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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican Mark Amodei speaks at a victory party in Reno on Tuesday after defeating Democrat Kate Marshall in a special election for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. Amodei’s daughters Erin, left, and Ryanne were among the supporters on hand.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 | 2 a.m.
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Rep. Mark Amodei was the only member of the Nevada delegation to vote against the "fiscal cliff" deal Tuesday night.
It was a decision he made hours before, even though he knew the bill was all but assured to pass.
"I'm bummed out because I'm feeling pretty uneffective," Amodei told the Sun Tuesday evening. "It's a pretty humbling day for the new guy."
Amodei's not that new anymore in Congress. He's been around for 16 months, arriving shortly after Congress struck the debt ceiling deal that put many parts of the fiscal cliff in place.
In that time, he's seen Congress come to the brink of failure more than a few times on issues concerning tax rates, spending cuts, and the national debt. Like most lawmakers, he was hoping that this time, there would be a resolution that would end those repeat crises.
The fiscal cliff deal is anything but. Though it does extend Bush era tax rate cuts permanently on incomes up to $400,000 ($450,000 for couples filing jointly), and extends a range of other tax provisions that expired in 2012 for various intervals of time, it sets up a fight over spending cuts and borrowing authority just two months down the road, when the delay on so-called "sequestration" cuts comes to term.
"Everything is a cliff. ... So the next one is going to be the debt ceiling. And we've been there before," Amodei said. "What is the solution, hope that something changes?"
But the seemingly cyclical nature of deal-making really isn't what drove him to vote against the bill, he admitted.
It was fear of what his voters might say if he voted yes.
"For the people that I represent, for these folks in a district where Sharron Angle beat Harry Reid by 19,000 votes?" Amodei said. "To go back to them and say 'we have not taken this opportunity to do anything on spending or debt' — that is just at odds with what I represented to people I would try to do."
Amodei represents the northern part of Nevada, including most of the Nevada rural areas, which tend to be more conservative than other parts of the state. And Amodei says that geography is what made this vote different for him verses the other Nevada Republicans.
"Dean voted for it, I think Joe's going to vote for it, and I'm OK with that," Amodei said a few hours before the House vote. "But you know, their districts are urban. ... I don't think I can go home and look my folks in the eye on that bill."
The urban areas of Nevada tend to be more bipartisan and Democrat-leaning than the rural areas. Amodei's district does incorporate the urban areas of Reno and Carson City, but the rural areas of Nevada are a much larger percentage of his district than any other.
Amodei’s congressional district is also the only one in Nevada that has never been represented in Congress by a Democrat, which for a Republican congressman, raises comparatively stronger fears about the threat of primary verses general election challenges.
Still, even as he explained the differences he perceived between himself and other Nevada Republicans, Amodei seemed to be almost apologizing for the vote he had already determined he would take early on Tuesday afternoon.
"If there was anything for me to latch onto, in terms of spending or debt, than I would have done that," he explained. "I mean, I was going to vote for Plan B!"
Amodei is referencing the bill House Speaker John Boehner almost brought up last Friday, which would have extended tax rates up to $1 million but no further, and in fact, not offset them with any spending cuts at all.
In the end, Boehner couldn't whip 218 Republican votes for the measure — the number needed for a majority in the House — and dropped it before it came to the floor.
On Tuesday, Boehner ultimately did not heed calls from his members to try to do the same on an amendment to the fiscal cliff deal that would have plugged it without about $300 billion of spending cuts — a change that would have killed the deal for the 112th Congress, as well as squandered the overwhelming 89 to 8 vote support it had already secured in the Senate earlier on Tuesday.
Amodei had been hoping he'd have a chance to vote on that amendment before making a final call on the fiscal cliff bill, but it never happened.
He ended up supporting the decision not to bring up the amendment with a "yes" vote on the rule that cemented that approach, but voted "no" on the measure itself.
He was in good company, among Republicans at least: 151 Republicans voted against the fiscal cliff bill, while only 85 voted in favor of it. 172 Democrats helped carry the fiscal cliff deal over the finish line.
Politically, that made Amodei's no vote an easier one to take, as a Republican.
Rep. Joe Heck, who was one of the lawmakers voting for the deal, waited until the vote count had already passed 218 before casting his "yes" vote along with the minority of Republicans — a vote made slightly safer in the eyes of those in his party, perhaps, by the fact that it wasn't decisive.
Meanwhile Amodei's "no" was one of the earliest votes cast.
"I'm appreciative of some of the tax work that's been included to make some things permanent, that's good stuff. ... I'm not afraid to vote for some [tax] revenues," Amodei explained. "But when it comes right down to it, I'm going to go on my take, based on the people that gave me the job."
Anyone surprised ?
"For the people that I represent, for these folks in a district where Sharron Angle beat Harry Reid by 19,000 votes?" Amodei said.
Well, I'm certainly glad Mr. Amodei does not represent me. If Sharron Angle is your hero, you still have a problem.
Not too impressed with the man, and my voter registration is in Northern Nevada. In summation: the "fiscal cliff" has to be handled in sections, not with haphazard, axe-chopping swaths, decimating the good with the bad, but deliberate, surgical, excising cuts. Your immaturity is showing Amodei, and only confirms the worst fears of many voters. Being a lock-step, no new taxes Republican is NOT good for reelection the next go-round. What's next? Nuclear waste at Yucca? GEZ
Happy New Year 2013 Everyone!
Blessings and Peace,
Star
His "voters"?!?
It was the nonpartisan vote that put him in office and it'll be the nonpartisans that will take him O-U-T and send someone who thinks about larger issues than re-election.
It is the rurals who are most dependent on government and don't understand that their resentment of "those" people in the inner cities for using government services is just veiled racism. Irony anyone?
staralioflundnv-
" In summation: the "fiscal cliff" has to be handled in sections, not with haphazard, axe-chopping swaths, decimating the good with the bad, but deliberate, surgical, excising cuts"
yes, much better to just raise taxes and not cut spending at all. the future can take care of itself, right? LOL
Amodei at least stood up to the self-serving elites in Washington lining their own pockets at everyone else's expense (even you , star). Unfortunately not enough of our rulers voted with Mr. Amodei, and so, bend over America! See you in February!
The most courageous representative of the people since Barney Fife.
Amodei, thank you for realizing that this deal did nothing but extend the debate, left the country no better shape financially and for voting for permanent change not just a band-aid fix.
Rep. Amodei knew his vote wouldn't affect the outcome. I suggest, respectfully, that we give him credit for his candor and for voting for what he believed to be the will of his constituents in his district.
Consider this: If he hadn't voted as he did, he'd be attacked and probably defeated in his next primary by Sharron Angle or one of her off-the-wall, out-of-touch Tea Party proteges.
I'd rather have a guy who's candid but on the opposite side representing part of Nevada than a loon who was consistently declared Nevada's most ineffective legislator and who would make Nevada the laughing stock of the nation if she were ever elected to a national office.
Congrats to Amodei. He was true to his word. That's more than I can say about most of the sleaze that pass themselves off as politicians in Washington, DC, Carson City, Clark County or Las Vegas. So many scumbags get elected and immediately go back on their word it makes one wonder how anyone can trust them. I certainly don't. "Read my lips." Remember that guy? Just one of many crooks, liars and cheats to get elected and then go back on his word. Honorless low-lives. That's what most politicians are. And some want to give them more power to lie, cheat and scam us? "Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me."
Amodei is right to represent those who voted for him, no matter how misguided they are. In the end, it appears, it doesn't matter what they think, or how they vote, and these staunch ideologues are a vanishing breed anyway. As long as the GOP's majority in the house are held to destructive task by tea-party obstructionists, the party will never be a [real] threat to the realization that America is different from what the neo-conservatives wish we were.
That's the definition of "uneffective".
A person that has done nothing for nevada, he is concern about an Angle primary?