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Friday, April 23, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
It started in Mesquite on the evening of April 6, a place and date Sue Lowden may never forget.
Only a handful of people were listening in the city’s Community Theatre as Lowden spoke, captured by a videographer working for the state Democratic Party.
“Bartering is really good,” Lowden said. “Those doctors who take cash, you can barter … and that would get prices down in a hurry. I would say go ahead and pay cash for whatever your medical needs are, and go ahead and barter with your doctor.”
I can only imagine the astonishment mixed with glee that the video clip evoked when it was viewed at de facto Democratic Party headquarters, aka Harry Reid’s campaign office. My guess is the Reidites hoped for a few days of media fun at Lowden’s expense (delivering a goat and chickens to Lowden headquarters) and then back to caricaturing her as a rich businesswoman who mistreats workers and likes bank bailouts.
Instead, two and a half weeks later, Bartergate has become a national sensation, first a Jay Leno punchline and now an MSNBC and blogospheric delight. Everyone is having a real pun time (I shall try to restrain myself here) with the idea of chickens for health care and the blogs are alive with the sound of ridicule. And the Lowden campaign’s response has been a remarkable, even unprecedented display of tone-deafness, marked by a stubborn digging in of heels (she repeated her barterlove on “Nevada Newsmakers”) and hemorrhaging of credibility here and nationally.
Beyond the damaging image of a 17th century aristocrat telling the ailing peasants to bring farm animals to the doctor — let them pay with chickens! — Lowden doesn’t seem to realize that much worse than seeming out of time and out of touch is this simple, ineluctable and, for her, unfortunate fact: Chickens are funny.
Thus is the derision enhanced by videos, including a techno approach by ProgressNow Nevada, and the seemingly endless plays on words and jokes making the rounds on blogs and Twitter. The Democrats have been relentless and occasionally brilliant in pushing the story — LowdenCare may go national, a Facebook page (“1 Million Chickens for Sue Lowden”) and surely facilitating the use of clips on network and cable programs.
But they have not just been enabled by the Lowden campaign, they have been aided and abetted by her refusal to either say she originally meant to say “bargain” (she talked of doctors taking cash) or an irrational adherence to the concept of bartering (even people who hate Reid’s version of health care reform don’t think that is the answer).
Lowden’s latest tactic is to emphasize that bartering does occur in rural communities and to contrast her simple solution to Reid’s voluminous health care legislation. That chicken don’t cluck, though.
Don’t misunderstand: Reid and health care reform still are despised by a majority of Nevadans. Bartergate does not change that.
But Lowden’s performance on this issue and her obstinate insistence on not backing down is playing into Reid’s hands. She is doing the equivalent of reanimating a political corpse with this jolt of insanity.
Reid’s entire campaign thus far has been predicated on portraying Lowden as a wealthy woman who has no regard for the common folk struggling through difficult economic times. The senator has telegraphed the fall campaign: Lowden is an elitist, a dilettante not to be taken seriously. And while he is not likable, he should be taken seriously as Senate majority leader.
Yes, it takes chutzpah for a multimillionaire who lives at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington to run such a campaign. But if you have an approval rating in the high 30s, you don’t have much left to use except chutzpah.
I have thought since the campaign began that Lowden was the candidate Reid most feared. But that is either starting to change or the Reidites have been playing the briar patch game in a way that would have made Uncle Remus proud. “Oh, no, not Sue Lowden. Please don’t throw her at us, Republicans.”
I have been bemused by the sounds of silence emanating from Lowden’s Republican opponents. Perhaps they are following the old dictum: If your opponent is committing hara-kiri, get out of the way. But by their silence, do they show their assent to what she said? Or are they storing up their own ridicule for debates and media campaigns?
The provenance of Bartergate is easy to trace — that little theater in Mesquite. But the final chapter of this chicken-bites-woman story is more difficult to foretell: Will it end June 8, Nov. 2 or with a seat in the Club of 100?
I wondered about the opponents too. D Tark is off on the abortion issue. All Angle or D Tark would have to do is say is that Lowden doesn't have the experience to deal with the "liberal media" effectively. That would appeal to the nutbar talk radio crowd.
Also we can do better than "bartergate." Gizzardgate, gizzard gaff, goat goof, barnyard barter brew ha-ha.
Maybe we can go back to the old 60's bumper sticker: "cash, gas, or a@#, nobody rides for free" John Ensing take note.
Also, you should have got some face time on MSNBC out of this. Shame on you.
I no longer feel bad about "Lost" going off the air next month. There won't be anything good left to watch on TV, but we'll still have Suzy Cream Cheese and her chickens, and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer contemplating a bill that would essentially require brown people to carry their birth certificate with them whenever they go out in public.
That's Entertainment!!
Lowden is LOONEY! Little Tark is widely known for his lack of discipline and terrible temper, and the most radical Republican in Nevada, Angle got the TEA Party endorsement - and there are 21 people vying for the race in the Republican Primary! This is the silliest circus of a politcal cycle I've seen in Nevada - LOL!
Harry Reid has done more for Nevada then all of the others combined - and rational people will "Remember In November" all of what Harry has done for Nevada (and that he's the U. S. Senate Majority Leader)! I'm supporting Harry Reid AGAIN!
You're so right, Jon, that there are two issues here. One is Sue's chickens for checkups proposal which opens the door for the jokes. (Mine is "How many chickens must Sue pay her doctor to get her head examined?").
The second issue is what this says about Sue Lowden (not) having the capacity to solve complex problems rationally, which should be a prerequisite for the Club of 100. If elected, she probably wouldn't be the very worst Senator there, but does Nevada really need another laughing stock in addition to Ensign and Gibbons?
Three amusing stories coming out of Nevada, all in a single day - Sue Lowden and her chickens, Ensign raising only $50 in his first quarter of fund raising for reelection, and Gibbons being declared one of the worst governors in the U.S. Do we need any more proof that the Republican Party in Nevada is not ready for the national stage, except as a comedy act?
Angle might not be such a long-shot if this keeps up. She would be my number one choice if I was a registered Republican (I registered as unaffiliated so I won't be voting this June).
Unless her Republicant opponents get moving with some kind of game plan she'll win the GOP primary. Heck, bad publicity is better than no publicity, and no publicity is what her immediate opponents are getting.
Good points, crinvegas. Everyone has noticed this absurdity that centers around the Republican Party here in Nevada. And it's not only a local issue, it's a total embarassment to all of us in the eyes of the nation.
I say it don't matter who wins the Republican Primary.
Because most sane voters here in Nevada all see the total hypocrisy, idiocy and absurdity of the Republican Party in Nevada.
They don't need to be in any power at all here. They surely and clearly exhibit they don't deserve it. Not even Dogcatcher General of Nevada.
I say they should be all voted out and made to wander aimlessly in the desert. At least for the next generation or so. Til they figure out how best to serve the people, and not themselves.
Lowden's healthcare chicken saga has more legs and feathers than a Vegas showgirl extravaganza.
You just can't make this kind of political career altering stuff up.
Hasn't anyone told Suzy that when you are in a hole, stop digging?
Ms Lowden owes me a keyboard. I'm STILL laughing!
PART II
Harry and most Dems have No Clue how to run a business, so how can they run the country? By running the country into the ground!! With lack of substance to argue the Dems pull the Race Card in every situation, ignore the violence of the Illegal Immigration Lobby's (e.g., Arizona), and try to find violence among Tea Partiers to the point of even planting phoney Tea Partiers to make them look bad. The news media try to show the bad and never the good. We independents have learned out lesson; we don't need wasters of other peopls money in office. It all started with subprimes during the Clinton Admin when everyone just had to own a home, whether they could afford it or not, or even perhaps during the Carter Admin (although I liked Clinton for other reasons). Then Bush screws up and the Obama criticizes Bush and proceeds to inject wasteful spending with steroids. Now he expects us to pay for Health Care for all, which opens the doors for his lawyer buddies to have 30 Mill more people to pick through to find those who want to sue and collect unlimited settlements, which alone could take down the economy. Add this to Cap & Tax, paying to make other countries Green, Paying for everyone's college (another wet dream), etc.. etc.. and what do you have? A recipe for disaster and breeding a culture of those who learn to live off of hand-outs rather than learn how to achieve. People need hand-ups, not hand outs! Keep voting for the Dems & YOU WILL see the economy collapse & our kids will have to suffer the most, but does Obama, Pelossi, Reid and the Dems care? No, they want everyone to get everything for nothing; let other people do the hard work and everyone else can ride their shirt tails. This IS NOT AMERICA OR AMERICAN! If you want what the Dems want, then move to Venezuela and if America turns into a socialist democracy, we'll have to change the name of our Country!
PART I
Johnathan Abbinett and others like him; it's amusing to see how people here are glorifying Harry's intellect & putting Lowden down when Reid hasn't had do anything in entire career which involved balancing a budget, meeting quotas, paying business expenses and employees in time, etc.. etc..
Harry Reid has been in politics since 1986. He's been in a position of being able to say what happens with other peoples $, and when programs would fail, the government doesn't go out of business, it just takes more money. Same with most of the Dems. If any of them tried to run a business, the business would be out of business. Harry enjoyed a safe job as long as he handed out other peoples hard earned $ making people reliant on hand-outs as the Dems have always done, thereby, building a voting block. Something the Dems are trying to do today with Illegal immigrants, legalize them to obtain a controlling voting block so all of us can support them all. Harry Reid was a Lawyer who spent his life in politics and hasn't a clue about how to run and operate anything that is required to be run with the use of Money! The Dems have made people lazy. Look at Greece where they were furious about having to work an extra couple of years to retire at the ripe old age of 53. This is what hand-outs and socialism does to people. No incentive to achieve; just take the hand-outs and vote for me.
Lowden started out as an elementary school teacher; she worked with KLAS-TV, the local CBS affiliate for southern Nevada. She earned numerous awards for her work as a reporter and anchorwoman, such as the Associated Press and United Press International Award for Best Newscast. She became a member of the KLAS Channel 8 Hall of Fame.
Lowden was President of Santa Fe Hotel and Casino and a former Executive Vice President of Sahara Hotel and Casino;serves as a Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary-Treasurer of Archon Corporation, a gaming and investment company. For her work, Lowden received a Women of Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
WOW, SHE ACTUALLY RAN A LARGE BUSINESSES & HAS EXPERIENCE WIHT MEETING BUDGETS! AND LOOK, SHE ALSO HAS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE TOO, BUT NOT JUST POLITICAL!
On top of real business experience, in 1992, Lowden ran for the Nevada State Senate in her heavily Democratic-controlled district and won
In the Nevada Legislature, Lowden served as the Senate Majority Whip and the Chairman of the Senate Taxation Committee. Her work in office earned her the Guardian of Small Business Award from the Nevada chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Senator of the Year Award from the Clark County Republican Party, the Woman of the Year Award from the Republican Women of Las Vegas, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 from the Republican Women of Henderson.
Hey BobbyG and others, have you ever run a business the size of the Santa Fe? How many Ditz's have been able to do what she has done? Oh, a lifelong politician like Harry Reid knows how to run a business? Well, we know he doesn't, so how does he know how to run a country? Oh I see, he has an endless supply of tax dollars so when his programs fail, he can just take more! Wow, what great experience he has in management huh? Lowden has more intellect then all of you morons put together! You're probably among those who benefit from other peoples money, or perhaps you are guilt minded Hollywood stars who earned millions of dollars in a job that children are just as good at, so since you too don't know how to run a business, it's ok for them to steal your money away to give to others because you realize you don't deserve to be paid that much. However, those who work harder for a living, would like to choose whom they'd like to help instead of having the Government do this, you know, the same institution who sends disability and retirement checks to dead people and illegals aliens. The government who dug into social security and used that money for other purposes, you know, the government that is running a giant Ponzi scheme, yet somehow they don't go to jail. I think genuinely hard workers would like to choose whom they give to and they have the right to.
I'm working hard in business to support my family; it seems you have to be rich or poor to afford to have kids these days. Why should I give up my families aspirations so someone can sit home on their lazy ass? Do you people have any idea how abused the hand-out system is? Thousands upon thousands of able bodied people collecting disability, while they work under the table; drug addicts collecting while meeting new drug dealer contacts at drug rehab meetings, living off of phony law suits, welfare an food stamp scams, teaching their kids how to do the same. This is what you want for American? WAKE UP!