Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Steve Marcus / FILE
Jack Norcross put up signs disapproving of Senate Majority Harry Reid outside a vacant building he owned in Ely in 2009.
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Reader poll
Sue Lowden
Danny Tarkanian
Jack Norcross started with a sign outside a building in Ely he couldn’t sell or rent: “Elect Anyone But Reid.”
In 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid killed a couple of coal-fired power plants in White Pine County. And Norcross, 66, a retired insurance broker, was angered by the loss of thousands of jobs those plants could have created.
A friend suggested adding an extra T — presumably for comic effect — and a wave of yard signs and bumper stickers was born.
The “Anyone Butt Reid” campaign came to symbolize the hatred for Reid felt by a certain segment of the state’s voters. But it also reflected a strain of Republican strategy in the U.S. Senate race — that anyone with a heartbeat could beat the wily Reid, whose unfavorable ratings hovered above 50 percent.
Oops.
In a phone interview Wednesday from his home in Ely, Norcross lamented Reid’s victory over Republican challenger Sharron Angle.
“The Republicans didn’t field the best candidate, or a candidate who could beat Harry Reid,” Norcross said. One of the other, more moderate Republican candidates in the primary could have won, he said. “The Tea Party coming out in the primary had a big influence on the election. Danny Tarkanian or Sue Lowden could’ve done better.”
Democrats exploited Angle’s conservative stands and statements about Social Security and Second Amendment remedies. They made this election a choice between candidates, not simply a referendum on Reid as Norcross and Republicans wanted.
Reid’s campaign reached into the primary, stoked the generous embers Lowden provided with comments about bartering chickens for health care, and influenced who Reid would face.
Still, no one will ever know if Lowden or Tarkanian or some other candidate, such as Rep. Dean Heller, would have fared any better than Angle.
“Those ‘Anybody Butt Reid’ people are probably the same ones who voted for Sharron,” said Robert Uithoven, who managed Lowden’s primary campaign. “But you have to earn your way into the general election, and Sharron Angle did.”
Like other Republicans, Uithoven was reluctant to play what-if on whether another Republican could have defeated Reid.
“There may be buyer’s remorse, but it doesn’t do any good to ... discuss it. Sharron Angle won the primary fair and square, won it convincingly,” he said. “She gave Harry Reid a bigger challenge than they anticipated.”
Norcross had no regrets about his one-man movement, fueled by donations from people who wanted yard signs and bumper stickers.
“Obviously, the majority of the voters in Nevada are satisfied with the status quo,” he said. “That’s the way the election goes. It’s a situation where the majority wins, and we go with the majority.”
As for whom Norcross supported in the Republican primary, he admitted that he played no role in picking Reid’s opponent. As it turns out, he’s a Democrat.
Why doesn't he ask Heck and Hell to help him out?
The Republicans now control the House, so why hasn't he rented or sold his dumpy building?
Retired? 66? Probably on Social Security and Medicare. Another person feeding at the government trough (like the Angles) complaining about Government.
I bet Brian Sandoval is counting his blessings that Harry won. The 3 billion dollars has to come from somewhere no matter what he says.
mred whats the problem with someone being 66 and retired?
Lowden or Tarkanian would not have won!!!
Harry's socialist machine had the power. Besides the GOP did not help out Angle.
dipstick, get out of the cave you dwell in and look at a modern coal plant....... the drive isn't too far. If you can make it sixty miles outside of Vegas you to can see what lights the neon in Vegas.
You are too filled with partisan rhetoric to see the forest for the trees.
Unless the Liberals get out of the daylight energy business(solar) we are doomed. We need to continue with coal, nuclear and petro based energy generation until the network of solar, wind, steam and Liberal hot air can prove viable and plentiful enough to take over.
Your buddy Harry has sold out Nevada in favor of his special interests. Union shills, big banks and wall street. Don't believe me...... wait for his financial disclosures.......unless you are so addled by your partisanship you can't digest Corporate names.
dipstick: That would be steam. Wow, the ignorance of the lefty eco-whackos. Guess what? We get to keep the old coal plants now, especially when "green" energy comes up woefully short in its promises.
@getalife
How can you say that he sold out to union shills ?
The power houses in Ely would have been 100% union.
Fossil fueled power stations are major emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) which according to the consensus of scientific organisations are a major contributor to the global warming observed over the last 100 years. Brown coal emits 3 times as much GHG as natural gas, black coal emits twice as much per unit of electric energy. Carbon capture and storage of emissions are not expected to be available on a commercial economically viable basis until 2025.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel...
Temper tantrums have passion and traction also. The maturity level is roughly the same, don't cha think?
Getalife - the plant in Moapa is the most polluting site in the State of Nevada. Why would anyone advocate for more of the same?
Do your homework and look into other forms of energy and then come back and we can have a discussion where you won't look like a duffus.
Coal plants would create thousands of jobs, really? Where did that come from? Power plants require skilled and experienced workers and NVEnergy would be hard pressed to find them in all of Nevada, especially rural Nevada. Sure newer coal plants are not quite as dirty as Reid Gardner (built in 1965-1983), but do you want to sell your soul to another dirty industry? Our best bet is to encourage our kids to train for meaningful employment or better yet, go to college and become electrical engineers.
BTW: Medicare and Social Security are not entitlement programs. Those of us with jobs pay into them. Of course if you are paid under the table, you are not eligible and must rely on Medicaid when you are old and didn't save a dime.
The money-grubbing right is worried sick that their grandkids won't be rich; but they could care less whether or not they can breathe.
Go figure.
The eco-whacko left longs to make 1950's pollution out of CO2 emissions, hoping to stay relevant. And where is all the mercury sickness?
You do realize that Big Enviro depends on doom-and-gloom for their funding from the easily indoctrinated?
"Obviously, the majority of the voters in Nevada are satisfied with the status quo"
Status quo? Number one in foreclosures, bankruptcies, unemployment, etc. Oh, and also the dumbest state in the union.
mred - Norcross's complaint was that Ried shut down proposed plants that would have created jobs which in turn would have let him rent/sell his vacant property, which is probably draining his Social Security checks
Tony sounds like the "Party of No" now. Welcome. A great accomplishment for Nevada, no doubt.
To "getalife", what coal-fired power plant is within 60 miles of Las Vegas? The plant in Laughlin is shut down, has been for years. The plant in Moapa is gas burning.
At 22% unemployment, thousands foreclosures right now and more to come,and HARRAHS casino tell us that Harry Reid has been good to nevada.
Well nevadan Harry has not been good to america,now that republican have taken over congress they hold the purse strings and states like nevada and california you won't have your sugar daddy (obama democracts)to help you out of your misery.
Intead america will hold that against nevada I for one I will never patronize your state.Nevada you are in a PYRRHIC SITUATION.
Nevada you are in a PYRRHIC situation.
I believed that the elections were stolen ANGLE was up 4% before the elections and lost 6% ten points spread all the polls were wrong? If Harry was good to nevada why didn't you reward him and gave his son the governorship,thats why I believed that the elections were stolen, think about it?
Republicans do not control Congress, they control the House. Budgets have to be passed by the Senate too. The reason Angle was up 4% was bad polling! Conservative groups and newspapers use pollsters that produce the results they want to see. I hope the House Republicans try another government shut down over the budget. That worked our really well for Newt.
Rusty says:
"The eco-whacko left longs to make 1950's pollution out of CO2 emissions, hoping to stay relevant. And where is all the mercury sickness?"
You can't be that stupid...there is a direct correlation between mercury toxicity and mental retardation. Why do you think pregnant women are advised to not eat fish? A 180 Lb person should eat no more than 3 oz of tuna fish per week.
Go to Seattle and notice the signs at the Marinas...do not eat the fish...
That's where the poisoning is.
Dear Mr Norcross,
We dont want coal fired plants when we can generate electricity in a much cleaner way and create way more jobs doing so. Look at what harry Reid has done so far with clean energy. He has brought thousands of jobs to nevada in the clean energy sector. In las vegas alone they are going to hire 1000 people to build solar panels and wind turbines. There is another facility that is going to hire a bunch to make LED bulbs. So there is two sides to every story.
Does anyone really believe that building an almost $Billion dollar coal power plant that would be used for the next 100 years makes any sense? Even NV Energy agreed. No one needed to kill it.
Just outside Reno on the way to Carson City on Hwy 395 there is a 750 mega watt geothermal power plant. It supplies 75% of the power to the Reno area and has little impact on the environment. Jim Gibbons opened it couple of years ago. When you drive by you barely notice it and the plant barely uses the available geothermal steam.
Even the most ardent skeptics of clean energy will be converted in the next 50 years.
gaskin: I'm sure there is a link between mercury and retardation. I stopped feeding my children 30 servings of Lake Mead Largemouth Bass a day and it miracuously went away. Enjoy your expensive, unreliable electricity.
getalife was just passing some gas.
Why interview this hayseed retard LOSER?!!!
The "rurals" pride themselves as being self-sufficient. That said, it is embarrassing to read about Ely constantly complaining about the lack of government intervention to support coal plants that are not needed. It is bad enough that they sold their water rights to Las Vegas.
It's all a moot point anyways. Utah and Native Americans would have tied up the coal plants in court for years.
That is the problem today, they run on "Anyone but Someone" then don't give reasons to elect the "Someone" these days.
The American public buys into it because they are to lazy to learn the facts and deal with the issues.
This needs to stop but it only will once the American public gets off their but, researches facts and VOTES!
Liberals are so neighborly...
Hey dippy, I laughed all the way back to Vegas, thinking about what Harry is in for during his next term:
Leader of what? A Senate that has enough Republicans to block any of Reid's attempt to shove legislation down this country's throat.
Harry will get no respect or help from the House.
It's the Harry and Barry show, folks...
I was glad to see that dippy was still posting after I returned from Reno.
I thought I ran over dippy on the way back, but it must have been some mangy, old, lopped eared, egg sucking coyote...
Nice building. It's just missing the white sheets and pointed hats.