Brower was appointed to the Senate seat to replace the late Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, who resigned before the start of the 2011 session. Brower refused to speculate on his political future beyond 2012 when asked if he was considering a run for Nevada attorney general. Democrat Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto will be termed out of office in 2014.
“I am 100 percent focused on getting elected to this Senate seat,” he said.
When asked by host Sam Shad if he would commit to a full four-year term in the Senate, Brower said: “I can’t predict the future, Sam, I just don’t know what is going to happen. I’m just not even going to think beyond 2012.”
So Greg Brower is attacking Sheila Leslie for doing the proper paperwork to run in the district that she now lives in, but Brower himself won't commit to staying on the job and serving his local constituents! And remember, this isn't the first time Brower abandoned his constituents and the job he's supposed to be doing for them. As soon as Brian Sandoval appointed Dean Heller to the US Senate seat that John Ensign abandoned, Greg Brower was quick to announce his Congressional campaign... And abandon his duties as a State Senator representing Washoe County.
It might be understandable if Greg Brower is suffering from short-timer’s syndrome. He’s running to represent Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District and the Reno Republican’s state Senate seat will likely move to Clark County after redistricting.
Still, Brower’s symptoms have become so pronounced that his party’s legislative leaders recently sat him down for a talking-to about his notable absences from committee hearings and floor debates.
Brower has been present at roll call for nearly every floor session and committee meeting. He’s missed no floor votes. However, he’s developed a routine of taking extended breaks after being marked present or leaving early while his colleagues on the Education or Health and Human Services committees work late into the evening.
The practice has irritated some of his colleagues, Republican and Democrats. [...]
Brower missed large sections of the public schools hearing on April 20. Two days later, when he was absent from the higher education hearing before the Senate, Horsford, sent the sergeant-at-arms to fetch Brower from his office.
Four days later, Brower officially announced his congressional campaign.
When asked whether he has left committee or floor meetings to attend to campaign business, Brower dodged the question..
“My focus is on the session and representing my constituents,” he said. “That’s what I am here for.”
(This Sun article was written before the Nevada Supreme Court approved a new Legislature map that actually moved Brower and Leslie into the new SD 15 in western Washoe County.)
So when the NV-02 seat was wide open, Brower was quick to jump on that opportunity to run for Congress. But when that didn't work out, the game plan shifted to running for State Senate this year, only for Brower to set himself up for a run for Attorney General in 2014. Yet even as Brower's initial expectation of a smooth sail to election didn't quite pan out that way, he still won't commit to actually serving the full term!
And Greg Brower thinks he can legitimately attack Sheila Leslie for simply filing in the district she now lives in? Who's he kidding?
But wait, there's more. He also had the gall to say this on "Nevada Newsmakers" yesterday.
Brower also defended Sandoval for his announcement last week that he would continue a package of expiring tax increases into the 2013-15 budget to avoid any further budget cuts to education. Brower voted against continuing the 2009 taxes in the 2011 session even though Sandoval supported the decision as a compromise to finalize the current budget.
“I think what the governor is trying to do is move this state forward,” he said. “And that means leadership on real issues like the budget. And I think that’s what we saw last week and that’s what we’re going to continue to see. And to the extent this governor is going to take a leadership role in moving this state forward, I stand solidly behind him.”
Again, who's he kidding? Greg Brower voted AGAINST the final budget agreement that Brian Sandoval signed into law! But of course, that vote happened just as Brower was kicking his Congressional campaign into high gear. Shortly after sine die, Brower appeared at this NV-02 G-O-TEA candidate forum and professed his love for all things "tea party".
There was little disagreement voiced among the three, who Las Vegas Sun political reporter Jon Ralston has dubbed “the leading candidates.”
All said they were supportive of Ryan’s budget plan, and that they would have voted for the Pence Amendment to defund Planned Parenthood. Education, they all agreed, should be dealt with on a local level, and the role of the Department of Education should be highly diminished, or the Department should be gotten rid of all together. On energy, all called for more domestic sources of energy, whether it be green energy, offshore drilling, or nuclear energy.
Amodei disputed the use of the phrase “green energy” saying that term “is another way of saying politically correct energy.”
Asked about their feelings on the Tea Party movement, Lippold and Brower expressed hearty approval.
“Any time you have citizens getting involved directly in how their government is run, it is a good thing for the United States,” said Lippold.
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Brower. “Any movement that makes government more accountable is a movement I can get behind.” [Emphasis mine.]
Oh yes, Greg Brower loved him some "tea party" when he wanted teabaggers' votes in the NV-02 special election. But apparently now that he's simultaneously "pivoting himself to the center" in a more evenly split and increasingly Democratic leaning State Senate district and "angling" himself for a future statewide run, Brower is abandoning the "po' lil' teabaggers" and embracing Brian Sandoval's and Michael Roberson's newfound love of extending taxes and funding public education.
Hmmm... Who could have guessed this?
(Jump to 13:30 on the video below. Keep going to 9:50 for all the good stuff.)
At least give Sheila Leslie credit for refusing to morph on TV into something she's really not. She's always been consistent in stating what she believes in and who she wants to work for, and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon.
Greg Brower, on the other hand, is now trying to look "moderate" after spending the last year pandering to "tea party" extremists, voting against badly needed school funding that Brian Sandoval now admits we can't afford to take away next year, and even voting against basic civil rights, such as ensuring fair employment and creating a safe learning environment. Hell, Brower even voted against critical infrastructure improvement projects that invested in our state and put more Nevadans to work. Greg Brower may now want to talk a good "moderate" game, but his actual votes in the Legislature last year tell a totally different and rather "TEA" tinged story.
So perhaps before Greg Brower tries again to attack Sheila Leslie for moving into the district she now lives in, he should take a look at his own record and try to give SD 15 voters an honest answer as to who he really serves.
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