street Journal), Chris Ruddy (Newsmax), Dave Keene (incoming NRA boss and outgoing ACU boss), Al Cardenas (incoming ACU boss), Lew Uhler (Tax Limitation Committee), Jim Martin (60 Plus), David Bossie (Citizens United), Craig Shirley (Reagan biographer), Suhail Kahn and, oh yeah, the Rent Is Too Damn High guy (click here).
Also caught two prime speeches today: Rep. Ron Paul and Herman Cain.
If the world belongs to those who show up, then CPAC belonged to Ron Paul this afternoon. His folks were packed to the rafters in the main room and whooped it up, but good. Sure sounded like another presidential run in the making.
And Herman Cain – our inaugural tea party rally keynoter back in 2008 in Las Vegas – can deliver a speech like nobody’s business. If you missed it, don’t despair. The Hermanator will be our VIP guest at May’s First Friday Happy Hour! But if you miss that performance, you’ll have no one but yourself to blame.
The closing keynote speech on Saturday at CPAC is a plum slot and highly sought after. Two years ago, the closing address was by Rush Limbaugh. Last year, Glenn Beck. Tomorrow: Our good friend and CLC ’08 speaker, freshman Rep. Allen West (R-FL). And if you don’t know who Al is yet, now would be a good time to watch this video…’cause this guy is going FAR.
Somebody lifted up a rock today and out slithered ol’ Jeff “Chemtrail” Greenspan. Greenspan is the lying dufus who double-crossed the Nevada GOP back at that now-infamous 2008 convention in Reno that resulted in a royal fustercluck.
Anyway, I wrote this morning about how some Greenspan-like “Paultards” embarrassed themselves and Dr. Paul at CPAC yesterday during the award presentation for Secretary Rumsfeld. Which brought “Chemtrail” Jeff down out of the ether long enough to eke this vapid email response:
“Here goes Chuckie boy again spouting off trying to influence “reasonable” Ron Paul folks to do things his way. Don’t forget his love and support for Sue Lowden, his close friend! Well, here’s something Chuckie don’t know: RONS RUNNING AGAIN. So stick THAT in your pipe, Chuckie, and smoke it! The Paultards are coming! And they’re coming in force. Brace yourself, Chuckie, yer gonna have to do an awful lot of lying to try and get your way. And guess what, Chuckie? It aint goin your way this time either!”
Hard to believe this yutz was Dr. Paul’s paid regional director for his presidential campaign in Nevada. I republish only because his own writing tells you all you need to know about what a pitifully immature jerk-off the guy is better than I ever could. If Dr. Paul runs again – and I hope he does – I also hope he keeps nutjobs like “Chemtrail” Jeff far, FAR away from his campaign this time.
The Franklin Center reported today that “Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has introduced a budget repair proposal that would strip away nearly all collective bargaining rights for most of the state’s public employee unions.” Meanwhile, tea partiers rallied at the state capital in Ohio in support of a bill to abolish collective bargaining for government employees. What’s Nevada waiting for? Catch the wave!
The LVRJ reports the Sen. Dean Rhoads (R-Elko) now says “he supports Gov. Brian Sandoval’s plan to balance the state budget with no new taxes after meeting with him Wednesday afternoon.” That’s a complete reversal from what he said a week ago, when he insisted that tax and fee increases were absolutely necessary.
“Since his earlier statement on taxes,” the RJ repots, “Rhoads has steadily backtracked after receiving pressure from the Republican Senate caucus and constituents stirred in part by robo-calls from the conservative group Citizen Outreach.” Thanks and congratulations to all those whose calls and emails helped the good senator feel the heat and see the light. Click here to read the full story.
The state of Texas has decided to tax the Internet. As such, Amazon.com is “closing a Dallas-area fulfillment center and canceling a planned expansion of its operations in Texas after the online retailer failed to reach an agreement with the state over taxes.” An Amazon spokesman said the state’s “unfavorable regulatory climate” brought on the decision.
The now-cancelled expansion plans would have created 1,000 new jobs “as well as tens of millions of dollars in investment.” But that wasn’t enough for Texas. So instead, Texas got squat. Good for Amazon. And an important lesson for the “tax businesses ‘til they bleed” crowd in the Nevada Legislature.
