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June 3, 2012

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LETTER FROM WASHINGTON:

Politicians utter the darnedest things

By

Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Washington — 
John Ensign

John Ensign

Harry Reid

Harry Reid

Rep. Dean Heller

Rep. Dean Heller

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Those Vegas hangovers can be brutal.

Nevada’s elected officials return to Washington this week with some career-defining baggage to unpack from their time back home.

Not that anyone awoke to a tiger in the hotel suite bathroom or missing teeth or anything. This is real life, not a movie.

But if there were to be a compilation of verbal gaffes, a sort of Politicos Gone Wild thing, Nevada’s lawmakers could get some play.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called town hall protesters “evil mongers” (twice!) and said mean things to the other newspaper in town (it was a joke!).

Republican Sen. John Ensign was trying to fast-forward past his affair with a then-staff member, who was married to one of his best friends and top aides, only to utter six simple words that will help define this chapter of his career.

When asked by the Associated Press why he remained in office despite having called on President Bill Clinton to resign in 1998 for his own affair with an intern, Ensign offered this reply: “I haven’t done anything legally wrong.”

Clinton, he said, ventured into legally questionable terrain — even though the former president was never convicted of lying to investigators about the affair. In 1998, Ensign had a simpler rationale. He said Clinton should resign because he had lost all credibility.

In the wake of the Ensign affair, Republican Rep. Dean Heller came home well positioned as the party’s de facto leader in Nevada.

Heller skillfully explained that he would not be running against Reid next fall and, just before his party could get too disappointed with him, he noted that Ensign’s problems played a role in his decision. Deftly done.

But rather than relish his incipient leadership role, Heller went on to embarrass a fellow at the Carson City Rotary Club. When the congressman asked who had taken advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program, the guy raised his hand.

“Congratulations. Everybody else in the room paid for your car,” Heller said, according to the Nevada Appeal.

The man headed for the door, telling Heller: “I have better things to do than be insulted by a man who hasn’t learned anything. I’ll never vote for you again.”

Heller apologized later, but like so many political apologies, it only made matters worse. “I know I embarrassed someone and I apologize for that,” Heller said, “but I don’t think everybody has a right to own a new car.”

As the Reno News & Review wrote in an editorial last week, either apologize or don’t. “There is no but.”

Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus seemed to keep their political cool during their visits home. They apparently went about their business without leaving too much of a trail of controversial commentary.

In fact, Berkley gave a little reminder of what happens when you push her buttons after a heckler called her “chicken” for not hosting a live town-hall meeting.

Surrounded by a crowd, Berkley pivoted (on a super stylish heel, no doubt), looked into his video camera and cracked for her close-up: “I don’t think I’m a chicken. I’m standing here in front of you.”

Touche.

It’s sometimes surprising when elected officials get themselves into these situations.

Reid is always quick with salty one-liners. But shouldn’t even he know not to crack a joke about putting a newspaper out of business when that newspaper wants to do the same to him?

Didn’t Ensign, after all these months, have time to think up a better answer to the looming Clinton question?

Didn’t Heller consider that a man who bothered to turn out to hear him speak might not like being made the object of scorn?

These things happen. But nothing lasts forever, not even a pounding headache after time spent in Nevada.

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