J. Patrick Coolican

Story Archive

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.
Nevada political roundup: Palin in Henderson, Dems have early advantage: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
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.
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.
Titus fought for growth ring, lost — and learned: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008; The phrase was classic Titus: quick and witty, chewable and salty fun.
Nevada political roundup: The bailout, Obama up in battlegrounds: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Palin fever brings out campaign volunteers: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008; With the pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as Republican nominee for vice president, Arizona Sen. John McCain has helped erase some of the Republican enthusiasm gap in Nevada.
Wall Street runs through Las Vegas, campaigns: On the stump: Obama moves to pin turmoil on McCain, Republicans; Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; Sen. Barack Obama appeared at Cashman Field on Wednesday, but a more appropriate spot might have been four miles down the road on the lonely grounds of Echelon. That partially finished multibillion-dollar Strip resort, paralyzed because the money is gone, has become a symbol of Wall Street’s far-reaching impact on Las Vegas.
But what they meant to say was ...: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; You ever get so angry, so sputtering mad, that you say the opposite of what you meant to say?
Candidate untried but intrepid: Shirley Breeden responded to Democratic Party’s overtures to run against Joe Heck; Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008; Political candidates have often had an “ah-ha” moment — a moment of outrage or insight — that prompted them to run for election.
It’s not the issues that likely make up many minds: Experts say uninformed voters have power; Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008; The question is as maddening as it is quadrennial: How do the amoeba middle, the undecided, the independent, the low-information voters make up their minds?
Anti-Heck ads mislead voters: Mailers accuse Republican of opposing cervical cancer screening coverage; Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008; Nevada Democrats have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a series of attack mail pieces aimed at state Sen. Joe Heck, intensifying a battle to control the upper chamber of the Legislature currently held by Republicans.
Attacks on media may fail: Staple GOP tactic fires up base now, may not sway others; Friday, Sept. 5, 2008; The image was arresting: Delegates to the Republican National Convention, fingers jabbing toward the crowd of assembled journalists as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hurled invective at the press corps:
“I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”
Bar talk positive toward Palin: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008; No hangover in the Twin Cities, with conservatives having closed the bars and moved right on to bloody mary bars after Sarah Palin's impressive performance last night.
Palin energizes skeptical base: Conservatives gush as McCain’s VP pick berates Obama, media; Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008; For months the presidential election has been all about Barack Obama. The causes: intense media and public interest in the freshman senator from Illinois, and a strategy by the campaign of his Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, to make the election a referendum on Obama rather than a choice between the two.
All the theatrics, and a ‘killer speech,’ too: Democrats built drama into their convention through set design, furious flag-waving and soaring speeches; Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; It was a dramatic story with compelling characters who read great dialogue and snapped out their lines on gorgeous sets.
Rudy wows the Republicans: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; ST. PAUL, Minn. — They're not booing.
Playing to the crowd: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; Michael Steele is revving up the crowd.
Politics, policy and polls: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; Inside the hall now. The Israel Project has left a press release for me at my seat.
Oratory as background noise: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; An unfortunate aspect of these conventions, both Democrat and Republican, is that you often wind up with people making important speeches, interesting speeches, compelling speeches, while no one listening.
Cathedral evokes humility: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; Just walked up a hill to the Cathedral of St. Paul. A true architectural wonder, a Roman Catholic church of western European grandeur, with touches of central and Eastern Europe.
Raving over Rove: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; Karl Rove, in the lobby.
Adman not sold on McCain-Palin ticket: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; Republican advertising consultant, who seemed unaffiliated with the McCain campaign, totally off-message in the bar of The St. Paul last night.
State's delegation ecstatic over Palin: If history is guide, base will see revelations as attacks, rally behind pick; Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; The Sun interviewed nine Nevadans at the convention. They were enthusiastic about Sarah Palin, the surprise vice president pick of Sen. John McCain, and eager to recount details they find compelling in her public record and private life.
Paul takes the stage: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; Backstage at the Ron Paul Revolution event at an arena in Minneapolis. Some Paul-ites are discussing some story about how a Paul leader was in New York and confronted David Gergen about Bohemian Grove.
Krolicki is in the building: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki has just arrived.
Rove in demand by media: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; Sitting in The St. Paul, the swanky hotel where the Nevada delegation is staying, and there is Karl Rove, a Sparks native.
Norquist blasts Obama: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; Grover Norquist, movement conservative extraordinaire, spoke to assembled Arizona delegates this morning at breakfast. Some Nevada delegates, not having their own breakfasts, have joined the Arizona folks.
With creeping pessimism, partisans fight for party’s soul: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; The Republican National Convention here is as much about the far-off future as it is about the November election.
McCain adviser: Candidate will be in Nevada 'frequently': Monday, Sept. 1, 2008; Charlie Black, a D.C. legend and key adviser to Sen. John McCain, just addressed the Nevada delegation.
Lunch with the state delegation in St. Paul: Monday, Sept. 1, 2008