Friday, May 10, 2002 | 4:23 a.m.
There was Herrera, wearing his "Watch me score political points" T-shirt, claiming to have flipped members of the Hispanic caucus to vote with Nevada. Even though he couldn't name any whose votes he actually changed when a reporter asked him, how lucky are we that he helped close the gap so it was only 306 to 117. Without him, it could have been really ugly.
And then there was Porter, who also was there on Capitol Hill, donning his T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan, "Watch me be ineffectual on the national stage." Porter's persuasive powers were prodigious, as 13 out of 216 Republicans voted with Nevada. At least he got Transportation Chairman Don Young; that's something to put in the campaign literature. Porter was quoted later as saying he called the GOP members who voted with Nevada to thank them for their support. As one wag put it: "Bet that didn't take long."
Two decades of soulless politics on Yucca Mountain -- by opponents and proponents -- are reaching a nadir this year as the arrogance first visited upon the state in 1987 with Screw Nevada I now soars toward a zenith, with the consummation of a process that has turned states' rights on its head and revealed just how the Gang of 535 views Nevada: A desert wasteland with a puny congressional delegation that substantively and politically is the perfect place to store nuclear waste.
I understand the tireless lobbying by Rep. Shelley Berkley, whose vociferous floor statements and incessant "Dear Colleague" letters are more than just signs of political activity. That's her job. And I also feel some sympathy for Rep. Jim Gibbons, who was like one of those cartoon characters as he put his hand up to stop the onrushing tide of his own troops and got flattened. What else was he -- or Berkley -- supposed to do?
Their performance I accept. But to push the single most important issue in the state's history into the background so the foreground can be lush with political maneuvering and silly speechifying is nothing short of obscene. Neither Porter nor Herrera had any reason to be on Capitol Hill, except that they wanted attention for their campaigns. They have no influence -- none. And the irony there is that they both look foolish, albeit Porter more so because the GOP, with a baker's dozen of exceptions, rammed this through.
All Herrera seemed to care about was getting on TV and looking like he was doing something. But no one should confuse a lot of activity with a lot of progress. So I ask: What does it say about a candidate who is willing to exploit the most important state issue purely to help himself politically?
I am profoundly cynical about the Democratic House leadership, too, which voted with Nevada but couldn't hold half its caucus. Thanks for that. And when I see Minority Leader Dick Gephardt stand with the state, I wonder whether he really believes the Nevada line or lusts after the state's electoral votes in '04. For Gephardt & Co., this was risk-free -- pander to the enviros, try to help Herrera and take on the GOP.
As for Porter, it was nothing short of embarrassing for him to be there, meekly standing by as the steamroller cruised along. What truly perplexes me is how the GOP congressional hopeful cannot reject (or now return) money from guys like House Commerce boss Billy Tauzin and zealous dump advocate Joe Barton, who were like a couple of rabid dogs frothing to put the dump here. I ask again: What does it say about a candidate who would accept money from congressfolk he knows have no regard for the state he hopes to represent?
The GOP leadership and President Bush are responsible for what's happening now. And now onto the Senate, where an overwhelming number of GOP senators will forget that pesky 10th Amendment, disregard a historic gubernatorial veto and Club of 100 parliamentary precedents and line up behind an administration imperative.
The political problem now is that a majority of Nevadans probably believe that the dump is inevitable, especially after the House vote. Yes, there are still the legal cases and the dump licensing process -- but most people don't focus on that or the 2010 target date.
Still there is no reason to surrender yet -- the Negotiate Now crowd misses a couple of points. First, why not wait to see if Harry Ensign can pull off a political miracle? There is no rush. Second, where are these putative benefits that Bob List & Co. are offering? Anyone see a bill with these hundreds of millions of dollars?
A month or two from now, no one will remember the House vote or how many Democrats or Republicans voted for the bill or the silliness of Porter and Herrera being there when it happened. But if the Senate votes to override the governor's veto, too, my guess is the political elite and many candidates will have a serious problem, which is how to explain all this political activity and all these promises -- and the state is left holding the dump.
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