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Spencer Holladay / Las Vegas Sun
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Friday, Nov. 5, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Bill Raggio
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Sandoval and Raggio, Seg. ...
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Sandoval and Raggio, Seg. ...
Sharron Angle
Harry Reid
Chuck Muth
Sun archives
- Bill Raggio calls his ouster a ‘pyrrhic victory’ for GOP agitators (11-4-2010)
- GOP warfare: Raggio’s leadership position in state Senate challenged (11-3-2010)
- Reid endorsement may put Raggio on the outs in GOP (10-31-2010)
- NV GOP chief says Raggio endorsement threatens his leadership post; refuses to say he’d support Ensign in 2012 (10-8-2010)
- Raggio: I’m with Reid, against Angle because she’s so extreme, but still against Obama’s agenda (10-7-2010)
- Republican leader Bill Raggio endorses Harry Reid (10-7-2010)
Saying it reflects the mood of their constituents, Senate Republicans purged Sen. Bill Raggio of Reno from their leadership in a unanimous vote Thursday, ousting an iconic figure after 30 years in the post — punishment for his support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Sen. Mike McGinness of Fallon stepped in as leader. He said he did so at the urging of constituents in Pahrump and Churchill County who asked him to do something about Raggio not supporting the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, Sharron Angle.
But sources say McGinness and other Republicans had lingering anger over the 2009 tax increase, which Raggio helped negotiate, and wanted the caucus to become a stronger beachhead against taxes.
Raggio also resigned his seat on the Senate Finance Committee, a sign that his willingness to compromise on taxes to preserve essential state services won’t reflect the philosophy of the new Republican caucus.
“They have their own budget objectives and I don’t want to be an impediment to those,” he said. “I want them to have the leeway to deal with the budget in their own terms.”
Raggio said he decided to withdraw from consideration as leader to preserve unity.
“There are a lot of agitators like Chuck Muth in the world and Tea Partyers who think I committed a mortal sin because I didn’t support Angle,” he said. “I didn’t want that to be part of the process.”
Muth, a conservative activist, wrote an open letter calling for Raggio’s ouster. Muth denied responsibility, saying Raggio “did it to himself.”
Raggio appeared at peace with his decision in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun in the minutes following the caucus vote.
His phone ringing off the hook, Raggio reassured friends that he wasn’t upset with the decision. “This is not a swan song,” he said.
Indeed, some speculate Raggio will hold sway over the budget as lawmakers grapple with a $3 billion gap between current spending and projected tax revenue. He might head a “swing caucus” of Republicans that Democrats would need to pass any budget with new taxes. Raggio would need to recruit two other Republicans to form such a caucus. He has long had the loyalty of Sen. Dean Rhoads of Tuscarora, and played a role in the election of freshman Sen. Ben Kieckhefer of Reno.
Junior members of the Legislature will still look to him for his experience.
“He might get outvoted on some things, but everybody will want to know what he thinks and why,” said one senior lobbyist, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of a leadership fight.
Raggio has been an advocate of a “lean but not mean” state budget, with a social safety net and funding for K-12 and higher education, particularly in Northern Nevada.
With him stepping aside, “he’s signaling that he knows the direction they’re heading, and doesn’t want to take part,” another senior lobbyist said.
Republican Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval said he respected the caucus’s decision and stayed out of it as the ouster took shape. But he too said not to count Raggio out.
“I’m sure he’ll still be involved,” Sandoval said when asked how it would be different not to have Raggio involved in budget negotiations.
McGinness said he began receiving calls from people across the state angry with Raggio’s decision to endorse Reid, whose efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party were instrumental in Democrats taking control of the state Senate in 2008.
McGinness said he was first contacted by a woman in Pahrump and then lobbied by the Churchill County Republican Central Committee.
McGinness expressed his admiration for Raggio’s “dedication to the state” and said Raggio will continue to play an important role.
“He said to me, ‘I don’t want to be a bump on a log,’ ” McGinness said. “I told him, ‘Bill, you are the log.’ ”
Raggio said he doesn’t regret his decision to support Reid, who won with more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday. “There’s no way I could support her,” he said of Angle, who ran a bitter campaign challenging Raggio in 2008.
Raggio followed with a warning to his colleagues not to allow an ideological “my way or the highway” division in the party.
“This may be a Pyrrhic victory for them,” he said of the GOP agitators. “The desire to splinter the party may come back to haunt them as it has done in the past.”
The Christian Fundamentalists mean business - they will deal with any American who opposes them in the same manner.
He now knows he has more power behind the scenes instead of being a figurehead of a dying breed. Now the center can make or break passing new legislation.
Its a message for all who would dare to put Nevada or their country ahead of party and ideology.
The Republicans need more principled people like Bill Raggio.
Raggio is not the victim. He did what he thought was right and knew the potential consequences of his actions. This is what made it an act of principle.
Reading the comments here, I am not sure if some of the readers understood the potential consequences of Mr. Raggio's actions.
BTW-those who see this as a uniquely Republican attribute should spend some energy studying politics and history. It was only an example of a politically partisan group acting as partisans. Big deal.
There are still some Republican politicians who haven't lost their minds and that's a problem for the GOP.
That nearly-extinct sane faction wants to solve problems while the jihadist baggers are hellbent on purity and cleansing. Helping out average Americans is not on their to-do list.
Raggio supported Reid, as did most voters, because he knows Angle is a dangerous lunatic. That kind of rational thinking has no place in today's far-right GOP.
"You have to go play with the other kids now. We don't like you anymore"...
I agree, turrialba. But, it sure looks petty nonetheless.
So, the first sign that elected Republicans in the Nevada Senate are ready to compromise in order to do the best thing for Nevadans is....to kick out the person in their party who has the most knowledge and experience with the budget.
And why?
Because he publicly supported the re-election of the Majority Leader of the United States Senate.
Talk about an inability to recognize the greater good for the state.
Hey, Mike? If you really told Bill that He was "...the log", then why force him out? You knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't stay after you ousted him. Foolish, man, foolish.
Lets see. The Republicans have left Bill Raggio outside of the Republican tent during the most important budget negitiations in the state's history while a brand new governor who stated publicly on several occasions that he respects Raggio very much is devising a new budget while Raggio says he will still be involved even though he's not part of the budget committee anymore.
Hey, Mike? See your problem? You just gave Bill Raggio the cover he needed to do what he feels is right and bipartisan while you and your 8 other Republicans get to look like teabagging fools who won't let the last election go. Repeat after me, "We will not raise anyone's taxes. We will not...." that's your idea of leadership for the next session?
And you did this to get re-elected? What happens when your baggin' constituents turn on you because they realize that your refusal to work with the Dems didn't improve the economy?
Not smart, Mike, not smart. But you're the leader now, so you must have allllll the answers. Good Luck, Bro.
The brownshirts are in charge and no ideological impure thoughts are allowed.
Kieckhefer won't have his seat long if the first thing he does is vote for a tax increase. Taxpayer Baily split the anti-tax vote with Cobb who was barely beaten by Kieckhefer.
Look, before raising taxes we need to exhaust all other alternatives that will make our state provide services at a lower cost: http://prgibbons.blogspot.com/2010/11/ev...
and if you want new taxes, tax and regulate marijuana - it wouldn't even be a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge as far as I'm aware.
It is the purging of adult thinking people, people who do not need Drama to make a choice. Drama Politics, the my way or the highway attitude, will only sow seeds of discontent. Republican must show they represent and can govern all the people. The move to remove Raggio was timely, yet it makes you wonder whether the Republicans are motivated by self interests, greed, anger and do they understand what Freedom really means?
The democrats did the same thing in 2008 in DC they scolded Lieberman for siding with McCain. NO this was not a state issue but please don't act as if the democrats don't do the same DC is on a much bigger scale than Nevada state legislatures. The Dems were going to take away his position on one of the committee's and yes Harry Reid gave him a second chance but not before all the dems were ready to hang him from the highest tree for backing McCain.
One comment from above has got to be kidding:
"the republican party has alienated many people in this country and it doesnt care if you dont like it. the fringe groups have forced out any one of decency and whats left are members with very little integrity."
Wake up the dream is over. Are you kidding me did you not watch the election results on Tuesday? Yeah the Repub party is alienating many people in this country this MUST be the reason they won the House of Representatives by the largest landslide since the 30's or 40's and took 7 seats in the Senate yeah the American people just don't like them their GOP do they. Reid may have won here but backed by big "Democratic Unions" he had a 29% approval rating here in Nevada and as they said people held their noses and voted Reid if he would have had a stronger opponent he would not have won as they say he picked Sharron Angle to run against she was the weakest but if I recall the people also spoke here and voted for a GOP for governor and isn't the current governor Gibbons a Republican as well? Calif may have gotten their whatevers but in general the American people throughout this country voted GOP. Put down the cool aid and wake up. This is really a mute comment from you.
nancyb,
The GOP did well because a) the opposition party ALWAYS does better in mid-terms, b) high unemployment numbers still haven't turned around in Bush's Great Recession -- and since Bush (29% approvals when leaving) isn't around anymore the Dems take the heat, c) 2012 is just around the corner and if the GOP just throws up roadblocks they'll be thrown out again.
Fact is, Americans are frustrated because we're still in the ditch that Bush drove us into. They want out and decided to see if GOP can do anything positive (for a change.) It won't happen of course since GOPers don't care about improving our lives.
"The brownshirts are in charge and no ideological impure thoughts are allowed."
If you go over to the NY Times the readers over there are calling the "Blue Dog" dems that want Pelosi axed as minority leader impure.
These "brownshirt" and "nazi" comments are truly offensive and I wonder if the people that write such things understand exactly what they are saying. The political dialogue on this page isn't about kicking a door down and dragging people off to concentration camps in the middle of the night folks.
This maybe a generational thing, but comparing your neighbors to the horrific regime from the mid-twentieth century demonstrates a lack of understanding of who and what the Nazi were and are, and a lack of respect for differing views.
I realize that there has been a lot of name-calling on this page and elsewhere of late, but there is a big difference between calling someone a "socialist" (France and Italy are packed with them). You had better know what you are talking about before you make these sort of statements. Most of the comments which contain these statements appear to me to not have a clue of what they are saying.
As a Christian and fiscal conservative it feels like this new bread of political so-called Christians have more in common with the Taliban and Timothy Mcveigh then Christ.
What is Ragman whining about?
He stood on principle (he just hates Angle) and supported a Democrat.
So the Republican Senators stood on principle and voted for leadership that would actually support Republicans and Republican's ideas.
In his primary, he went knocking on doors in his district. He would walk up to a voter. Look them right in the eye and say, "I will never vote for a tax increase." He was out-n-out lying to voters.
Republicans now control more state houses since 1928 and we are upon a re-districting cycle. Boy...have you koolaid drinkers have screwed yourself over. Was ObamaCrap really worth it?
Here are Senate Democrats up for election in 2012 that will have to vote very carefully in the next 2 years and will have to fight hard in their re-elections.
Bill Nelson, Florida
Debbie Stenow, Michigan
Amy Kobuchar, Minnesota
Claire McCaskill, Missouri
Jon Tester, Montanta
Ben Nelson, Nebraska (LOL)
Bob Menendez, New Jersey
Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico
Kent Conrad, North Dakota
Sherrod Brown, Ohio
Bob Casey, Jr, Pennsylvanvia
Jim Webb, Virigina
Joe Manchin, West Virigina
Herb Kohl of Wisconsin
Here are the Republicans that might have a tough battles:
Scott Brown, Massachusetts
John Ensign, Nevada
That is it.
Democrats will have to fight hard to keep 14 seats.
Republicans will have to fight hard to keep 2 seats.
Boy...are you guys screwed.
SgtRock:
"Republicans now control more state houses since 1928..."
____
Strangely enough rock is bragging about the GOP controlling most state governments on the eve of the Crash of '29. At least he doesn't deny republicans own the Great Depression, lock, stock and barrel.
Thanks for being a man and admitting what we all know, rock.
I'm sure the lefties here that are horrified by what the Republicans have done to Raggio are big supporters of Joe Lieberman.
Hey Bill.... back of the bus, get use to it!!!!
Raggio's faux pas wasn't in not supporting Angle, it was in publicly endorsing the opposition, contrary to the expressed will of the GOP rank-n-file. If he's as dedicated a public servant as many seem to believe, he'll find ways to continue to contribute behind the scenes despite not having a formal leadership position. And he may yet redeem himself -- the next two years will be difficult for all, and Nevadans are no longer particularly patient or especially ideological. We expect results at the National, State & Local levels.
"Republicans now control more state houses since 1928 and we are upon a re-districting cycle. Boy...have you koolaid drinkers have screwed yourself over. "
I'll take that as an implicit admission that corrupt republicans are going to redistrict based not on fairness, but on their own self-interest.
Putting the republican party's needs ahead of the needs of Americans? Sgt James F Nance Jr is giddy to do so!
to taylorjw: re: the Taliban and Timothy McVeigh. Both were created by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Raggu quit the Republican Party when he endorsed Harry Reid. That is all...
Email the RINO:
wraggio@sen.state.nv.us
Tea carpetbaggers vs Republicans that are not "pure". Boy, am I ever going to enjoy this!
There is a battle brewing in the Democratic House caucas in DC.
Pelosi wants to ran to be Minority Leader.
Moderate Democrats don't want her to be their leader.
So.....will the lib koolaid drinkers now sing a different tune when that song is played?????
"I'll take that as an implicit admission that corrupt republicans are going to redistrict based not on fairness, but on their own self-interest."
You are about naive as a pumpkin that just fell off a truck.
I am sure that Democrats have been "fair" and not re-district in their own self-interest....how old are you...like 5?
You need to cut back on the koolaid and grow up a little bit.
SgtRock, thanks for manning up and admitting that, on the eve of the Great Depression, republicans had control of most state houses as well as the White House, US Senate and House of Representatives.
AND the GOP had been in control of the WH and Congress for the eight years prior to the Crash.
Thanks again.
"AND the GOP had been in control of the WH and Congress for the eight years prior to the Crash."
I think you need to re-think that statement.
Congress was under control of the Democrats for a few years before the recent financial problems.
In fact, Barney Frank--one of your heros--was wailing on the House floor saying why people were expressing concern about a housing bubble that was about to bust....He was said there was no housing bubble.
Your hero.......
ksand99 said: "I'll take that as an implicit admission that corrupt republicans are going to redistrict based not on fairness, but on their own self-interest."
ksand, I'm sure you know better than to imply that Democrats have never done the same.
I think the practice is wrong, period.
But if you want to criticize both parties, take a look at what California did with, wait for it, bi-partisan gerrymandering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of...
Now THAT is taking care of party interests!
Rock, that was in reference to your "most GOP state houses since 1928" post.
Remember, there's only one Great Depression -- the one that hit when Hoover and the republicans were in charge.
Today's downturn is called Bush's Great Recession which came after Bush dragged us through eight years of the Lost Decade (zero private sector job growth over his two terms.)
"I am sure that Democrats have been "fair" and not re-district in their own self-interest....how old are you...like 5? You need to cut back on the koolaid and grow up a little bit."
I support redistricting via independent boards, not the corrupt process you celebrate. If anyone needs maturity, it's you and your banal bleatings.
Ditto to you, boftx. I implied nothing of the sort. Sgt James F Nance Jr Rock was celebrating corruption and I called him out on it. No corruption should be cheered, it should be criticized.
LOL.....yeah....you have been critical of Democrats re-districting for the last decade or so.
Where is my BS shovel?
You are exactly like a typical koolaid lib.
You are for the filibuster when Democrats are in miniority.
You are against it when Republicans are in the minority.
Now....you are for indepdent boards......give me a freaking break.
Sgt James F Nance Jr Rock, we've seen voters approve independent boards for redistricting to fight gerrymandering. It's a fair process unencumbered by the type of corruption that you so openly cheer.
It's sad you can't even agree that gerrymandering is a corrupt, disgusting practice, James. Have some integrity.
It's sad if Republicans do the gerrymandering but it's perfectly fine if Democrats do it. Ha...
Do you elitist Liberal Democrats think that we came to town pushing a pumpkin???
If it is good for the goose......ObamaCrap has screwed over the Democratic party. Learn to live with it lib koolaid drinkers.
Hold the phone there dippy, you might have been in the Navy, but this boy was in the Army. We did not have soap on a rope...
"Hold the phone there dippy, you might have been in the Navy, but this boy was in the Army. We did not have soap on a rope..." - LarryVegas
Sorry Larry, given the title of this column there are just too many bad jokes in there. :)
Oh No... I didn't realize that.
The "born agains" were in the Carter Camp. The Republicans peeled them off for political reasons. Ensign, Gibbons, Gingrich, Gibbons, Rush Limbaugh? They are in tune with "family values?"
Just like they peeled off the Southern white voters. Barry Goldwater was against the Civil Rights Bill.
What is your proof that "born agains" were in the Carter camp?????
I am not sure how Dems will win over family values people by promoting the gay agenda, ObamaCrap and death to the unborn.
Bill Raggio is not "Principled" and he lacks integrity and honesty. He is out for himself and himself, not for the people of Nevada. To support Dirty Harry Reid because of personal issues with Sharron Angle was just plain stupid, as well as political suicide. Better start looking for another job.
Mred,
Senator Barry Goldwater was in favor of the Civil Rights bill but was forced to vote against it later because it rapidly expanded Federal government power. Goldwater was against racial segregation, was for civil rights and was even a supporter of gays in the military.
here is something you don't know. In the North Johnson ran attack ads trying to link Barry Goldwater to the Ku Klux Klan.
But in the South, Johnson ran ads showing a more accurate picture of Goldwater's view on Civil Rights - that Goldwater supported it. He supported the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and was a supporter of a Constitutional Amendment to ban the poll tax (a tax that was used to bar blacks from voting).
Goldwater helped start the Arizona NAACP and pushed to desegregate the Arizona National Guard.
Mred,
I'll bet money the reason why any report would find privatization of prisons hasn't saved money is because we have a criminal code that is thousands of pages long...
Example, you can't smoke fake pot anymore - its a crime in many areas. NYC its a crime to put too much salt or sugar on food...
Bill Raggu does not have a political party anymore. Maybe Bill can join the Harry and Barry Show...