The Message

Remember this? Let's take another trip to the Nevada progressive archives. First, let's stop at October 2010. Remember then State Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio's (R-Reno) huge announcement?

Let's now jump to January 2011 to note Senator Raggio's shocking exit from the Legislature.



When Senator Bill Raggio passed away in February 2012, we noted the legacy he left behind... And the legacy so many in his party wanted to ditch behind.

Seriously, this is what has me worried. Yes, Bill Raggio was conservative. Yes, Bill Raggio did use his budget votes as leverage to pass right-wing legislation. And yes, Bill Raggio liked to spend our tax dollars up north when they were really needed in Clark County.

However at the end of the day, Bill Raggio was always someone who was interested in making Nevada's government work. And not too long ago, there were other Republicans, like Kenny Guinn, who believed the same and demonstrated the ability to reach across aisles to keep Nevada functioning.

But last session, we were left wondering if a significant chunk of Legislature Republicans even wanted any kind of functioning government. And again, with Raggio gone, we had to wait for that Nevada Supreme Court ruling just to extend the tax deal that Raggio brokered in 2009. And with Raggio gone, what used to be a Nevada tradition of legislators constantly crossing aisles and party lines to get stuff done gave into California style "mortal combat governance".

Early this year, we were confronted by this again when another Nevada political legend, Former Lt. Governor Sue Wagner (R), decided to leave the Republican Party.



And she was soon followed by Neena Laxalt. Today, Neena Laxalt is following that up with a Las Vegas Sun op-ed that she signed onto, along with six other Laxalt family members.

During our journey, we have found a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that best captures the essence of a core value that has guided us throughout our lives — the value of speaking up for what is right. He wrote, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

In the spirit of King’s words, then, we can no longer be silent as we seek to maintain the integrity of our home state of Nevada.

Therefore, we collectively speak up to support Ross Miller as the most qualified candidate to be our state’s attorney general. [...]

Know that our message does not originate from a Republican, Democratic or even family affiliation. It has to do with the most basic question all voters must ask themselves when they step into the voting booth, “Who really is the best qualified candidate for attorney general for the state of Nevada?”

Wow. So it's happening again. And this time, it's Laxalt family members rebuking the very party they once led. And not only that, but they're even having to rebuke one of their own as both he and the party have lost their way.

Four years ago, the party lost the late Bill Raggio as he and others endorsed US Senator Harry Reid (D) for reelection. Earlier this year, the party lost Sue Wagner and Neena Laxalt. Today, several members of the Laxalt family can't even endorse their own family member who's running for Attorney General. And to our shock, the Nevada Republican Party still isn't getting the message. What else will it take for the message to resonate with them?

Wig Under That Wig

Pay attention, hunties. There's a reason why our favorite philosopher has said, "Do not remove your wig... Unless there is another wig underneath your wig!"

Now watch... And learn.



Since we all know reading is fundamental, we must ask this question: When did the "Disney Nickelodeon Meltdown Club" suddenly morph into the Nevada Republican Party? We can't help but wonder. And come on, there's no way we could have missed the hot mess on Twitter that managed to ensnare Ray Hagar and Jon Ralston!

So what happened? Once again, Chuck Muth is f**king it up. Apparently when he's not slandering people he doesn't even know, race baiting to new extremes, or simply lying through his teeth about The Education Initiative, he's "The Campaign Doctor".



And this week, "The Campaign Doctor" has been busy promoting his candidates on various shady corners of the internet. But when he started throwing shade in all the wrong directions, he turned out to be the one left in the dark. (Yet even in the dark, we could still see that bad paint job on that mug.)

And once again, we're left to wonder why the Nevada Republican Party allowed Chuck Muth & his cohorts to conquer the party and remake it in their own image in the first place. Once upon a time, it was the party of Kenny Guinn, Bill Raggio, and Sue Wagner. It was the party of #winning. And even though it was a conservative party, it was also a party that stood for some sort of sound governance.

But now, the Nevada Republican Party has devolved into nothing more than a crazy clown car circus. And gawddammit, grrrl, they can't even lip sync for their lives!

We saw again this week who their true leader is, so we're not surprised that there's still no @NVGOP rebuke of the sh*tshow Chuck Muth starred in online. If anything, they're reveling in it. But in putting on such a show, they forgot a critical rule of engagement: If one truly wants to impress the judges, one best not remove the wig... Unless there's another wig under that wig.

The Right Way to Fix Education Funding Formulae

How many times have we heard the complaints about Nevada shortchanging our own kids? And how many times have we specifically heard the complaints about Nevada shortchanging its most populous county, the place where over 70% of our people live and where about 80% of the state's tax revenue is collected? All too often, we hear rumors of solutions brewing in Carson City. But this time, some there are actually determined to fix both problems.

But of course, there's a catch. Not everyone seems determine to solve both problems.

Democratic leaders have said achieving “funding equity” is their top priority. Technically, that means ditching the decades-old funding formula that favors sparsely populated counties in favor of a “weighted funding formula” that directs more funding to districts with large populations of students in poverty, learning English as a second language or in gifted and talented programs.

In reality, that means diverting state funding from Washoe and rural counties to Clark County — which has been historically underfunded on a per-pupil basis.

Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, said achieving funding equity is key to the rest of the Democrats’ education initiatives — including reduced class sizes, expanded full-day kindergarten and creating a pre-kindergarten program for at-risk students.

“Our kids are being disadvantaged in Clark County as opposed to everywhere else in the state,” Denis said. “We really need to look at that and do what is best for all of our kids, which includes Clark County.”

Nevada is one of just 14 states that doesn't consider poor students in its school funding formulae. And Nevada is one of only 3 states that doesn't consider English language learners in its school funding formulae. This obviously puts Clark County at a huge disadvantage. And that disadvantage is only worsened when taking into account the late Bill Raggio and his uncanny ability to find money for Northern Nevada schools... But often at Southern Nevada's expense.

There's often been talk of changing the funding formulae. But now that the balance of power in the Legislature has finally shifted to the south, it's now getting more attention.

But unless it's matched with progressive tax reform, it's likely doomed to fail. And here's why. The first consultant hired by the Legislature to examine funding formulae reform found that under an otherwise "status quo" budget, Clark County schools stand to receive 6% more funding if the formulae are changed... But Washoe County stands to loss 2%, and Eureka County loses almost half of its entire funding!

While Clark County schools desperately need their fair share of public funds, no one really benefits if that comes at the expense of the rest of the state. While Washoe County schools are better funded than Clark's, it's not as if Washoe schools are "rich". They can't afford to be cut.

Ultimately, Nevada needs more revenue to ensure that all our schools are properly funded. It's ridiculous to cause a "beggar thy neighbor" situation instead of taking a comprehensive approach to improve all Nevada schools. Instead, we can find the revenue to fund Southern Nevada schools without starving the North by simply cutting back on the corporate welfare in our tax code. But will enough folks in Carson City see what's obvious to us? That remains to be seen.

A Tale of Two Public Projects

Here in Henderson, we have a very important election this fall. In addition to all the federal races receiving the bulk of the attention, there's something else we will vote on this fall which will determine the future of our community. Now that Henderson District Public Libraries face such a giant budget deficit that they will have to close two whole libraries if they don't find more revenue, and possibly close a third in the new Heritage Park Library as well (!!!), the district is now asking Henderson voters for a few extra cents (per person) in property taxes just to keep all the libraries open.

Geraldine Brurs left the Paseo Verde Library into the midday heat Tuesday with two audio books in hand. The frequent visitor to Henderson libraries had no idea that two of the system’s six branches will close at the end of the year if a tax initiative on the November ballot does not pass.


Those like Brurs who already use and appreciate the libraries, and are supporters of the property tax increase, are the easy targets.

“Oh, I would definitely vote for the tax,” Brurs said after hearing the details. “The Henderson libraries have already cut back. They are closed on Sundays and their hours are shorter than before. This library is packed all the time.”

Proponents of the initiative see three groups of voters when it comes to the tax initiative, which would increase Henderson property tax by 2 ents per $100 in assessed property value, a $14 annual hike for property worth $200,000. There are the regular library users who are expected to provide strong support; those who will never approve of any new tax, especially during a down economy; and those in between who may support the tax if they are reminded of the value of a community meeting place and research hub. [...]

“Libraries serve the function of promoting reading and literacy, but they are also community places where people get and share information,” said Danielle Miller, a member of the PAC and principal at El Dorado High School. “People access the Internet at libraries. They search for jobs at libraries. There is no other resource in the community like it. I think a lot of people just don’t realize how close they are to closing branches.”

We've talked about this before. Public infrastructure isn't something to dismiss in importance. Libraries are critical meeting places for the community, and they are places that are critical for our community's growth and education. Especially now, as Southern Nevada is being forced to transition to a new economy that isn't so addicted to the whims and fancies of gaming and real estate bubbles, we need public infrastructure more than ever before.

However, it seems like not all infrastructure is created equal in the eyes of the powers that be in Carson City.
This is also something we've discussed before. And this is something that's coming back to the forefront as
a new project opens up north.

Nevada’s most expensive highway will open this month — an 8 1/2-mile stretch of pavement that most Southern Nevadans will never use, unless you’re a politician or lobbyist commuting between Reno and Carson City. [...]

And the cost? More than a half-billion-with-a-b dollars.

The new highway, Interstate 580, was paid for primarily with federal and state gas tax money. It has been planned for decades.

“This project is not just a home run, it’s a grand slam,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said at the ribbon cutting last week.

He said it would improve safety, promote commerce and ease commutes.

But to critics, the project was a boondoggle — our own “bridge to nowhere,” as Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani called it when she was in the Assembly. The route was heavily influenced by not-in-my-backyard politics back in 1983. The residents along the current road, U.S. 395, didn’t want an expansion. The project couldn’t be moved to the west because that would run into a tony development. So the Washoe County Commission decided to have the highway hug a hillside overlooking Pleasant Valley to the west.

Some Southern Nevadans say the highway was built so Northern Nevadans could strut.

“I think it’s widely acknowledged as primarily a flex pose in the mirror, designed to celebrate the political might of a couple of Washoe County legislators,” said Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, who was also a legislator as this project was approved. (The late state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and late Gov. Kenny Guinn were both honored at the groundbreaking.)

Bill Raggio may no longer be with us, but he will certainly never be forgotten.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we should neglect critical infrastructure needs in Northern Nevada. I just think it's foolish to ignore critical infrastructure needs in Southern Nevada. Really, the entire state needs better public infrastructure in order to develop a more sustainable economy. Yet when over 70% of the state's population continue to be shortchanged and forced to fight each other for mere crumbs of the state's fiscal loaf, we shouldn't be surprised when our economy faces severe structural problems.

It's just plain maddening to see our state approach public infrastructure as a matter of "juice" and "wheeling & dealing". And it's saddening to think that critical resources like public libraries are at risk of closing indefinitely just because they're not as politically well connected as contractors looking to build a highway from the state capital to the historical epicenter of political clout.

Again, I don't want to deny anything that Reno and Carson City need. It would just be nice if Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson didn't always have to fight tooth and nail just to prevent losing what we need. Is that too much to ask?

What I Mean by "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish"

Congratulations, Nevada. We rank at the bottom of yet another list (that we shouldn't be at the bottom of). This time, Ball State University gave us a "D" in logistics. And surprise, surprise, the reason why is our lack of proper public infrastructure.

Jim New, TMCC’s dean of applied industrial technology, said, “Obviously the most important thing is to have the workforce in place. We regularly hear that we just don’t have the entry level workforce in the community to support the needs of the industries that want to move here. Just recently, I heard this from a company in the food manufacturers industry.”

At least Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) and UNR have been developing programs to educate future logistics industry workers (although UNR's program is now on the chopping block, so progress there may not last long). And while that's a start, we clearly need more. We need more education, and we need better transportation infrastructure.

New said, “Whenever you look at any system, there’s always room for improvement and given the impact of the recession on the state, we’ve certainly slowed down on infrastructure upgrades but I don’t think we’ve truly lost ground like the report represented it.

“We’ve probably held steady and I would hope that as the economy recovers, we turn to improving the infrastructure, which increases jobs and improves infrastructure for all industries. We need to be able to attract more air service to the community and that in turn will attract more support business. And we need a road system that can handle increased traffic and we need support for the rail system.”

Actually, we have lost ground. Contrary to what the folks interviewed by the RGJ want to admit, the state overall doesn't have enough of the infrastructure necessary to become a complete logistics powerhouse. Again, Northern Nevada hasn't felt it quite as much. They can thank the late Bill Raggio for that.

But come here to Southern Nevada, and it's painfully obvious that we've fallen far behind. Our roads are inadequate, and so are our educational offerings. And this brings us back to what we discussed in January.

What makes this even worse is that over many years and many legislative sessions, "the powers that be" in this state have mostly looked the other way despite all the growing evidence pointing to these serious problems. "The Great 2000s Real Estate Bubble" was always doomed to burst, but hardly anyone in Carson City wanted to talk about how to get past it until it was too late. Of course, they probably didn't want to talk about it because the bulk of the state's budget was built upon the bubble, and that everything from fire stations in Tonopah to community centers in Eureka to freeway projects in and around Reno depended on tourist dollars from the Las Vegas Strip. And even as the state had been able to fund some public infrastructure in Central and Northern Nevada thanks to "bubble" money from the last decade, Clark County still lacks sufficient higher ed opportunities at UNLV, sufficient health care, and plenty other areas of infrastructure that are critical to a successful community. Strangely enough, money from the primary economic engine of Nevada (Clark County) hasn't been used to properly maintain that engine. And because that engine has been neglected, the entire vehicle (Nevada) is in trouble.

And this brings us back to our #1 problem. As long as we fail to invest in our infrastructure, we can't really fix our economic woes. Even though Northern Nevada has gotten by with a little more "help from friends", Southern Nevada has been bled to dry because our state's "leaders" have refused to let us break free from our overdependence on tourism and artificial "growth".

But as long as we continue to starve public education, shortchange transportation, and fail to invest in the rest of our public infrastructure, we'll never have the economy we need for future survival. It's bad enough that the future of UNR's logistics program is endangered while TNCC must beg for the private sector to bail out its program. It's even worse that we have nothing of this sort in Clark County. And if we don't fix this soon, we'll all suffer the consequences. And that won't be pretty.

The 800 Pound Gorilla in the Classroom

Last week, former Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Chancellor Jim Rogers called out the 800 pound gorilla that always seems to be in the room when critical higher ed budgets are decided. Last Wednesday, Rogers pointed out what should be glaring inequities.

When UNLV was growing from 20,856 students to 28,317 students in about a decade (1998-2008), instead of building UNLV's infrastructure at twice the rate as UNR's to make up for some of this inequity, UNR received roughly 800k gross square feet of new state funded space while UNLV received approximately the same. The other new buildings UNLV acquired during that period were paid for with institution-based funding, some generated by student fees. Even when the state came up with funding, UNLV provided much more in matching funds than UNR did. For example, 40% of the cost of the Greenspun building at UNLV was donated by the Greenspun family to the tune of $37 million. UNR committed nothing like this amount in either private or institutional funds.

Honestly, I've never been a fan of privatizing public education, so I'm not advocating forcing UNR to rely on more private funds. However, I have wondered why "the political and educational powers that be" in this state have forced UNLV to do this. Thankfully, Rogers and I no longer look to be alone. The Sun penned this editorial yesterday that really highlighted what's at stake.

The current funding formula was created by the Legislature under the leadership of the late Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, who was masterful at shuttling resources to Northern Nevada. And, as a result, Southern Nevada schools have been short-changed by a formula weighted to the north.

That can’t continue. UNLV has grown significantly, yet the state funding hasn’t kept pace because of the formula. The state has to address the needs of Southern Nevada’s schools, especially considering their vital role in educating the state’s workforce. The bulk of the students in Nevada’s colleges and universities resides in Clark County, so under-funding the schools here is unfair and makes no sense. That’s especially true considering the role higher education can play in the economy.

A study of the Intermountain West has shown that regions with higher education levels have fared better than others during the nation’s economic doldrums. As we have said before, colleges and universities can help drive an economy, but they have to be given the chance.

The funding formula by itself isn’t the answer. Lawmakers should consider the overall funding of higher education. Klaich has made a point of keeping the discussion about the funding formula separate from that discussion. He told the Sun that he didn’t want it to look like he was using the funding formula to try to get more money out of the state. That’s fair, and lawmakers shouldn’t confuse the two. Nor should they think that by fixing the funding formula, the problem will be solved. No matter how perfect the funding formula is, it won’t matter if the Legislature doesn’t fund it sufficiently.

Of course, this isn’t a matter of simply throwing money at the problem. Any spending has to be strategic and directed toward meeting the state’s goals, and there has to be results. However, at the same point, the state’s spending on education simply hasn’t been adequate.

Certainly, the late Bill Raggio left behind a legacy of reaching across the aisle to find reasonable budget solutions and continuing investment in higher education. However we can't ignore the entirety of his legacy, which also included "finding" additional funding for Northern Nevada colleges no matter the situation. During the "good times", UNR was receiving the same amount of construction funding as UNLV despite UNLV desperately needing more capacity for its expanding student population. And during the hard times, Great Basin College hasn't had to experience the kinds of fears (of losing classes, faculty, and so much more) that Nevada State College and the CSN system have had to face.

Again, I do NOT want to see UNR or Great Basin or any other Northern Nevada college cut down to Southern Nevada colleges' present level. All that would do is ruin what's left of higher education for the entire state. UNR has certainly played a valuable role in diversifying the Reno area economy. We need to see more of that, NOT the emerging threat of essentially selling parts of UNR and/or UNLV to the Koch empire so they can turn our schools into their "tea party" ideological training grounds.

Instead, I would love to see UNLV, Nevada State, and the CSN system brought up to the level of funding, and essentially the level of respect, that Northern Nevada colleges now enjoy. Back in January, Dr. Robert Lang from UNLV Brookings Mountain West took to KNPR's "State of Nevada" to explain how Southern Nevada has suffered due to the lack of proper investment in our public infrastructure. While the likes of UNR and Western Nevada College have played a vital role in diversifying Northern Nevada's economy, Southern Nevada has remained captive to the whims of tourists and real estate speculators because we don't have enough classrooms for Clark County students and enough opportunities for Clark County's diverse communities. As we've discussed many times before, our economy will never really be sustainable if we keep unrealistic expectations of surviving on "exotic" stripping, bar tending, and valet parking alone.

So it's long past due for NSHE to finally do something about the longstanding inequities in the higher education funding formula. Again, hardly anyone wants to see Northern Nevada suffer from cruel cuts. However, we need to stop asking Southern Nevada colleges to suffer the worst of budget cuts while being spared the best of growth opportunities. It's time to start properly investing in Southern Nevada's future for a change. We will soon have over two million people here in Clark County, so it's time for our burgeoning metropolis to finally get the respect we deserve.

Who's Running Where (Part I)

(In honor of candidate filing for partisan seats beginning this week, I'll be doing a series on "who's running where" as we keep up with the expanding list of candidates for federal, state, and county level offices this year.)

This may not seem appropriate, but it's nonetheless happening. On the same day as Bill Raggio's funeral, filing began for the race to determine the State Senate seat that Raggio once held for nearly 40 years... Along with a host of other races across the state.

Apparently, Republicans swapped candidates in SD 9 as former Joe Heck, Dean Heller, and Nevada GOP spokesperson Mari Nakashima St. Martin filed for that seat today. Also today, Justin Jones filed on the Democratic side for SD 9. He's a partner in the Holland & Hart law firm, he's been recognized as one of the top lawyers in the region, and he's a long time Southwest Vegas resident. That should be interesting.

But anyway, back to Reno...



The SD 15 race promises to be a real barnburner. And at this point, I can see no better example (other than perhaps SD 9 down here in the south?) of the competing visions of Nevada's future, as well as the competing plans to get there.

And so far, both the SD 9 race and the SD 15 race offer us a glimpse of what's at stake in the big picture. Up north, we have two seasoned legislators running against each other in a quintessential swing district (15) that was once represented by Nevada's longest serving State Senator. He was known for wheeling and dealing, but the people now running for the seat come from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.

And down south, we're seeing two up and coming stars compete for a district (9) that was once the epicenter of Las Vegas' real estate bubble. So perhaps this was the ideal location for the rise of "The Accidental Senator". But now that Elizabeth Halseth is long gone (and out of state), Republicans seem to be settling on Joe Heck's former spokesperson as their standard bearer while Democrats are fielding a real legal "top gun" to flip this red seat blue.

It really does seem like our Legislature is going through plenty of transition. As we'll be seeing this week, plenty of new faces will be appearing at the Secretary of State's office while more familiar ones are jumping up to the federal level, or are just bowing out of electoral politics for good. Gone may be the "Old Nevada" days of long time politicians cutting deals and reaching consensus. Now we'll have to see if we get a new Legislature soon that looks more like the new Nevada.

Nevada Past... California Future?

This weekend, we've been seeing plenty of reflection on the life and legacy of Bill Raggio. The RGJ's Ray Hagar perhaps summed it up best.

As Nevada mourns the death of the “Lion of the Legislature,” some also mourn the end of an era, when bipartisanship ruled the day.

Nevada’s legislative process has gone from one of compromise to polarization, experts said. Raggio’s death only enforces the point.

“It’s been bad for a couple of sessions,” said former Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington, who began is legislative career in 1967 and ended it after the 2002 special session on medical malpractice. “I don’t know if will be any worse than it has been. I don’t think it will get any better.” [...]

“Clearly, that had a lot to do with it (resignation), the fact that Bill Raggio was a man who would set aside partisanship for the greater good,” said Billy Vassiliadis, a Nevada political consultant based in Las Vegas.

“He worked with three Democratic governors and three Republican governors and always worked in the spirit of getting something done,” Vassiliadis said. “And today, politics puts a premium on stopping things rather than making things happen. To stand in place rather than move forward was something he could not abide in.”

It's certainly something no one can deny at this point. And this is something we've been talking about here for quite some time. And at times, it seemed like Bill Raggio really came from a different era and represented the kind of politicking and governing that Nevada has been quickly losing. I really think Jon Ralston hit the nail on the head here.

In his later days, Raggio frequently lamented the propensity for Republicans to bow to the Temple of Norquist, pledging fealty to a no-tax pledge when circumstances could always change. In a world of one-note politicians, Raggio was operatic, often giving floor speeches that were the equivalent of arias. Indeed, one lobbyist, marveling at a Raggio performance, looked at me and said, “Like Pavarotti at the Met.”

Raggio also railed against those who only cared about re-election, a common affliction in Carson City, fearing they would never help move the state forward. As ex-Sen. Paul Laxalt said Friday, “Throughout my political career, I adhered to a policy of not allowing political differences to transform into personal differences. That was the essence of Bill Raggio. Sadly, that quality is sorely missing in today’s toxic political environment.”

I believe one of the more painful decisions of Raggio’s career was to endorse Harry Reid for re-election in 2010. Yes, he was furious that Sharron Angle had challenged him in a primary, but it was much more than personal. He thought she would be a disaster for the state, so he endorsed whom he considered the lesser off two evils.

There was nothing in it for him — he knew the blowback would be vicious, although I doubt he knew he would lose his leadership position because of his craven colleagues, some of whom I would bet a fortune voted for Reid but were afraid to say so.

A man of his word? Yes. A man of principle? Indeed. A man for all seasons, especially every other winter and spring in Carson City? Absolutely.

Perhaps none of Carson City's powers that be was surprised by Raggio's final act in 2010, but a whole lot of political junkies outside Nevada were. After all, why would someone of Raggio's stature do that to his own party? It's something that would be unheard of anywhere except Nevada...

But will we ever see something like that here in Nevada again?

Throw the party's base supporters some choice red meat... and risk that persuadable voters who tune into the media coverage recoil. But tamp down the fiery rhetoric in hopes of projecting a "kinder, gentler" image... and risk leaving the party faithful full of accusations that moderates are trying to water down the GOP brand.

'Tis a dilemma to be sure.

That's what's been happening just south of San Francisco, where California Republicans have been holding their convention. Newt Gingrich showed up yesterday to rally the base with cries of, "Drill, Baby, Drill!!!" And yes, reporters and observers there may have caught a glimpse of the Nevada Republican Party's future.

We've definitely seen a rightward shift of GOP legislators in recent sessions... And that really seemed to accelerate once Bill Raggio left Carson City for good. And now because of what's become endless intransigence on implementing long term budget solutions, some are now pushing for voters to take matters into our own hands. However, that isn't without its own risks.

The Field Poll showed the strongest backing for the tax hike on millionaires, with 63% of voters saying they were inclined to vote yes. Next came Brown's proposal, a temporary half-cent sales tax increase combined with higher income taxes on the wealthy, which drew 58% support.

But voters appear to reject a broad-based income tax hike proposed by wealthy Los Angeles civil rights lawyer Molly Munger, which received only 45% support, with 48% opposed. All three initiatives are in the signature-gathering phase before they can be placed on the November ballot.

The results roughly parallel a poll that Brown's political aides released in summary form this week. That showed Brown's proposal and the proposed levy on millionaires both with more than 50% support, while Munger's languished. Brown's aides also tested whether voters would support the taxes if all three appeared on the ballot and found in that scenario none would pass.

That's been the argument the governor and his aides have been pushing for three months now -- that Munger and the unions and activists who back the millionaire's tax need to drop their measures so they don't doom all of them.

But backers of the millionaire's tax seemed emboldened by the newest poll that continued to show theirs as the most popular. Nonetheless, the governor's aides and allies continued to urge others to back down.

Yes, believe it or not, California is also providing us with this glimpse into Nevada's future. There, Governor Jerry Brown (D) is pushing his own tax initiative that raises the income tax on top earners while also keeping in place a hike of the state's sales tax. However, he's now getting competition from both civil rights attorney Molly Munger's broad-based income tax and Courage Campaign's "Millionaires Tax". For so long, California's Legislature couldn't agree to much of any tax reform. But now, they're seeing an increasingly complicated and messy "ballot royale" over the competing tax initiatives.

And guess what? That's where we also seem to be headed... Except that I'm hoping we won't see an ugly food fight that pulls down all the tax reform initiatives. Instead, I want to do my part to inform and enlighten Nevada voters by starting a discussion this week on tax reform, ballot initiatives, and the future of Nevada Government. I'll be starting tomorrow by sharing with you a conversation I recently had with Kermitt Waters... Yes, the Kermitt Waters with the law suit causing so many Nevada politicos' heads to explode. Later this week, I'll also be posting conversations with those backing Nevada AFL-CIO whiz Danny Thompson's business margin tax initiative. Who knows, maybe we'll even dig more into Monte Miller's tax proposal?

As I've been saying here for some time, we in Nevada have to prepare for serious change. Since we first heard the saddening news of Bill Raggio's passing, we've been reflecting plenty on what's already been changing. And while I don't believe we're destined to become a carbon copy of California (or Arizona, or Colorado, or any other state, for that matter), we can no longer deny that both the dynamics of legislating in Carson City and the increasing frustration of Nevada voters outside Carson City are leading us to consider something never before seen here, even if it's something California and Arizona regularly see: ballot box budgeting.

There's obviously a reason why so many are so devastated by the loss of Raggio. In many ways, this does feel like the end of an era. But now if progressives want to embark on a new era and fix what's become regularly broken, then we may really need to rethink how we've advocated tax and budget reform. It may finally be time to face the voters, and face our future.

When Did Bill Raggio Lose His Party?

As Nevadans everywhere react to Former Senator Bill Raggio's death today. Until very recently, Bill Raggio was one of the most powerful and influential voices among Nevada Republicans. In many ways, he was really "The Lion of the Legislature".

And as we mourn the loss of Raggio, I have to ask this: When did Nevada Republican leadership go from this to this?



And this?



This is what I was wondering... Then I found some old columns from Chuck Muth, and I saw the trail of Raggio's downfall and the end of "The Last of the Moderates". Raggio took so much heat from the radical "tea party" right over that 2009 tax deal that it got the wheels in motion for the rise of Elizabeth Halseth and Michael Roberson.

And as we saw last session, everything changed. With Bill Raggio out of the picture and Kenny Guinn an increasingly distant memory, it took an "act of the gods" (really, just The Nevada Supreme Court) just to break the logjam and get a budget passed. As I've been saying for some time now, for all the "tea party" whining about Nevada turning into "Little California", today's crop of Republicans in the Legislature seem to be the ones making our budget process more like California's... Even down to forcing the people to start petitions to enact needed tax reform.



Seriously, this is what has me worried. Yes, Bill Raggio was conservative. Yes, Bill Raggio did use his budget votes as leverage to pass right-wing legislation. And yes, Bill Raggio liked to spend our tax dollars up north when they were really needed in Clark County. However at the end of the day, Bill Raggio was always someone who was interested in making Nevada's government work. And not too long ago, there were other Republicans, like Kenny Guinn, who believed the same and demonstrated the ability to reach across aisles to keep Nevada functioning.

But last session, we were left wondering if a significant chunk of Legislature Republicans even wanted any kind of functioning government. And again, with Raggio gone, we had to wait for that Nevada Supreme Court ruling just to extend the tax deal that Raggio brokered in 2009. And with Raggio gone, what used to be a Nevada tradition of legislators constantly crossing aisles and party lines to get stuff done gave into California style "mortal combat governance".

Today, I've been going back to what we discussed in July 2010 right after Kenny Guinn passed away.

In many ways, Kenny Guinn represented the best of Nevada's not-so-distant political past. Back then it didn't matter so much if one was a Democrat or a Republican, since everyone was a Nevadan first and foremost. This really shone through with Guinn when he made tough decisions, decisions that a number of conservative Republicans did not like. Guinn pushed for the Millennium Scholarships that enabled many thousands of deserving Nevada students to attend college, regardless of family wealth. He pushed for tax increases, what could have been first steps toward a fairer tax structure, when many in his own party were just saying "no". And yes, he even pushed for better schools and a better social safety net to look after all Nevadans, even the working poor. These days, we don't hear very many Republicans speaking like this.

Sure, Kenny Guinn was not perfect. For gawd's sake, he chaired the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign! And sometimes, I wondered if he couldn't see the coming "Tea Party" storm... Or if he did, and just gave up toward the end. And of course, we can't forget how he was elected in the first place... It was that damned "casino-mining-industrial complex" (you know, the same one that usually prevents our state from enacting the progressive tax reforms we so badly need) that hand-picked Guinn for Governor.

But you know what? No one is perfect. And damn it, even as a Republican, Kenny Guinn was quite the damned good Governor our state needed.

To a large extent, we can say the same thing about Bill Raggio. He worked hard to build up our higher education system. And yes, he was actually a big booster for public infrastructure... Especially if it was in Washoe County. And now that Raggio has left us for good as well, I'm left wondering if Chuck Muth and the "tea party" fan club running today's Nevada Republican Party will allow for the next Guinn or Raggio to rise from their ranks.

Farewell, Mr. Raggio.

Wow. Just wow. I wasn't ready for this.

Bill Raggio, a former Washoe County District Attorney who became the longest-serving state senator in Nevada history, as died.

Raggio was 85 and died at 10 p.m. Pacific time of a respiratory illlness. He was in Sydney, Australia at the time.

“With the death of Sen. Bill Raggio, one of the great lights in the world of Nevada politics has gone out,” said Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

A Reno native, Raggio served 16 years as Washoe County District Attorney. He was elected to the state senate in 1972 and served there until resigning for health reasons in 2010.

He developed a reputation as a master of the legislative process, a tough negotiator and a champion for education and Norther Nevada interests.

I still can't believe Bill Raggio is gone. It seems like he's been a part of Nevada politics forever. He was a stalwart conservative and unshakable Republican. He ran against legendary US Senator Howard Cannon (D) in 1970, and he tried to succeed Harry Reid as Lieutenant Governor and win that seat for the Republicans in 1974.

Yet when it came to governance, he knew how to bend to prevent the government from breaking. And no one who was familiar with Raggio in the 1970s would have guessed that he'd endorse Harry Reid for US Senate in 2010. While Raggio was a stalwart conservative and unshakable Republican, he nonetheless considered himself a Nevadan, and particularly a Renoite and Northern Nevadan, first. He ultimately wanted to do what was best for the state, so this prominent conservative lawmaker was considered "moderate" in later years simply because he was willing to compromise to get the job done. Sadly, he was even attacked by the "tea party" loons in his own party because he was willing to compromise to get the job done.



I remember what we discussed here early last year, when Raggio decided he couldn't take any more of what he was seeing in Carson City.

So I guess he really couldn't stomach another session in Carson City. He is getting older, he does have health issues, and the tension there clearly has been wearing on him...

But obviously, there's more to this story. While conservative, Raggio was never seen as ideologically "pure" by the teabaggers. He did support tax increases when it meant more money for Northern Nevada. He sparred often with tea-nut icons like Sharron Angle and Jim Gibbons. And of course, he endorsed Harry Reid last year.

Oh, and he committed "heresy" yet again when he stated the obvious on this year's budget.

So what happens next? We'll have to see. Bill Raggio has forgotten more Nevada history and Nevada politics than the teabaggers will ever know.

It really wasn't that long ago when Raggio and then Governor Kenny Guinn (R) were actually discussing serious policy solutions on thorny matters like taxes and public education. Now, all we hear from the G-O-TEA are empty platitudes and Grover Norquist pledges. Even though it shouldn't have shocked us, many were nonetheless shocked when Raggio was ousted as Senate Republican Caucus leader right after the 2010 election (when the GOP gained a seat under his leadership!). But even after that happened, Raggio's shadow still loomed prominently in the halls of the Legislature's building. Without a doubt, Raggio made an impact on Nevada government that can't easily be rivaled.

And Raggio's legacy isn't limited to Carson City.



Yes, he was really Frank Sinatra's attorney. Wow.

Without a doubt, Bill Raggio was one of those colorful characters and storied politicians that one can only find in Nevada. Sure, I didn't always agree with what he did. But when it came to protecting Nevada's best interest, and especially when it came to fighting for Northern Nevada, Bill Raggio could always be counted on. He will be sorely missed.

Tuesday Reads

Before I leave the door this morning, I just wanted to share some stories I'm keeping my eye on:

- Rep. Joe Heck (R-WAY uphill from my house) gets another mention in today's Sun. Basically, he's basking in the glow of all the media attention and love from GOP leadership. Sounds nice, I guess, but will he remember that District 3 needs a representative in Congress (not just another politician looking to use this seat to jump to higher office)?

- Justin McAfee, of The Nevada View, wonders if the "tea party" can really last much longer. It seems whenever times are turbulent, American politics gets shaken up by extremists and/or opportunists hoping to benefit from populist rage. Will the teabaggers eventually join the likes of The Know-nothings, The Populists, and Ross Perot's Reform Party in the dustbin of history?

- Today's Reno Gazette Journal has an interesting article on Bill Raggio, "The Lion of the Legislature", who was forced by a foot injury to retire from The State Senate. Wow. He's been winning and losing elections almost as long as my dad has been alive!

- And finally, it sounds like Maven was feeling as frustrated as I was yesterday. Really, what have we done with Dr. King's dream?

In the next week, I'll continue to track the aftermath of the Arizona Tragedy, what's coming up in the 2011 session of The Nevada Legislature, and take a look at what Nevada's members of Congress are up to. Stay tuned!

Bye Bye Raggio

What just happened?

Citing health concerns, Northern Nevada's iconic state Sen. Bill
Raggio said today he will retire this month. The announcement comes
just two months after he was ousted from the leadership position he
had held for two decades.

“I had hoped to complete the remainder of my 10th elected term, but my
physical mobility simply does not allow me to function fully, and
therefore it is time for me to step aside for someone who can give the
position a 100 percent effort," Raggio said in a prepared statement.

For several sessions, Raggio's retirement had long been rumored as his
political might began to wane in the wake of his support for several
tax increases. Shortly after the election, his caucus ousted him as
leader, ostensibly because of his endorsement of Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid against Republican Sharron Angle. He also stepped
down from the powerful Finance Committee, but had been expected to
maintain a powerful negotiating position on budget issues and has been
a key figure in calling for a tax increase to save state services from
further cuts.

So I guess he really couldn't stomach another session in Carson City. He is getting older, he does have health issues, and the tension there clearly has been wearing on him...

But obviously, there's more to this story. While conservative, Raggio was never seen as ideologically "pure" by the teabaggers. He did support tax increases when it meant more money for Northern Nevada. He sparred often with tea-nut icons like Sharron Angle and Jim Gibbons. And of course, he endorsed Harry Reid last year.

Oh, and he committed "heresy" yet again when he stated the obvious on this year's budget.

So what happens next? We'll have to see. Bill Raggio has forgotten more Nevada history and Nevada politics than the teabaggers will ever know. Hopefully, the Washoe Commission will find a suitable replacement... And Mike McGinniss won't be scared into submission by the tea-nut brigade.

Former GOP First Lady Dema Guinn Endorses Harry Reid

The Former First Lady, the widow of Governor Kenny Guinn, has broken her silence on the US Senate race, reminded us all what's at stake here in Nevada, and defended the legacy of her late husband.

I want to thank so many people from across this state for the outpouring of support they have shown me and my family since Kenny’s passing. While it has been very difficult to adjust to a new life without him, my family and our many friendships have been a constant source of strength for me.

As many people know, with the loss of someone so close comes an almost daily reminder of things you wish you had said, but didn’t, or things you wish you had done, but for one reason or another never took the time to do. These new perspectives give you great resolve to stand up for things you may have once ignored or speak out on issues on which you may have remained silent in the past.

I love this state, and my husband loved this state. We dedicated our lives to public service in one way or another through our support of education, many charitable and community causes, and eventually in his holding public office. All of these efforts were our way of trying to make Nevada a better place to live and raise a family.

Kenny believed very strongly in education. He believed it was the single most important element to a successful life, vibrant state and strong economy. With better education came better jobs, and the ability for people of all economic circumstances, race, or handicap to take control of their lives and their future.

Given the challenges Nevada now faces in education and unemployment, our collective efforts in these areas and the choices we make on who will lead our state through these difficult times are more important than ever.

That is why I am supporting Senator Harry Reid for reelection.

Senator Reid’s unwavering support for vital education programs such as the Millennium Scholarship, together with his tireless efforts to create new jobs and protect Nevada businesses from the unprecedented challenges we have faced during these trying economic times earned my respect, and my vote.

Dema just threw down the gauntlet. And let's face it, she's right.

Education is the key to our future success. Better schools lead to the kind of well-educated workforce that Nevada needs to recruit more employers. We've had to learn the hard way that casinos and construction couldn't keep us on "Easy Street" forever. Better schools mean better jobs. Better schools mean a better economy.

And Harry Reid has fought hard for Nevada's schools and Nevada's kids!





But guess who hasn't? Remember who said that "the problem is only in Harry Reid's mind"?



And yet another Republican, another Nevada First Lady, has already been reminding us of Sharron Angle's destructive anti-education, anti-jobs agenda.



And here's Sharron Angle BOASTING about fighting Kenny Guinn on the famous 2003 budget. Guinn wanted to keep Nevada's schools open. Angle wanted to prove her wingnut "purity".



And that's why Bill Raggio, the State Senate REPUBLICAN leader, is also endorsing Reid.

“What is difficult to overlook is her record of being totally ineffective as a four-term assemblywomen, her inability or unwillingness to work with others, even within her own party, and her extreme positions on issues such as Medicare, social security, education, veterans affairs and many others.

“Some supporters tell me we need to support her because we need her vote in the U.S. Senate as a Republican and she ‘can't do much harm as a junior back bencher’! Since when should this be the criteria on how we select and vote for a U.S. Senator to represent our State?, I ask.

“I am a lifelong Republican and unlike Ms. Angle, I have never changed parties. I have always supported Jeffersonian principles of free enterprise, low taxes, limited government and fiscal responsibility. These were the same principles endorsed by every one of our Republican presidents, since the days of Lincoln, and including President Reagan, whom I knew personally, and who laid down the Republican 11th Commandment: Don't speak ill of other Republicans. In other words, quit calling dedicated people like former Governor Guinn and many other good Republicans RINO’s and other derogatory terms.

“Other than my inability to accept her extreme and often even radical ideas and positions, if there was any concern about my natural preference to endorse a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, it was removed altogether when Angle, in a secretly taped conversation, expressed her true feelings by slamming and disavowing the Republican Party saying it had ‘lost its standards and principles.’

“For all these reasons, I am unable to support Sharron Angle. We need someone in the U.S. Senate who can be effective, work with others, and best represent the interests of our State.

And this is something that Harry Reid is always striving for. That's why so many Republicans throughout Nevada have been endorsing Reid.





They know he's been working to bring more jobs here to Nevada. They know he's fought hard for Nevada schools. They know he's fought hard for Nevada's open spaces. They know he's the right fit for Nevada... And Sharron Angle is simply the wrong angle.

Is Reid perfect? Nope. Raggio thinks he's "too liberal" and too supportive of "Obama's socialist agenda". I think he's too conservative and should push President Obama and the Senate ConservaDems closer to what Democrats want and what Americans want. But you know what? It's not about either of us. It's about what's best for Nevada, and what's best for America. We need someone who will keep working for working Nevadans. We don't need another extremist ideologue who cares more about her personal agenda and her California lobbyist patrons than what's best for our state.

Leg Watch: Sex, Lies, & Corporate Cash

Oh goody, Ralston is back... And he hits hard on the new "scandal" everyone in Carson City is talking about.

I have been ruminating on what the proper reaction is to Steven Horsford’s “Money for Something and Your Access Ain’t Free” fundraising pitch. Or what the proper reaction to the reaction might be. [...]

What Horsford did was crass, heavy-handed and arrogant. But it takes a spectacular naiveté or a willful ignorance — and there is much more of the latter than the former in much of the reaction — not to realize this is just par for a course where membership is reserved only for a closed circle and where the entry fee for influence is often too rich for almost anyone without a Las Vegas Boulevard South address.

Of course, Ralston is talking about State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford (D) sending out a ridiculous letter recently promising special meals with him for big contributions. He even promised meals and extra "quality time" with Committee Chairs, apparently without even asking them if they wanted to do this!

It was pathetic. It was lame. It was dirty... And oh boy, it was clumsy!

So what exactly were the Republicans criticizing?

I smiled when I read of state Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio tut-tutting about Horsford’s solicitation, suggesting his counterpart had been intimidating lobbyists not to contribute to Republicans during the campaign season. This is laugh-out-loud funny, folks.

Raggio is the anti-Horsford, but not in the way he implied. When he was majority leader, Raggio was anything but blunt. A master of finesse, he knew how to inspire fear with a carefully chosen word or two, or perhaps by using someone else to send a message.

Don’t misunderstand: I don’t suggest Raggio ever did anything unethical. But when a consummate insider, a man who served on gaming and managed care boards while being the most powerful legislator in the state for decades, expresses disdain for Horsford’s blunt instrument, I figured he must be muttering, “That young man needs to learn a little subtlety.”

Even better, state GOP Chairman Mark Amodei’s sense of outrage was comically outrageous. “We never operated that way when we were in the majority,” Amodei told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Probably no laws were broken, but it sends a bad sign about the whole process. You need to raise money, but you don’t do that.”

This from the man who, while a state senator, auditioned for a job as the mining association’s top lobbyist and formed a political action committee with business interests he regulated. A sense of irony is always helpful, Mr. Chairman.

So Raggio and Amodei bash Horsford over his clumsy letter and want us to forget everything they did when in the majority? Seriously? And they want us to ignore their newest scandal involving their "Star Senator" Barbara Cegavske?

And if anyone is truly serious in uprooting Carson City corruption, why not discuss possible solutions? Solutions like clean money campaigning?



It's already being implemented in several states, and the results so far have been clear. If we really want to solve this problem, let's get to the root of it.

So what's the real root of this problem? It's MONEY, as in the corporate money that buys access in Carson City. Take the big corporate money out, and none of this has to happen any more For many decades now, it's been standard operating practice that the "big bid'nis'eez" with the best connected lobbyists, best parties, and biggest campaign contributions get the most access in state government. If we really want to do something about this problem, let's get to the source of it by ridding our election system of all this corporate corruption.

So when will we ever get a serious discussion on clean money campaigns and serious election reform? When will we demand that our elected officials listen to us instead of the big corporate powers that be?

NV-Sen: Bye Bye Suzy... And Hello Sharron?

Ah, the Suzy v. Sharron war continues in the Nevada GOoP. DC Beltway gossip rag Politico has some dirt on the new round of GOoPer infighting over the Senate Primary.

[... P]olitical strategists on both sides say Angle would have to step up her field organization and advertising apparatus to have any shot of beating the most powerful Democrat in the Senate.

Angle “has no clue about what is going to happen to her,” said a Nevada GOP insider. “She is in no way prepared for this, for a race at the federal level. She’s really out of her depth here.”

And when asked by the Politico reporter about "Angle-mania" among Nevada GOoPers, Suzy Lowdown just lost it.

Lowden stopped just short of saying that Angle would lose if she were the nominee, but said: “You think Harry Reid is afraid of her? Is he running commercials against her?”

In an interview Friday, Lowden denied suggestions she was in a free-fall, saying that the race has tightened in the final weeks because of the Tea Party Express’s endorsement of Angle — and because of the six-figure attack ad blitz from Reid’s allies.

Although Tarkanian insists that he can emerge from the three-way primary as Lowden begins to focus on Angle, Lowden said the race has become a two-way campaign between her and Angle.

During the interview, Lowden refused to say if she stood by her bartering-for-health-care comments, saying she was focusing instead on Nevada’s high unemployment and foreclosure rates. When a reporter asked Lowden about the comments, she accused him of “allowing” Reid to change the subject.

“If you want to change the subject and talk about the subject that no one else is talking about, that’s up to you,” Lowden said.

At the end of the interview, Lowden declined to discuss whether she shared Paul’s views on the Civil Rights Act.

“You can’t resist this, can you? I have no idea what another candidate says,” Lowden said.

Asked whether she had any concerns about the law’s reach into private business, Lowden said, “I’m going, thank you,” then abruptly hung up the phone.

Obviously, Ms. Suzy is upset. She thought she was "the anointed one" entitled to win this year. And all of a sudden, voters abandon her as she repeatedly sticks both feet in her mouth? And her long record of violating the law when it's too "inconvenient" for her is exposed? And Batsh*t Crazy Sharron Angle erases her lead in the polls?

Poor, poor, lil' rich Suzy Lowdown! Whatever will she do?

Meanwhile, we continue to learn more about just how batsh*t crazy Sharron Angle really is!

Democrats are eager to lump Angle together with other tea party candidates across the country — particularly amid the controversy Rand Paul has created with his comments about the Civil Rights Act.

And they believe an Angle win in the June 8 Nevada GOP primary would give them an appealing national narrative: that the Republicans’ November ticket across the country is filled with “extreme” candidates well outside the mainstream of American politics.

On her website — full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors — Angle declares: “Like a soldier going to war, I am fighting for my country, the Constitution and a free society.”

She wants to privatize Social Security; cut federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars; build nuclear power plants inside Yucca Mountain; abolish the federal income tax and institute a “simpler, fairer, flatter tax system”; “defund Obamacare”; pull the United States out of the United Nations; ban nearly all abortions; get rid of the Energy and Education departments as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and remove all campaign finance restrictions, requiring instead immediate reporting of donations.

And in a state with a large and growing Hispanic population, Angle takes a hard-line view on immigration, siding with the tough new Arizona law that gives law enforcement officials broad discretion to crack down on suspected illegal aliens.

No wonder why GOoPer insiders are freaking out!

Sharron Angle's surge in the U.S. Senate primary contest has created a rift within the Republican Party, with key establishment players unhappy that the Tea Party-backed conservative might upset their handpicked favorite, Sue Lowden, GOP insiders say.

Some Republicans even have threatened privately to support Democratic incumbent Harry Reid in the fall if Angle on June 8 wins the nomination, so great is the consternation in traditional GOP circles, where Lowden, the former party chairwoman, enjoys considerable support. [...]

A state GOP insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss candid talk among party figures, said the Angle surge has taken many Republicans by surprise, and they worry the conservative isn't the best choice to carry the party mantle and reach out to independent and Democratic voters.

"There are a lot of Republican insiders who believe Sharron's going to win this thing. And there aren't very many people in the elected Republican establishment who like her," the insider said.

Bill Raggio was quoted in the piece, and not even he would deny abandoning Angle if she wins the primary. After all, she nearly defeated him in 2008! Obviously, this infighting is turning quite bitter. The teabaggers are demanding purity while the establishment folks want one of their own.

The GOoP establishment tried so hard help Suzy Lowdown buy the primary... But the teabaggers wouldn't have any of it. It's increasingly looking like they'll end up with their own "Rand Paul situation" should Batsh*t Crazy Sharron Angle win the primary. Even Markos, who isn't always very happy with Harry Reid, is now acknowledging something I've been telling you here for quite some time.

Oh, and once more, Lil' Tark Shark is a crybaby.

"Danny Tarkanian has been a strong supporter of the Tea Party movement, and he can best help this movement by ending his campaign for U.S. Senate," said Bryan Shroyer, political director for the Tea Party Express, who noted Angle had racked up all the major conservative endorsements.

The Tarkanian campaign responded with some heat, saying the Tea Party Express is tied to long-time GOP consultants who just want to make money off the anti-big government movement.

"The Tea Party Express is leading the corporatization of the Tea Party movement, and it's distasteful," said Jamie Fisfis, a California-based consultant of the Tarkanian campaign.

Some things never change. Baby Tark looks to be going down, continually crying over spilled milk... Or is that tea?

And the bumper car ride that the GOoPer primary has become continues. Suzy Lowdown and Batsh*t Crazy Sharron Angle continue to fight over who's the wingnuttiest, with Baby Tark crying in the sidelines. And still, someone in Searchlight is smiling. He really did get his groove back. ;-)

Gibbons vs. Everyone

Apparently, "Luv-Guv" Gibbons is now a party of one.

For all their differences over cuts and fees, Nevada’s Legislature has found an unlikely unifying force: Gov. Jim Gibbons. [...]

Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said Gibbons had “crossed the line” with his remarks. “We rally as a team of senators, no matter what party you are from, when one of our folks is attacked. We are here to work together and not have those kind of disagreements.”

Lawmakers seemed to send that message Wednesday by passing a bill that would allow Nevada to apply for federal Race to the Top education money. They did so unanimously in the Assembly and by a veto-proof majority in the Senate.

The governor’s spokesman Dan Burns said Gibbons would veto the bill. [...]

“He’s running against the establishment even though he’s at the head of that establishment,” said Eric Herzik, head of the political science department at UNR. “Jim Gibbons seems to be his own party these days.”

So even though Gibbons himself amended his proclamation for the special session to include "Race to the Top" eligibility, he will still veto the bill because the Legislature's preferred language isn't exactly his. Klassy.

So what's making all this worse for Gibbons? He's taking on the "Master of the (State) Senate".

Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, lashed out at Gov. Jim Gibbons on Wednesday, widening a political fissure between the Legislature and the administration as lawmakers meet in special session to try to fill a nearly $900 million budget hole.

In a statement read on the Senate floor, the longtime lawmaker accused Gibbons, a Reno Republican, of having "failing memory," being "misinformed," or "intentionally distorting the facts." Raggio was responding to a newspaper article in Wednesday's Reno Gazette-Journal in which Gibbons said Raggio didn't "show up" at most budget meetings held in the weeks leading up to the special session that started Tuesday in Carson City.

Raggio said he attended at least eight meetings, and the governor was present at two.

"I don't know why he wants to pick a fight with me, unless it's for political reasons because I am supporting his primary opponent," Raggio, who's served in the Senate since 1973, said in his statement.

Asked afterward if he respects the governor, Raggio told reporters, "I respect the office, always will."

So Bill Raggio was attacked by Gibbons, and all the legislators (including the Republicans!) have declared open war on him. This really looks to be the next phase of "The Great Nevada GOP Civil War of 2010".

And after all, this special session is turning out to be just as much (if not more) about 2010 electoral politics as it is about balancing the budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal biennium. No really, think about it. Gibbons has used this all along as a "Reelect Gibbons 2010" campaign infomercial aimed directly at the teabaggers he needs to survive the June primary. Brian Sandoval has become involved, even though he's neither a legislator nor in the Gibbons Administration... And it seems the Raggio vs. Gibbons flame war is a proxy for the greater primary challenge.

And of course, there's also politicking on the Democratic side. Some legislators are afraid of the "no new taxes" boogeymen, while others are taking heed of what the progressive base has been trying to tell them all along.

Oh, and did I mention a plan is now emerging from the Nevada Legislature?

Among their goals was to reduce Gibbons’ cuts in K-12 education by half and restore $50 million to health care and social services. Although closed-door negotiations continued late Wednesday, parts of the Democrats’ plan emerged, signaling the Legislature will have to raise millions of dollars more than Gibbons had proposed in fees to close the $887 million deficit.

In a moment of political theater, Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, called for members to raise their hands if they wanted to reduce the cut in state funding for K-12 from 10 percent to 5 percent.

“If we’re not reaching an agreement privately, we have no choice but to ask folks where they stand here,” Buckley said. “I don’t mean to put anyone on the spot. But we need to move on. We need to balance the budget.”

All the Democrats voted in favor, and none of the 14 Republicans raised their hands.

The smaller cuts in school budgets will likely force legislators to find $87.5 million in revenue or additional trims. [...]

Democrats have discussed raising $50 million from mining, $64 million from gaming and $8.5 million from higher business license fees. But so far, the cuts they have publicly proposed to undo would outstrip that revenue.

Other parts of the emerging plan include:

• $8.5 million in fee increases for businesses. Secretary of State Ross Miller justified the increase by saying that because of increased responsibilities, layoffs and furloughs, wait times for business licensing spiked from an average of four days a year ago to 37 days. The head of the Nevada Registered Agent Association testified in favor of the bill.

• Scuttle some of the proposed sweeping of various accounts because of constitutional concerns.

• Restore $24.7 million in health and human services cuts.

Gibbons reduced some of the proposed cuts to the agency that drew the loudest protests. He said federal money could cover restoration of $24 million in cuts that included eliminating housing assistance for the mentally ill and mentally disabled, hiring front-line welfare workers and providing dentures for the poor and elderly.

But legislators want to restore money to care for the elderly in their homes; to eliminate a 10 percent proposed cut to Clark County child welfare; and avoid implementing increases in health insurance premiums for children of poor families.

Well, I guess all our agitating from the "wacko Commie-loving extreme left" is working. It finally looks like a comprehensive plan is emerging that won't be completely "balanced" on the backs of the working poor.

OK, so Gibbons will likely veto it? So what! Even the Republican legislators have abandoned him. Let them fight their civil war and destroy each other in the primary.

Democrats in Carson City finally look to be finding their own voices, and this is exactly what they need to do to sideline Gibbons, pass a real budget, and win the fall election.

Bill Raggio Recall Quickly Becoming a Hot Mess... Thanks to the "Teabaggers"

“These folks are pretty motivated to show up at events and carry signs, but they don’t quite get how to take that enthusiasm and put it into political action,” said Chuck Muth, a conservative activist and political consultant. “This is the next step for Tea Party activists. If they want to show up at rallies and complain about things, that’s fine. But now is the time to take their words and put them into action.”

Hehe. If even resident far right crazy Chuckie Muth is abandoning you, then you're in deep sh*t. Of course since State Sen. Bill Raggio (R-Reno) pared down and "sunset" this year's big tax/budget package, as well as made sure it included the most regressive taxes possible, he's now being labeled a "LIB'RUL!!!!1111111!!!!!!11111" by the tea party crazies. Oh yeah, and they want to recall him, too.

Reno businessman Dana Allen, whose been active in local Tea Party rallies, has formed a committee to recruit volunteers for a potential recall petition against Raggio, a veteran lawmaker whose been the head of Senate Republicans since the 1980s.

Allen said he plans to file official recall documents this week. That would start a 90-day clock for collecting 14,281 valid signatures from voters in Raggio’s west Reno district to force a special recall election. [...]

Allen said the Tea Party activists, many of whom are [Ron] Paul supporters, are different from those who have failed to deliver in the past.

“It has gone farther than I was expecting,” Allen said of the Tea Party rallies. “They’ve helped create associations where people can start working together on things. This time is different.”

Of course, we can't take this threat lightly. Right now, Democrats in Washington and Carson City really need to do more to motivate Democratic voters to actually get out and vote. If Democrats don't vote, the teabaggers may just win.

But if the sane majority actually gets out and votes, like they did in NY-23 earlier this month, the teabaggers just can't win. They have no real issues to run on. And their hypocrisy on "less government", just as long as that means Taliban-style theocracy and government largesse only benefitting their big corporate buddies, is simply laughable.

And just like the NY-23 special election, it still seems they're more interested in imploding the Republican Party from the inside than making any real change in the real world. That's what it seems is happening with the Raggio recall attempt. If they want to take out the Republican Senate leader and one of the few respected Republicans left in Nevada, go for it. They'll only be hurting GOP attempts to look "mainstream" and acceptable for 2010. And if "moderate Republicans" like Brian Sandoval and Joe Heck keep trying to have it both ways and court the "teabagger vote" while trying to dupe Nevadans into thinking they're "moderates", they'll look awfully ridiculous standing by the very same people who are even trying to throw traditional conservative Republicans like Bill Raggio out of office.

Democrats still have work to do to survive 2010, but at least Republicans are making things easier by turning up the infighting to even more insanely laughable levels.