Another Foolish Project (Brought to Us by the Kochs)

We do our best to stay on top of everything. But jeez, how on earth did we miss this? Jon Ralston just took a trip to our archives!

So what did he find? Just this gem from October 2012 on the Koch backed AFP jumping into certain Nevada Legislature races.

Perhaps the SD 4 incident was just a "test run" meant to prepare AFP for what they're doing now. The doorhanger we found earlier this month attacked President Obama and Shelley Berkley on one side, then attacked John Oceguera and Joyce Woodhouse (the Democratic nominee for SD 5) on the other side. And now, AFP mailers are being caught attacking Justin Jones (the Democratic nominee in SD 9) and Sheila Leslie (the Democratic nominee in SD 15). It just looks too funny that, all of a sudden, AFP is playing in the very State Senate seats that Republicans must win in order to take control of the Nevada Senate. And we're still supposed to believe that AFP is some sort of "nonpartisan, educational, charitable foundation"? Yeah, right.

It's now looking quite clear as to what AFP Nevada is aiming to do. And no, it doesn't involve "charity" or "education". Rather, AFP is trying to tip several competitive federal and state level races into Republican hands. Yet in failing to file the appropriate paperwork as a political action committee (PAC) and disclose its donors, AFP may actually be violating state election law while trying to elect lawmakers! Surely, we can't be the only ones seeing the irony here?

In July 2012, AFP waded into a Democratic State Senate primary in North Las Vegas. For some reason, AFP attacked Kelvin Atkinson in a district where Republicans weren't even targeting. That really had us scratching our heads.

But when AFP sent a tour bus to Shelley Berkley's Congressional office, their actions started to make more sense (even if they still looked quite silly). It then tried to top that grandiose gesture with cheap gas. And for the grand finale of its 2012 campaign, it staged a "freedom concert" and dropped the wrong campaign literature in the wrong areas.

Oh, and did we mention AFP considers itself an "educational charity"? How on earth is any of this "educational" or "charitable"?

So why are we now talking about AFP? Take a look at how AFP operatives are boasting about themselves to Beltway media. They're essentially declaring their plan to defeat Senator Harry Reid (D) in 2016.

There's just a little problem with AFP's latest grandiose plan: It looks more like a delusion of grandeur. Ralston just aired out all of AFP Nevada's dirty laundry. And even though AFP just moved its Nevada headquarters to a new location, it took all its old dirty laundry with it. And to make matters even worse for the Koch-topus' loudest and longest reaching tentacle, AFP's chief just left the building.

Of course, AFP is still overflowing in Koch money. It just came off an outrageous Cliven Bundy love-fest. And it's preparing to make waves again in 2016.

But just because one makes waves doesn't mean those waves are beneficial. Just because one is loud and gregarious doesn't mean one is making friends and allies. Just because AFP has a ton of money to spend doesn't mean AFP is spending that money well. And just because AFP plans to carpet-bomb this state again to attack Senator Reid doesn't mean AFP won't undercut itself again in 2016 (like it did in 2010 and 2012).

This Land Is Our Land

On Thursday, we were alerted to a troubling situation near Bunkerville. A local rancher named Cliven Bundy had been illegally sending his cattle onto BLM land. He had racked up a $1,000,000+ bill after refusing to pay grazing fees for over 20 years. And when the BLM was preparing to put an end to Bundy's illegal grazing on federal land, Bundy decided to call in local and national "TEA" fueled allies to provoke armed conflict with the BLM.

And now, the BLM has been forced to stand down at #BundyRanch in order to prevent a bloody, violent end to this conflict. Already, the situation had gone out of hand.



And even now, #BundyRanch is is still a very volatile situation. It's just escalated from a local embarrassment into a national fiasco. And "TEA Party, Inc. definitely had several hands in escalating this conflict.

Remember when Republicans marketed their party as "the law & order party"? Those days now feel like an eternity ago. Now, we have the Nevada Republican Party cravenly endorsing brazen lawlessness. And G-O-TEA politicians & pundits from across the nation have been piling on to worsen an already fragile situation.



Over the past week, all of us in Southern Nevada have witnessed "Stand Your Ground" run amok... Except this ground does not just belong to Cliven Bundy. Gold Butte is ground that belongs to all of us. There's a reason why it's called "public land". Hint: This land is our land, as we are the public.

This is something the Koch-topus has been trying to make us forget. No wonder why it's reared its ugly head to spin this brazen abuse of public property into some sort of demented "freedom fighting". It's just ironic that the "libertarian" "TEA" powered astroturf network is fighting for the very "welfare" it claims to fight against.

This land is our land. This land is ours to protect, ours to cherish, ours to preserve. It's not there for one misinformed man to exercise his anarchist fantasies on. It's not there for Koch backed militias to play "Cowboys & Cops" on. And it's certainly not there to prove every worst assumption everyone makes of America & Nevada.

This land is our land. It's not just Cliven Bundy's. And it's a damned shame that after benefiting from "big government welfare" for all these decades, he has the nerve to tell us we have no rights on what's our land.

No Sympathy

Last month, we saw a local media pundit get awfully butthurt express strong "OUTRAGE!!!" But why? Why all the outrage? Oh, that wily Senator Harry Reid (D) didn't hold back when he called out the Koch Brothers' campaign of deceit.

But why did he lash out at Senator Reid? Why didn't he last out at the shady billionaire brothers behind the nefarious front groups using deceitful campaign ads to buy more seats in Congress?

Alas, it's no longer just a local media pundit chiding Senator Reid for daring to speak the truth. Now, the Beltway pundits are catching up with their own tears shed for the poor lil' rich Kochs.

But why? Why is it "wrong" to fire back after the Kochs' front groups have repeatedly lied about Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act, or ACA)? And why is it "wrong" to reveal the truth about the Kochs, their lying ads, and their extreme ideological agenda?

Think about it. Their ads are false. They have been spending a ton of money promoting their preferred candidates & ideology. And their ideology happens to be quite extreme in its rejection of pretty much everything that's made America strong.

So please excuse us for showing "The Koch-topus" no sympathy. Unlike certain local & national media pundits, we care more about the truth than Beltway cocktail party protocol. And since the Kochs show their political opponents no sympathy, we don't understand why anyone has to show them any.

The Secretive Climate Denial Campaign in Our Backyard

This week, we've finally had an actual discussion on climate change and what to do about it. It helped that President Obama talked about it in his State of the Union Address. And it helps that even some conservative Republicans have recently begun speaking on the need to prevent a total climate crisis.

However, we're already seeing renewed resistance to action on Capitol Hill. Why is that? It certainly doesn't help that Tea Party, Inc., has been spending recklessly to block any significant action on climate change. Earlier this week, The Guardian uncovered a secret network of wealthy conservative donors dedicated to thwarting any & all action on climate change.

Conservative billionaires used a secretive funding route to channel nearly $120m (£77m) to more than 100 groups casting doubt about the science behind climate change, the Guardian has learned.

The funds, doled out between 2002 and 2010, helped build a vast network of thinktanks and activist groups working to a single purpose: to redefine climate change from neutral scientific fact to a highly polarising "wedge issue" for hardcore conservatives.

The millions were routed through two trusts, Donors Trust and the Donors Capital Fund, operating out of a generic town house in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. Donors Capital caters to those making donations of $1m or more. [...]

Those same groups are now mobilising against Obama's efforts to act on climate change in his second term. A top recipient of the secret funds on Wednesday put out a point-by-point critique of the climate content in the president's state of the union address.

And it was all done with a guarantee of complete anonymity for the donors who wished to remain hidden.

"The funding of the denial machine is becoming increasingly invisible to public scrutiny. It's also growing. Budgets for all these different groups are growing," said Kert Davies, research director of Greenpeace, which compiled the data on funding of the anti-climate groups using tax records.

"These groups are increasingly getting money from sources that are anonymous or untraceable. There is no transparency, no accountability for the money. There is no way to tell who is funding them," Davies said.

For years, progressives have been investigating the frightening level of influence that Koch Industries has in Washington. But now, there's evidence that the Kochs may not be the only source of secret cash for "Tea Party, Inc." And this radical right octopus of anonymous dirty money has tentacles potentially reaching deep into Nevada.

Many readers here are quite familiar with the dastardly deeds of NPRI, the "tea party" crusaders posing as a "serious" policy think tank. However, what we didn't realize before was NPRI playing an active role in launching what may now be the new "Tea Party, Inc." climate denial campaign.

In 2010, Washington Monthly investigated the roots of the burgeoning pseudo-journalism institutions of the radical right, and they traced the origins back to NPRI hiring an investigative journalist in 2008 to sniff for waste in LVCVA. That, in turn, inspired NPRI and other radical right organizations to create the Franklin Center, a central conservative-flavored hub for supporting right-leaning journalism projects. So what does this have to do with the new climate denial campaign? Today, The Guardian published more of its investigation of Donors Trust and revealed this.

The campaign against wind and solar power was led by a relatively new entity, the Franklin Centre for Government and Public Integrity. The Franklin Centre did not exist before 2009, but it has quickly become a protege of Donors Trust.

The Franklin Centre, headquarters barely one-tenth of a mile away from the nondescript Alexandria, Virginia town home of its funders, received $6.3m from the two funds in 2011. It was the second largest disbursement to any entity by the Donors that year, according to tax records. [...]

In 2011, Donors Trust helped the Franklin Centre expand its media operations to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia, the Centre for Public Integrity [CPI] reported in an investigation on conservative funding networks. [...]

CPI found multiple ties between the Franklin Centre and groups such as Americans for Prosperity, which has been funded by Donors Trust as well as the conservative oil billionaire Koch brothers. Some of the Franklin Centre's blogs have received funds from AFP. There was also cross-over of board members in the two groups.

This explains why AFP Nevada prodded Joe Heck to oppose the wind energy tax credit, despite the mounting evidence of Nevada's economy benefitting from wind energy! This also explains why AFP Nevada did that ridiculous gas stunt. It turns out that AFP is also part of the Donors Trust/Franklin Center effort to promote climate denial and stop action on climate change.

And that likely isn't the last we hear from them. Rather, expect even more howling from "Tea Party, Inc." as the new Boxer-Sanders climate bill is introduced in the Senate and "green-roots" activists push President Obama to direct the EPA to regulate carbon emissions if Congress can't. And with renewable energy investment continuing to be debated in Congress, expect another fight on that.

Against this backdrop, as well as the broad public support for climate action, we can see why the fossil fuel industry and "Tea Party, Inc." are funneling dirty money to shadowy groups out to promote climate denial. They want to make it hard to achieve anything. That's why the "green-roots" must be prepared to fight back. With human survival in the balance, environmentalists must find a way to break past this secret money and get the ball rolling on climate action.

Ross Miller v. Tea Party, Inc. (& Why This Matters)

So Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller has been in the news lately due to his election reform bill. However, that's not all he's been up to lately. He's also pursuing a potentially groundbreaking development in campaign finance.

Remember this story from July? "Tea Party" astroturf outfit AFP Nevada had campaigned in a Democratic (??!!) State Senate primary in North Las Vegas, and the Secretary of State's office noticed that AFP had done so without complying with state disclosure laws. (AFP is notorious for keeping its donor list a secret.) So AFP landed in the hot seat.

Yet despite this, AFP continued campaigning in several State Senate races, though this time AFP campaigned in races where Republicans needed to win to flip control of the State Senate. Perhaps because AFP's campaign was rather clumsy at times, Democrats managed to retain control of the State Senate. But nonetheless, AFP likely violated state law again by campaigning without disclosing any financial reports.

And this is why AFP has landed into deep trouble.

Miller’s court case against Americans for Prosperity, a gigantic national conservative group founded by the Koch Brothers, could pull back the curtain on the organization’s donors. AFP spent a reported $33 million during Campaign 2012, according to Open Secrets. But, by federal law, as a 501C entity AFP does not have to disclose its donors.

To the Federal Election Commission, that is. But Miller’s case against AFP, using its foolish meddling in a Democratic primary, is like a sheriff in the Old West: You come to my town, you play by my rules.

Miller, who acknowledges there is no national case law, basically argues in a lawsuit that AFP cannot expressly advocate for or against a candidate and get away with not disclosing its donors under Nevada law. The local AFP chapter never registered as either a nonprofit or PAC, [thus] exposing the national organization to Miller’s suit. It’s a case surely being monitored by DC experts and one with potentially wide ramifications for campaign disclosure, which Miller has long advocated.

And in case you were wondering, here's the provision in the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) that AFP landed into trouble with.

NRS 294A.0025 “Advocates expressly” or “expressly advocates” defined. “Advocates expressly” or “expressly advocates” means that a communication, taken as a whole, is susceptible to no other reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a clearly identified candidate or group or candidates or a question or group of questions on the ballot at a primary election, primary city election, general election, general city election or special election. A communication does not have to include the words “vote for,” “vote against,” “elect,” “support” or other similar language to be considered a communication that expressly advocates the passage or defeat of a candidate or a question.

The spin crew at AFP Nevada still claim they did no wrong. But in examining the doorhangers, mailers, and other material they were sending to voters, it becomes quite crystal clear that AFP literature "advocated expressly" against voting for Democratic Legislature candidates. And since AFP Nevada engaged in this very activity without registering a PAC and disclosing its campaign finances, it's unclear as to exactly how AFP will defend its actions.

If Ross Miller succeeds in this law suit, Ralston is correct that it will have wide ramifications. AFP and other shadowy "Tea Party, Inc." outfits will have to think twice before campaigning. And they may ultimately have to agree to disclose campaign finances and show us the voters their donor lists. And if this happens, it will be a huge win for "small d democracy" as it gives progressives a path forward in challenging secretive big corporate money in a post-Citizens United nation.

Astroturf Follies in Politics

When I first heard that AFP was playing some more in Nevada Legislature races, I wasn't expecting this. I must admit, this was quite the interesting surprise. At first glance, this doesn't seem like much.



After all, this is the same anti-Obama/anti-Shelley Berkley doorhanger that we found in Henderson over two weeks ago. However, there was something different about this AFP doorhanger.

But before I make the big reveal, I must note something. This doorhanger was found in NV-03 and State Senate District 9 in the Southwest Vegas Valley. Just keep that in mind as I show you the back of this doorhanger.

So are you ready for the big reveal? Well, here it is. Ta da!



Again, remember that this was found in NV-03 and SD 9. Yet for some reason, this doorhanger attacks Steven Horsford (the Democrat running in NV-04) and Benny Yerushalmi (the Democrat running in SD 6)! For some reason, AFP dropped the wrong doorhanger in the wrong area.

Perhaps we really shouldn't be surprised by this. After all, we're talking about the same "charitable foundation" behind #BusWreck2012. And we're talking about the same organization that was hawking cheap gas in hopes of swaying the election. And we're talking about the same organization that's likely been violating state election law in hopes of electing state lawmakers it favors.

Can you detect a pattern here? I can. And I suspect it's one that the Nevada G-O-TEA won't like too much come next week. It's one thing to be shady... But shady and incompetent is quite the unique blend that I've never really seen before (until now).

Why Is AFP Playing in #NVLeg?

Last time we checked in on AFP Nevada, they were leaving bizarre looking doorhangers in neighborhoods across Southern Nevada and planning some "Freedom Day" get out the vote rally for Republicans "concert" on the first day of early voting. And so far, it looks like the Kochs' pet "charity" won't be letting up any time soon. In fact, they may be flooding your mailbox right now.

A mailer sent to voters in southwestern Las Vegas’ Senate District 9 implies candidate Justin Jones would side with “Carson City politicians” who raise taxes and “spend your money.”

And in a particularly inciting mailer attacking former state Sen. Sheila Leslie in Reno’s Senate District 15, Americans for Prosperity superimposed Leslie’s head on the bodies of scantily clad fire dancers to criticize her for supporting a bill to regulate the artists.

Neither of the mailers explicitly says to vote against the candidate — or for their opponents —a technicality that would allow such political advertising in federal races without disclosure of who funded the group creating the ad.

But Nevada’s campaign finance laws require political organizations to register and disclose their donors if they produce advertising that can reasonably be interpreted as seeking to influence a specific campaign, according to Secretary of State Ross Miller.

Americans for Prosperity sent similar mailers attacking Democratic Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson in his primary campaign for Senate District 4. Those mailers prompted a complaint from the Nevada Democratic Party.

Earlier this month, Miller notified the nonprofit that he believes the mailers violated Nevada’s campaign finance laws and referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution.

Back in July, we noted the incredibly bizarre case of AFP wading into the SD 4 DEMOCRATIC Primary in hopes of defeating Kelvin Atkinson. We still don't know exactly why AFP decided to play there, but it is increasingly clear that AFP has been sending out "informational literature" with the intent of influencing elections. And that may not be legal here in Nevada, at least when it comes to our State Legislature races.

Perhaps the SD 4 incident was just a "test run" meant to prepare AFP for what they're doing now. The doorhanger we found earlier this month attacked President Obama and Shelley Berkley on one side, then attacked John Oceguera and Joyce Woodhouse (the Democratic nominee for SD 5) on the other side. And now, AFP mailers are being caught attacking Justin Jones (the Democratic nominee in SD 9) and Sheila Leslie (the Democratic nominee in SD 15). It just looks too funny that, all of a.sudden, AFP is playing in the very State Senate seats that Republicans must win in order to take control of the Nevada Senate. And we're still supposed to believe that AFP is some sort of "nonpartisan, educational, charitable foundation"? Yeah, right.

It's now looking quite clear as to what AFP Nevada is aiming to do. And no, it doesn't involve "charity" or "education". Rather, AFP is trying to tip several competitive federal and state level races into Republican hands. Yet in failing to file the appropriate paperwork as a political action committee (PAC) and disclose its donors, AFP may actually be violating state election law while trying to elect lawmakers! Surely, we can't be the only ones seeing the irony here?

Astroturf for (G-O-TEA) Politicians

Ah, whatever would we do without the extraordinary astroturfers at "Americans for Prosperity" (AFP)? They keep finding new ways to embarrass themselves. First, they launched #BusWreck2012.



Then, the fine folks at this supposed "charitable foundation" let slip their violation of state election law in failing to disclose their campaign expenditures in a (DEMOCRATIC State Senate??!!) primary. Since then, AFP Nevada has been taking a turn for the absurd by opposing efforts to put our state back to work by investing in renewable energy. They have even offered cheap gas in order to play political games.

And now, it looks like the fine folks at the "educational charity" nearest and dearest to Koch Industries are ready to close the election with quite the big bang!



Yes, this is the "tea party" indoctrination concert we've all been waiting for! And they've been taking to the streets to let everyone know. They've also been carpetbombing visiting neighborhoods to leave this important message.









Yes, the "charitable foundation" working on "issues education" has been doing this. It's dumping doorhangers with scary looking images of President Obama and Shelley Berkley, strange PhotoShop moments, even stranger complaints about rental car fees, lies about Keystone XL, and other ridiculous nonsense. Really, is there anything about AFP that makes sense?

With three weeks left until the final ballots are cast, this "charitable foundation" supposedly focused on "issues education" is preparing one last blitz of ads, events, and other gimmicks designed to distract and mislead. But over time, AFP's "grassroots" have been exposed as astroturf. And the only real "charity" involved is the one meant to help Nevada Republicans.

#AFPfail: Don't Know Much About Gas Prices

They're back! In July, AFP Nevada had quite the "Bus Wreck" of a campaign rally "educational experience". This week, they're back... And they're offering cheap gas??!!

The cheap gas offered by the conservative political group Americans for Prosperity in Reno on Tuesday was a political event designed to blame President Barack Obama’s energy policies for driving up the cost of petrol.

But many of the scores of people who lined up around the block to fill up their tanks at $1.84 a gallon didn’t come for politics. They didn’t blame Obama for the gas prices. They just needed cheap gas.

Are you kidding me? For being such "free market conservatives", the folks at AFP really don't know how the free market actually works. No really, the market doesn't work the way AFP claims it does.

And what makes them look even more ridiculous is that they're trying to blame gas prices on President Obama... And on smart policies meant to tackle climate change and create more jobs here in Nevada. Seriously, this is all AFP has?

Apparently, Nevadans actually aren't as stupid as the folks at AFP had assumed we were. That's reassuring. I guess one can only disregard sound science and economics so much before people start tuning one out.

Why Do Joe Heck & AFP Want the Wind (Energy Jackpot) to Pass Us By?

Back in June, we were reminded of Joe Heck's odd opposition to efforts to bring more green jobs to Nevada. Today, we were reminded again. Despite other Republicans supporting the wind energy tax credit, Joe Heck is following Mitt Romney's lead in opposing it.

And of course, Mitt Romney is following Americans for Prosperity's lead in opposing clean, green energy. So of course, Sierra Club and ProgressNow Nevada decided to go to the source of all this. They went to AFP Nevada headquarters.







Sierra Club has already been mounting a big grassroots and media campaign to save the wind energy tax credit along with thousands of well paying green collar jobs. And this morning, the campaign arrived in full force in Downtown Las Vegas. AFP Nevada may like to "astroturf" its way onto the evening news with overhyped "bus tours" and "rallies", but they clearly weren't ready for some real grassroots action that literally landed at their doorstep!

Again, Joe Heck clearly takes his lead from AFP. How else can one explain why he'd oppose a tax break to encourage job creation here in Nevada?

If it's because "clean energy is nonsense", then he's the one spouting nonsense. After all, Nevada now has the largest wind farm in the country. And we still have more potential to harness even more of our wind for clean, green energy. Oh, and global wind generation is set to grow another 40% by 2017, so why shouldn't Nevada be a part of that action? Really, why are Joe Heck, Mitt Romney, and their ideological bosses at AFP opposing common sense efforts to create more good Nevada jobs?

That's what the grassroots Sierra Club & ProgressNow activists were asking at AFP headquarters today.

The Curious Case of Nevada's Voter Registration

Well, now we know why Republicans are panicking. Take a look at the new voter registration statistics.

New numbers released this week show Democrats have increased their advantage over Republicans to 47,500 voters.

Since April, Democratic voter registration has increased by 20,500. Republican registration in that time has increased by 9,700.

While the statewide numbers haven't officially been released yet, we can look at the new Clark County numbers to see what's happening in all the hot Southern Nevada races. Here's what's making my eyes pop this morning:

- The Republican registration advantage in NV-03 is almost all gone, as their formerly 0.41% edge shrunk even further. Now, it's all the way down to a mere 0.24%, or 682 raw votes. At the pace this is going, Democrats may regain an advantage here as soon as next month!

- The Democratic advantage in the Clark County portion of the new NV-04 seat grew from an already robust 13.86% to an even wider 14.09%, or 31,928 raw votes. Again, we won't know the full NV-04 numbers until the Secretary of State's office releases new statewide statistics late this week. But so far, Steven Horsford and Nevada Democrats must be happy at this sight.

- And in the key Clark County State Senate races that will determine the balance of power in the Legislature next year, Democrats gained across the board. In SD 5 in the Green Valley neighborhoods of Henderson, Democrats' advantage rose from 3.19% to 3.36%. In SD 6 in the Summerlin neighborhoods of Las Vegas, Democrats' advantage rose from 3.81% to 3.93%. In SD 9 in the Southwest Las Vegas Valley, the Democratic edge grew from 4.78% to 5.06% (!!!). And finally in SD 18 in the Northwest Las Vegas Valley, the Republican edge shrank from 2.80% to 2.60%. All in all, Democrats did quite well in registering new voters in these key swing districts. In particular, SD 9 really seems to be slipping away from Republicans entirely while SD 18 is looking increasingly vulnerable for them.

And overall, Nevada Democrats have plenty of reasons to smile. In addition to the great #NVLeg news, NV-03 is almost completely even in registration. Joe Heck and his Republican consultants now have plenty of reasons to be extra nervous. And again, as long as NV-04 gains more Clark County Democrats, Steven Horsford's position continues to solidify. He may not completely be out of the woods yet, but at least there's plenty of light at the end of that path.

So what does this all mean? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Field matters. Because Nevada Democrats are busy registering new voters and persuading more current voters, they're in better shape than most pundits actually realize. And because Nevada Republicans can't match their boastful swagger with any real action, they're in more trouble than they really want to admit.

Here's what The Sun's David McGrath Schwartz had to admit yesterday.

Put shortly, Democrats are well organized and have been building an infrastructure for eight years with the help of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Republicans, meanwhile, have gone through a series of titular heads, and top elected Republicans have spent their political capital elsewhere. [...]

But elections are about numbers. Voters who register with a party are a tangible indication of just that.

The disparity on voter registration is likely more a reflection of the strength of the organizations.

Politics is often one big numbers game. And right now, Nevada Republicans are falling behind. Nevada Democrats just have to keep on chugging (and registering and persuading) to finish on top in November.

Pride Comes Before the Fall

Earlier today, I was reminded of Proverbs 16:18 in The Old Testament of The Bible. Yes, I just said that. It rings quite true.

And why am I saying this now? Did you read this love letter to Dean Heller in Politico (DC's version of the typical trashy celebrity gossip rag)?

Heller’s no-nonsense but supremely confident team — led by veteran Nevada consultant Mike Slanker and Mac Abrams, a North Carolina native with a Southern drawl — note that Berkley’s favorable rating remains upside down, even after she’s spent more than a million dollars on advertising.

Ah, yes. They seem awfully "supremely confident".

Pride comes before the fall.

It looks like Dean Heller's "supremely confident" campaign consultants don't mind Nevada Democrats' rebounding voter registration advantage, Nevada Democrats' superior ground game, the all around clusterfuck that the Nevada Republican Party has become, and/or the "tea party" bus wreck that is now at risk of self-destruction just as Heller counts on them to turn out his voters. Wow. Dean Heller's campaign consultants are awfully "supremely confident" despite the reality on the ground.

And funny enough, I was on the ground at the same time as the Politico reporter. I was obviously at the AFP bus wreck last Thursday, but I was also at the Nevada State Democratic Party's Henderson field office last Wednesday. And frankly, I find it funny how a conversation with Dean Heller's professional spin team matters more than all the actual facts on the ground.

Pride comes before the fall.

For all the "supreme confidence" bursting at Dean Heller's campaign headquarters, their own actions tell a different story. Why are they stooping to new lows to smear Shelley Berkley? Why did AFP's own internal poll show Heller only barely ahead of Berkley? Why won't Heller run on his record? For all the "supreme confidence" emanating from Dean Heller's campaign, their actions so far this summer suggest something else.

Or perhaps, pride comes before the fall.

Is "Tea Party, Inc." About to Be Exposed Here in Nevada?

Last Thursday, the radical right in Nevada was humiliated as Americans for Prosperity (AFP) had to abandon their own "tea party" in Las Vegas. However, something else happened Thursday that may end up causing even more heartburn for "Tea Party, Inc."... And finally give us an opportunity to learn who's actually funding them.

And strangely enough, AFP finally landed into trouble by wading into a DEMOCRATIC State Senate primary.

In a complaint filed Thursday, the Nevada Democratic Party asked Secretary of State Ross Miller to investigate whether the nonprofit organization must report the contributions it received to fund mailers attacking state Senate candidate Kelvin Atkinson, a Democratic assemblyman from North Las Vegas. [...]

If there can be “no other reasonable interpretation” than that the ad seeks the election or defeat of a candidate, then the producer must disclose the funding source for the ad.

“If you get in state races, you expose yourself,” said one Democrat familiar with the complaint.

In this case, AFP sent mailers into Atkinson’s district just before the June 6 primary election, with his picture and accusations that he worked for special interests and sought a $1 billion electricity rate increase.

Under federal law, AFP can do as much of this as it wants while disclosing as little as possible by simply leaving out terms like "vote for" and "defeat". However under Nevada state law, any organization using campaign advertising (including mailers) designed to influence an election is subject to disclosure requirements, regardless of what kind of language that organization uses in its advertising. Secretary of State Ross Miller (D) has been very aggressive in targeting these shadowy front groups, and he's making no exception for AFP.

So why did AFP do this? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure it out. Why did AFP wade into a Democratic primary in a super safe Democratic State Senate District?

When The Sun's Anjeanette Damon tried to figure out AFP Nevada's primary campaigns. In addition to repaying a favor to Pioneer Laughlin Casino owner and infamous "Chicken Lady" Sue Lowden by helping the pro Laughlin cityhood campaign that surprisingly failed in June, AFP also took sides against mainstream Democrat Kelvin Atkinson (and for perennial fringe candidate Katie Duncan) in a Democratic primary in a heavily Democratic and African-American district in West Las Vegas and parts of North Las Vegas. Because nothing about the latter campaign seems to make any sense, everyone has wondered why a "tea party" group would do such a thing.

But whatever the reason(s), wading into that SD 4 Democratic primary may ultimately cost Americans for Prosperity far more than an embarrassing loss on their scoreboard. Ultimately, this may cost them that ever elusive and mysterious donor list. And what makes this even worse for them is this may have national repercussions.

But AFP doesn’t appear to have organized a separate Nevada entity, which could mean donors to the national organization might have to be disclosed.

The potential has piqued the interest of advocates for campaign finance transparency.

“It all depends what state law requires,” said Paul Ryan, senior counsel for the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C. “I’ll be interested in watching this one.”

Ryan said AFP’s tax-exempt status as a nonprofit could also be threatened if the Nevada group is proven to be engaging primarily in political activity.

Wow. Spending a little bit of "stupid money" on a Democratic Nevada Legislature primary may lead to the downfall of one of the Koch brothers' key astroturf front groups. Who would have ever guessed?

NV-Sen: Why "Tea Party" Abandoned Its Own Rally

Today was supposed to be the big "Coming Out Day" for Nevada's "tea party", as the Nevada offshoot of the Koch funded astroturf campaign launched its bus tour with a protest in front of Shelley Berkley's Congressional Office. They were preparing for great turnout as they cranked up the loud country music, handed out free donuts, and lined up speakers.

However, they ran into a little problem this morning. Unfortunately for them, Nevada's "tea party" got crashed. Shelley Berkley's campaign, the Nevada State Democratic Party, ProgressNow Nevada, and local unions all brought in well over 100 volunteers to swarm the AFP bus. Here's what it looked like.







And here's what happened when AFP Nevada director Adam Stryker tried to pump up the (very) few "tea party" faithful who showed up. He gave up after he realized he was being drowned out by the progressive protesters!



Then in what had to be the ultimate humiliation, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police asked AFP Nevada to leave the premises. (They probably failed to obtain a proper permit to do their event.) So under threat of citation and embarrassment from being out-organized by Nevada Democrats and progressive groups, AFP Nevada left the parking lot by Shelley Berkley's Congressional Office in total disgrace.



Again, today was supposed to be the teabaggers' big day! They lined up the media. AFP & Dean Heller's campaign tried to turn out their troops. And they were preparing to dominate the media with their attempt to deflect questions about Dean Heller's record.

Instead, AFP was far outnumbered by Shelley Berkley supporters and they ended up having to abandon their own event under order by local police! Did the teabaggers really fail to do their homework this badly? Remember what we discussed this morning. Nevada Democrats clearly prepared by reaching into the grassroots and turning out supporters early this morning. If the "tea party" can't even launch their own bus tour, how are they supposed to win Nevada for Mitt Romney and Dean Heller this fall?