Democrats to hold GOP accountable for Yucca

Erin Neff

Monday, May 13, 2002 | 10:51 a.m.

Yucca Mountain, which supposedly unified state politicians in opposition, has become one of the top political issues for Democrats trying to pick up seats in this fall's election.

The state's Democrats made it clear Saturday that they will attack the GOP this election cycle on Yucca Mountain.

Democrats point out that the proposed nuclear waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas was recommended during a Republican administration and approved by President George W. Bush. But speaker after speaker at the Nevada State Democrat Convention took aim at local Republicans -- specifically 3rd Congressional District candidate Jon Porter -- blaming them for their ties to their party's leaders.

Porter has drawn the ire of Democrats because the seat is closely contested -- it's being watched nationally because a Democratic win could help push the House their way -- and Democrats think Yucca Mountain is the wedge issue that separates the candidates.

Dario Herrera, a Democrat running against Porter, highlighted Porter's campaign contributions Saturday in a slide show with select quotes from national GOP leaders and the amount of money each has donated to Porter's campaign.

Porter has received $60,000 from the political action committees of pro-Yucca House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Reps. Joe Barton, and Tom DeLay, all Republicans from Texas.

"Jon Porter hasn't even been a worn-down speed bump of opposition to Yucca Mountain," Herrera said in his speech to delegates.

Ted Jelen, chairman of the political science department at UNLV, said he thinks Democrats can make a legitimate issue out of the campaign contributions.

"It's hard to get any legs on an issue that everyone is on the same side on," Jelen said. "But the money may have some legs. People think the whole idea of campaign fund-raising is pretty corrupt to begin with."

And Jelen added, given the high amount of the contributions to Porter's campaign, "he's really in no position to return it. He needs it and he's stuck with that issue."

At the convention, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, also attacked Porter, her state Senate colleague, by calling him a "paragon of indecisiveness who goes along to get along."

Titus said Porter would acquiesce to Hastert the same way he does to Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, in Carson City.

"The argument is nothing short of ludicrous," said Mike Slanker, Porter's campaign consultant. "Every two years the Democrats try to tell Nevadans that they're better on nuke waste."

Slanker said Herrera is "like a 2-year-old that just learned a new word -- nuke waste."

Porter has noted that he has long been against Yucca Mountain, noting he voted for his first resolution against the dump 20 years ago.

Porter consistently said that he will not return the donations because, he said, he will need to work with those Republicans if he is elected to Congress.

Herrera also ridiculed Porter's trip to Washington last Wednesday to talk to House Republicans before the Yucca vote, which was 306-117, with 13 Republicans and 103 Democrats voting with Nevada.

Slanker said Democrats have nothing else to talk about -- as evidenced in their lack of candidates for state constitutional offices and open state Senate seats.

"Dario Herrera is a completely flawed messenger at this point," Slanker said, referring to Porter's 11 to 15 point lead in Republican polls. "He's double-digits behind. He's got to have surrogates like Dina Titus to be his mouthpiece."

In the keynote address Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., made it clear what message voters should hear this fall by repeating the following three times: "We can never forget what George Bush did to us on nuclear waste."

"The Republican Party in Nevada will always be associated with the big lie of George Bush," Reid added.

But Slanker said Reid has also taken campaign contributions from Yucca proponents, including SAIC -- the project contractor and from Bennett Johnston, author of the so-called 1987 Screw Nevada bill.

Attorney General candidate John Hunt said his Republican opponent, Brian Sandoval, cannot stand up to fight for Nevada in court at the same time he takes donations from former Gov. Bob List, now a lobbyist for the Nuclear Energy Institute.

"Is Yucca Mountain a legitimate issue?" Slanker asked. "I guess it is if you're running against Bob List."

Even Democrat gubernatorial candidate Matthew Dushoff jumped on the Yucca assault by reminding that Democrats did not bring then-candidate George Bush to Nevada in 2000 -- a trip during which Bush pledged to decide the merits of the repository on "sound science, not politics."

"Gov. Guinn, take responsibility for your actions," Dushoff said.

Guinn has repeatedly said he has done everything possible to stop Yucca Mountain -- including vetoing Bush.

Jelen said he thinks most Republicans will get through this election cycle without being linked to Yucca Mountain, but he added Bush will be hurt in Nevada.

"I think that'll really affect Bush in 2004," Jelen said.