Scandal-mania vs. Better Judgment

This should really be obvious. Yet because too many in the Republican Party are taking their queues from the 21st Century Know Nothings instead of reality, we'll have to explain this yet again. No, wait, I'll let Jamelle Bouie explain this.

As time progresses and these scandals begin to die down, the odds that Republicans will capture some advantage diminish. Moreover, there’s a chance this scandal fever will backfire and harm the GOP’s standing. Already, Republican officials are warning against scandal overreach, and conservative elites are warning that these controversies — even if they’re substantive — aren’t a substitute for an actual plan to govern. “Democratic scandal does not take the place of a Republican agenda,” writes the National Review, “a purely negative message, however justified, will not produce the governing majority Republicans should be aiming for in the next two elections.”

Republicans should heed this message, because it’s exactly correct. Odds are good Americans won’t remember this eighteen months from now, and so — instead of trying to keep it floating as long as possible — Republicans should work to offer a real, workable policy agenda alternative to the public. As evidenced by the current impasse over immigration and the budget, it’s clear that the GOP still has a lot of work to do on that front.

As we discussed yesterday and again this morning, far too many Republicans in Congress seem quite comfortable with the idea of using the latest haute faux scandals as (even more) excuses to kill comprehensive immigration reform this year and destroy whatever possibility is left of them actually trying to govern at all. It's still too early to determine whether this actually happens on Capitol Hill. But now, it's definitely entering the realm of possibility as the G-O-TEA base seems hellbent on repeating the follies of 1998.

Yet while Scandal-mania continues to approach a fever pitch on Capitol Hill, the real scandal continues to torment our planet and our people. Earlier today, the world's top climate scientist spoke to BBC Radio 4 on the greatest global security threat of our time. And yes, it's not going away any time soon.

Suggestions that global warming has stalled are a "diversionary tactic" from "deniers" who want the public to be confused over climate change, according to the world's best-known climate scientist. Professor James Hansen, who first alerted the world to climate change in 1988, said on Friday: "It is not true that the temperature has not changed in the two decades." [...]

Prof. Hansen said the focus by some on "details" was a smokescreen. "This is a diversionary tactic. Our understanding of global warming and human-made climate change has not been affected at all," he said. "It's because the deniers [of the science] want the public to be confused. They raise these minor issues and then we forget about what the main story is. The main story is carbon dioxide is going up and it is going to produce a climate which is going to have dramatic changes if we don't begin to reduce our emissions." In 2008, scientists anticipated an upcoming slowing in temperature rises.

Prof. Hansen, who recently stepped down from his NASA post after almost 50 years to focus on communication, said the forecast impact of climate change was little affected by the recent slowdown in the rate of rising temperatures.

"Climate is a complicated system but there is no change at all in our understanding of climate sensitivity [to carbon dioxide] and where the climate is headed," he said. "Our understanding of sensitivity is based on the Earth's history, not on climate models, and we have good data on how the Earth responded in the past when carbon dioxide changed. So there is no reason to change the forecast for the long term." On 9 May, a new study of lake sediments from a remote meteorite crater in Siberia showed temperatures in the region were 8C higher the last time CO2 levels were as high as they are today. Last week, atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached the milestone 400 parts per million [ppm], for the first time in millions of years.

If anything, recent developments in the Arctic region and the horrifying broken 400 ppm milestone point to accelerating climate change. And that should frighten all of us. This is the real scandal that threatens humanity, not the petty bullshit dominating Congressional hearings and Beltway punditry circle jerks right now.

This week, we've also been reminded that 97% of scientists agree that climate change is human induced. It's not that often when 97% of scientists agree on anything. So yes, this is a huge deal.



And that's today's reminder of reality brought to you by the Department of the Completely Fucking Obvious. Oh, and in case any one is still wondering why this matters, here's another reminder from Mother Nature (& the USGS).

A new U.S. Geological Survey study finds, “Warmer spring temperatures since 1980 are causing an estimated 20 percent loss of snow cover across the Rocky Mountains of western North America.”

The USGS explains, “The new study builds upon a previous USGS snowpack investigation which showed that, until the 1980s, the northern Rocky Mountains experienced large snowpacks when the central and southern Rockies experienced meager ones, and vice versa. Yet, since the 1980s, there have been simultaneous snowpack declines along the entire length of the Rocky Mountains, and unusually severe declines in the north.” [...]

What’s most worrisome is that we now have three major trends driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases that threaten to significantly worsen drought and water problems in the West and Southwest:

Less precipitation in many areas

Less snowpack, as the USGS studies have found

Hotter temperatures

Last November, we observed the havoc climate change is already causing Rural Northern Nevada as farms & ranches are forced to confront continued drought. Expect even more of this as the climate crisis worsens. And expect even more of the state to be affected as we witness even more drought and extreme weather.

This should really be a "no-brainer". We must act for our own survival. And we must act to strengthen our economy! We win if we finally act on replacing our fossil fuel addiction with a green, renewable future. We lose if we continue to let our fossil fuel addiction cloud our better judgment.


So what will it be? Will we let the latest bout of Scandal-mania cloud our better judgment? Or will we finally act on solving the real scandal facing us?

Breakthrough?

Earlier this month, we caught a whiff of what was to come. While the main focus of Teresa's phone bank pizza party in Henderson was building a critical mass demanding federal gun safety reform that Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) could no longer ignore, there was also talk of SB 221 in Carson City. Now, we're starting to see that talk materialize into action.

Last night, Ralston posted the mailers that the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Demand Action campaign has been sending to voters in five State Senate districts represented by "Senate GOP Mod Squad'ers". Senators Michael Roberson (R-Henderson), Ben Kieckhefer (R-Reno), Greg Brower (R-Reno), Mark Hutchison (R-Las Vegas), and Scott Hammond (R-Las Vegas) have all signaled willingness this session to bust stereotypes and break the legislative logjam on issues ranging from school funding to immigrant rights. Yet so far, we've seen limited evidence of this.

The Demand Action campaign is looking to change this. And gun safety advocates especially see opportunity in "Mod Squad" Senators being forced to confront a policy that anywhere from 70-86% of Nevadans support.

Colorado Republicans had to do this earlier this year when their Legislature passed gun safety reform bills that included expanded background checks and limits on magazine capacity. They ultimately passed on party line votes as Republicans lined up to please their NRA sugar daddies decry the bills as "illegal gun grabbing". And on Wednesday, Colorado Republican (Legislature) leaders had to confront a father who lost his son in the Aurora theater massacre last July.



So we may soon be seeing fireworks erupt over gun safety in Carson City. Mayors Against Illegal Guns, ProgressNow Nevada, and many grassroots activists are ready to make a final push for SB 221. But of course, the NRA and the rest of the gun lobby are making another push to kill SB 221 and any other effort at reasonable gun safety reform.

The political battle lines are being drawn. It's now a matter of whether the forces for reform can finally figure out a way to break the NRA's stranglehold over Carson City. Can Nevada follow in Colorado's footsteps in achieving a historic breakthrough? Or will all Republicans in Carson City run scared like Dean Heller did in DC?

It's Not Right... But It's OK.

Yesterday, we discussed the increasingly complicated and convoluted politics of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in Congress. Apparently, the House now has its own CIR deal floating around... And threatens to (further) undo the incredibly fragile Senate CIR deal. The CIR debate in Congress has been... Well, it's been awfully ridiculous lately.

Yet as that's been going down, many activists continue fighting for reform and to stop the deportations. And in fact, something quite amazing happened at The Center last night. DREAM Big Vegas, PLAN, and allies decided to help local DREAMers obtain DACA status. Oh, and they did so with a drag show!







There was plenty of fierce fashion, fabulous lip synchs, great original singing, and more. Oh, and DREAM Big raised enough money to fund two DACA applications! And during the intermission, the audience had a chance to listen to the stories of DREAMers who've only known life in America and just want a chance to succeed like the rest of us.

What made last night's event even more poignant was the demonstration of the intersection of Southern Nevada's Latin@ community and Southern Nevada's LGBTQ community. Believe it or not, both co-exist. Both cooperate. Oh yes, and many people are part of both communities!

This is actually another reason why 21st Century Know Nothing hopes of wedging the two communities against each other will ultimately prove to be futile. Especially as the plight of LGBTQ immigrants reaches the forefront, there's renewed purpose to make comprehensive immigration reform truly comprehensive. And besides, we know the 21st Century Know Nothings have never had the best interest of either community at heart anyway.

In fact, our long held suspicion was pretty much proven true last night. The Grio's Joy Reid broke the story of a Heritage letter (remember them?) circulating among Congressional Republicans and demanding that they essentially stop governing at all so they can circle the wagons around the latest haute faux scandals in hopes of weakening President Obama politically. Oh, yes. That's right. And many Republican Congresscritters already look to be taking their advice.

Clearly, they haven't met Raffi or Julius. Both have been living in this nation nearly their whole lives. Both have been educated in Southern Nevada schools. And both want to obtain the American Dream. Yet because their families came to America undocumented, they've had to live in fear and in constant limbo. Raffi now has DACA status. And while it's better than nothing, not even that is 100% guaranteed to prevent deportation. And they're being forced to raise money for DACA fees because Congress hasn't passed the DREAM Act.



Raffi & Julius and Ricardo & Blanca are among the many reasons why Congress should finally be moving on CIR. And so are undocumented workers who deserve freedom from exploitation. And so are LGBTQ families who deserve freedom from a life apart. These people are real people. They deserve better, and so do we.

Yet as usual, the 21st Century Know Nothings and the Republican Party that they have way too much power over can't get their act together. So they're ready to kill CIR and focus all their attention on bludgeoning President Obama with fictitious scandals. As Whitney would say, "It's not right, but it's OK."

Well, it's not all that OK. It's just that, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would say, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Something must change. Immigration reform must happen. And if Republicans don't join the solution, they'll soon understand firsthand why the 19th Century Know Nothings didn't last long.

It's not right, but it's OK. Got that, Senator Dean Heller (R-46%)?

SJR 13 One Step Closer to Final Passage (for This Year)

We've talked about it before. This has been one amazing spring on the equality front here in Nevada. SJR 13 is moving. And last week, we saw another round of powerful testimony in favor.







But in the end, today's results were pretty predictable. The Assembly Legislative Operations & Elections Committee passed SJR 13 on a party line vote. It now moves to the Assembly floor for its final vote of the session.

And from there, it must be passed again next session (2015) before it can go to voters in 2016. And if approved by voters in 2016, marriage equality will finally be the law of the land here in Nevada...

Unless the court(s) intervene soon.

The "Sexy", Salacious, & Scandalous Demise of #cir?

Oh, yes. That's right. "Scandal-mania" continues. And yet again, "The I Word" is being bandied about.



And already, we're seeing shades of 1998 emerge as 21st Century Know Nothings lick their chops to "IMPEACH!!!" President Clinton Obama over a stained blue dress their own damned failures.

Yesterday, we wondered aloud whether the latest Beltway distractions du jour will help or harm the latest push on Capitol Hill to do something on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). The more we know about "Scandal-mania", the less it seems like anything but a very thinly veiled political vendetta. So does this mean the Washington Glitterati will finally give it up and attempt some kind of thoughtful governing?



Not so fast. House & Senate Republicans are still demanding more hearings on the latest & greatest distractions du jour. In addition, they're also demanding yet another opportunity to waste Congress' time and taxpayer's money with yet another Obamacare repeal vote. And now, a leading Senate Gang of 8 Republican may actually be sabotaging his own bill by signaling acceptance to unfriendly amendments meant to derail the nascent CIR grand bargain.

Democrats say Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is overplaying his hand on immigration reform and warn he could kill the bill if he tries to steer it to the right.

The angst among prominent Democrats is a sign that immigration reform has hit a rough patch and the first indication of cracks in the Senate’s Gang of Eight.

Rubio caught fellow members of the Senate’s gang off guard Tuesday when he voiced support for an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the bill’s most outspoken opponent, to dramatically strengthen the system for tracking entry and exit visas. The Sessions measure was defeated by the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Rubio does not sit on the panel.

“He needs this bill to succeed as much as Democrats do. If this bill goes down, he goes down with it,” warned a senior Democratic aide. “Rubio is overplaying his hand if he thinks we’ll go along with anything.”

Democrats found Rubio’s support for the proposal egregious because Sessions is an avowed opponent of the bipartisan measure. The amendment would have required the implementation of a system to track biometric data, which Democratic senators on the Gang of Eight say could add as much as $25 billion to the bill’s price tag.

I've been trying hard to remain optimistic about the future of CIR in this Congress. But at this point, it's becoming incredibly difficult to remain so. We've already been detailing the growing list of excuses various House & Senate Republicans are using to oppose the Gang of 8 CIR bill. And now, Senator Marco Rubio is rushing to accept poison pills to his own bill... And do so just as the rest of his party is fixated on overblown & overhyped "OBAMA SCANDALZZZ!!!"

And then, there's this. For four months, we've been awaiting an answer from Senator Dean Heller (R-46%) on where he stands on the Gang of 8 bill. He's still refused to give a direct answer. And now, immigrant rights activists are having no more of it. They're demanding an answer.

You have to love the first of the five reasons a group of activists listed today to explain why Sen. Dean Heller should support immigration reform:

"The number of Latino and Asian voters is growing rapidly in Nevada."

I see they get right to the policy, eh? [...]

The other four reasons given for Heller to do what he likley will do anyhow:

"Latinos and Asian-Americans in Nevada care deeply about immigration reform."

"Nevada has the most to gain from immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants."

"Nevadans across the political spectrum support reform with a path to citizenship."

"Senate Republicans who oppose immigration reform are among the party’s most extreme members – a position that won’t fly in Nevada."

Yes, this is the sledgehammer approach, in case you didn't pick up on it. And these are all things that I am sure Heller did not know, too.

Of course, Ralston viewed this sarcastically. Because of course, Senator Heller is now so "post-partisan"... Except that he truly is not. Gun safety advocates experienced firsthand Senator Heller rushing to the 21st Century Know Nothings' side when push came to shove on a policy sporting 86% (??!!) public support.

Senator Heller has yet to declare his position on the Gang of 8 CIR bill. But of course, his Twitter feed is overflowing in "OBAMA SCANDAL!!!" nonsense. Coincidence? I think not. How easy would it be to bury the unraveling of the Republican Party's attempt to moderate "modernize" with sexy, salacious new "SCANDALZZZ!!!"?

Coming Out... & Ending H8 @ Work

The past year has been an incredibly exciting one on the civil rights front. Just over a year ago, both President Obama and US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) came out for marriage equality. And since then, we've seen stunning advancements there as four states voted in favor of marriage equality last fall, the US Supreme Court took up the DOMA & Prop 8 cases, several states passed marriage equality this year, and the Nevada Legislature is now moving on SJR 13 & giving voters a "redo" on marriage. (In fact, the Assembly Legislative Operations & Elections Committee will take on SJR 13 again as it goes to work session tonight.)

Yet amidst all the progress, a major problem remains: workplace discrimination. For many years, ENDA has languished in Congress. Even as Nevada and other states have passed their own state laws outlawing anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination, there's still no federal law covering the entire country. And as a result, millions of American workers are still at risk for harassment, denial of benefits, and even firing because of who they are.

But now, Senator Harry Reid is speaking up on the matter... And he's even sharing a family matter that had originally been kept private.

"My niece is a lesbian," Reid said during a sit-down with reporters. "She's a school teacher. Her employment shouldn't be affected with that. We should have a law that says that, not just the good graces of wherever you work."

Reid's niece declined to be interviewed or to give her name. But per Reid's spokesman, she was fine with Reid making her sexual orientation public.

Reid recalled meeting the president of the Human Rights Campaign in the 1990s and being encouraged to get behind the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The bill would prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

"He said to me, 'You're a moderate guy. If you came out for ENDA, we could pick up a lot more votes,'" Reid said. "I said he's probably right. So I agreed to cosponsor that, and as a result, we were able to put that on the floor. It failed by one vote, basically." [...]

Reid said there's "a chance" he'll bring up ENDA for a vote this year, noting that he had a meeting about it just last week. He wondered aloud why it doesn't have broad support to pass.

So this is personal for Senator Reid. Ah, if only more Members of Congress can take this personally.

Again, for millions of Americans, workplace discrimination is incredibly personal. After all, they're still enduring it. And last week, The New York Times editorial board called for an end to it.

Only 21 states have laws barring employers from refusing to hire people or firing them because of their sexual orientation, and only 16 of those have inclusive workplace nondiscrimination laws that cover bisexual and transgender people as well as gays and lesbians. [...]

Some conservative opponents of the act, known as ENDA, contend it would threaten religious freedom because its exemption for employers affiliated with religious organizations is too narrow. Actually, the proposed religious exemption is far too broad and needs to be scaled back. The American Civil Liberties Union and some gay rights groups rightly point out that as it is now drafted, the exemption — extending well beyond just houses of worship to hospitals and universities, for example, and encompassing medical personnel, billing clerks and others in jobs that are not directly involved in any religious function — amounts to a license to engage in the discrimination that ENDA is meant to remedy.

It is one thing for religious groups to further their religious mission by favoring people of their own faith in hiring, as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act permits. It is quite another to allow the firing of a lesbian physician or transgender nurse when a hospital that is not affiliated with a religious group happens to merge with an institution that is. Under Title VII’s religious exemption, houses of worship and religion-affiliated entities are subject to the law’s prohibition against discrimination based on race, sex and national origin. ENDA’s religious exemption should treat sexual orientation and gender identity in a similar fashion. To do otherwise would leave too many jobs outside of ENDA’s protections.

Congress has a duty to stop dawdling and approve a strong bill.

So what are we waiting for? What is Congress waiting for? Senator Reid is ready to move on ENDA. Will more of his Senate colleagues follow (including the one close to home)?

NVision in Flux

This has been one incredibly wild ride in Carson City. Early in the legislative session, SB 123. It was originally supposed to be a companion bill alongside SB 252 calling for a stronger renewable energy standard in Nevada. But then, NV Energy stepped in and turned everything on its head.

Early last month, NV Energy stunned everyone with its brand new NVision plan. NVision calls for an end to the Reid-Gardner coal fired power plant near Moapa along with more home grown renewable energy. And it ultimately supplanted the original language of SB 123. Still, we are talking about more clean energy here. So what's the problem?

Perhaps it's the uncertainty over the cost of NVision... And who will ultimately pay for it. NV Energy has promised consumers' electric bills won't be affected too much by NVision/SB 123. Yet despite the promises, opponents are now mounting a campaign to kill the bill. And they're even now receiving some very high-profile help.

“I see this as a consumer protection issue,” [Former Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue] Del Papa [D] said. “Never before has a bill been introduced that has such guarantees to shareholders.”

She said the bill’s provisions guarantee the utility a rate of return on the construction schedule detailed in the bill, which would be a boon to investors and a cost ratepayers bear.

Echoing concerns of the Public Utilities Commission, she said she worries that the bill would strip the regulatory agency of anything but cursory oversight of NV Energy, the regulated monopoly that provides power to most businesses and residences in the state.

What makes this even more fascinating is that this new coalition to defeat SB 123, the Nevada Consumer Protection Alliance, is a "strange bedfellows" coalition that includes Del Papa, the progressive Nevada Women's Lobby, the conservative Retail Association of Nevada, and others. Normally, these groups and individuals oppose each other. But on this, they all have a common cause.

And yesterday, they received even more high-profile assistance. Keep in mind (NV Energy's possessed version of) SB 123 pares back the role of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in overseeing and regulating NV Energy in the wake of the new NVision regime. So of course, Nevada PUC members don't like it one bit.

The commission voted unanimously to support the accelerated decommissioning of the plant — the target of complaints about air pollution — but object to other portions of Senate Bill 123, which would permit the utility to build other facilities without oversight of the state.

Commissioner Rebecca Wagner called the bill, now before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy, “more smoke and mirrors.”

Commissioner David Noble said the bill failed to “provide real protection for ratepayers.” Commission Chairwoman Alaina Burtenshaw called it a “huge gamble for ratepayers and shareholders.” [...]

Staff member Anne-Marie Cuneo told the commission there would be a “devastating balloon” payment in 2021. The bill, she said would have a significant impact on ratepayers.

Noble agreed, saying there would be a “huge impact” on ratepayers in 10 to 20 years.

Wagner said she supported the closure of Reid-Gardner and has been an advocate of renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal. But sections of the bill, she said, would give NV Energy a competitive edge over smaller companies in developing solar energy.

Ouch. This is getting awfully ugly awfully quickly. Key R&R power player Pete Ernaut has been working furiously to unite the entire gaming mining lobbying industrial complex behind the new SB 123. And while he did succeed in securing the backing of (key R&R political allies) Governor Brian Sandoval (R) and US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), we've yet to hear from the gaming industry power players. Yet while they sit on the sidelines, these new strange bedfellows are filling the void to muck things up.

But wait, this story has taken yet another interesting turn. SB 123 has just been amended again. Many environmentalists had been concerned about the amount of natural gas fired power plant construction that NV Energy initially included in NVision. Wasn't this supposed to be about turning away from fossil fuels and to renewable energy? And does this mean NV Energy supports efforts to bring dangerous and dirty fracking to Nevada?

While the matter of fracking isn't directly mentioned in the amended language, it does pare back the amount of natural gas plants NV Energy originally called for while further beefing up renewable energy investment. As a result, Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas) has added her name as a co-sponsor while more environmentalists are stepping off the sidelines to join the Nevada Conservation League in supporting the new SB 123.

So we're seeing even more fascinating twists and turns with this bill. The usual left-right ideological divide in Carson City & DC has been scrambled here as the Nevada Conservation League & Nevada AFL-CIO join with R&R Partners and NV Energy to urge SB 123's passage. We also see this on the other side as Frankie Sue Del Papa and the Nevada Women's Lobby are now joining the Retail Association of Nevada to urge SB 123's defeat. The "new new SB 123" now has even less fossil fuel and more new renewable energy generation in its NVision, but consumer advocates are still fretting over the costs.

So what now? That's a good question.

Missing the Real Scandal

So far this week, media pundits have been fast to declare winners and losers in the new "Scandal-mania" craze that's taken over The Beltway. And as usual, they're missing the real story. In reality, we're all losing.

How so? We're not paying enough attention to what truly matters while we continue obsessing over what doesn't. Case in point: this.

What does it take to grab us by the eyeballs? Chris Christie’s waistline is guaranteed wall-to-wall coverage. The next Jodi Arias is waiting in CNN’s wings. The Benghazi circus will be in town at least through 2016. Sure, disaster porn is always good for ratings, but though a Superstorm Sandy may momentarily raise the specter of climate change, daily bulletins on the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere apparently aren’t Nielsen enough.

It’s not that people who know our planet’s hair is on fire aren’t trying to get our attention. The animated graph from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s Earth Science Research Lab showing how atmospheric carbon dioxide has changed over the last 800,000 years should be as horrifying as any computer-generated imagery Hollywood has to offer. Along with the news that we had hit the 400 ppm mark on the CO2 curve for the first time since the Pliocene epoch came scary quotes from scientist after scientist calling this our last chance before the point of no return. Unless we act, children born today will see temperatures rise irreversibly and sea levels rise catastrophically. Weather patterns will be disrupted, deserts and drought will spread and—in the words of Lord Stern, head of the U.K.’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment—“hundreds of millions of people will be forced to leave their homelands because their crops and animals will have died … [W]hen they try to migrate into new lands … [they will be brought] into armed conflict with people already living there. Nor will it be an occasional occurrence. It could become a permanent feature of life on Earth.” [...]

Last week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) gave a floor speech urging his colleagues to “awaken to what carbon pollution is doing to our planet, to our oceans, to our seasons, to our storms. And I wonder, ‘Why is it that we are so comfortable asleep, when the warnings are so many and so real?’ What could beguile us away from wakefulness and duty? I was recently at a Senate meeting where I heard a member of our Senate community say, ‘God won’t allow us to ruin our planet.’ … [That] statement … is less an expression of religious thinking than it is of magical thinking.”

Last week, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tried to capture the attention of his colleagues. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Searchlight Strong) has also attempted to do this. But alas, it's sexier and more politically expedient to bloviate on the new (and even the not-so-new) haute faux scandals.

While so many on Capitol Hill are fixated on the haute faux scandals, they're missing sight of the real scandal brewing at our front door. Yet away from DC, reality can't be avoided. And US Secretary of State John Kerry lamented the myopic view from Capitol Hill while preparing for an Arctic Council meeting in Sweden.

“I have to say that I regret that my own country — and President Obama knows this and is committed to changing it — needs to do more and we are committed to doing more,” Kerry said in Sweden at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. [...]

The melting of Arctic ice is opening opportunities for energy development and shipping. But it’s also raising the prospect of ecological damage and new geopolitical competition as nations compete for access.

“And we come here to Kiruna with a great understanding of the challenge to the Arctic as the ice melts, as the ecosystem is challenged, the fisheries, and the possibilities of increased commercial traffic as a result of the lack of ice raises a whole set of other issues that we need to face up to,” Kerry said, according to a State Department transcript.

“So it’s not just an environmental issue and it’s not just an economic issue. It is a security issue, a fundamental security issue that affects life as we know it on the planet itself, and it demands urgent attention from all of us,” he said.

We've discussed the horrifying transformation of the Arctic Region here before. We just need to get Congress to notice.

What makes this even more infuriating is how we actually stand to gain from solving the climate crisis. We especially know this right here in Nevada, where renewable energy has helped reignite our state's economy. We need to kick our fossil fuel addition to the curb if we are to have any chance at future survival, and we need to shift to renewable energy to refuel and retool the economy.

Are far too many in Congress and the Beltway pundit circle missing the real scandal? Absolutely. That's why we need to act... And compel Congress (&/or The White House) to finally act. Inaction on the climate crisis is the real scandal here.

La Pregunta Grande

Yesterday, we examined the latest outbreak of excessive drama on Capitol Hill. In particular, we looked at how the latest haute faux scandals have deflected attention from the fragile state of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) legislation in Congress. Yet despite the lack of attention, the Senate Gang of 8 bill is working its way up.

Yet with that being said, it's facing other challenges within Congress. In particular, mounting "tea party" opposition to CIR has led various Republicans to find excuses to oppose CIR. One convenient excuse so far has been "TEH GAYZZZ!!!" Several Republican Senators are threatening to kill CIR if an amendment to include LGBTQ families passes into the bill, and Kerry Eleveld asked in Salon this morning why they really want to go there.

Must we really revisit the fact that the ever-growing tidal wave of Latino voters chose President Obama over Mitt Romney by a margin of 71 to 27 percentage points? Meanwhile, white Evangelicals – the voting bloc that sustained the GOP for almost 20 years – accounted for 26 percent of 2012 voters (a very solid turnout that exceeded their 2004 showing by 3 percent) yet they still didn’t have the juice to push Romney over the top. Simply put, Republicans need the new lifeline that Latino voters represent and, therefore, they need the bill worse than the Democrats. And if the GOP really thinks it can walk away from this bill and justify it to Latinos by saying the gays killed the bill, think again. That rationale may play on the Hill — where most lawmakers live in an insular world of their own making — but it isn’t going to work at the polls. The next election won’t be a referendum on LGBT people, it will be a referendum on lawmakers. Plus, in a bilingual poll that was commissioned by the LGBT immigration group for which I consult, 64% of Latino voters said they support including same-sex couples in immigration reform.

The even sadder truth is, Republicans have political cover if they want it. Instead of siding with the social conservatives who have become a millstone around their electoral neck, they could choose to side with Corporate America, which has been lobbying for inclusion of LGBT families in the bill. While Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention is piously promising that his organization will pull its support from the legislation if it brings any relief to same-sex couples, a coalition of nearly 30 Fortune 500 companies – including the likes of Goldman Sachs, eBay, Google and Nike – have been urging the gang of eight to equalize immigration treatment for same-sex couples.

“We have lost productivity when those families are separated; we have borne the costs of transferring and retraining talented employees so they may live abroad with their loved ones; and we have missed opportunities to bring the best and the brightest to the United States when their sexual orientation means they cannot bring their family with them,” the companies wrote to the gang of eight in March.

The GOP has the chance to choose between two constituencies, one of which has nowhere else to go and happens to be in decline (antigay social conservatives) and one of which could choose to turn more of their resources toward Democrats (the business community). By siding with the former, they cut themselves off from generations of Latino voters rather than broadening their appeal. As the Log Cabin Republicans recently noted in this blunt ad, “Reagan’s big tent isn’t what it used to be.”

As we've discussed many times before, America is changing. Our society is evolving in favor of civil rights. Yet while the rest of American society evolves in the direction of equality, the 21st Century Know Nothings continue to devolve... And they're holding back the rest of the Republican Party.

The reason why "establishment" Republican leaders rushed to back CIR earlier this year is precisely because they wanted to price to voters that their party is "evolving" and is no longer just a safe haven for crotchety, hateful, old white guys. And because of that, the "tea party" started pushing back. But now, these very folks want to enshrine hateful discrimination in the compromise CIR bill by punishing LGBTQ immigrants? Doesn't this just defeat the Republicans' political purpose entirely?

Earlier today, Steve Benen suggested the insatiable "tea party" demand for "OBAMA SCANDAL!!!" shouldn't derail immigration reform in Congress. And funny enough, a very prominent Republican is stepping up to suggest this as well.

Even Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), hardly a White House ally, said there's no reason to believe immigration reform will be derailed. "When Iran–Contra was going on, President Reagan was still able to work with Congress," McCain told reporters yesterday. "Legislation was passed, et cetera." That scandal captivated Washington and the world, and "everyone thought that it would damage President Reagan, but it didn't."

A month ago, assorted right-wing lawmakers wanted Obama impeached; Beltway pundits were annoyed by the president's indifference to their advice; Republicans wanted more spending cuts; much of the GOP assumed there'd been a Benghazi cover-up; and a bipartisan group of lawmakers were optimistic they could pass comprehensive immigration reform, while far-right lawmakers held out hope of killing the bill.

A month later, conditions may seem different, but are they?

Right now, that's the big question. Are conditions different? And if so, how?

Will Republicans see this as a carpe diem moment? Or will they just seize the latest haute faux scandals as use them as the latest & greatest excuse to kill reform this year? Oh, and we're still awaiting any kind of answer from Senator Dean Heller (R-Scared).

From Shame to Fear

Last weekend, the local "newspaper" ex-publisher/current columnist engaged in some good old fashioned "slut-shaming" and enhanced it with a touch a racism in an effort to kill AB 230. Who knew comprehensive sex education we at the center of this? And that's only the start of it.

Shortly after her stunning testimony last month on her life story and why she supports AB 230, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) received death threats. And then when AB 230 finally hit the Assembly floor, opponents uttered complete nonsense just before the bill passed anyway. So why are opponents so afraid of AB 230? That's a good question.

“There’s a whole mythology to this bill that has really gone off the tracks,” [Assembly Member David] Bobzien [D-Reno, and author of the bill] said. “We’ve diverted this whole conversation of an important policy issue to someone’s visceral worst-case scenario.”

The Reno Democrat said he’s worked with the advocacy and education group Planned Parenthood to introduce a bill that would update the state’s standards for sex education in public schools.

His goal is to standardize the state’s sex education law from the 1980s while respecting local school districts and the rights of parents. He also hopes the bill helps reduce Nevada’s teen pregnancy rate, which is the fourth-highest in the nation. [...]

Beyond what’s already taught, [CCSD Chief Lobbyist] Haldeman said the bill would add to the curriculum discussion of gender stereotypes, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, relationship negotiating skills, resources for counseling, “effective and safe methods of contraception,” and sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment.

And it's likely not a coincidence this is happening. We're really talking about common sense. This should have been fixed long ago.

As usual, the 21st Century Know Nothings are stirring up controversy in hopes of defeating the bill. Since the actual policy is quite straightforward, they must invent things to scare people. And when people get scared, wild things happen. (See above.)

At the heart of this controversy is fear. It's fear of the unknown. It's fear of "the other". And it's fear of empowerment. But really, why should we fear empowering our kids to make smart choices?

So What's Next for Tahoe?

So far this year, we've been wondering about the future of Lake Tahoe. While SB 229 passed the Nevada State Senate last month and seemed to be moving in the Assembly, Governor Brian Sandoval (R) did not look amused. Rather, he seemed content with the continuing threat of Nevada pulling out of TRPA, the agency that oversees development and environmental stewardship in the Lake Tahoe region.

Yet today, we saw a stunning new development. Earlier today, Governor Sandoval announced a new deal with California Governor Jerry Brown (D) on the future of Lake Tahoe.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and California Gov. Jerry Brown issued a joint statement Tuesday renewing their commitment to do what’s best “for the environment and economy of the Lake Tahoe region.”

Under the agreement amendments will be introduced to bills in the Nevada and California state legislatures that repeal Nevada’s planned withdrawal from the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact in 2015 and California’s proposal to re-establish a California Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in 2014.

The governors also agree to require consideration of economic conditions when adopting and implementing regional plans in the Tahoe Basin that straddles both states.

And the Nevada Conservation League had this to say on today's big development.

“The people of Nevada and California made it clear that protection of Lake Tahoe is a high priority,” said Kyle Davis, political director of the Nevada Conservation League. “We want to thank Governors Brown and Sandoval, Majority Leader Denis, Speaker Kirkpatrick and all of the other Nevada and California legislators that worked to make sure that both states were committed to the future of the lake.”

“We have been working all year to find a solution that would make both states happy while also preserving strong environmental regulation and protection for Lake Tahoe by keeping intact the Tahoe Compact,” said Darcie Goodman-Collins. “This agreement does just that. We hope for swift passage through both legislatures so that Tahoe’s communities can move forward with some certainty about their regulatory environment.”

So finally, the threat of obliterating oversight of development at Lake Tahoe is finally coming to an end. After 2 years of threats to the lake, all for the sake of corporate greed and political payback, some sanity may finally be returning to Carson City. So game over?

Maybe not. The latest update to the Tahoe Compact still faces a federal law suit. And environmental activists are still concerned about all the development TRPA has already been greenlighting for the region.

So perhaps SB 271 has already served its purpose...

Objetos Brillantes

This morning, we caught wind of the latest FAILS in Republican minority outreach. One was the RNC's recent Florida Hispanic Outreach Director, Pablo Pantoja, changing his voter registration to Democrat. It's just the latest illustration of the Republican Party's ongoing struggle to change with a changing America.

[Pantoja's] reasoning is straightforward: For all the focus on outreach to Latino communities, Pantoja believes that there is a "culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party." In a letter,he cites the recent revelations surrounding Jason Richwine, a former scholar at the Heritage Foundation, and his ideas on race and intelligence. "Although the organization distanced themselves from those assertions," writes Pantoja, "other immigration-related research is still padded with the same racist and eugenics-based innuendo."

And then there’s also all the GOP rhetoric about immigration. It's not hard to find examples of prominent Republicans using racially-loaded terms like "anchor babies" and "illegals" to describe unauthorized Latino immigrants and their children. Indeed, the Republican presidential primaries were soaked with derogatory rhetoric towards immigrants, and one candidate -- Texas Governor Rick Perry --began his slide to defeat after he expressed sympathy for the children of unauthorized immigrants.

Pantoja's departure from the Republican Party is instructive. Not only does it illustrate the dynamic of the last four years -- where Latino voters responded to negative Republican rhetoric by going further into the Democratic camp -- but the potential dynamic of the next decade. As Greg noted earlier this morning, conservative Republicans in the Senate are preparing to introduce a variety of "poison pill" amendments to the immigration bill —which is happening right now as we speak —designed to make the package unpalatable to supporters. Likewise, House Republicans have yet to offer their support to a comprehensive bill.

Long story short: Pablo Pantoja was sick & tired of defending the 21st Century Know Nothings and their incredibly egregious behavior. So he left the Republican Party. And as long as the Republican Party continues to overflow with treacherous "TEA", it will continue to struggle in its "minority outreach" efforts.

Deep down, many Republican "leaders" know this. That may be a reason why they're quickly shifting focus (back) to manufactured crises and synthetic scandals. They don't want their party's chaotic diaspora on immigration policy to take political center stage.

We've yet to see if comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) legislation can overcome the hurdles of a fragmented Republican Party, mounting "TEA" flavored opposition, deceptive fearmongering, and the distraction of manufactured crises. We've yet to see if/when Senator Dean Heller (R-46%) will finally say something on the CIR bill now moving in the Senate. Or is it just too easy for him to hide behind the shiny objects?

Busted

Yesterday, the air conditioning system broke down at Rundle Elementary School in Las Vegas. And already, Clark County School District (CCSD) officials warn that this won't be the last time we hear about busted A/C systems in local schools. So watch out this summer!



And remember this next time Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Hocus Pocus) claims all is well with Nevada schools. Yesterday, he boasted, "Better Schools, No New Taxes". But in reality, schools are still grossly underfunded. They'll just be slightly less grossly underfunded because Governor Sandoval has agreed to extend the politically convenient (yet ridiculous policy of) Sunset Taxes.

So now, we have this.

Sen. Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, said that much of the governor’s new education spending reflects the costs of educating more children than in previous years.

“That’s not new programs or (replacing) programs we’ve cut,” she said. “It’s the cost of doing business and enrollment growth.”

The $120 million spending for new programs pales in comparison to what Sandoval and former Gov. Jim Gibbons slashed from state education budgets during the recession. Smith pegged that number at $700 million.

Yet again, Governor Sandoval has resorted to fiscal chicanery to dress up his budget. Who needs to actually properly fund our public infrastructure when one can just spin away the woes and attack one's political foes at the same time? Problem solved... Except that it's truly not.

Yet while Governor Sandoval and legislators bicker over political optics in Carson City, students in Las Vegas are missing school days because of the busted A/C system. Keep this in mind. And that's not the only busted thing here.

Why the Drama?

Yesterday, we discussed the tendency on Capitol Hill to obsess over manufactured crises while largely ignoring the real ones. Instead of ending the economic destruction of austerity and curbing the global security threat in climate change, the 21st Century Know Nothings in Congress continue hunting for scandals (where none will actually be found). We also saw this yesterday.



Yes, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) actually went there. But wait, there's more! We also have fresh new impeachment rumors!

"It’s certainly a possibility," [Rep. Jason] Chaffetz [R-Utah] said, as quoted by the Salt Lake Tribune. "That’s not the goal but given the continued lies perpetrated by this administration, I don’t know where it’s going to go. ... I’m not taking it off the table. I’m not out there touting that but I think this gets to the highest levels of our government and integrity and honesty are paramount."

Oh, and that's not all. There's even more. Apparently, Republicans' bold new direction on immigration policy continues to win over new fans (or not).

Pablo Pantoja, up until fairly recently, has served as the state director of Florida Hispanic Outreach for the Republican National Committee. Yesterday, he became a Democrat and made a contribution to the ACLU.

What precipitated the shift? Here's how Pantoja himself explained his perspective:

"It doesn't take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today. I have wondered before about the seemingly harsh undertones about immigrants and others. Look no further; a well-known organization recently confirms the intolerance of that which seems different or strange to them. [...]

"A researcher included as part of a past dissertation his theory that "the totality of the evidence suggests a genetic component to group differences in IQ." The researcher reinforces these views by saying "No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against."

And on top of all this, Republicans also have this new Arizona poll to ponder.

Far more Arizonans support same-sex marriage than oppose it, according to the latest Rocky Mountain Poll released Tuesday.

The poll showed that 55 percent of Arizona voters favor the idea of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, while just 35 percent said they are opposed.

Large majorities of women, Hispanics and voters under the age of 55 support same-sex nuptials. A plurality of voters over the age of 54 — 46 percent — supports gay marriage, while 40 percent of the group is opposed.

Whoops. So much for winning the "culture wars".

While these "culture war" battles continue to whip the G-O-TEA base into a frenzy, they're turning off everyone else. That's the problem for the Republican Party. "The base" wants more and more "red meat", so G-O-TEA politicians try serving as much "red meat" as possible to avoid future primary challenges. Yet in doing so, these politicians increasingly alienate all the rest of their constituents.

Most Americans now support comprehensive immigration reform, full LGBTQ civil rights, gun safety reform, action on climate change, and investment in our future. Yet because the G-O-TEA base still rabidly opposes all these things along with President Obama, we're instead seeing a rush to the partisan witch hunt.

In January, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Remember Him?) declared he was "tired of the drama". So why not just end it already? Think about that.

Magic Man?

He finally spoke today. He unleashed his plan to make all our woes go way. Apparently, he is "The Magic Man".

@BrianSandoval The magic man!! Who knew all this $$ existed & no one need fell a bit of taxation!!! #PerfectWorld #NVLEG

Wow! Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Sunrise, Sunset) magically found all that... Oh wait, how did he "magically" find this money? Senator Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) tweeted out Mr. Governor's dirty little secret earlier.

@BuzzIzarownd Not "found" $$. Same $$ we're all working with. And same priorities for #nved that we've talked about since January. #nvleg

So what's happening? Governor Sandoval is essentially factoring the new Economic Forum projections into his budget and allocating the surplus funds the Forum expects. That's all.

Still, this does mean more funding for public education. Yes, it does. However, it still comes nowhere close to solving the problem. Our schools are still grossly underfunded, even with the additional funding from the new Economic Forum projection making our situation slightly less gross.

After all, the state still nears a nasty law suit. Schools up north and down south still fall apart. And our state's economy still suffers due to inadequate public infrastructure and social safety net.

Yet, "The Magic Man" magically found a way to (at least temporarily) sweep this politically inconvenient truth under the rug with some pocket change provided to him by the Nevada Economic Forum. Why are we supposed to settle for this?