Columnist Jon Ralston: Mayor’s decision paves way for Guinn

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2001 | 8:32 a.m.

His announcement Tuesday was no surprise -- even Democratic Anointer-in-Chief Harry Reid had given up and already was on the Hunt For Kenny (not Guinn but Erin, but more on that later). But Goodman secretly relished the idea of running against Kenny Guinn -- charisma versus stolidity, say anything versus say nothing, bold versus banal. That's how Goodman saw it and he would have done it if only ... if only he didn't actually have to be governor, too.

You see, being mayor is, well, fun. You can amass tremendous popularity, give a lot of speeches, appear on national TV, dominate a weak City Council, pay a small price for irreverence and just be, well, happy.

And while running for governor might be enjoyable, Goodman's numbers would disappear as quickly as his role in "Rush Hour II" -- a few clips from "Mob Law" and his first name gets changed back to "mob lawyer" from "His Honor." More importantly, no politician in history has reveled in his job more than Goodman, no one has ever shown the genuine enthusiasm and zest for just being mayor than he has.

In the end, he can talk about unfinished business -- and he does want to leave a concrete (literally) legacy downtown. But his decision really was about not ruining a good thing.

Unfortunately, Goodman did not handle his announcement with his usual aplomb. Maybe he was nervous, maybe he was torn, but he sounded like a sideline sniper who was willing to criticize the other team's star player, but unwilling to play ball against him.

He was like a man who was desperate to let people know he could do the job, just that he didn't want to do it. His insistence, after he listed a slew of areas where the state was failing, that he was "not being critical of anybody" was embarrassing.

The Guinnites, who worried about Goodman on the Democratic side and no one else, reacted perfectly, ignoring the mayor's jabs and putting out a statement from the governor that was redolent with grace and style: "I respect Mayor Goodman's decision. I know a decision like this isn't easy and comes after considerable thought and deliberation. I look forward to working together with the mayor to address what is our first obligation -- the men and women of the resort industry in these tough economic times."

See Webster's, under the listing: Taking the high ground.

Yes, it's always easier to be gracious when you win. And that's what happened Tuesday -- the governor's race ended. That sound you heard was the chug-chug-chug of a train called Anointment II leaving the station. That sound you hear from Democratic Party Central is the same sound you heard when Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa dropped out of the U.S. Senate race -- the cranking of the spit for the designated sacrificial lamb.

Ed Bernstein did the roasting in that Senate race for the Democrats. But now who do Reid & Co. lead to slaughter in 2002 against Guinn?

Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny is the focus of the latest courtship, a marriage of convenience for the Democrats and a match made in heaven for the Guinnites, they believe. Actually, I think Kenny would be an entertaining candidate because of her aggressiveness, ability to raise money as a commissioner and knowledge of issues. But in the post-Sept. 11 world, challengers will find it even harder to raise funds, Kenny's political guru, Kent Oram, is a Guinnite, and she has to lug around some commission baggage that could prove fatal.

Some Democrats think the party should just quietly concede the governorship to Guinn so he can just coast and not meddle in other races. But Reid, who knows of meddling, has always believed that you have to plug slots in every race, especially the big ones.

That's why he was thrilled when then-Mayor Jan Jones took on Guinn last time. Without her drawing women to the polls, Reid would not have defeated John Ensign. Without someone in against Guinn, Reid and others believe, Democratic turnout will suffer.

Perhaps they should keep hope alive for Goodman. After all, it was almost four years ago -- on Oct. 31, 1997 -- that Jones announced she would not run for governor. She then changed her mind and filed on the last possible day. And even though Goodman says his decision is irrevocable, maybe history will repeat itself.

For Democrats, that is only a dream. The reality is that the only history repeating itself will be the second consecutive anointment of Kenny Guinn.