Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Jon Ralston laments the campaign spin from members of both major parties

There is a distinction between stupidity and ignorance.

One is unavoidable and forgivable; the other is avoidable and unforgivable, at least when it comes to political discourse and participation. But the consequences of ignorance include stupid behavior, which often means an almost hypnotic fixation for or against a politician or candidate, too often fueled by demagogues given the privilege of an elected title, the ability to pay a candidate filing fee or the access to a microphone or an IP address.

I know this is a familiar lamentation. But the greatest epidemic in Nevada (and America) is not H1N1 — it is rampant ignorance, thus making the state’s electorate (and surely this is true across the U.S.) ripe for the pickings of skilled consultants and charlatans.

This has become relevant here because of two debates — I use the term loosely — over the state’s stimulus spending and its long-term economic fix, issues that should be seminal to Nevada’s most important races. These colloquies have been polluted by spinning and avoidance and, worst of all, vitriol turned mindlessly on political figures or parties.

I’d like to say that only one side is responsible but my long search for bipartisanship has finally been fulfilled — Democrats and Republicans have collaborated on making a mockery of these issues, especially in races for U.S. Senate and governor.

Before I dissect the execrable behavior, two forces have contributed to the coarsening of the debate and require vilification.

First, talk radio, as the irresponsible blather about the Harry Reid car bomb proved, is an exemplar of tales told by idiots — or, at best, ignoramuses — full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. That is, if only millions of folks, desperately looking for meaning and ingenuously mistaking for a sage anyone who can bloviate on the airwaves, didn’t listen and follow.

Second, the political parties and their agents — the national committees — are noxious machines vomiting a toxic stew of spin, nastiness and hyperbole. They add nothing to any debate and only hope to take advantage of gullible Fourth Estaters willing to copy and paste their nonsense.

It’s no wonder some believe (fear?) the atmosphere is ripe for an independent candidate, serious or otherwise (Mayor Oscar Goodman). Voters often are ignorant, thus susceptible to good thespians. But would it be so stupid for them to buy into a third-party contender considering the level of the current conversation?

Consider the stimulus debate. Every Republican in that primary for Harry Reid’s seat has followed the national talking points and lambasted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as an abject failure that will pile trillions of debt onto our grandchildren and bankrupt the nation. Fine. Maybe.

But not one has provided any details of what should have been done. And when provided with evidence the stimulus is working — check the stock market lately? — they simply repeat their talking points.

That’s not stupid. It’s just ignorance, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

But the other side bears a different kind of culpability — that of desperation to reverse sliding poll numbers, for the Democrats and Reid, by spinning out of control. Although his opponents and enemies refuse to give Reid credit for inserting a debt cancellation provision or for being able to engineer tens of millions in grants recently for green jobs, the majority leader and his allies can’t just stop with the facts. The latest is the Democratic Party’s claim that the stimulus has created or saved 37,000 jobs here, which was obtained by adding the actual number (5,667) to the 31,000 jobs Harrah’s executive Jan Jones claimed were saved. That’s simply embarrassing.

Reid’s seminal argument for his reelection is that après him, le deluge for Nevada. If he can’t make the case through facts, sans spin, that he is indispensable, then he deserves to lose.

This pathology also can be found in the nondebate over the state’s fiscal future, mirroring every other lack of substantive discussion for decades. All of the gubernatorial candidates have slogans — Brian Sandoval’s “Reason to Believe Again,” Mike Montandon’s “New Nevada,” Rory Reid’s “New Economic Vision for Nevada” and Jim Gibbons’ “No New Taxes.” But beyond the puff, there is no smoke, much less fire on how to deal with a looming $2 billion deficit.

Reid the Younger, alas, may have set the tone by saying he will wait for a new revenue study — a fig leaf if ever there were one. But at least Reid has a vision booklet and promises position papers. So far, the others have only pablum.

I know it’s a tired rant, that I’m likely whistling the dark. But it’s still a year until the election, and I won’t shut up until they do.

Jon Ralston hosts the news discussion program “Face to Face With Jon Ralston” on Las Vegas ONE and publishes the daily e-mail newsletter “RalstonFlash.com.” His column for the Las Vegas Sun appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

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