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Cathleen Allison / Nevada Appeal
Gov. Jim Gibbons demonstrates how he text-messages with his thumbs in a meeting Wednesday with the Nevada press corps.
Thursday, June 12, 2008 | 2 a.m.
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Sun Topic
The governor looked surprisingly relaxed Wednesday in his black turtleneck and sports jacket, especially for a guy who says he gets two or three hours of sleep a night, who’s dealing with a major state economic crisis, who has filed for divorce and been accused by his wife of cheating, and is the regular subject of political obituaries.
In the latest chapter in Gov. Jim Gibbons’ eventful 18 months in office, state records released this week showed that Gibbons had been a text-messaging fiend with the alleged “other woman,” exchanging 867 text messages with her over six weeks last year — all from his state cell phone.
So he invited the Nevada press corps to his office to explain — more precisely, to explain why 867 texts between a man and a woman married to other people should not be seen as exactly what most folks probably think they are.
Not so quick, the governor cautioned. These weren’t high-tech love notes, he insisted. Quite the contrary. The governor said he’s thinking about the state’s business all the time, day and night — and when an idea pops into his mind, he just has to text someone to discuss it.
And that’s what the governor would have Nevadans believe happened here — that all those texts to Kathy Karrasch, who he maintains is simply a platonic friend, were about issues such as taxation and personnel management, as in how to set up an office.
“I text a lot of people,” he said. Oh, there might have been the occasional personal communique in there too, he acknowledged — “what’s happening with her kids, what the latest issues are with her dog.” But he’s just in love with the texting, it seems.
“You all do texts. It takes like point six seconds to respond to something,” Gibbons said, dismissing a question about whether all that texting — during last year’s legislative session — distracted him from governing the state.
“You must be quick on that thing,” a reporter said. “I mean, 170 messages” in a single day?
“You get used to typing with your thumbs instead of your fingers,” Gibbons replied. At this point, he flexed his thumbs on an imaginary cell phone to demonstrate his BlackBerry proficiency.
During one stretch between midnight and 2 a.m., he exchanged 91 messages with Karrasch, the estranged wife of a Reno physician.
There were chuckles.
But let’s cut to it. What was in these text messages, long ago sent to the digital limbo known as “deleted.”
The Sun’s Cy Ryan got right to the point. “Were these love notes?”
“No,” Gibbons answered.
Gibbons acknowledged he’d made a mistake by using his state cell phone for the 867 messages.
“It’s one of those things, when I look back and see there were six weeks of text messages, it wasn’t the brightest — it wasn’t something I should’ve done. It was a mistake.”
When he realized, he said, that the state plan did not cover text-messaging, he wrote the state two checks for a total of $130.05.
This news conference was for the print folks, and, coming just after the agreement between his attorneys and Dawn Gibbons’ to publicly cease fire, he explained he wasn’t going to talk about issues pertaining to the divorce.
The media would not be cowed, though, and asked again: What do you say in 867 messages?
It happened more than a year ago, Gibbons said, by way of explaining he couldn’t remember exactly.
But with the Legislature in session it was a stressful time for him, he said. So he’d text about the issues of the day, about state happenings.
When the governor texts others, he uses his personal cell phone, he said.
The way Karrasch came to be the only person Gibbons texted on his state cell phone, he explained, is that she started the communication by texting him on the state phone first.
When he realized the state was being charged for it, he immediately stopped using the state phone for those communications and paid the bill.
“You still text-message to this woman?”
“No.”
“Have you broken up with this woman or do you see her anymore?”
“I do not see her. I do not text.”
And here’s Cy Ryan again:
“How many times did you sleep with her?”
“None.”
“How could so many text messages not be a distraction?”
“I’m a person who sleeps very little. I probably get two or three hours of sleep a night. So I’m constantly sitting there, with my mind turning, thinking about issues, and will text people at 1, 2, 4 in the morning.”
“Can you name one policy she advised you on?”
“Taxation.”
“In what way?” Ryan prodded. “You said no new taxes.”
“That’s true, but there’s a number of things, heck, even personnel management things ... how to structure an office.”
And then another question: “Why do you put yourself into these situations, where you go out to breakfast with a woman, you text-message a lot.”
Gibbons seemed to become defensive. “I don’t know if anyone should tell you or me who your friends can or cannot be,” he said.
He said he doesn’t talk to Karrasch anymore, and his voice got deep. “Simply because of the stress, all the media,” he said. “It has put a tremendous burden on her.”
There were follow-up questions, and the governor’s press secretary tried to step in.
“Stop. Please,” he said to Gibbons. “We’re straying away.”
The governor, though, was defiant.
“You’ve got more questions?” he asked the media. “I’m not going to rush it.”
As I stated in a another article yesterday, The Guv will more than likely file a lawsuit for carpal tunnel syndrome in a few months before he gets tossed out of office.
Yawn...who is this old creepy guy again?
I understand there will be a session in the United Nations to deal with this text messaging matter.
It is the worst thing to confront World.
Hopefully, the UN will resolve this matter. The UN has an excellent track record on resolving problems.
If not, then I understand Bush is going to call a special session of Congress to deal with.
If that does not work then hopefully the Sun can keep writing articles on this highly important matter.
Keep up the good work, Sun!!!!
Best paper in the entire universe!!!!!!
According to jfinance32 we should all just stop worrying about the record of missteps and bad judgment on behalf of our governor. I suppose his apologies about the Mazzeo incident, the texting, and the cruise with Trepp should be enough of all of us.
This guy is a liar and is incompetent.
Where is your resignation Luv Guv? That's all I Nevada wants from this lying, inept idiot now.
RESIGN!
That Jim I am , That Jim I am……
“I do not see her. I do not text.”
We’re just friends. But I’m still vexed.
I sleep very little. My mind it turns.
No taxes and Kathy are my concerns.
“Stop…. we’re straying!” said Special K
“No, I’ll answer their questions, but just for today” said that…
Jim I am, That Jim I am. Perhaps he ate Green Eggs and Ham.
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
And on his phone he was really quick
Ee-i-ee-i-o
With a clik-clik here
And a clack-clack there
Here a clik, there a clack
Everywhere a clik-clack
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
And on his phone he had some Kathy
Ee-i-ee-i-oh
With a tax-tax here
And some management policy there
Here a tax, there a tax
Everywhere a policy
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
And about his phone he did lie
Ee-i-ee-i-o
With an big fib here
And a whopper there
Here a fib, there a fib
Everywhere a whopper
Old Jim Gibbons had a phone
Ee-i-ee-i-o
This man is in the very least - an idiot! With the state allegedly facing a virtual depression - he calls in reporters to discuss his text messaging addiction? He is a national embarrassment and should resign allowing Krolicki a shot. I am so proud that I voted for Dina Titus.
There is an old saying, "People get the government they deserve."
I cannot believe the voters in this state threw over Dina Titus for this idiot. Par for the course.
Maybe he just doesn't care what you guys think and is going to live his life as he sees fit?
Ms Taxus would have been an excellent gov.
Every 2 seconds, she would have been screaming....more taxes...more taxes...more taxes.
Impeach him and take away his phone. Put Krolicki in the governor's mansion... Before that happens, ask Krolicki two questions: 1. Are you on good terms with your wife? 2. Have you ever text-messaged a woman other than your wife at 2:00 AM?????
Where's the recall petition?
Inanimate rock for Governor! Leadership skills as good as the Luv Guv, but without the scandals.
This guy is an absolute idiot. moving his thumbs to show how he types? come on........ any one take him serious? I can't believe we actually pay him.
At least he was not "getting some" while terrorist were taking flight lessons and planning to attack the US.
And he has not committed perjury either.
the guy is a tool,but at least he is getting some, beacuse im sure after 22 years dawn wasent kicking down.
Mans obsession with sex and 'getting some' (as some so aptly put it) will ultimately lead to the destruction of this country (and probably many others too)
I find it amusing that all the Democrats that defended Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal ("Sex doesn't matter") are now calling for Gov. Gibbons' head. Hypocrites!
This reminds me of the scandal in Detroit with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Saw a funny one on on Gibbons... "I did not have TEXT with that woman"
http://www.tabloidtshirts.com/jim_gibbon...