Why have Arizona’s interests usurped our own in an election year?

Sunday, May 9, 2010 | 2 a.m.

You might think the far and away most important issue in Nevada right now is the economic destruction of state and local budgets, forcing leaders to rethink the ways of the past (generous employee salaries and benefits, reliance on a narrow tax base) and begin to outline sensible, thoughtful plans (spending more wisely, taxing different sectors) to address ongoing, chasm-like deficits.

You would be wrong.

The most important issue, at least to Nevada Republicans, is illegal immigration. In the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial contests, they are positively falling over one another to exploit the passage of that controversial new Arizona law. Democrats, even if they are outraged, also see a political opportunity, perhaps the only one that could elect two Reids in November.

Here is a simple fact these local politicians and candidates seem to forget, though: Nevada is not Arizona.

I assume most of them can read a map – Nevada is not a border state.

I assume most of them know the illegal immigration population in Nevada is minuscule in comparison — Arizona has an estimated 500,000 undocumented residents while Nevada has a fifth as many, perhaps.

And I assume most of them know the illegal population here has for decades been tolerated because it is a cheap source of construction labor — that is, before the bottom fell out of the market, likely diminishing the undocumented numbers.

So while there are anecdotal cases of illegal immigrants draining budgets — the UMC emergency room, for instance — the presence of undocumented residents is not even close to a major problem vis-a-vis the state’s future. Let’s face it: We can’t relate to the desperation and fear some in Arizona might have because of the daily influx of illegal immigrants. Whether the new law is a simple overreaction to federal dithering or a disturbing codification of racial profiling is less important than its ability to further coarsen and trivialize political debate across the country.

Illegal immigration is an issue that sparks deep passions, occasionally nativist and racist. And it also provides a ready excuse for the alienated to explain their diminished economic lot or a convenient hot button for demagogues to push to stir up such sentiments or to get the tea flowing.

But does anyone out there actually believe that what happens in Arizona should happen in Nevada, without regard to the consequences for the tourism and construction industries? How ironic at a time when the Nevada economy is at its most fragile that the imperative to pander to the base could make matters worse.

And yet there was a blizzard of activity on the issue here last week. Two Arizona icons of the anti-illegals movement visited. And did you miss Senate hopeful Chad Christensen’s desperate “notice me, notice me!”cry by first calling for a special session and then proposing a ballot initiative. On Monday, the trend continues as Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist will be here for Danny Tarkanian’s campaign.

The leading GOP contenders in Nevada’s U.S. Senate race were all over the Arizona law, disgorging varying levels of approval. And although Gov. Jim Gibbons rightly pointed out that this is a federal issue, ex-Judge Brian Sandoval said he had read and approved of the law and former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon clearly sees the issue as a way to jump-start his longshot hopes.

Reid the Elder and Reid the Younger have lambasted the Arizona law, but few will believe they are opposed for any other reason than genuflecting to Hispanics — a cynicism reflected on their side that racism underlies any opposition to illegal immigration.

The politics of this are fascinating as some are starting to wonder if Republicans who use the issue may win the battle (the primary) but lose the war (the general). In a trenchant piece in the National Journal, Reid Wilson reported that top GOP strategists fret that the rhetoric could “damage an already troubled political brand.”

And he wrote of Nevada: “If Hispanics reject the GOP, (Harry) Reid will benefit perhaps more than most; Latinos make up nearly 25 percent of the Silver State’s population, and they were about 15 percent of the electorate in 2008, according to exit polls. A boost from Hispanic voters might be all he needs to inch across the finish line. And that is a trend Republicans are already seeing far too often across the country.”

Sandoval ought to be listening, too, as this could dilute his inherent advantage over Reid the Younger if that is the general election matchup. I’d much rather hear their plans to ensure the state’s financial future, but why do I think we’ll be talking about Arizona more than Nevada this summer?