J. Patrick Coolican

Columnist

J. Patrick Coolican was born in Connecticut to a large, Irish Catholic family and then studied dead white male authors at the University of Notre Dame. He started his career during the 2000 presidential campaign, writing for a Web site he created with two friends. He's written for The Seattle Times, The Nation, LA Weekly and, since early 2006, for the Sun.

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Story Archive

Reid: $700 billion bailout not working: Reid speaks at first hearing of congressional oversight board looking in Las Vegas; Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008; At a hearing this morning in Las Vegas, one of the cities hit hardest by foreclosures, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told a congressionally appointed oversight panel that the $700 billion Wall Street bailout program is not working.
Obama-bred activists meet, chart course: Look out, Legislature: They vow to fight on health care, education and environment; Monday, Dec. 15, 2008; Across the Las Vegas Valley over the weekend, supporters of Barack Obama gathered to chart the post-November direction of a grass-roots movement that elected the Illinois senator president and swung Nevada blue.
Reform slate ousts Teamsters officials accused of sweetheart deals: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008; A long-troubled Teamsters local has elected a leadership slate of reformers, throwing out incumbents accused of steering nonunion work to preferred companies in exchange for favors and jobs for relatives.
Culinary flexing its renewed muscle: It says its city hall fight is about taxpayers but larger battle emerges; Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008; The Culinary Union, emboldened by November election victories, is fighting on new ground and trying to punish its enemies. Its immediate goal: block Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman’s plan to build a new city hall — and dish out some payback to the federation of construction unions that supports Goodman’s efforts.
Change may come to more than D.C.: Obama network remains formidable force here, elsewhere; Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008; State lawmakers may need to brace for the politically unexpected when they descend on Carson City in February.
Farewell to risk, for now: Risk taking helped turn Vegas into a booming city, but the downturn has made consumers less willing to take a plunge — for better or worse.; Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008; Risk and risk-takers have been celebrated, fetishized, apotheosized in the American economy and culture for two decades. ¶ George Gilder, bard of ’80s-era supply side economics, summed it up: “A successful economy depends on the proliferation of the rich, on creating a large class of risk-taking men who are willing to shun the easy channels of a comfortable life in order to create new enterprise, win huge profits, and invest them again.”
Bad for Krolicki, bad for the state: Indictment of lieutenant governor comes at a time when we need more confidence in government officials, not less; Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008; Democrats may be snickering at the indictment of Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, but doing so is shortsighted.
For GOP, principles aren’t enough: Party must show how its tenets can be applied to solve big problems; Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008; Nevada Republicans looking for any sliver of light at the end of that black tunnel could be encouraged last week by two developments, or at least a development and a half.
GOP split on lessons of its loss, sees long road back: Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; In the midst of the Republican bloodbath Tuesday night, Gov. Jim Gibbons stepped to the podium at the Palazzo sports book and told the party faithful, “Tonight is about the beginning of a new hope for Republicans in the state of Nevada.”
Hits, misses and the in-between: The election produced lots of winners, and lots of losers, beyond just the obvious.; Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; Herewith, our list.
Lessons that should be learned from this election battle: You gotta organize, and you ought to refrain from attacks; Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; Democrats won a big victory in Nevada Tuesday. That we know, but there are some other things to take away from the results.
Titus promises an agenda for Nevada: Congresswoman-elect reflects on hard-fought campaign, looks ahead; Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008; In her first sit-down interview since her election to Congress on Tuesday, Dina Titus was relaxed and happy. “This is a historic time for this country,” she said. Her upbeat mood was in stark contrast to that of two years ago.
‘Obama Effect’ bit the pollsters who foretold small victory here: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008; Never mind the “Bradley Effect,” pollsters in Nevada may now have to consider the “Obama Effect.”
Titus scores a personal comeback: After losing ’06 governor’s race, she beats incumbent in House; Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008; After Dina Titus lost the 2006 governor’s race to Jim Gibbons, who’d been accused of assaulting a women and other ethical misdeeds, she seemed to have lost some faith in politics.
How Obama won Nevada: Democrat makes history; Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008; A year and a half in the making, the Obama organization had become a machine. The Las Vegas Sun was given access to Obama meetings over the months, while conducting background interviews with Obama staff, under the condition the paper not publish any of what it learned about the organization until after the election.
McCain turns up energy at end: Palin finishes her campaign in Northern Nevada, where she started it; Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008; The Republican presidential ticket on Monday made its last stops in Nevada before Election Day, underscoring the importance of the state to the party’s hopes of retaining the White House.
Live blog: Crowds gather to hear McCain in Henderson, Palin in Reno: Republican presidential campaign comes to Nevada on marathon election eve campaign swing; Monday, Nov. 3, 2008; GOP presidential candidate John McCain spoke tonight at the Henderson Pavilion, as part of his marathon campaign sprint to the finish, having already visited a number of states back east today. Meanwhile, another in Reno gathered for a visit from McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.
In black churches Sunday, a little extra excitement: Monday, Nov. 3, 2008; When the Rev. Ralph Williamson asked his flock Sunday if they’d voted early, nearly every hand shot up. Williamson, senior pastor at First African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Las Vegas, looked at the few people who hadn’t voted yet and quipped, “Need a ride?”
Reid lurks in background of Dems’ fundraising: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008; There is interesting irony in Sen. Barack Obama’s phenomenal fundraising. With donations averaging $86 per person from 3 million Americans, Obama isn’t in hock to any one person or industry or labor union.
Campaign comes full circle: Obama back in Vegas area: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008; On his first visit to Nevada, 21 months ago, when he spoke before 3,500 people at the Clark County Government Center, Sen. Barack Obama decried “slash and burn” political tactics and promised to unite the country around a “new kind of politics.”
A new wave of activism: How a flood of volunteers for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama could shift Nevada’s balance of power from gaming interests to a group of highly trained liberal activists.; Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008; The old saying in Nevada is that we don’t have two political parties, we have one party — the Gaming Party.
Titus ventures into less friendly parts: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; Outside a meeting with voters in Overton on Wednesday, state Sen. Dina Titus was reminded of her 2006 struggle in the rural communities. She quipped: “I love rural Nevada, and rural Nevada loves me!”
Family members star in campaigns’ last act: Obama’s wife, McCain’s daughter make late pitches for early votes; Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008; Both presidential candidates are using every available body — starting with their families — to press for early votes and round up volunteers for a final push.
Dean: From ‘Scream’ to nearly realizing 50-state dream: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008; I recall it quite vividly, the bosses all huddled around a computer screen, this being the early days of Internet video, as Howard Dean let out his now infamous scream.
Obama presses edge on the economy: In change from earlier visit, he pitches ‘beer track’ voters; Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008; Sen. Barack Obama spoke at the Doolittle Community Center about a year ago, and the working class crowd began streaming out before he was even finished.
As race tightens, Titus pressed to attack: Citing the success of Porter’s negative ads, some Democrats say their candidate must respond in kind; Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008; State Sen. Dina Titus has spent months and hundreds of thousands of dollars telling voters Rep. Jon Porter has supported policies that have been harmful to Southern Nevada. Porter, the Republican incumbent in the 3rd Congressional District, has spent his time and money telling voters Titus is a bad person, never mind her policies.
Negative ad strategy may be holding sway: Porter’s relentless -- and misleading -- criticism of Titus has some voters convinced; Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008; As Rep. Jon Porter’s campaign for a fourth term in Congress enters its final days, it is proving to be a remarkably simple one.
Why Palin softened her rhetoric: Shift, in Henderson, to message aimed at women reflects polling; Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008; Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unveiled a new stump speech before a crowd of thousands at the Henderson Pavilion, appealing directly to women and softening her overall tone.
Biden’s got the down-home spirit: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008; Joe Biden was in Henderson on Friday night, and he gave what can only be described as The Full Biden.
Election could help fulfill union dream, management nightmare: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008; Around here it’s called “The Las Vegas Dream.”
‘Terrorist’ ad called reckless: Experts: State GOP’s attack on Obama may stoke violence; Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008; A Nevada Republican Party mail piece that accuses Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of having “close ties to (a) domestic terrorist” is reckless and inflammatory, historians say, because it could stir dark passions, including a desire to inflict violence on Obama.
Conservative themes dominate debate: Friday, Oct. 17, 2008; Jill Derby is boxed in.
Majority a magnet for money: Parties up the ante in battle to control the Legislature; Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008; Democrats and their allies in the labor movement have taken the unusual step of buying at least $500,000 in TV advertising in an attempt to win two closely contested state Senate races, according to sources with knowledge of the advertising buy.
Margin of error is polls’ fine print: If it’s big enough — the result of a small sample — a survey’s results may not be what they seem; Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008; The headline couldn’t be more clear: “Poll gives big lead to Heller.” The problem with the Las Vegas Review-Journal poll, and thus the headline, could be found in the fine print.
Titus shows she’s learned from mistakes of run in ’06: Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008; Jim Gibbons was like a tabloid starlet in fall 2006, with a new salacious story appearing seemingly every week.
Titus backs renewables; Porter says, ‘drill, baby’: With few exceptions, positions on energy reflect party lines; Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008; Following their party platforms, 3rd Congressional District opponents Jon Porter and Dina Titus largely disagree on what course the nation should take toward energy independence, with Porter embracing coal and nuclear power and Titus emphasizing development of renewable energy.
McCain’s absence vexes Nevada backers: Krolicki counters that campaign here is ‘growing’; Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008; Conservative activists, operatives and officeholders are anxious about John McCain’s Nevada campaign, fearing the Arizona senator lacks the ground operation and commitment to win Nevada.
Beers calls ‘backroom fix’ charge political: Amendment benefiting senator’s former employer won’t stick, Democrats vow; Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008; Nevada Democrats opened a new line of attack Wednesday on state Sen. Bob Beers, vowing to try to repeal legislation quietly approved in 2007 that benefited Beers’ former employer.
Are you ready for some (more) politics?: Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008; Ooh, the possibilities! Think this election cycle has been long? Really it’s just a prologue to the next legislative session, and, of course, 2010.
Titus fought for growth ring, lost — and learned: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008; The phrase was classic Titus: quick and witty, chewable and salty fun.
Rushed law threatens regulation: Late-session fix for Beers’ former company could undo state oversight of health insurers; Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008; In the final days of the 2007 legislative session, an amendment was slipped into an insurance bill that greatly benefited a company that provides payroll services and administers health benefits for a variety of employers.
Analysis: Porter’s yes vote could pay political dividends: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008; Rep. Jon Porter’s support of a plan to bail out Wall Street was a calculated risk, and it may pay off politically. His opponent, state Sen. Dina Titus, a Democrat, said she would have opposed it, and the race will likely be framed by the issue in the coming days.
Sometimes tough, sometimes nurturing: Long list of famous names have called Titus ‘teacher’; Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008; The voice mail message is now infamous in Nevada political history.
Among themselves, conservatives start asking: What went wrong?: Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008; In the spirit of last week, we’re suspending our usual weekly memo fodder — no talk of polls or ground games, negative ads or candidate gaffes.
At last, the money trail leads somewhere: Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Finally, Nevada voters will be able to follow the money on unsuccessful political matters, even if they won’t get a chance to vote on any of the initiatives.
Mailers put GOP in fight to save Senate majority: Expect reprisal as two key races tighten, operative says; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Republican strategists acknowledged this week that incumbent state Sens. Joe Heck and Bob Beers are in danger of losing in the November election. If just one loses, Democrats would take control of the state Senate.
Democratic challengers back Treasury plan, with provisions: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008; Congressional candidates Dina Titus and Jill Derby provided statements Tuesday about Washington’s proposed Wall Street bailout that were more detailed than those of the House incumbents they are running against.
Mandate foe, not medicine’s: Joe Heck says his real objection is to the high cost of health insurance; Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008; State Sen. Joe Heck is one of the Legislature’s strongest voices on health care, which isn’t surprising given that he’s a physician.
One voter at a time: Volunteers go door to door, salon to salon, for McCain, Obama; Monday, Sept. 22, 2008; What a day: Country clubs and nail salons, doors opened and doors slammed, new voters and old hacks.
Titus: Family instilled values into the former cheerleader from Georgia: Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008; When Dina Titus was in high school in Tifton, Ga., she had one black classmate. This was 1966, the end of the Jim Crow South, and the School Board had just begun the process of integration.