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twitterLETTER FROM WASHINGTON:
In the West, Democrats’ gains may be hard to keep
Issues now in the news tend to arouse the region’s anti-government sentiment
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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Washington — The road to the White House, Nevada’s Democrats often said during the 2008 presidential campaign, is through the Mountain West.
And it was.
President Barack Obama swept the intermountain states, including his 12 percentage point victory over Republican John McCain in Nevada. In the previous two elections, Nevada preferred the Republican, George W. Bush.
But now those fiercely independent states that helped propel Obama to the White House may be shifting again, posing a threat to Democrats’ stunning gains in the region. So wrote veteran political journalist Ronald Brownstein in last week’s National Journal.
Part of the problem may be the very Democratic agenda that Nevada and the other states approved when they sent Obama to Washington.
“Mountain State Democrats benefited earlier in this decade from linking activist government to such kitchen-table concerns as schools and traffic,” Brownstein writes, “but Obama’s agenda on everything from health care to climate change has ignited more ideologically charged debates about Washington’s role and reach. And that has revived a grass-roots anti-Washington constituency that was largely dormant during the Democratic advance.”
Last week 700 people rallied in support of Obama’s health care agenda in Las Vegas. In late August many more across the state protested the president at amped up Tea Party Express rallies heavily promoted by conservative talk radio and cable.
Still, the political changes Nevada and the seven other Mountain West states have experienced during the past decade are not unsubstantial.
As Democrats brought the party back to predominance nationally, Nevada saw the same ascendancy. Democrats took the state Senate last year, flipped a congressional seat and two years earlier secured most of the state’s constitutional offices (though not the governor’s).
Brownstein notes the work of the Brooking Institution’s new Mountain West Center at UNLV that quantifies the vast growth of the region, including Las Vegas and other urban centers. Nevada and the other Mountain West states have seen the shift, with the influx of white-collar professionals and Hispanics. Some note the rise of a new swath of progressives.
Yet Brownstein warns, “The Democrats’ gains on this flinty terrain may well prove hard to hold.”
Midterm elections are rarely kind to the party in power and the heartache of a dismal economy doesn’t help incumbents preparing for 2010 elections.
Nevada’s 13.2 percent unemployment rate is the second highest in the nation. The Economic Policy Institute said Nevada’s rate of job loss in August was the highest in the nation.
An economic turnaround would certainly benefit those in power just as the bad news helps challengers.
This was evident last week when no sooner did Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say he expects the state economy to begin to improve next year, than one of his Republican challengers, Danny Tarkanian, said he thinks the economy still has a long way to go.
Brownstein warns that the economy may be only part of the battle. The ideology of the West, with its skepticism of government and preference for frontier independence, may have been rustled anew.
“Today, though, with Bush gone and Obama in the White House, warning signs are blinking for Democrats across the Mountain West.”
Discussion: 27 comments so far…
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Dixiecrats should employ some of those old GOP smear, fear, and SWIFTIZING tactics. They should run Joe Wilson, peterless King, and SCOTUS in-Justice Sam Alito out of office. Jurist-mulligan for Obama, anyone? Sista on the SCOTUS bench? Clarence Thomas' ("Driving Ms. Daisy") head would explode.
Draftdodging is a felony offense and felons are prohibited from holding ANY public elected office. "You Lie" Wilson, his daddy was a carbon copy of GHWB and Gov. George Romney (Nixon cabinet member). The 3-Amigos violated Truman's executive order which desegregated all of our military units and the Civil RIghts Act of 1964.
King, Wilson, Alito, and Boy George's illegal slots in the National Guard and military reserve (rich whites-only Vietnam sanctuaries), was a commission of high crimes and misdemeanors by their rich daddies. Therefore, King, Wilson, and Alito should be IMPEACHED and made playmates for Bernie Madoff. The U.S. Slecti8ve Service Board, 70 years ago, BANNED all relgious military draft deferments. When the stuff broke-out in Vietnam, Mitt and Hatch, they donned their beret's and they broke for Paris, France and their racially-segregated LDS-FLDS mission (freak-a-zoids).
Black Muslim Elijah Muhammad (WWII), and his son, Wallace D. Muhammad (Vietnam), they refused to drafted, and they both served 3 YEAR federal prison senteces for religious draft evasion. Elijah was Muhammad Ali's religious advisor. Obama, Holder, and the gutless wonders, MT suits and dresses, Judases, Uncle T*ms, and Benedict Arnolds that comprise the NAACP, NUL, NABJ, and Cong. Balck Caucus-CBC-comical blacks in congress, they should demand that Hatch and Mitt give the HOOD a payback, by them serving 3 years in federal prison too. When PIGS fly!
Self inflicted losses as a result of their lies and force feeding their lunatic policies down our throats.
What they fail to understand is we support helping the truly needy people and others who don't live off the system. It is the lazy criminal minds that they support and continue to cram down our throats and they did it again with the biggest lie since America was founded, The Stimulus Package. The Stimulus Package is nothing but a waste of our money being spent on people who have no desire to work and other forms of public welfare.
And now they're trying to cram a healthcare bill down our throats to further their agenda. Why work, we have the government that will take care of us. Welcome Obama, he going to pay my rent and I never need to work again and these people rejoice with happiness.
The switch in parties last year was directly related to the economic trouble. The thought was these guys messed up so lets put in the other guys.
Now we see the other guys are 4 times worse than before. The switch back wont be so much the parties but the individual people selected. The voter will remember the most conservative democrat still has to toe the line for Pelosi and the other extremists. Democrats need to dump Pelosi now if they want anyone to listen to anything they say.
The Editorial states: "Last week 700 people rallied in support of Obama's health care agenda in Las Vegas. In late August many more across the state protested the president at amped up Tea Party Express rallies heavily promoted by conservative talk radio and cable."
No bias here...
"700 people?" It was more like 70 SEIU Union workers at the SEIU Union parking lot...
"amped up and heavily promoted by conservative talk radio and cable." Really? Nobody promoted the SEIU bus at the SEIU parking lot?
maybe nevada sees the betrayal of the obama lies and the B.S. of the stimulus, omnibus and the other crap that has been shoved down our throats...
voters remorse....
vote reid out in 2010 and obummer in 2012!!!
I agree that it was HUGE MISTAKE to vote for Obama.
Obama is a likeable person but has incredibly dubius political goals. Shame on the media for the massive cover up of this guy.
Democrat leaders should remember voters did not vote for Democrat ideas and policies but voted against President Bush and Republicans. Any Democrat could have won the Presidency against an old tired Senator, war hero or not.
As more light is shed on the ideas, the progressive and controlling politics of President Obama, Americans will turn away and reject him and his party.
Can we truly blame Obama for the economic mess we are in? I thought that our form of government does not allow one man/woman or branch of government exact sole power. There is enough blame to go around.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, we would accept that this meltdown happened under Jr Bush's watch. They tried to keep it a secret until after the election but couldn't.
And let us not forget our beloved "no tax", "where is he" governor. Surely he has to share some of the blame too.
how soon nevada forgets how those bush loving
republican southerners destroyed our economy,
lost 2 wars in the middle east and placed right
wing, so called family value christian
hypocrites in positions of power.
vote republican... and you'll see it all over
again.
7pesos... Please tell:
What two wars in the middle east were lost?
I bet you don't know, because your such a blow...
And cash in those pesos, your not in Mexico anymore.
The right wing has big mouths but they are still a shrinking minority. Ignorant uneducated bigots have nothing to offer but big corporate healthcare and give aways to the top 2%.
Nick is back and has taken a dump... Right in the middle, of his stump.
More with his name calling and ignorant rant.
Trying to intimidate those he don't like...
Obama SWEPT the Intermountain West? Since when is three out of eight a sweep? Obama carried Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. That's it.
Either this reporter has bad facts, or she's lying, hoping no one notices. Well Ms. Mascaro, which is it?
Is she lying or is she a sexist? I hope she is not a racist because when you are a racist you better not lie...
But if you are a Democrat or a Republican too, lying is just a part, of the things that you do...
Yes, this was a nightmare come true. The Democrats in power are a disaster! Never have I've seen a group of politicians ignore their constituents like this group. The "Liberal Death March" is what it was labeled and I believe it. It really like a bunch of radicals gone wild. Democratic rule is dangerous and I hope we all have learned our lesson. We should not have to fear our politicians as we do now.
Palin and the birthers will keep us moderates voting democrat.
Those tea baggers are embarassing. Who wants to join that crowd?
Hey Nick: After you putting up 320 post so far your anything but a moderate if you would move at all to the right and we know thats not going to happen you just might wined up as a RINO. YEA RIGHT! (YOUR ARE A LIBERAL THATS YOUR CHOICE YOU MADE YOUR BED NOW SLEEP IN IT)
Powerplay is Texas White Trash
Most moderate voters don't want to go back to the GOP politics of 2000-2008.
Hey Nick,
To answer you question, about 35% of the voters have joined that there independent crowd ... And more to come.
That independent crowd does not buy into the religous right playbook.
Hey Nicky,
That independent crowd also does not buy into the moderate left playbook.
We are happy sitting in the middle watching our Democrat and Republican friends tear each others feathers out.
Now don't tell anyone, but the Independents like Palin...
Palin is the far religous right. She is the most hated woman in politics. The woman is an idiot and the whole family is hypocrites.
really, Id take Sarah Palin over any of the knuckle heads we have now! Ivve had it with the Democrats!
Does vegas give book on political races? There may be money to be made there.
Nicky:
Just one question and then I will leave you alone.
Have you ever heard of Nancy Polosi???