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Inmates prepare to take over GOP asylum
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Republicans in Nevada have a lot to smile about these days. But, in the comedy show that is this state’s politics, they are poised to give Democrats the last laugh.
Riding an artificial high after Rep. Mark Amodei’s crushing victory in the House special election, salivating over President Barack Obama’s subterranean poll numbers and frothing over the New York Times story on Rep. Shelley Berkley, the GOP powers that be have high hopes for Campaign ’12.
The eyes of the world will be on the Republicans in a few weeks, too, as a nationally televised presidential debate will be the highlight of the Western Leadership Republican Conference at the GOP’s Strip headquarters, aka the Venetian. And early next year, the presidential caucus will further reinvigorate the previously moribund party, now bolstered by real professionals and support from the elected elite.
But the best-laid plans of party leaders often go awry because of the party faithful, who often seem to be the biggest impediments to success. If this weren’t so deliciously entertaining, I might feel sorry for Chairwoman Amy Tarkanian, who won a landslide victory just a couple of months ago from the same folks who are seething at her now for the heresy of floating the idea of same-day registration for the February caucus. And the divided GOP is laying bare the sheer lunacy of some of the inveterate partisans, who so often (in both parties) are fueled by paranoia, a quality that has derailed a train or two headed for victory.
It is no coincidence that trait animated Sharron Angle’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate, which drowned in a sea of tea and left the party under water after Harry Reid sailed to a nearly 6 percentage point victory. Now, the same folks who think Reid stole the election and that Angle is a badly misunderstood Joan of Arc are trying to scuttle the plan for same-day registration, one that was to be modeled after the Democratic caucus strategy that registered 30,000 voters in one day and helped the party score smashing victories in 2008 and 2010. The Democrats have had substantial statewide registration leads since — it’s now about 65,000 voters — and the only way for Republicans to cut deeply into that edge would be a massive registration output from the caucus.
So there is no good reason not have same-day registration for a caucus — but there are plenty of bad reasons to oppose it. Consider this excerpt from a missive put out by their Angle-backing group called Tea Party & Republicans Uniting Nevada Conservatives (TRUNC):
“This is a wide open door to massive voting fraud and disruption of the Republican process by Democrat-controlled Acorn type organizations and elitist, calculating Republicans wishing to control the election outcome in our important swing state.”
(The entire TRUNC piece is here.)
It’s clear that Tarkanian, who was not the establishment choice when she ran for chairwoman, has risked her job by even raising the issue, which will be on the central committee’s Oct. 22 agenda at the Venetian, four days after the presidential debate.
Clark County Chairman Dave Gibbs gamely tried to calm the troops in his own release, saying, “The diatribe from TRUNC is full of inaccuracies and insults …”
But logic has no chance in a world where up is down, right is wrong and Sharron Angle is a sainted martyr. And it’s not just the obvious crazies. The Nevada Federation of Republican Women also sent out an alert against same-day registration, and the brushfire is quickly building into a conflagration.
What’s ironic about the TRUNC epistle is that it does raise one painful point for the GOP: “Whatever the case may be, this amounts to handing a victory to the Democrats in their fight to get same day registration, which Republicans have long fought against.”
Indeed, when Democrats last session tried to push through a same-day registration bill, Republicans raised all kinds of red flags, saying they feared ineligible folks voting. (What they meant is Democrats would be able to bring union workers and — shh — maybe some illegal immigrants to the polls.)
The opposition to same-day registration also is embedded in the 2010 party platform. So now the TRUNC crowd — and others — see this as a betrayal of a core GOP principle and seem poised for a coup. It only infuriates them more that Sen. Dean Heller backs the same-day registration plan — I tried to get Gov. Brian Sandoval to comment but he was strangely silent.
Many triple-digit IQ folks in the GOP are worried that if same-day registration is entombed, the tea terrorists will have won. But that’s not what they really fear: They know if the plan dies, the Democrats will have won — and may well be victorious in November 2012.
Discussion: 9 comments so far…
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My pledge: I will no longer vote for any miscreant who supports the so-called Patriot Act. I will not support obvious sociopaths or pathological liars. I will no longer vote for any politician who signs a pledge other than to the US and Nevada Constitutions. So, I most likely will not be voting at all ... but at least I will have SELF-RESPECT as our Empire goes of the edge, pushed by hateful, money-centered panderers.
Jon,
Shhhh! Please don't encourage the crazy people to win because it harms Nevada.
Thank you,
Sane Person
Enjoyed the article, Jon. But I have to humbly agree with mschaffer's above comment. We need to keep this on the hush hush QT, and let the Republican paranoia mouth machine continue on and on and on.
I just hope they invite Sheriff Joe Arpaio, that racist from Arizona who spends more time on nutball rightwing politics rather than doing his law enforcement job.
We need to encourage the Republicans to continue to focus on who is more right wing than the other, who is leading in their stupid polls, while at the same time, they continue to ignore issues, only focusing on their neverending quest for who is more conservative.
I have a suggestion. They should combine things. Like one idea is Welded (together) Teaparty/Foxnews. Then they can be known by their abbreviation WTF. That would be MORE than appropriate.
Harry Reid has done such a great job since he took over the senate in 2007. Race you to the bottom!
Where's that jobs bill John Boehner?
Granted the repugs are as dysfunctional as it can get but they still seem to out function the even more dysfunctional dummocrats. I suppose we can expect the same tired, OLD, and nauseating Titus and Derby in '12 almost guaranteeing a win for any warm body with an R behind their name.
Such is life in the Dark Ages.
Casino kid..its not a jobs bill its a tax bill. No such thing as a jobs bill. Good legislation makes jobs.
Ralston...Its seams you have the uncanny knack of focusing in on seamingly nothing. What about the coruption of the demacratic base (unions) or the mess Berkley is in. When it comes right down to it no one i know that voted for obama last go round intends to do it again.
Washinton has a spending problem on both sides. The winner will understand that and do something about it.
Justin Stivers, if no one you know plans to vote for Obama a second time around, you need to get out more.
Colin.. that comment you made, made me laugh so hard. Thanks for making my day. As for commonsense101..."Seamingly" your friends don't vote at all. Is there a reason for this? Maybe a convicted felon or 2?
"Many triple-digit IQ folks in the GOP are worried ..."
Jon hits on the GOP's real problem at the end of the article. The GOP agenda is laid out by a base of troglodytes with sub-average IQ's.
Diane Sawyer's recent show on Jackie Kennedy's taped conversations, had a nice tidbit. When JFK was assassinated in 1963, he was in the midst of kick-starting his 1964 re-election campaign, and Barry Goldwater was the Republican front-runner. Jackie said JFK told her to "just let Goldwater say whatever he wants, because that will be good for us."
The parallels between Fall 1963, and Fall 2011 are clear. A progressive President with a cultural impediment (Catholic JFK : Black Obama) is set to take on a trogloditic GOP foe pandering to an ignorant and unintelligent base that wants to take us back to "the olden days."
Let them go destroy themselves, I say.
EDWARD "WarNoMore" HAMILTON, a Republican businessman and political activist from Henderson, NV writes Amy T. is naive to think that sama day voter registration is good for increased caucus participation.Hamilton was one of the caucus coordinators in the Nevada 2008 Republican presidential nominating process. The morning registration event could be extremely chaotic if same day registration plan is implemented. Please recall the chaos at some of the Democratic caucus sites in Las Vegas. How do you know how many caucus attendees will show up, lets say, in a limited or small space caucus sites or venues ? Just because an idea was good for the Dems, it might not be desirable for the GOP ! What's wrong with the plan to have an orderly voting process prior to the caucus date ?
Much as I loath flat earth teabaggers they do make excellent opponents because of their low intelligence simple minds.
Any group of knuckleheads that would pick Crazy Angle as their US Senate nominee has my vote.
Greedy OLD Party TeaBAG RepubliCONs are trying so hard to be legitimate. They just keep looking more like the "ultraconservatives" of Saudi Arabia (the only country in the world not to allow women to drive a car). The RepubliCON Bozos do not have a clue of what Democracy means. RepubliCON cowards are afraid of allowing ALL Americans to vote (even for their own caucus, pathetic).
Triple digit IQ Republicans? really Jon?
It was the American FINANCIAL GENIUSES in the Insurance, Banking and Mortgage industries that destroyed the economy and created TRILLIONS in debt - not Social Security.
It's time to look at reality and stop using the Senior's Retirement and Medicare to pay for the corrupt, thieving activities of the CEOs in the American financial system that have created the VAST INDEBTEDNESS this country.
Libruls smart. Keep reminding me, so difficult to tell otherwise.
Dear Tea Party folks....I'm bitterly disappointed that you don't want me to cross over and participate. I can absolutely guarantee that I will, just like you, vote for the craziest, most unelectable loon that you want to put up. Ron Paul, the Herminator, put up your best and I'll double down...
Gives you a good feeling to see someone can truly think. We have a hope for tomorrow.