Most Republicans: There’s a Nevada caucus?

Libertarian Ron Paul may be the highlight as other states overshadow us

Sam Morris

Dennis Lee shows off his presidential candidate Texas congressman Ron Paul at a campaign rally Saturday at Texas Station. Paul supporters also marched on the Strip on Saturday, chanting: ‘We’re not just the Internet. We’re flesh and blood.”

By Brian Eckhouse

Mon, Jan 14, 2008 (2 a.m.)

The sight of several dozen Ron Paul supporters marching up the Strip on Saturday may be about as exciting as it gets among the Republican presidential campaigns in advance of Saturday’s party caucuses in Nevada.

And Paul, a conservative Texas congressman, didn’t even show up for the march and a later rally at appropriately Texas Station that included a Texas hold ’em poker tournament in his honor.

With the party’s poll-leading presidential candidates focusing on Tuesday’s contest in Michigan and on Saturday’s more important Republican primary in South Carolina, Nevada’s role in the Republican race for the White House has been marginalized.

The Republicans’ general dismissal of Nevada contrasts strongly with the Democrats, who are pouring money and out-of-state campaign workers into Nevada to lend support in the pitched competition this week between New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

The only apparent activity in Nevada among the Republicans has sprung from the campaigns of Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, each of whom have dispatched staff members here but aren’t planning any TV ads in Las Vegas or Reno.

With an expected Republican caucus turnout of just 30,000 to 40,000, “I can’t believe it’s a good investment,” said Ryan Erwin, a Nevada consultant to Romney.

Paul, who has a strong volunteer base here, appeared at a rally in Pahrump on Sunday night and is to appear in Reno today and in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Romney’s plans in Nevada hinge largely on how he fares in Tuesday’s critical primary in Michigan a state where his late father, George Romney, was governor.

And once the Michigan primary is over, the Republican attention will turn to South Carolina, whose primary on Saturday is more important to the party than the Nevada caucus that day.

“The fact that Nevada and South Carolina are on the same day, it’s tough to split time between the two states,” said Robert Uithoven, a Nevada adviser to Arizona Sen. John McCain, who won the New Hampshire primary. “They’re 2,500 miles apart.”

Party insiders see South Carolina as a bellwether for the Bible Belt it’s the state that, in 2000, tripped up McCain and now appears receptive to Baptist populist Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucus, the nation’s first contest. And unlike with the 34-delegate Nevada caucus, the 24 delegates awarded to the winner of the South Carolina primary are binding.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Huckabee and McCain are long shots to visit Nevada this week. Huckabee has a bone-thin staff nationally and is barely rooted in Nevada. Giuliani, who had been the national frontrunner among Republicans, is sticking to his unorthodox campaign strategy: relentlessly canvassing Florida, which has the most delegates of any caucus or primary this month, over the other early states a gamble that has yielded early momentum to his rivals.

“Giuliani was never going to establish a real organization and do real campaigning in any of the primary and caucus states leading up to Feb. 5 except for Florida,” said Steve Wark, communications director for the Nevada caucus. Among the big states holding their contests on Feb. 5 Super Tuesday are California, New Jersey and New York states Giuliani is polling well in.

McCain initially intended to campaign in Nevada, but a money crunch in mid-2007 prompted him to adopt “a state-by-state strategy dictated by the resources the campaign has,” Uithoven said. Also, McCain’s push for immigration reform in 2005 proved unpopular with Republicans in the Silver State.

If McCain in Michigan duplicates the results of the New Hampshire primary and edges Romney, some observers suspect that could force the former Massachusetts governor to visit Nevada to help resuscitate his campaign.

“I think it’s crucial for him to do well in Michigan,” Erwin said of Romney. Regardless, “We expect to win Nevada. We’ve been working on this for eight months.”

In the limited polls conducted of likely Republican caucus voters, Romney and Giuliani have been neck-and-neck. Paul hasn’t polled well here, but he has the largest Republican organization in the state with 11 full-time staffers. Romney has the second-most with five and one consultant.

“Literally 99 percent of participants in the Republican caucus have never participated,” Wark said. “You have to wonder if organization will trump popularity.”

If so, that could benefit Paul, whom supporters describe in messianic tones. Party insiders expect only the most informed and active Republican voters will turn out Saturday morning to caucus.

Besides employing the largest staff in Nevada, Paul has transcended his early Internet-only stardom: The staunch libertarian appears to have the most eclectic and fervent followers in Nevada of all the Republican candidates.

They said they were happy to get out from behind their computers to march on Saturday.

“We were chanting: ‘We’re not just the Internet. We’re flesh and blood,’” said Danielle Zuliani, 34, of Los Angeles.

From there, supporters moved to a far-too-large ballroom at the Texas Station casino for a celebration of their hero with music techno-inspired and country-flavored.

For many, it was the first time they were in a room with like-minded Americans; several said they had felt ostracized in recent years opposing the war in Iraq and promoting government decentralization, which would include abolishing the federal Department of Education.

“I was moved by seeing Ron Paul saying what I felt. Despite the fact that they didn’t want to hear it the neocons, Bush administration, the warmongers if you want peace, you don’t have to enforce peace around the world,” said Jesse Kooney, 31, of Santa Barbara County, Calif.

Discussion: 21 comments so far…

By horatio

1/14/08 at 6:43 a.m.

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No war, no income tax, no inflation "tax" through devaluing the dollar, and no more illegal immigration. End the neocon/neolib monopoly in politics and media. Vote for Ron Paul.
By issues2008

1/14/08 at 7:23 a.m.

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Congressman Duncan Hunter has been in the state several times. He was also endorsed by the Nevada Republican Assembly. Once again the media wants to ignore him. Please do your research on all the candidates and don't let the media pick the nominee for you.
By PaulaPalooza

1/14/08 at 4:42 p.m.

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Thanks for the report Brian. Just 2 things:

1) There were hundreds, not "dozens," of Ron Paul supporters on the Strip Saturday. This can be proven by videos up on You Tube, and soon on the Paul A Palooza site.

2)The ballroom was not far-to-large. Organizer had to plan for a large crowd in case Ron Paul made the decision to show. It was disappointing that he did not; however, from start to finish, Paul A Palooza was created in less than a 3 week time frame. Let's see amateur grassroots supporters from another campaign pull that off!
By horatio

1/14/08 at 5:15 p.m.

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issues2008, that's one thing we can agree on.
By danman5515

1/15/08 at 12:17 a.m.

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I encourage all of you to read Dr. Ron Paul's wikipedia profile and make an informed decision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_paul

Please do this one thing for your country and support Ron Paul for president. You can make a difference.
By eccitante

1/15/08 at 10:56 a.m.

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He wants to exempt tips from being taxed, he introduced a bill to do that in 2007.... That is the absolute best way to help the working class of Nevada. vote Ron Paul
By lvdream

1/15/08 at 12:22 p.m.

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Here’s the Republican propaganda for the salesman:

Is it obvious that they let this rookie to have a free ride about his record?

Is it obvious that the Republicans aim the attacks only to Hillary Clinton?

Is it obvious that most of the Independents (Republican) are planning to vote for this rookie during the primary? They want him to win!

Republicans know they will eat him alive if he is the Democrat nominee. Here are the facts that Republicans will use against this rookie:

WHY THIS PHONY SALESMAN CAN NOT BE TRUSTED?

..Muslim blood. Muslim’s sons are Muslims for life. Blood is sticker than water. You can run but you can not hide.
..refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance. He did not want to offend ISLAM so he refused.
..claims he’s running on his record.. He did not even know how to cast a “Yes” or “No” vote.
.. had 17 years’ old unpaid outstanding parking tickets. He should spend sometime in jail.
.insisted that his health care provides care to everyone, does he know what universal means?
..a fabulous orator, but we need more than words; we need a doer not a talker
..he says one thing and does another
..will meet with enemies without preconditions
..he said that he was not taking money from the Lobbyists. How about the Rezko connection?
..playing old politics as usual, after he promised hope and change….
..used to be a drug addict or a pusher?
…inexperienced, lack of accomplishments
By supernovia

1/15/08 at 7:47 p.m.

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I can respect your choice to vote Ron Paul. The guy has some good ideas. But there's a difference between having good ideas, and being able to take good ideas and make them reality. I know you love the guy, but please, before you vote, please have a look at his record.
By eccitante

1/16/08 at 7:24 a.m.

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His (Ron Paul's) record is exactly why people should vote for him.
By BillyW

1/16/08 at 10:13 a.m.

(Removed by the site staff)
By eccitante

1/16/08 at 11:05 a.m.

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Stop the government from stealing your hard earned tip money! Vote Ron Paul
By libertylover

1/16/08 at 12:23 p.m.

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I love the "cult" label. I'm LDS and Ron Paul fan, that must make me something sinister. :) To think that I am cleverly disguised as an innocent stay-at-home mom with four kids.

Candidates will come and go, but true principles will live forever. I hope the enthusiasm doesn't fade after this election. Hopefully a new national organization will develop to carry this movement forward. I believe education is key. Most Americans know more about "American Idol" than the Constitution. It's disheartening, but if things continue to go downhill in this country we might hit a low enough point for people to wake up. (That could be sooner than later if a socialist (Obama/Clinton) gets elected.)
By denisetbd

1/16/08 at 1:14 p.m.

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Duncan Hunter isn't ignoring Nevada. I hope Nevada votes for him so he can get some airtime. Duncan Hunter is the only solid candidate running of president.
By NV4US

1/16/08 at 2:35 p.m.

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I love the enthusiasm Dr. Paul is getting from a lot of our young voters! I remember feeling that way, a few decades ago. Sadly: The only thing that any of the candidates can do once elected to office, as Commander-in-Chief, is withdraw from Iraq; everything else any of these Dem or Rep candidates promise requires congressional support/approval.
As commented on earlier, read the Constitution. Promising us one thing and being able to deliver is another. Dr. Paul on Monday said he has put together a bill that if passed would require one parent to be an American citizen before the baby born on our soil is a citizen. Read the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
"Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property withiut due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law."
Seems pretty clear to me...born here, citizen, period.
Takes a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress to pass an amendment then three-fourths of the states to ratify any amendment to the constitution.
I don't think a Democrat Congress will garner enough votes to pass the amendment especially in light of the Democrat position on illegal immigrants oh sorry, undocumented workers.
So along with wanting Dr. Paul as President it is imperative that he has a Republican controlled congress........
By getusoutoftheun

1/16/08 at 9:05 p.m.

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End the War! Take care of our own people!Democrats for Ron Paul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPlvdSQ6c...
By Trimhunter

1/16/08 at 10:10 p.m.

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Don't tell George Bush you must be a congressmen or senator to get legislation passed. He doesn't appear to have read the constitution.
By danman5515

1/17/08 at 4:44 p.m.

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For those Republicans who do indeed plan on caucasing this saturday, I encourage you to research Dr. Ron Paul (www.ronpaul2008.com). I think this guy is about to shock the world in Nevada. I have never been so excited about a candidate. He's a man with consistent views and his voting record proves it. They call him Dr. No, because he votes against anything that violates the Constitution. He is a defender of personal liberty and individual freedom, as were the founding fathers. In addition, the man has sound economic principles (he espouses the same principles taught by my economics professors) and has published several novels on foreign policy. I could go on and on, but I don't want to sound like an infomercial.
By GWashington1776

1/17/08 at 7:50 p.m.

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REPUBLICANS CHOOSE ROMNEY'S EXPERIENCE AND OPTIMISM OVER MCCAIN'S PESSIMISM
Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: …the economy is emerging as the overriding issue and Romney is far more comfortable and persuasive in talking about the economy." The Detroit News Attributed Romney's Optimistic Message and Romney's "Hope For A Brighter Future" Is What Distinguishes Him Among The Candidates. Michigan Republicans Rejected McCain's Economic Defeatism. The Detroit News Said McCain Should Have Offered A Way Forward Rather Than Being Simply Pessimistic. Wall Street Journal 's John Fund: Michigan Republicans Had "Problems" With McCain's Support For Tougher Polices That Could Hurt The Auto Industry. McCain Does Not Have The Record To Lead America's Economy Forward In An Uncertain Time. In 2001, Sen. McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Vote Against The $1.35 Trillion Bush Tax Cuts. In 2003, Sen. McCain Was One Of Only Three Republicans To Twice Vote Against The $350 Billion Bush Tax Cuts. In 2002, Sen. McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Twice Vote Against Permanent Repeal Of The Death Tax. McCain Is Pushing For A Massive New Energy Tax. McCain's Legislation Would Dramatically Raise Taxes On All Carbon-Based Fuels. National Review. McCain's Energy Policy Could Devastate The Auto Industry. National Review. McCain's Plan Would Send Gas Taxes Sky High And Would Harm The National Economy. The EPA Estimates McCain's Plan Would Hike Gas Taxes By 68 Cents Per Gallon. The EPA Estimates Sen. McCain's Plan Would Reduce United States GDP By As Much As $5.2 Trillion. (Roy Cordato, National Review, 1/10/08).
By danman5515

1/17/08 at 11:44 p.m.

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McCain is being realistic. Romney is pandering to the auto industry by guaranteeing them $20 billion that our government doesn't have. We need to be cutting spending, not giving handouts to large corporations!

Ron Paul, unlike either candidate has real solutions and uses specifics when he speaks about the economy. Heck the guy wrote 3 books on monetary policy, so he knows what he's talking about. Just take a look at all the signs and support he has around Las Vegas and it should be obvious that something big is happening. Look for Ron Paul to shock the world in Nevada.

Check out what Ron Paul stands for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhel...

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Now if you're bored watch this video of Romney tell a bold faced lie and get called out by an AP journalist.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politic...
By joehodes

1/18/08 at 7:20 a.m.

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I could not agree more with the above posts about Romney's new-found "economic optimism."

Romney made his millions as a venture capitalist and leveraged buyout/turnaround specialist. Some of those millions came from creating jobs in America like financing the creation of Staples office stores. Some of those millions came from shipping thousands of jobs overseas and feasting on the corpses of American companies like AmPad, KB Toys and Babbages.

Now, when the chips were down in the Michigan primary, Romney makes promises to the domestic auto industry that would make John Edwards blush. Billions to prop up a crippled industry that hasn't learned to be competitive despite being in decline for 30 years.

There is no universe in which the fiscal conservative capitalist who made millions with Bain Capital would endorse such invasive government control and coddling of American industry if he wasn't desperate for votes.

So, he'll flop on abortion, gay marriage and taxes to get the votes of gullible social conservatives, and then flop on his fiscal conservative values and better business sense to bribe votes from the working class.

And when he gets into office and is facing withering political fire from a hostile Democratic Congress and a public that demands real solutions to the problems we face, what else will Mitt flop and fold on?
By voiceofthepeople

1/18/08 at 8:24 p.m.

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Dr. Ron Paul Endorsed by the *US* (not foreign) Constitution

With the exception of Fred Thompson (occasionally), Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and your favorite, Dr. Ron Paul (always), few of the candidates seem to take the US Constitution seriously anymore. Our economy and our Constitution are both imploding. This should give us pause or should it? Perhaps we should scrap it and start anew? After all, once in office our elected representative must swear to uphold the US (not foreign) Constitution for all people. This includes even their most hated adversaries. People at the extremes defend it because according to this document they deserve equal protection under the law just like everyone else. I support Ron Paul. I tolerate people of all races, religions and sexualities. I happen to be straight, Christian and black if you must know. The Ron Paul supporters I know love their country passionately. They are not racist, sexist pigs with tin foil hats or 911 truthers. They are hard working, regular people who volunteer in their community and take the time to educate themselves on the issues. They are a threat to the establishment because they think outside the box. Please consider voting for Ron Paul. Thank you for your time.