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Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 | 4:02 p.m.
Rep. Shelley Berkley introduces herself to actor Jon Voight on Saturday at the annual Nevada Day Chili Feed in Carson City. Berkley is running for U.S. Senate, and Voight was in Nevada campaigning for Mitt Romney.
Sun coverage
CARSON CITY--Candidates and their campaign supporters traveled down the capital’s main street for the Nevada Day Parade on Saturday, waving to crowds celebrating the state’s entry into the union and stumping for votes in the final push before Election Day.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign rolled out his son, Josh Romney, and actors Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer and John Ratzenberger in the parade.
Republican Sen. Dean Heller rode a horse, as the Carson City resident has done for the past 25 years or so, as did his wife, Lynne.
Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, also running for U.S. Senate, ventured into her opponent’s hometown for a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Carson City Republican Women’s Club. She also rode in the parade and ate at the annual Chili Feed, hosted by Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, the most active elected supporter of Romney in the state.
President Barack Obama’s campaign, for all its vaunted ground game, had no celebrities in Carson City on Saturday, though nine actors would be in Reno on Sunday for early vote efforts. Also, the campaign noted it had its RV there, though Romney’s bus was bigger.
For an election cycle that has been punctuated by a flood of political ads — Obama’s campaign and supporters have raised $1 billion, and Gov. Romney’s campaign and Republican-aligned groups are on track to break the same mark — Saturday’s parade marked at least a partial respite from the fierce divisions and a throwback to times of simpler campaigning.
Crowds cheered for Shriners in their tiny cars and high school marching bands. Civil war re-enactors fired rifles into the air, and the float for the counterculture festival Burning Man shot flames into the sky.
Interspersed were the politicians, local and statewide. Gov. Brian Sandoval and first lady Kathleen Sandoval rode in a Humvee toward the front of the parade, apparently unfazed by criticism from Republicans that he could do more to help Romney. In a serious blow to the dental industry of Carson City, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, told the crowd that parade participants weren’t allowed to pass out candy this year — but the clever Amodei brought along dog biscuits to give to people who had brought their pets. Berkley volunteers, as well as some other parade participants, quietly defied the ban, sneaking handfuls of candy to kids, while Romney volunteers passed out campaign stickers.
At the annual chili feed, Krolicki said, “We brought in the big guns,” as Voight, Ratzenberger (aka Cliff, from “Cheers”) and Grammer ("Frasier") mugged for pictures and talked with residents.
Voight, a Romney supporter, told the audience in the Carson Nugget ballroom that he’d tone down the message because it was a bipartisan affair. But he said, “This is the most important election of my lifetime.”
Ratzenberger struck a more partisan line. “It made me very angry to see our president bow” to leaders of other nations, he said.
Grammer, wearing a Romney/Ryan sticker, said he was supporting Romney because he believed in self-reliance.
But most of the time, Grammer was swarmed by people who wanted their picture with him.
“Battle Born, I love that,” Grammer said to a man wearing a shirt with Nevada’s slogan.
Nearby, on the dance floor, Berkley stood with her son and Zac Petkanas, communications director for the Nevada Democratic Party. At that moment, at least, no one wanted a picture with her.
Still, she declared Nevada Day “a great tradition. A lot of fun.”
She said Republican women thanked her for coming out to the pancake breakfast.
“Today, in Nevada, whether you’re Republicans or Democrats, we come together. We’re all Nevadans,” she said.
When a man put a Romney/Ryan sticker on her shirt, she gamely laughed. Her son, Max, took it off. When the sticker-wielder asked whether he could get a picture of her with the Romney/Ryan sticker on, Petkanas said, nicely but firmly, “Not a chance.”
Heller, working the table on the other side of the room, acknowledged that Carson City, along with Washoe County and rural areas, are his stronghold. Clark County is heavily Democratic, and to win, Republicans must perform strongly outside of Las Vegas.
Heller said the state would get past the partisanship of this race.
“You do move on,” he said. “It’s a little more negative. But first thing for me is getting reacquainted with my family — the wife, kids, the horses and dogs.”
Some weren’t as convinced that the rifts from this election would be as easily put aside.
Guy Rocha, a Nevada historian, said at the chili feed that he believes the partisan divide will be difficult to resolve after Nov. 6.
“I don’t think there will be healing after the election,” he said. “One side will be happy. One side will be angry. This is more contentious than any previous election in modern history.”
Krolicki, though, thanked Berkley for coming before she made an early exit.
“Good to see you. Did get some chili?” he asked.
“Did I get some chili?” she said with a smile. “Did I get some chili!”
Krolicki, in an interview later, said: “Brutality is always a part of national politics. In the past, there were not the resources there are now to punish your opponents.”
He said that although the election appears close, there might be a mandate for the direction of the country. But, he made clear, he was not offering a call for bipartisanship. “There are big issues to be solved by a time certain,” he said, referring specifically to the so-called “fiscal cliff” facing the country. “The mood no longer will tolerate indecision.”
Krolicki need to learn it is the perfect time to call for bipartisanship in this state and this country.
This is supposed to be about the people and the country, not about the party or party line.
This nonsense has gone on long enough. Time to start working as a team or the people and the country or get out of dodge folks. Our country and State are not some kind of game for you to play with.
We are a great country and state and the elected officials better start respecting that fact and that they are there for those that elect them.
BeSafer -
let me help you out about your sorrow.
DON'T BE SORRY, even for a half a second.
the Obama clones were fanned out behind the scenes lining up every welfare, food stamps and section8 case while everybody looked the other way.
Thats what they were doing there in the first place, lining up their base voters.
Dont let these Obama kumbaya events ever, never ever let you think these people will ever compromise on anything. Obama's top brass trained them well and they will stick it to you anyway they can.
Never ever be sorry for standing up for what you believe like getting rid of $67 trillion dollars of massive federal debt, building back up a miniscule miltary thats been cut down to nothing and that now can't even respond to international emergencies like bengazi, and standing up for lowering tax rates for the middle class by broadening the tax base. Never. Ever. Never. Ever be sorry for standing up for the USA.
Its a nice parade, too bad the Obamacrats were in it.
I was at both the Nevada Day Parade and the pancake breakfast mentioned in the article. Other than getting some favorable press coverage by this journalist, I can't imagine what reasons Berkley would have for showing up at Republican Party events. If it was an attempt to get more votes for her and Obama, then I would say she failed miserably judging by reactions at the pancake breakfast and later the parade, where she and Team Obama were booed continually along the parade route.
Eric F
Carson City
Must have been a lot of poop all over the streets and it wasn't all from the horses.
Sisolak says he cares about the safety of the people of Clark County....Really? then why is he actively helping Texas residents that are accused by Houston authorities as being involved in human trafficking, underage prostitution and allowing drug and gang activity in houston, set up shop in Las Vegas? When these accusations, with plenty of evidence were brought to Sisolak's attention, he turned the information over to the flesh peddlers attorney, Ross Goodman and with the help of the Business License office, issued them a "temporary License" to do business in Clark County, which is directly against clark county code. These are the facts, read more here..
https://www.facebook.com/TheTruthAboutSt...
Let's see here: this a PUBLIC celebration, a NEVADA DAY Parade, with a nice pancake breakfast, open to the PUBLIC, breakfast sponsored by the Carson City Republican Women's Group.
So, which is it? A POLITICAL RALLY or an open to the whole public, Nevada Day Parade and Celebration?
Is it me, that somehow this article's writer and some Commenters have turned an innocent Nevada Day celebration into a political rally?
This public event is and was open to ALL people. I personally find some of the behaviors of certain Republicans (as the Romney/Ryan sticker incident) rather offensive, disrespectful, and immature. This certainly puts Republicans in a very negative light, and I say this as a long-time registered Republican. A public apology TO Congresswoman Berkley would be appropriate here by the sticker-wielder.
As a resident of both Southern and Northern Nevada, the historic anamousity of citizens of both North AND South perplexes me. We ALL are Nevadans who care about our state and should be positively supporting candidates and the system towards making this state vibrant, and the quality of life desireable. Bickering is both counter-productive and a NO-winner for all involved.
In these dire times, everything should be done working as a TEAM, and together working towards a common goal. Put the personal differences aside and get the work of quality governance done for the good of ALL in Nevada!
Blessings and Peace,
Star