Las Vegas Sun

February 12, 2012

Currently: 51° | Complete forecast | Log in

Letter FROM WASHINGTON:

Heller not bound by political correctness

By Lisa Mascaro

Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Heller

Heller

Republican Rep. Dean Heller is emerging as Nevada’s newest frank-talking politician — one in a line of elected officials who speak their mind, political correctness be damned.

Consider his remarks last weekend at the Elko Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner when he wondered aloud if extending unemployment benefits is keeping people from finding work.

“Is the government now creating hobos?” Heller said, according to the Elko Daily Free Press.

Nevada, mind you, is a state with a 13 percent jobless rate.

It was not the first time that the congressman’s impolitic remarks pingponged around the blogosphere.

On a Reno radio show in January, Heller suggested fellow Republican Sen. John Ensign’s extramarital affair would be a “cloud” over his party this fall — not the kind of on-the-record remark you expect from a teammate.

Then at a Carson City Rotary Club meeting last summer, Heller asked the group who had taken advantage of the government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

“Congratulations,” Heller said, after one man raised his hand. “Everybody else in the room paid for your car.”

The man stormed out, saying he would never vote for the congressman again.

These are not smooth talking points. This is a politician unplugged, unscripted and speaking publicly in a way most lawmakers avoid.

Although a higher-ranking lawmaker would get in trouble for such talk — note how often Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in hot water for unpolished remarks — Heller has been able to dish it out with impunity.

In fact, says Eric Herzik, chairman of UNR’s political science department, Heller might benefit from this openness.

Heller represents mostly rural Northern Nevada and towns such as Elko, where he made the “hobos” comment, are conservative strongholds. Frank talk is valued currency in libertarian-leaning Nevada, and Heller faces no strong opponent for re-election this fall.

“Out in Elko that probably gets a laugh and applause,” Herzik said.

“Liberal critics will decry his insensitivity, but they’re not going to vote for him anyway. It shows you the candor you can get in a safe district,” he said.

Heller joins a long list of Nevada politicians known for speaking before thinking.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is among the state’s most popular politicians despite a series of impolitic remarks — including telling fourth-graders the items he would want on a desert island are a showgirl and a bottle of gin.

The list of Reidisms over the years could fill a book. And Nevada’s other House members are no shrinking violets.

“Think of Oscar Goodman, Dina Titus, Dean Heller, Shelley Berkley — they’ll drop some zingers, usually with kind of a biting, humorous edge,” Herzik said. “That helps also define who they are politically and why they are popular with the average Nevadan.”

Michael Kinsley famously said a gaffe is when a politician speaks the truth. But what Heller was addressing in his “hobo” remarks, however, is not capital-T truth but a reflection of his world view.

It’s a common view in Republican circles that the longer unemployed people receive unemployment checks, the longer they stay out of work.

“Benefits subsidize unemployment,” wrote James Sherk in a January memo for the conservative Heritage Foundation. “They reduce the need to search for new work and to make difficult choices — such as moving or switching industries — to begin a new job.”

Unemployment insurance provides for up to two years of benefits.

Maurice Emsellem, co-director of policy at the National Employment Law Project, said although it is true that studies show people remain out of work up to two weeks longer while on unemployment checks, that extra time helps them secure a better job — one with insurance, for example — rather than settle for the first thing that comes along.

He added that past studies do not account for current conditions, which are the worst since jobless statistics started being kept in 1948.

Nevada’s jobless rate has hovered at 13 percent for months. Labor Department data show the Western region has the highest rate of job-seekers — one job for every seven unemployed people, as of last summer.

“Go tell the folks that are out there looking for jobs they’re hobos,” he said.

Despite his frank remarks, Heller has voted several times to extend jobless benefits. “I believe there should be a federal safety net,” Heller said at the Elko talk.

But sometimes words speak louder than actions. The “hobos” comment might be remembered long after his votes to extend unemployment benefits are forgotten.

“Sometimes it can come back and haunt you,” Herzik said. “If you’re unemployed, it’s like, ouch, that hurts.”

Discussion: comments so far…

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.

Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.

No trusted comments have been posted.

Post a comment

Commenting requires registration.

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.

Most Popular

  • Viewed
  • Discussed
  • E-mailed
  • Facebook