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On to the next round of campaign themes
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Now that the long overture has faded away — like one of those comic interpretations of the William Tell — the various lone rangers have emerged from the strains of the primary to face the general music.
But before the main opera begins, consider the following five questions — the major themes of the general campaign — and you will know who will be singing the arias come November and who will be in a dark bar drinking away their sorrows to karaoke:
No. 1 — Can Harry Reid make the election about anything but him? Starting today, Reid’s machine, which showed in the primary it is one to make the Carville war room envious, will try to turn the GOP nominee (written before polls close, folks) into someone who elicits screams from small children — and, they hope, moderate voters. It’s his only path to victory. Voters are not suddenly going to start feeling the love for Reid the Elder. But less hate toward him or disgust with both major party candidates? That he could live with — and win another term with.
No. 2 — Does Rory Reid have a path to victory? He has the money advantage ($2 million more than Brian Sandoval). But he is down by double digits in polls and has to lug around Dad’s baggage. Sandoval, scared of a corpse named Jim Gibbons, made a frightened dash to the right and alienated Hispanics with his Arizona immigration law affection and driver’s-licenses-for-illegals flip-flop. He also was forced to spend money after that third-party group funded by Democratic interests attacked him, so his coffers are depleted. The former federal judge is now vulnerable if a campaign is executed against him, but the two-Reids-on-the-ballot issue could save him.
No. 3 — Could the Democrats, in a year in which Republicans should dominate, actually achieve veto-proof majorities in both legislative houses? It’s possible, folks. Democrats remain likely to lose a seat or two in the Assembly, thus robbing Speaker-in-Waiting John Oceguera of what Barbara Buckley had — 28 votes on any major issue. But with GOP recruiting efforts not wonderful in the lower house races, Oceguera has a chance to hold the two-thirds. In the Senate, Majority Leader Steven Horsford knows unless he gets to 14, it’s over so far as any, ahem, “revenue reform” goes. Fewer GOP senators are likely to cross over to vote for taxes in 2011. Horsford needs to hold Joyce Woodhouse against a savvy newcomer (Michael Roberson), and he now has upset potential thanks to the embarrassing performances of Dennis Nolan and Elizabeth Halseth, and the Democrats will go all out to defeat Barbara Cegavske, who probably thinks she will depose Bill Raggio as minority leader. Long shot for Democrats to Count to 14 in the upper house? Maybe. But an even longer shot — read: impossible — is for the GOP to pick up any state Senate seats. Don’t underestimate how important these races are for the state’s future — perhaps most paramount of all, including the governorship. If Democrats control two-thirds of both houses, the governor’s relevance is greatly diminished because they essentially can do anything they want. And that would be a crushing blow to Republicans not only on fiscal policies but also in the mandatory redrawing of political lines for federal, state and local offices.
No. 4 — Which will be used more effectively in Nevada elections: The three-headed Obama-Pelosi-Reid Cerberus, Democratic guardians of a D.C. hell, or the Gibbons-Ensign monster, twin symbols of GOP ineptitude/corruption? If the presidential approval rating doesn’t tick upward — you can be almost certain the congressional happiness polls won’t — Democrats are going to be bracing for a large wave. But in Nevada, a lame-duck Gibbons creating mischief and a dead-but-he-doesn’t-know-it Ensign, who also could be indicted or in the Ethics Committee stocks, could provide some prophylaxis for the Democrats.
No. 5 — How bad will the economy be and who will be blamed for it? This is the real conundrum of the general election. No one expects some miraculous rebound in the next five months. But if the economy gets incrementally better, do the Democrats get any credit? And if it gets appreciably worse, how much will it cost them? It is going to be quite the spectacle — the reverse of the end of the 2008 campaign when Democrats were quietly praying for a delayed recovery. Never has Carville’s dictum about the economy been so true as it is this year — and we will see just how stupid candidates and voters are as they react to the campaigns.
When all is said and done in November, the answers to these five questions will show why some candidates are singing the blues and others are warbling victory tunes.
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OK,we have voted Sharon Angle to run against Harry Reid.Now will somebody please help Angle understand that it is easy to talk about the issues, any of us can do that,what we are looking for are solutions on an intellectual level that are doable in reality!Sharon I have a great idea hire John Chachas to help with your run against the incumbent,promise you he will not let you recite the Constitution in your upcoming debates!
Angle is sure to provide several months of unpredictable, slapstick entertainment for Nevadans.
Thanks, teabaggers!
Here is Sharron's campaign strategy:
"I am against a safety net for seniors in the form of Social Security. If you are not rich or have a good pension plan -- TS, old people."
"I don't have much use for teachers."
"I don't want children to have affordable health care"
"I really don't care about clean air and clean water."
"After I implement all my crazy ideas, you are really going to need a drink, but I don't want you to have one and I am working to make sure you don't."
"Oh and by the way, even though I really, really want to be an elected something, I hate government."
Sharon Angle simply needs to let the voters know that she is a Constitutional Moderate, not far Left. It is high time for the voter to recognize that the politics of the far right represents anarchy and not big government. So the Left - Right political Scale needs to be redefined such that being a Constitutional Moderate does represent the RINO Republican party like - Form of Government. A Constitutional Moderate politically is that being a limited "Rule of Law" government that exists only to protect the Liberties, Property and Freedoms of the Citizens of our country. What we have on the Left is simply Big Government that exists for only its own existence, at the expense of the people. On the left, we have the Democrats that want to use the power of the Government to provide all the bankrupting social entitlements to the people based on need, and on the RINO Republican side we have the hand in glove incestuous mob like protection racket affair that exists between Big Business and Big Government.
Another interesting idea, is that if we are to recognize a corporation as having the same rights as a legal person, that from a tax point of view . . . all legal persons should fall under the same tax code. Thus if we are to have an income tax code that applies to Capital Gains, that a corporation would then be subject to exactly those same income tax rules. Thus, if for example we were to tax all capital gains by a flat ten percent over any income over let's say $25,000 per legal person. And if we were to defang the government by not allowing any loopholes or exemptions from taxation . . . we may of just succeeded in implementing a fair progressive tax to provide the revenue needed to fund our government. We would also need to eliminate any future VAT type tax and eliminate any and all license fees or sales taxes. If we use this idea, such that this income tax represents lets say a fixed 4% to the Fed's and variable 4%-8% income tax to the State, the state would then have control over it's own budget and the people of that state could decide individually if the people were willing to pay more taxed for State Government services.
Just a thought for all to ponder.
Yes, John F. I post to the LVRJ as Jon H. and to the LV-Sun as lemahj for historical reasons.
Beer drinkers for Reid
Ralston overplays his hand when it comes to the State Senate. Michael Roberson has an excellent chance of beating Woodhouse.
Raltson forgets that at the top of the ballot there are now two Reids for Republicans, Independents, and moderate, non-machine Democrats to get out and vote against. While it is certainly possible for some of those who vote against the Reids to vote for the Senate candidates handpicked by the Democratic Machine, I doubt that there will be many who do.
With 7000 votes, how much did each vote cost Chachas? Has he moved back to NY yet?
According to the unofficial results on SilverState2010.com, about 320,000 Nevadans voted in the primary. Just over 70,400 voted for Sharron Angle, and just over 87,300 voted for Harry Reid. In other words, over half of the people who came out to vote yesterday didn't vote for either of them. And about 48% of the voters didn't vote for either Rory Reid or Brian Sandoval.
You folks need to tell us why we should support you. Simply telling us how awful your opponent is won't cut it. You've got nearly five months, but by November, we'd better have a reason to vote for you, or a lot of us are probably going to give up and stay home.
Get to work!
@gypc_dage
You make a fair point. But I don't now if I can read the results the same way you do. Remember we have a closed primary, so a candidate such as Sandoval would have needed nearly 100% of the GOP vote to get 50% of the total vote (I realize I am dealing with approximates).
That said, all the candidates (and us Nevadans) would be best served if we had strong reasons to vote for our preferred choices. To create and or rely on the negativity of your opponent is a limiting strategy.
This is exactly why I am a Sandoval fan. I have never participated in a campaign or proclaimed the virtue of any one candidate before. But Sandoval's experience, intelligence, and demeanor won me over. Rory Reid is a decent enough guy, but I will be voting FOR his opponent.
There are two numbers from the Reid races that are very interesting. In Harry's race "None of these cadidates" pulled over 10% of the vote. In Rory's race, that number was over 15%. Those seem unusually high (I haven't looked up the historical numbers yet).
If those voters stay home in November, which they might well do, it could make the difference for the Republicans in those races.
Sharron Angle is dangerous for Nevada, & makes Rand Paul look like a moderate - read more, & support Reid today! http://bit.ly/cJ4uSP
According to the unofficial results on SilverState2010.com, about 320,000 Nevadans voted in the primary. Just over 70,400 voted for Sharron Angle, and just over 87,300 voted for Harry Reid.
================================
Interesting set of numbers. The Democrats really didn't have to go to the polls to vote on anybody to get the up-ticket folks on the general ballot. The Republicans were energised by the Republican primaries for Governor and Senate and STILL more Democrats casually voted for Reid than Republicans voted for Angle. I see great numbers of Republicans for Reid in the Fall.
As goes Obama and Harry, so goes Rory !!
Time for all to go !!
sandy99, Dubya Angle voted against putting fluoride in the water supply without even realizing that fluoride prevents a lot of tooth diseases.
Dubya Angle has also met with the "Oath Keepers."
In April, in Washington, Dubya Angle stated she was a member of the "Oath Keepers."
In the fall of last year she met with the "Oath Keepers" at a clubhouse in Las Vegas.
Is she a member of Scientology?
The Republicants have finally made their decision and what a scary one it is. What a dandy they picked, Ms Angle is about as far from the realm of reality of life as Sue Lowden.
She has no positive outlook on anything except what she thinks the Republicants should do to the working people of Nevada.
If Sandoval and Angle get elected it will be the 2000-2008 all over again for Nevada we have not climbed out of the Bush era yet.
They both will work to protect big business by getting tax breaks for the wealthy and increasing taxes for the working people. They both have demonstrated that they are willing to flip flop on whatever issue will gain them favor from the voters, beware of politicians with forked tongues.
Ms Angle is a true elitist(a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite person) and will work tirelessly to achieve that means.
Angle is for banning beer and for massages for prisoners. Her voice is abrasive. The right wing groups won't support her unless she let's them run her campaign. They know she's a lite-weight.
In fact, some right wing groups wanted Reid over Lowden. They are about the same on the political spectrum (remember Lowden donated to Reid 5 times), but Reid has more power.
Where is the Teaparty, the Club for Grief, and Freedumb Works? How come they aren't running ads for Angle now??
As the little old lady used to say in the hamburger commercial, "Where's the beef?!" Does anyone in any race have any real ideas or any plans for actually DOING anything productive in office? (other than bringing chickens to the Dr.'s office or reading their lips??) aaaarrrrrgghhhh!
P.S. I'm wondering how does the candidate, "None", take the oath of office? He/she might just win.
Harry exhibits an air of superiority. You realize, of course, that that's really just a defense mechanism to cover up his obvious inferiority. In theory, ignorant and highly emotional persons are frequently swayed by his bombast and fustian words. But in reality, he says that people are pawns to be used and manipulated. What treachery!
We must act honorably. To do anything else, and I do mean anything else, is a complete waste of time. Harry's apothegms are merely a stalking horse. They mask his secret intention to perpetuate the myth that every word that leaves his mouth is teeming with useful information. You don't need to look far to see that, but see it you will! Education is the answer, not putting your ears toward invidious, unholy mind games that are the drivel that masquerades for discourse on this topic.
The facts are in: Sen. Harry Reid believes that those rights and protections which give us voice in a democratic society are the cause of the current "social chaos" and must be thwarted or dismantled. This is his vision for America!
Harry Reid. Bad for America, bad for Nevada!
Jon why have we not hear about the Yucca hearing from you?
/////////////////////////////////
So the first big lie in a legal setting is for the Harry Reid and the Obama Administration to have said that they have "determined" that "Yucca Mountain is not a workable solution."
There is no documented DETERMINATION.
The second LIE is Obama's promise about "Sound Science". "It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make facts, not ideology." Not anymore!
/////////////////////////////
On June 3, 2010, in the Las Vegas hearing held by the NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) Harry Reid and the Obama Administration reached a new despicable low. Another case of Obama picking and choosing when to implement the law.
The DOE lawyer owned up under intense legal questioning that the request for Yucca Mountain LA withdrawal was NOT based on SAFETY or TECHNICAL ISSUES.
DOE General Counsel Sean Lev admitted that the request for withdrawal was strictly an UNDOCUMENTED reversal of a National Policy. There was no scientific reasoning, logic, or rational provided and none will be forthcoming.
The State of Nevada lawyer Martin Malash noted that "A Political decision by Congress sets Policy." So Reid/Chu/Obama have arbitrarily changed a National Policy set in place by Congress in the NWPA. An Obama political appointee strong armed by Harry Reid and Obama was directed to execute a political decision to throw away $10 billion and 27 years of sound research.
We now know what we believed before - there is no sound science bases, no Record of Decision (ROD), no Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), no better alternative offered, and no public input to Reid's and Obama's decision to tell Chu to stop Yucca Mountain. All that is at play is Harry Reid's re-election in2010.
Remember that the NWPA was a direct result of decisions made by Jimmy Carter to prevent any backend fuel cycle option except burial.
The DOE GC even acknowledged that the withdrawal "with prejudice" was meaningless since the next administration could simply chose to follow the law (NWPA).
If Obama is truly committed to Sound Science he must allow the Yucca Mountain License Application be adjudicated by the NRC and not conceal the results.
Now we are stuck in a long sage of lawsuits ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$) when we should eliminate this hindrance to green energy -- Nuclear Power.
Stop the Beer Ban - vote NO on the "Ayatollah Angle"
future........
YUCCA IS DEAD AND WILL STAY DEAD.