Joe Downtown: Bipartisan crowd celebrates congresswoman’s swearing-in

Supporters of Congresswoman Dina Titus of all political persuasions gather at The Beat to watch her swearing-in and celebrate her official return to Congress.

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013 | 12:10 p.m.

A gathering of some 50 people at The Beat coffee shop downtown was almost a throwback to the days when Republicans and Democrats acted civilly toward each other.

City Councilman Bob Coffin, who served decades in the Legislature as a Democrat, union representatives and a tapestry of Vegas residents stood alongside Joe W. Brown, the former Republican National Committee member from Nevada, to celebrate the swearing-in of Dina Titus to Congress.

Brown talked of the “old days” of being in Washington, D.C., remembering a time he was walking the tunnel to the Capitol for a vote with former Nev. Sen. Paul Laxalt, a staunch Republican who was known as the “First Friend” due to his closeness to President Ronald Reagan. Suddenly, someone came up and throw an arm around Laxalt and gave him a big hug.

It was Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.

“We’re good friends,” Laxalt told Brown. “We leave the arguing to the Senate floor.”

“It’s not like that anymore,” Brown added.

After Titus was sworn in, she called and thanked those who listened and watched “in an exciting party of my district, The Beat.”

Joe Schoenmann doesn’t just cover downtown, he lives and works there. Schoenmann is Greenspun Media Group’s embedded downtown journalist, working from an office in the Emergency Arts building.