Brokaw sees Nevada playing a growing role in elections

Monday, Dec. 13, 2004 | 9:32 a.m.

Venerable newsman Tom Brokaw said he sees Nevada and other Southwestern states as being a battleground in future presidential elections, especially as the region continues to grow.

He said the Southwest will have to struggle to meet challenges caused by such quick growth.

"I see Nevada and the Southwest reinventing itself," Brokaw said during a news conference following a 30-minute speech before 1,600 people attending the 48th annual Nevada Development Authority Luncheon Friday at the Bellagio.

Brokaw, who retired Dec. 1 as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News," a job he had held since 1983, said those states affected by population shifts will face great challenges to meet housing, education, water conservation, health care and transportation needs, especially with booming Hispanic populations.

Brokaw, 64, said both political parties are eying Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and others in the region that could go either way in coming elections.

Brokaw, a seven-time Emmy award winner who has covered every presidential election since 1968, said the recent election showed not only how divided our nation is but also that both parties have a lot to do to repair the system.

"Our political system needs help," he told the gathering of the region's largest economic development agency that attracts new companies to Southern Nevada and helps expand existing firms. "If it's not broken, it's cracked."

Brokaw noted how single-issue groups have significantly affected the outcome of races, whether it is the National Rifle Association or physicians. He said, in some instances, special interests "have reduced the American electorate to a body that is less than the sum of its parts."

But Brokaw also told the gathering that the recent election proved that Nevada and other Southwest states are "ground zero" now and for the future and will have "a big effect on the political landscape."

He said while Democrats have to improve in the South and Rocky Mountains, Republicans have to improve in New York and California and find a way to attract the "emerging demographics of Latinos and Hispanics" if either is to truly be a national party. And, he said, both have to target the Southwest.

Regarding the war in Iraq, Brokaw said: "We are living in deeply troubled times." He said too many young Muslims are "too willing to sacrifice their bodies. ... They are enraged by our sense of entitlement. ... We cannot ignore them and no army can conquer them all." He said we must promote understanding.

Brokaw is the author of four books, including "The Greatest Generation," about Americans born in the 1920s who fought in World War II and built America.

Brokaw said that while he calls those people, who now are in their late 70s and early 80s "The Greatest Generation," he noted, "the title was earned, but not retired. It is up to us to renew it."

Brokaw also clarified that while he has stepped down from the network anchor job, he is not totally retiring to his ranch in Montana. He plans to do three news documentary shows per year for NBC.

At a restaurant recently, Brokaw's wife, Meredith, warned him that by giving up his job he could lose power and recognizability. A confident Brokaw shrugged off that assessment and responded that he had built up enough "momentum" over so many years to avoid that happening to him.

At that point, he said, his waiter came by gushing at what an honor it was to have him in the restaurant. The waiter told Brokaw: "We never miss your show, Mr. Koppel!"