Brian Greenspun on Tuesday’s victories amid a judicial warning

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006 | 7:06 a.m.

The people have spoken. And by the sounds heard from Virginia, it may be some time before those voices are quelled.

That collective sigh of relief was not only expressed by the winners in Tuesday's elections but I would also think by the losers. And certainly by the voters. At least this long, ugly, wearing, tearing and assaulting 2006 campaign is over.

Congratulations to all the winners and a heartfelt thank you to those who ran but came up short for doing what good citizenship requires - participation in the process. As ugly and unrewarding as this messy thing called democracy can be, it still can be the best form of government on the planet if we take care of it. And that means personal involvement.

I was heartened by Governor-elect Jim Gibbons' speech last night when the votes were counted and he emerged as the victor in a nasty campaign. He said the campaign is over and it is time to govern. He committed that he would be a governor for all the people and that his first job was to reach out to Dina Titus and her supporters and all those who didn't think he should be governor to prove to them that he can do the job.

That's all you can ask - except that he does what he says. Time will tell, but I am sure he will have all Nevadans pulling for him because the road ahead is not easy. We are the fastest-growing state in the union and that means we have problems that others don't. And that means saying yes far more often than saying no.

And therein lies the challenge to the new governor. He has spent so much of his time convincing voters that no is a better answer, now that he must solve our problems, he will have to find a way to help them change their minds. That is what leadership is all about.

Obviously, the national results have far overshadowed any particular race in Nevada and it appears that we will not know some answers until they finish counting and recounting in Virginia. Let's all hope that they don't take any cues from Florida.

But, before I talk about what could be Nevada's great fortune, let me share one thought about a race for Nevada's Supreme Court that I find very disturbing, a move that could lead to Nevada's great misfortune.

I have always believed that an independent judiciary is the one protection regular citizens have against the abuses of government. Our Founding Fathers believed, and rightly so, that minority rights could only be protected by the courts because the other two branches of government were geared to majority rule.

If everything were majority rule, then people of different color, people who worshipped differently, people who wanted to own guns when the majority deemed otherwise and every other situation in which people could be put upon by an oppressive majority in derogation of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution would find themselves always on the outside looking in.

In Nevada we elect our judges. In other states, they are appointed. In the federal system the judges are appointed for life just so they can make their rulings free from the emotions of an unhappy majority or an intense minority.

What we witnessed in Nevada in the Supreme Court race of Justice Nancy Becker was an emotional electorate - fired up by a tax-hating and greedy newspaper that is delivered each morning with the Las Vegas Sun.

Those folks only take from this state. They never give back. So why shouldn't they get their readers hopped up over a decision Justice Becker made three years ago - as part of a near unanimous Supreme Court - because without her and others they will pay less back to Nevada where they make a fortune every year.

The danger of course is not from the new judge. Nancy Saitta is a respected and responsible jurist and a very decent person. The danger is that all judges throughout this state will be cowed into making the political decisions from the bench and not the legal ones called for by our laws and Constitution. If that happens, the independence of our judiciary is compromised and the tyranny of the majority - which our Founding Fathers feared most - will be set in motion.

Now to the really good news. Nevada's senior senator, Harry Reid, is likely to become the majority leader of the U.S. Senate. Worst case is he will be the minority leader of a Senate that is split right down the middle. If ever Nevadans had the opportunity to have their tiny little population-based voices heard in Washington, D.C., this is the time.

So, what are the Republicans in this state and nationally doing? They are not missing any opportunity to bash Harry over and over again - whether deserved or not - in the hopes of knocking him off come the next election.

How stupid are they? And how stupid are we for letting them?

If Jim Gibbons wants to really lead this state, his first order of business is to recognize the vital importance of Harry Reid to Nevada and call the rabid attack dogs off. He's the governor, he can do it. Helping Harry Reid be the best leader he can be in the Senate is clearly in all Nevadans' interest.

Go for it Governor-elect Gibbons. Show us how you can lead.