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Wednesday, July 11, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Shelley Berkley is dead, one in an occasional series:
Within moments of the House Ethics Committee’s announcement Monday that it was moving forward with its probe of the Nevada congresswoman, the national chattering class began digging her political grave.
The pain of being buried alive must be excruciating, but there are those who have long considered Berkley a Dead Woman Walking. Even if she were still viable — and I now have serious questions about whether she can win this race — Berkley’s campaign, which has all but cocooned her for much of this race and foolishly not bivouacked in critical Washoe County, needs a new strategy. And fast.
I won’t declare her — as many of my national media peeps have — dead quite yet. Nobody is dead in Nevada Democratic politics until The Godfather, aka Harry Reid, taps him or her on the shoulder and makes an offer that can’t be refused.
(Why do I imagine Prince Harry inside “Animal House” and yelling to his acolytes: “Nothing is over until I say it’s over!”? Even though Berkley was not his first choice, Reid is not yet panicked enough to be singing, “Where have you gone, Byron Georgiou? A Democratic nation turns its lonely (and desperate) eyes to you ...”)
I have seen a lot of strange things in Nevada politics, but the thought of Berkley surrendering is inconceivable. Whatever questions anyone may have about the congresswoman, she is indomitable and her work ethic unequaled.
But the task at hand has gone from being difficult to near-Sisyphean. Team Berkley can prattle on about the election being about Sen. Dean Heller’s Medicare-killing votes or his war on women or any other handy Democratic memes. And they can say Berkley was only acting in her constituents’ best interests when she advocated for a transplant program and higher Medicare reimbursement rates.
But Heller, with an ad that starts today, and outside groups such as American Crossroads, which will be up again soon, will make this less about access to health care than her husband’s access to her. The Heller ad clearly was produced before the ethics decision and is just the beginning.
It also is inconceivable that Heller will not use ethics controversies in the late ’90s about Berkley’s tenure with none other than Gondolier Numero Uno Sheldon Adelson — she urged him to contribute to judges to get benefits and to help county commissioners in their private-sector lives — to create a “pattern of behavior” assault that only piles more dirt into the grave.
Berkley takes it as an article of faith that people know her husband is a doctor, that they know she would never, ever behave unethically, that she loves her work in D.C. too much to compromise herself. But many, many don’t.
She is relatively unknown, especially in the key battleground of Washoe, and this will be how she is defined, thanks to Heller and Crossroads, Americans for Prosperity and other ill-wishers.
But even if I grant Team Berkley that they may be able to at least partially defuse these attacks by changing the subject, I’m not sure the subject will be enough of a distraction, unless they can raise some sort of ethical cloud over Heller. And Squeaky Clean Dean may be hard to tarnish.
The real issue here is not so much that every story — or most of them — will refer to the ethics probe. It’s that this was not a level playing field to start. To wit:
• 2012 is not 2008. Democrats are less enthusiastic and have a smaller registration edge.
• Dean Heller is not Sharron Angle. As much as they try, Team Berkley cannot morph Heller into the Woman From Another Galaxy. Heller may have issues, including his sudden epiphany six years ago that he was a rock-ribbed conservative and not a maverick before suddenly becoming the D.C. guy running against D.C. Malleable, yes; otherworldly, no.
• Finally, Shelley Berkley is not Harry Reid. People, north and south, were willing to mortgage their lives to re-elect the majority leader last cycle and he brought to bear perhaps the most formidable campaign team ever assembled here or anywhere. I don’t sense the same energy and dedication this cycle, and certainly not the same intense dislike for the opponent.
And don’t forget, Heller hasn’t even used what his team considers a potential silver bullet issue — Berkley’s vote for TARP, which for him polls off the charts almost as well as his inane “No Budget No Pay” proposal.
So I’m not surprised the dirges are playing for Berkley. She may be a Dead Woman Walking. Maybe.
We may also find out if 2012 is 2010. Two years ago, I compiled a catalogue of columns about an apparently entombed Democratic Senate candidate written off by the D.C. pundit class and each began with the same whimsical device:
“Harry Reid is dead, one in an occasional series ...”
Jon says "I won't declare her -- as many of my national media peeps have -- dead quite yet. Nobody is dead in Nevada Democratic politics until The Godfather, aka Harry Reid, taps him or her on the shoulder and makes an offer that can't be refused."
So true Harry Reid has been a fixer in the State and Washington. the crime does not matter.
There if nothing that Reid can not fix. - If Reid Want to!!!
When will Reid Decide - this is not up to Berkley
------
Heller's pot farmer buddy? The DEA raid on Heller's house? I'd run an ad on that everyday. Of course it didn't work in the past.
Sorry, Jon, Congresswoman Shelly Berkley is far from "dead". She has a very favorable history of being the VOICE of the People in the USA and constituents here in Nevada. She has certainly had the backs of our American servicemen and servicewomen, including their families. She has been willing to put her political career at risk, so that those less fortunate, those with little voice, receive help, be it medical care, new Veteran's Hospital, housing, education, hazardous nuclear materials transportation, etc.. The State of Nevada has had an improved quality of life thanks to Congresswoman Shelly Berkley!
When I have communicated concerns to her, they have always been promptly addressed and followed up. I can NOT say that about any of the other elected politicians. With the rest, it has been lip service.
So although this investigation looks bad, (and you can bet her opponents and career enemies want it that way!), Berkley has always had the People's interest and welfare on top, and her personal life further down the list. She and her family members have NOT adversely affected the public, nor the public trust. If anything, Congresswoman Berkley got the job done, even with family support (and who would not do that for their country and fellow citizens?)
Politics is much like statistics---you can "spin" them anyway to suit you. Just as those Anti-Berkley folks have systematically done!
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Star, I can always count on you for a rational and reasonable approach...me...not so much.
I don't think that Congresswoman Berkley colluded or tried to do evil with a good thing, BUT she failed miserably in her handling of this incident.
Her answers have been less than stellar and by her own words she appears to have had a less than honorable appearance.
Should she be booted from Congress? Not by other Congressmen. Is the timing atrocious and hurtful to her campaign......absolutely.
Calling Michael OBAMA to the rescue!!
Anyone that voted with Obama 95% of the time does not have my vote. If u like a socialist u can vote for Berkley and Obama. BTW what ever happened to Obama school records?
If it looks dead, smells dead, acts dead, then it must be....
I'll say this much. When - not if - it comes down to a fierce, life and death firefight - she's going to find herself in a foxhole of one. Emperor Harry isn't about to leave his penthouse and get down in the trenches over this one. It'll be easier to cozy up to Heller like he did Ensign than to risk getting wounded over something as expendable as she is.
She has my vote and she will win.
Heller comes out of the same Tea Party Vein as Sharon Angle. All Shelly Berkley has to do is put a picture of Dean Heller next to Sharon Angle with the Caption. "She's Back".
I guess it would be OK for Nevadans to Lose the Only Kidney Transplant Center and Many Seniors on Medicare HMO's would be stuck without medical care, dying sooner and saving the Federal Government Millions on Social Security.
That's How Republicans Roll.
Big voting difference between Angle and Heller is that Angle did not win Washoe County. I don't think Heller will have that problem.
I tend to reject investigations that occur in an election year as heavily weighted by partisan politics. In fact, they tend to turn me to support of the one investigated. I hope it does the same for others.
I have read many articles of her work for Nevada and her constituents. My impression is that she is better than most.
On the issue of the UMC kidney transplant center, I have to say good work Shelly. This is an issue that transcends her husband, and is bigger than her husband's specialty.
This serves a critical need in NV, and for the resident's here. It can even be a life or death issue.
I know this is in the interest of the people here. So I applaud her work.
Others have done far worse and got off, including the criminals who have caused the global economic crisis. The issue with Shelly Berkley deserves a reprimand and nothing more by weight of the issue.
I will vote for her because of her record and hard work.
I certainly hope that the campaign staff takes note of the fact and keep hammering that Dean Heller and Jon Porter (former Republican Congressman) BOTH were not that dumb and knew, for a fact, that Dr. Lehrner was under contract at UMC. I wonder if there are any prior articles with all of them together, giving Nevadans a break for kidney transplants when they ALL signed that bill. If I were on her campaign committee, I would certainly turn it around! Too bad I can't use Dr. Lehrner, but unfortunately he is not on my health plan. Hopefully, I won't need his services even though I have Stage 3 Kidney Disease
BChap's video commentary via "You Tube" on the issue of Shelley Berkely and her campaign for the U.S. Senate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcbZXMehq...
No, Jon, it's not 2008. It's not 2010 either and people have seen the effects of a Republican Party that doesn't care about America succeeeding as long as this president fails. Every Republican needs to be voted out of office so the Democrats can continue cleaning up the Bush mess. That is what the last two Democatic presidents have had to do; clean up Bush messes.
Yeah Yeah Jon. You ran this same series back when Harry Reid was running for reelection to the Senate against the awesome Angle. Berkeley will win, because Heller is an empty suit, a Norquist drone, and he has to run STATEWIDE instead of the brain dead congressional district 2.
The Republican Party in Nevada is a joke and that alone should elect Congresswoman Berkley, but this ethics investigation is not helpful, to say the least.
Dean Heller will be a complete disaster for Nevada, and for the country. The problem is not enough Nevadan's know that.
I sure don't think Shelley Berkley is dead though, she is lucky enough to be running against a Republican who granted, is not Sharron Angle but he still is the guy who voted to end Medicare as we know it, TWICE, and he still is the guy who would rather see a poor person denied food stamps than see a guy who makes a hundred million dollars a year pay 3.6 percent more in just their income tax.
I just think that is immoral.