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Saturday, March 27, 2010 | 11:22 p.m.
Al Gore
Harry Reid
Dina Titus
Shelley Berkley
Hundreds of Nevada Democrats met in Las Vegas Saturday to raise money for their state and national candidates and to celebrate the political successes of the past year.
The Jefferson Jackson Dinner, which is held most election years, is usually the state party’s biggest fundraiser. The last Jefferson Jackson Dinner was in September 2008 and raised close to $200,000. The 2007 dinner raised more than $300,000.
This year’s event drew fewer people than past years. Most of this year's attendees paid at least $150 each for the dinner and up to $10,000 for a ten-person table.
More than 650 party faithful attended, although the party had not yet estimated the income the event generated, said state party spokeswoman Phoebe Sweet.
That is a significant drop from 2007, when an estimated 2,300 attendees were drawn to the dinner by a televised debate between then-presidential candidates including front runners Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John Edwards.
This year’s Jefferson Jackson dinner was not without star power. Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore was they keynote speaker.
The most powerful Democrats in the state, Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Shelley Berkeley, were joined by gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid, state Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, state Controller Kim Wallin, state Treasurer Kate Marshall and Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.
Cortez Masto set the tone of the evening, defending her recent refusal to accede to Gov. Jim Gibbons’ demand that she file a lawsuit over the recent passage of health care reform legislation. The legislative fight for health care reform was the main them of the event.
Cortez Masto thanked fellow Democrats for their support over the past week, saying it is “so important that we stand up and fight for the values and issues that are important to us as Democrats and as people who live in this community and who want the qualify of life we so deserve.”
Other speakers called the health care legislation a major victory for the party, one that demonstrates Democrats’ commitment to social and economic justice issues.
Much of the credit for passing the controversial legislation went to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was on hand to raise money for his upcoming re-election campaign and receive the state party’s first Hope Award.
The keynote speaker, former Vice President Al Gore, praised Reid for his leadership on the bill and for fighting for the average person.
He noted that most Americans are not born wealthy and need access to quality education, health care, clean water and jobs to have a fair chance at success. Gore said that during George W. Bush’s presidency, the average American became poorer while the rich became richer, making it tougher for average people to get ahead.
“Laws and policies have everything to do with whether the average person stands a fair chance in life,” Gore said.
He and others also poked fun at Republicans such as Gov. Jim Gibbons, Sen. John Ensign and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who spoke in Reid’s hometown of Searchlight at a Tea Party rally earlier in the day.
“Anger is not a position; divisiveness is not a strategy,” Gore said. “We need ideas that work to improve the lives of real people.”
Democrats said Palin and Tea Party activists must not be allowed to convince people they represent the average person.
“She doesn’t talk for me,” Berkley said to rousing applause.
It's like a meeting of the Progressive/socialist party here in Las Vegas.
They are celebrating the beginning of the destruction of the United States, Mao Stalin and Hitler would all be proud, Castro already is.
George W. Bush - the W stands for Worst President EVER!
650 x $150 = $97,500 if the Sun can't do the math. They're lucky if they broke even. This won't pay the salary of even one of their many high paid do-nothing flunkees.
Nez, I didn't know Mitt Romney was a socialist who liked Mao, Stalin, and Hitler. You see, you may not have noticed that the health care bill is based largely on what he did as governor of Massachusetts. I knew Romney was really a commie, but I appreciate your confirming it. Thanks.
Correction. The last Clark County Jefferson Jackson dinner was held in September 2008. The keynote speaker was Bobby Kennedy Jr, who rocked the house. 1000 guests raised about 200K
Socialism is not in this bill! Private insurance companies are getting 32m more customers. I hope that the Right Wingers keep parroting Glenn Beck's talking points.
What is left of the middle class and moderate voters will see through these idiotic arguments.
The Democratic party and the left wing have been demonized by Rush Limbaugh and others for thirty years. This has worked, but doesn't now.
I feel that Americans are going to wake up and realize that the left is not full of socialists, and communists. When the average American sees through this propaganda and lies, they will vote Democratic!
The GOP will be the laughingstock party for a looooooooong tiiiiiiime to come!
I was a life long blue collar democrat but I woke up under Clinton to NAFTA, random drug tests (drop your pants and prove your innocence) and a president with whom I needed to wear gloves to shake his hand (no telling if he washed his hands or his cigars)
Bush was not a Republican anymore than Obama is a Democrat. They are both Harvard Liberals..and that is the most xenophobic, intolerant, power mad bunch of loons that ever cursed the American working people with their ideas of helping themselves and selected special interest groups to the taxpayers dime.
I vote Republican. At least the Republicans go overseas to dictate and rob folks..The Democrats dictate to and rob me.
To a few thinking people, it's an unexplained paradox why the poor republicans continue to be fooled and manipulated by the rich republicans, so the rich gets richer and poor gets poorer. It's so obvious the puppet masters (aka the rich) have the poor republicans dancing on the strings and doing all the dirty work for them. I'm an independent and desire to remain so, since stupidity takes no sides.
MichaelGreen: Just because Rominey is a Repelecan doesnt make him any better of A progressive/socialist.
Beefski: You were right until the current administration started to triple down on the Clinton/Bush policies.
AL GORE, did someone ask him if he turned the lights out in his house, or how he got to LV, maybe by his private jet
Yep! Dubya helped the rich get even richer and screwed the rest!
http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2...
We should have had the public option, their calling us socialists anyway !
Does anyone else find it ironic that Shelly Berkley and Dina Titus attended the Tea Party first and then went to this fundraiser?
RE the income from the event. it can't be calculated at $150 per head times total attendees because not everyone paid per person. Some paid for entire tables, which cost up to $10,000 per table. That generates far more than the $150 times ten seats. Also, some people paid $30 to attend the event but not the dinner. So that throws off the calculation as well.