State Republicans should be very afraid

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 | 2:01 a.m.

Question: What are the nine most frightening words in the English language for the Nevada Republican Party?

Answer: Jim Gibbons and John Ensign are running for reelection.

And if you believe what the principals say — a significant “if” with this pair — that reality has arrived, surely causing many GOP pols to become less hirsute as their hair is pulled out in tufts at this apocalyptic proposition for the next two election cycles.

In an interview this week with the Sun’s Lisa Mascaro, Sen. Ensign declared his intentions to stay in office and even run for reelection in 2012 — despite a national scandal over an affair with a staffer who was his wife’s best friend and whose husband was the senator’s closest pal and top employee, and despite confirmation Ensign’s parents paid off the couple after they were banished from D.C. (It’s still hard to write all of that without wincing.)

Also this week, The Man Formerly Known as Governor unveiled a campaign Web site

(http://www.jimgibbonsgovernor2010.com/) that was more amateurish than most Web pages set up for high school presidential contests, and the announcement comes despite an approval rating that makes Ensign look like a rock star. (Soon after I disclosed on RalstonFlash.com the existence of the site, which among other embarrassments had a “vidio” link, the crack Gibbons 2010 staffers took it down for repairs.)

So there you have it, the reason for so much Republican despondency and, following the Newtonian laws of politics, Democratic glee: The state’s two highest Republican officeholders, both beset by different sorts of sex scandals, one confirmed as a historically hypocritical senator and the other as a historically incompetent governor, want to lead the party’s ticket the next two cycles.

Ø and Ensign (I’d use a symbol for him, too, but it might not be fitting for a family newspaper) have a lot in common. Both believe their interests — self-perpetuation — come before anything else, including the state, their party and the institution. Both are in denial about what they have done, perhaps delusionally blaming others for their foibles. And both have confirmed in the public’s mind that a politician’s selfishness and arrogance have few, if any, boundaries.

Perhaps Ensign and Gibbons will have a joint news conference to officially announce their reelection bids. They could say they are joining Promise Keepers and will both use Tom Coburn as their OB/GYN and deacon. And they could announce a joint fundraiser at — where else? — C Street.

Imagine the banner the pair could unfurl as they make the announcement:

“Gibbons-Ensign: A New Kind of Family Values for the GOP”

Or: “Gibbons-Ensign: Promises Kept (sometimes)”

Or: “Gibbons-Ensign: It’s Time for a Change (of wives)”

I can only marvel at how the Democrats are containing their elation — at least publicly. In a display of an abiding principle — if your opponent is committing suicide, get out of the way — the state Democratic Party has not called for Ensign to resign. And if you don’t think the Democrats are praying that Gibbons is the gubernatorial nominee, you don’t know how this game works.

I suppose I could excoriate Democratic elected officials for not calling for both men to resign, for putting politics above the state’s future, for calculating that whatever damage Gibbons has done is done and that Ensign can’t do much anymore (except vote). But what’s the point? Everyone knows what they are doing.

The more salient question is what Republican officials are doing. They surely know how deleterious the Gibbons-Ensign two-cycle ticket will be to the party, probably consigning the GOP to oblivion here for a decade or more as new lines are redrawn in 2011. They are prostrate in the face of the depredations of both men and their spinelessness is incalculably damaging to the party and the state.

Does politics always come before the greater good? Can I really be this naive?

The Gibbons-Ensign combination has become a source of ongoing national ridicule. National Journal labeled Nevada the second most dysfunctional state in the country (thank goodness for New York). An MSNBC host actually asked me last week if Nevadans were the kind of folks who were going to let what Ensign did be forgotten. And National Public Radio is scheduled to run a piece today about both Ensign and Gibbons — and my guess is it will not be about their leadership qualities.

Just imagine how GOP elected officials and candidates are feeling. Which leads me to another Q and A.

Question: What are the nine most heartening words in the English language for the Nevada Republican Party?

Answer: John Ensign is resigning and Jim Gibbons won’t run.

Discussion: 19 comments so far…

By Future

7/15/09 at 6:50 a.m.

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"Does politics always come before the greater good? Can I really be this naive?"

Jon answered his own question Democratic politics always come before the greater good in Nevada.

By the end 2010 there will be few if any Republican left in Nevada. There will be no limits on taxing and spending in Nevada and the future will be one like CA.

The kids in schools will still be no better off, the Union salaries, penision, and health will drastically increase.

Yes we can see the future we the Democrats
By Political_Pragmatist

7/15/09 at 7:14 a.m.

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In a sign of the times, ladies and gentlemen, Future gives us the future of conservative ideas--weak spin.

But a future with nothing but Democrats could be slightly better than when it was all Republicans, like it was in the past, but it would be better with two strong parties with positive proposals. Unfortunately, now, it is just one.
By larry5

7/15/09 at 7:26 a.m.

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Hey Jon - While you're on a roll, let's hear your thoughts on Ted Kennedy.

You have concerns about what MSNBC and NPR have to say about Nevada Republicans. Now THAT'S funny!
By geezelouise

7/15/09 at 7:30 a.m.

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I say let's run the both of them out of town, and then have a Do Over.

There needs to be some balance in government, unfortunately most of our elected officials are unbalanced whether they be R or D, and have their own interests on the front burner while leaving ours out of the equation entirely.
By benighse

7/15/09 at 8:05 a.m.

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Get your bumper stickers:

"AIN'T NO SIN, LIKE ENSIGN."

"John Ensign is Running for Re-Erection."

"Spay and Neuter Our Veterinarian Senator."

"I'll Trade You One Mistress For a Senate Seat."

"ENSIGN: MY OB/GYN SAYS I'M GOOD TO GO AGAIN!"

"Protect Marriage from Mistresses"
By Nick

7/15/09 at 10:36 a.m.

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Republicans are out of touch. All they want is to represent the rich and deny healthcare and jobs to the rest.

Now Sexual deviants like John Ensign and Larry Craig are telling us we have bad values!

Republicans are dead. Thankfully
By Future

7/15/09 at 12:11 p.m.

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"Republicans are dead. Thankfully"

Now we will have the one company town where Democrats will give us milk money for showing up for community service and we pay rent to them to live in their Country.
By texexnv

7/15/09 at 1:08 p.m.

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Ensign and Gibbons: The Entouchables and the Unteachables...
By Purgatory

7/15/09 at 1:47 p.m.

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Nick, Nick, Nick...your comment really got me today...I despise both parties, as they are equally as corrupt...they are the 'devil we know'...but, ya know what, you on the other hand, are a part of the collective 'devil we don't know'...your thought processes scare the bejesus outta me...I despise your statement 'deny healthcare and jobs to the rest'...no one is denying you anything that you can manage to provide for yourself...get over it...it is people of your ilk, not the corrupt Republicans or Democrats who are wrecking this place...jeesshhh...I feel moronic even writing this...what is wrong with you, Nick?...gawd, I feel like ranting today...must be the heat...Nick, I just wasted more energy than I should have, but PLEASE, get off the government teat!...you get half-as-much milk as you would otherwise have and it is sour by the time it gets to you...jeeeessshhhh
By jyoung104

7/15/09 at 3:50 p.m.

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You know what's not so funny is that both of these guys probably still think that they are distinguished gentlemen.
These are not men. How could you ever look your children in the eyes after this.
It might be better if the Ensigns and the Hamptons came out and admitted that they swing.
By afveteran

7/15/09 at 4:08 p.m.

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Looks like Ralston is going the alimentary canal retentive route on this Ensign guffaw by adding Governor Jim's name to the mix. We all know the governor is done for and out of any race, including dogcatcher. Ensign, however, has close to 3.5 years to mend his error before running, and I bet my IRA's his staff (the smart ones, not the dumb ones like Hampton) comes up with a fence building program to the Mormon community which helped elect him. Like Ole Diz once said, "podnuh, the old slugger himself is at the plate".
By 70aarcuda

7/15/09 at 4:28 p.m.

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given the tax and spend democrates that are running the govt into debt...i will vote for anyone but them...
By transplanted

7/15/09 at 4:47 p.m.

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future, CA has a republican governor! And, by the way, how did the past 8 years help you?? Bush spent TRILLIONS and put the tax burden on the middle class, saving his rich friends and family.

maybe you should move to Texas
By NevadaFive

7/15/09 at 9:22 p.m.

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Ensign's affair with ? - forgot her name already - will be a no-starter in 2012. The astute, intelligent, well-informed voters of Nevada will have forgotten about it. Unless some Obama-Kennedy like personage comes out of the woodwork I predict Sen. Ensign will win another term advancing the hopes and dreams of Nevadans in the US Senate for another six years.
By StanG

7/16/09 at 12:57 p.m.

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Yep. Let's get rid of "Tax and Spend" Democrats and re-elect our fiscally conservative "Borrow and Spend" Republicans.
By LV4LIFE

7/16/09 at 1:10 p.m.

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What ever becomes of the Republican party in Nevada, they only have themselves to blame.
By OpenRange

7/16/09 at 2:40 p.m.

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Couldn't be a better time for a third party . . .
By PaulRupp

7/16/09 at 2:43 p.m.

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Senator Ensign continues to lie . . . lower than a snake's belly in a wagon wheel rut.
By golden13

7/16/09 at 6:12 p.m.

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Why should a candidate spend more money to have a beautiful expensive website as Jon Ralston seems to feel is necessary to run a campaign?
I don't even make donations to charitable organizations that display they have sufficient funds when they use glossy - fancy paper, insert envelopes, etc. which probably cost more than I could possibly donate to their cause.
It is time for candidates to stop showing off how much money they can obtain and spend to try and win an election. They should donate those big bucks to assist hard working citizens to keep their homes.
When is a dollar amount going to be established as to how much a candidate can spend for a campaign?
Keep it simple; I for one am tired of the television commercials repeated over and over again, mailings, telephone calls, etc.

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