Nevada Conservatives Can’t Fix the Democrat Problem until They Fix the RINO Problem

(Chuck Muth) – “Jessica” of the Nevada Republican Party sent out another of the GOP’s incessant fundraising emails this morning, this time clanging her tin cup for dough to support 5 unidentified Republican candidates running for the state Assembly.

The pitch opens with the following…

“The Nevada Republican Assembly is the super minority right now, and if we would’ve had the majority, AB4 would have never been rammed through by Democrats the way it was.  We HAVE to take back the State Legislature and we need to start with the Nevada Assembly.”

She continued…

“Putting it bluntly, if we don’t fill the Assembly with more conservative Republicans, we’re going to keep losing in a big way.”

OK, lots to unwrap here…

First, AB4 – which Jessica failed to explain, as though the average Nevadan knows what AB4 means the way they know what CIA, FBI and IRS means – was the vote-by-mail/ballot harvesting bill passed this week.  So now you know.

Secondly, the Nevada Assembly is in the super-minority right now, just 13 out of 42 seats, for two reasons…

1.)  When the GOP controlled the governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature in 2015, they used their majority, not to shrink government and cut taxes, but to pass the largest tax hike in state history.  Taxpayers responded accordingly at the polls.

2.)  The political brains of the Republican Assembly Caucus are incompetent, at best, and over the past two election cycles have lost numerous races they should have won.

Thirdly, it’s true that “if we don’t fill the Assembly with more conservative Republicans, we’re going to keep losing in a big way.”  But that’s also the problem.

Of the 13 super-minority GOP members of the Assembly caucus, only three, maybe four, can be characterized as dependably conservative.  The others, almost as often as not, consistently vote with the Democrats on important bills, giving them “bi-partisan” political cover.

Republicans who vote like Democrats are worse than Democrats who vote like Democrats because it ruins the GOP brand and confuses voters.

Worse, the three Assembly members leading the caucus’ political operation – Tom Roberts, Jill Tolles and Glen Leavitt – are all card-carrying RINOs (Republicans in Name Only).  And the caucus’ executive director, Eric Roberts, probably should be sued for political malpractice.

Case in point: In the first special session last month, Democrats put forward a “resolution” calling for a federal taxpayer bailout of the $1.2 billion (and counting) budget hole created by the #SisolakShutdown.

And EVERY Assembly Republican voted for it!

Which political Ensteins in the caucus thought this was a brilliant “strategery”?

No wonder voters are confused as to what exactly Republicans supposedly stand for.  How can you blame Democrats for bad bills when Republicans vote right along with them?

Now, there IS a silver lining in all of this…

There are, indeed, five Assembly races that are competitive and up for grabs in November.

And all five of the GOP nominees who won their primaries are conservative candidates who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge promising taxpayers they will “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.”  They are…

• Assembly District 02 (Clark): Heidi Kasama
• Assembly District 04 (Clark): Richard McArthur
• Assembly District 29 (Clark): Steven DeLisle
• Assembly District 31 (Washoe): Jill Dickman
• Assembly District 37 (Clark): Andy Matthews

And if all five win – in addition to the ouster of tax-hiking Assemblyman Chris “The Weasel” Edwards by conservative Pledge-signer Annie Black in District 19 – conservatives should have the votes to oust RINOs Roberts, Tolles and Leavitt from their leadership positions and replace them with conservatives.

They should also have the votes to fire the entire incompetent, wishy-washy, heads-up-their-butts political and legislative caucus staff/consultants and replace them with conservatives who understand both the philosophical AND political aspects of running a minority caucus.

Oh, and there’s one other race that can help boost the number of conservatives in the Legislature…

While Roberts and Tolles don’t have a general election opponent, Leavitt (AD-23) does.  And for a variety of reasons, he’s the “worst of the worst.”  A RINO cancer on the caucus who thinks he’s Karl Rove but is more like Foster Brooks (ask your grandma).

Now, in addition to a Democrat in his general election race, there’s also a true conservative option: Bill Hoge, who is running under the Independent American Party (IAP) banner.

And Hoge’s not just a name on the ballot.  He’s the real deal.  A rock-solid conservative who years ago served in the California State Assembly (don’t worry; he’s a refugee, not a missionary) who has actually managed campaigns for other conservative candidates in the years since.

He’s got skills.

He has also, unlike Leavitt, signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Now consider Leavitt…

The FIRST thing Leavitt did after winning the seat in 2018 was storm into the caucus and demand that Assembly Republicans stop trying to repeal the Commerce Tax.  And it’s been all downhill from there.

His American Conservative Union (ACU) rating for the 2019 session was a pitiful 63%.

Then there’s Leavitt’s “Endorsement” page on his campaign website.  It’s a “Who’s Who” of tax-hiking RINOs, including…

• Former Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, who supported the largest tax hike in Nevada history
• State Sen. Joe Hardy (who enjoys the distinction of being the only incumbent legislator to have voted for both the 2003 then-largest tax hike in Nevada history, as well as the 2015 largest tax hike in Nevada history)
• Former Senate Majority Leader “Tax Hike Mike” Roberson, who shoved the largest tax hike in Nevada history through the State Senate in 2015
• Former Assembly Speaker John Hambrick and former Assembly Majority Leader Paul Anderson, who shoved the largest tax hike in Nevada history through the State Assembly in 2015
• State Sen. Scott Hammond, who voted for largest tax hike in Nevada history
• Soon-to-be-former Assemblyman Chris “The Weasel” Edwards, who voted for the Commerce Tax in 2015 before voting against it
• Former Assembly-critters James Oscarson and Melissa Woodbury, both of whom voted for the largest tax hike in Nevada history
• State Sen. Keith Pickard, the only Republican who, in the July special session, opposed the mining tax before supporting it before opposing it again (yeah, he’s reliable)
• Democrat Henderson Mayor Debra March and former Democrat Clark County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow

In addition, he’s been endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the Southern Nevada Building Trades unions.

Birds of a feather.

Look, conservatives can’t fix the Democrat problem in the Assembly until they fix the RINO problem in the Assembly GOP caucus.

As such, the objective in November isn’t to get a Republican majority in the Assembly – a virtual impossibility this election – but to get a conservative majority in the Republican Assembly Caucus.

So Bill Hoge for Assembly District 23 is my first personal endorsement for the 2020 general election.

So let it be written; so let it be done.

Drive-By Muthings

* Here’s your daily reminder that absentee balloting is NOT the same as automatic vote-by-mail balloting.

* Here’s your daily reminder that Joe Biden can hide his own Easter eggs.

* If a presidential candidate declared his running mate would be a white male, the media would scream “racist” and “sexist.”  But when Joe Biden declared his running mate would be a woman of color…free pass by the media!  No wonder Trump calls them “fake news.”

*  The City of Las Vegas cited and fined the Ahern Hotel last night for hosting a Trump rally of evangelical leaders despite the fact that the crowd was 50% of the building’s capacity per Gov. Steve von Sisolak’s orders.

The city is claiming the rally violated the governor’s insanely discriminatory order restricting gatherings of 50 people or more – you know, like church services even while large restaurants and casinos continue to pack over 50 people in their venues.

But, nah, it’s not political, is it?

* In a letter-to-the-editor published today by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Barbara Gross makes a GREAT point about the CHINA-19 numbers the Nevada media keeps citing…

“As of last week, there had been 832 deaths in the state, according to www.nvhealthresponse.nv.gov. Victims greater than age 70 account for 62 percent, or 504 deaths. Those ages 60-69 make up 19.04 percent of the deaths, or 154. There were 92 deaths of those aged 50-59, or 11.36 percent.  That totals 750, with the other 82 deaths in the less-than-50 age group. There were only three deaths in the patient population under 19 years of age.”

* Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks beat me to it in responding to an announcement this week that the Clark County School District will be operating a “School Daze” day camp program for students in various recreation centers even as classrooms will be shuttered.

This demonstrates the absolute insanity of Gov. Sisolak’s contradictory shutdown orders.  You gotta read this (click here).  But take your blood pressure medicine first!

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“In 1791, the Second Amendment gave us the right to bear arms.  If you are coming to take my gun, you better bring yours.” – Juanita Broaddrick

“I’m not a big fan of bringing politics into sports.  I really don’t like it.  I don’t think it’s appropriate. … I’m a patriot.  I’m a big military guy.  I enjoyed my relationship with the military.  It does a lot for our country.  I always stand and put my hand over my heart when the national anthem is being played or sung.” – Bill Foley, owner of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights

(Mr. Muth is president of CitizenOutreach.org and publisher of NevadaNewsandViews.com.  He blogs at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.)