Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012 | 2 a.m.
More Line of Attack stories
- Did Shelley Berkley vote for a new massive energy tax? (9-17-2012)
- Is Danny Tarkanian skipping out on his bills to pay for his campaign? (9-9-2012)
- Mitt Romney ad has hits and misses in the message (9-2-2012)
- Does the GOP want to kill Medicare, outsource jobs and raise taxes? (8-26-2012)
- Does Shelley Berkley have a history of public corruption? (8-19-2012)
- Did Dean Heller let a diamond scam happen under his watch? (8-5-2012)
- Is this really the weakest recovery ever? (8-5-2012)
Line of Attack is a weekly feature in which we parse a political attack, looking at the strategy behind it, how the campaign is delivering it and what facts support or refute it. We’ll assign it a rating on the fairness meter: Legit, Eye Roll, Guffaw, Laughable or Outrageous.
Attack: U.S. Sen. Dean Heller has a history of associating with “crooked businessmen,” both as personal friends and as a public official.
Method of delivery: Heller’s Democratic rival, Rep. Shelley Berkley, launched a scathing television ad last week that dredges up Heller’s ties to a Carson City media personality who was convicted in 2007 of laundering drug money through a shell company.
Strategy: Berkley has her own ethics investigation to worry about, so her campaign is focused on trying to give voters a reason to find Heller unethical as well — the traditional “muddy-the-waters” strategy.
Fairness meter: Berkley is digging back to a 2006 attack used — to little avail — against Heller in an attempt to impugn him by association with businessman Eddie Floyd, who was involved in a marijuana-growing ring in the early 2000s.
Although Floyd was convicted of money laundering, investigators never tied Heller to the case. Instead, Heller’s political opponents have tried to raise questions about his judgment for associating with Floyd in the first place.
This year, Berkley’s campaign has taken additional steps in an attempt to show Heller’s relationship with Floyd went deeper than Heller describes. In 2006, Heller dismissed the relationship as anything but a “media friendship,” after regularly appearing on Floyd’s radio program.
But Berkley’s campaign dug up documents showing Heller also made comments promoting the business Floyd used to launder the drug money. Berkley’s camp also pointed out comments Floyd made suggesting his family often socialized with Heller and his family — an assertion that Heller flatly denies.
The ad also accuses Heller of “speeding the process along” for Floyd to establish the business — an activity that, as secretary of state, Heller had the responsibility to do for many businesses. But that claim is indeed laughable as the backup the Berkley campaign provided doesn’t even refer to the drug laundering business.
Also, to leave voters with the impression that Heller may have had a business relationship with Floyd is guffaw-worthy, as no such evidence exists.
The problem for Heller, however, is he spent enough time in public with Floyd — before Floyd’s criminal activity came to light — that he’ll be forced to answer continued questions about the depth of that relationship. And those questions are Legit.
As you say Heller was never never never been linked
Berkley is despicable to attempt to smear Heller over something that is not real
Berkley must have decided to campaign like her mentors Harry Reid and Obama
On Sept 7th, Berkley was conducting business with Eddie Floyd.
Why would she do business with such a crooked person as she describes him to be?
The Key is: Shelly Berkley Supports Medicare and works to keep Benefits as they are, while Dean Heller would Coupon It throwing Seniors on the Open Market in an Attempt to find their Own Insurance (If You Get/Are Sick - Good Luck with that).
Dean Heller Supports the Republican Parties Plan to eliminate ALL abortions (even in the case of Rape or Incest), however he is occasionally allowed to get off the Republican Farm if his vote does not change the outcome. Like in Eliminating most forms of Birth Control.
While Shelly Berkley if Far from being a True Progressive and votes more like an Old Time Republican, she stand Heads and Shoulders above Dean Heller - who called the Unemployed HOBOS. Let's add Him to that Club!
This story is a waste of newspaper space. These are worthless allegations that have no merit. The real issue here is the economy. The Obama administration has done thing for Nevada.
She is desperate. Typical democrat, talk about everything but job performance.
I'm voting for Senator Dean Heller
Shelly Berkley never