ENOUGH.

In my readings last night, I found myself combing through Dave Neiwert's archives. If you haven't done so already, bookmark him. He's tracked the radical right for years, and he's been warning us for some time of what might happen if we continue to let the extremist hate speech escalate. Last month, he caught Glenn Beck uttering this nonsense...



Nonsense that now feels creepy for some reason. I wonder why.

Now he's predicting IMMINENT VIOLENT REVOLUTION led by those evil progressive radicals who hate the Republic inside the Obama administration. In case he didn't notice, the actual dynamic in Washington these days is actually just a wee bit different, since it's become manifestly clear that President Obama is anything BUT a radical revolutionary. But hey, nothing ever deters the intrepid Beck in the pursuit of his apocalyptic conspiracy theories.

Well, let's be clear: Beck has been warning about this dire imminent threat for quite awhile now. You'll recall he predicted last spring that eeevil progressives were planning a 'summer of rage' filled with violence, death and chaos.

Yeah, that really panned out, eh? Instead we got Byron Williams. Hmmmm.

This theory really is just a warmed-over version of the IMMINENT DIRE THREAT Beck has been shouting at us about since he signed onto Fox. It's become repetitive but more intensified, a manifestation of Beck's steadily creeping paranoia.

After all, he's been theorizing that Obama's band of administration radicals are planning a "global redistribution of the wealth" for a long time -- often flavored with black-helicopter militia theories about a "New World Order". He's been predicting George Soros would try to kill him, and warning that the eeeevil Left is plotting to frame the Tea Partiers for an act of domestic terrorist violence, adding that if right-wing violence does break out, it will have been provoked by Obama and the liberals.

More recently, there have been such similarly credible theories that the European Union Parliament building was intended to resemble the Tower of Babel, and that the evil Holocaust survivor George Soros is plotting to take over the world.

This is yet another reason why I was not all that surprised when my dad called me Saturday morning and told me that a Congresswoman in Arizona, along with dozens more, were shot. Sadly, this was bound to happen.

From a moral viewpoint Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is the victim of demagogues such as Glenn Beck and his allies at Fox News and in the Tea Party Movement. This is not about legal liability but abour moral culpability. This is about a nation that has lost its moral compass.

Some of us progressive writers have been warning about this dangerous trend for several years. This includes my colleagues Fred Clarkson, David Neiwert, Sara Robinson, John Amato, Adele Stan, and others. We blame right-wing demagogues like Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter and a culture that tolerates their vicious targeting of scapegoats.

Now the shootings have created a new word floating across cyberspace: "becking." To be "becked" is to be held up as such an evil and destructive person that someone, somewhere, will interpret it as a call to eliminate that problem through violence.

Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik couldn't have been any clearer in explaining how the escalating culture of "violent politics" paved the way for Jared Lee Loughner to commit his heinous crime.

“When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And, unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” [...]

“We need to do some soul searching … It’s the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business. People tend to pooh-pooh this business about the vitriol that inflames American public opinion by the people who make a living off of that. That may be free speech but it’s not without consequences.”

And while Loughner's exact motives for Saturday's massacre are still unclear, the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that has tracked extreme right and hate groups for decades, has unearthed some frightening clues.

At one point, Loughner refers disparagingly to “currency that’s not backed by gold or silver.” The idea that silver and gold are the only “constitutional” money is widespread in the antigovernment “Patriot” movement that produced so much violence in the 1990s. It’s linked to the core Patriot theory that the Federal Reserve is actually a private corporation run for the benefit of unnamed international bankers. So-called Patriots say paper money — what they refer to with a sneer as “Federal Reserve notes” — is not lawful.

At another, Loughner makes extraordinarily obscure comments about language and grammar, suggesting that the government engages in “mind control on the people by controlling grammar.” That’s not the kind of idea that’s very common out there, even on the Internet. In fact, I think it’s pretty clear that Loughner is taking ideas from Patriot conspiracy theorist David Wynn Miller of Milwaukee. Miller claims that the government uses grammar to “enslave” Americans and offers up his truly weird “Truth-language” as an antidote. For example, he says that if you add colons and hyphens to your name in a certain way, you are no longer taxable. Miller may be mad as a hatter, but he has a real following on the right.

Loughner talks about how you “can’t trust the government” and someone burns a U.S. flag in one of his videos. Although certain right-wing websites are already using that (and his listing of The Communist Manifesto as one of his favorite books) to claim that Loughner was a “left-winger,” that does not strike me as true. The main enemy of the Patriot movement is certainly the federal government. And so-called Patriots have certainly engaged in acts like burning the flag.

Finally, I think Loughner’s reading list, although it included children’s books and a few classics, had an underlying theme — the individual versus the totalitarian state. Certainly, that’s the explicit central theme of Ayn Rand’s We the Living and Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, among others. I would argue that that’s the way Loughlin seems to be reading The Communist Manifesto and Hitler’s Mein Kampf — as variants of a kind of generalized “smash the state” attitude.

Chip Berlet of Political Research Associates, which does similar work to that of Hatewatch, points out in a post earlier today that Loughner also makes a reference to a “second American constitution.” As Chip notes, that is commonly understood to refer to the Reconstruction amendments that freed the slaves and gave them citizenship, among other things. Chip says that “raises the question of a possible racist and anti-immigrant tie” in the Arizona shooting.

OK, so Loughner may have been dabbling in some looney tunes nonsense, possibly even including a known white supremacist hate group. What does this have to do with Glenn Beck... Or Sarah Palin and Sharron Angle for that matter? Well, it comes back to the teabaggers. The "tea party" is a sort of umbrella classification of a number of far right organizations and politicians, but there is definitely strong evidence to show that leading "tea party" figures are trying to legitimize the same extreme ideology of the extreme right that influenced past terrorists, like Timothy McVeigh.

And worse, as Glenn Beck warns of supposed "conspiracies of the left" to bring about "imminent violent revolution", and as Sarah Palin tells her followers, "never retreat, instead RELOAD!", and as Sharron Angle suggests "Second Amendment Remedies" to take care of "enemies in our own system... in the walls of Congress"...



Far too many media pundits and politicians in DC have been far too willing to simply dismiss this as "politics as usual". This is NOT "politics as usual". This is an ever escalating culture of political violence that must stop!



Again, I had feared something like this would eventually happen. Last year, I feared Harry Reid would be the victim. I had seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the teabaggers' unplugged, unfiltered, and unfettered irrational hatred of Harry Reid... As well as President Barack Obama, for that matter. While "Tea Party, Inc." consultants in California were just focusing on building enough opposition to win an election, the opposition among many teabaggers ran far deeper.



I saw it for myself last March in Searchlight. Thankfully, I observed no violent acts there. But without a doubt, the same overheated rhetoric seen there has also encouraged violence throughout the country in the last two years. And even in the course of the last year, I myself was hearing people saying things as vile as hoping for Harry Reid's death. Some friends of mine were nearly run over by a "tea party"/Sharron Angle fan in a white truck.

But that wasn’t the only violent incident. Before the event began, about 50 Harry Reid supporters lined the sidewalk facing Haulapai with supportive signs. We were getting dozens of honks, thumbs up and waving. A few sour faces drove past, but one bitter Angle supporter in particular took her distaste for Harry Reid too far. She ran her white Toyota truck (NV license plate SCL-006 ) on to the sidewalk, nearly hitting me, a man to my left (who was disabled and had a brace on his right foot) and two women to my right. Several people chased after her and took pictures of her license plate.

Apparently the woman confronted some people in our group after parking her car because she was upset we took pictures of her license plate. I did not see her come near our group because I was consoling the women to my right who were on the verge of tears. People who were across the street were coming over to see if we were okay, and to verify if they saw what they thought they saw: a woman in a white truck (covered in “Angle for Senate”, “Dump Reid” “Don’t Tread on Me” “Nobama” stickers) drive her car onto the sidewalk and try to hit us. She in fact did.

Tire marks on the sidewalk:

Ironically, the driver (who turns out, is a school teacher) was escorted out of the forum by police just minutes before “the fight” broke out for being disruptive.

Sharron Angle has called for an armed revolt against the United Stated government should she lose this election. She has called forHarry Reid to be killed. The leader of the Republican Tea Party, Sarah Palin (who has endorsed Angle and gave the Angle campaign money via Sarah PAC) repeatedly instructs people not to “retreat” but to “reload” when faced with adversity.

The behavior we saw tonight was the result these violent provocations. I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.

Yes, that was the night of the fateful "forum" at Faith Lutheran High School in Summerlin. And yes, this actually happened BEFORE a male Sharron Angle fan started punching a female Harry Reid supporter inside!

Even while I was confident a majority of Nevadans would reject this extremism, I was also afraid of how an enraged, radicalized minority would react.

And again, this has been happening throughout the country. Andrew Sullivan reminded us again yesterday of the violent hate speech that had often been limited to fringe extremists, but has now been popularized by "tea party" icon Sarah Palin.

The point here is not that there is any connection between this random post and political violence. The point is the worldview Palin holds. It is zero-sum. It expresses itself in clear and stark violent imagery. It is constantly about attack, conflict, combat, "enemy territory", "Big Guns", battle. This rhetorical background is so deeply part of the narrative we barely notice it any more. But it is not truly the language of politics; it's the language of war.
Just look again at this ad that ran against Giffords last November. And ponder a moment:

If you are not disturbed by what it proclaims as the essence of true conservatism - a sun-glass-wearing soldier with a machine gun in his open crotch - you should be.

And again, there's a strong possibility that the revolting rants of the "Patriot Movement" fringes of the "tea party", backed up by the radicalized messaging pushed by the likes of Beck and Palin, are encouraging mentally disturbed people like Jared Lee Loughner to resort to violence.

In a series of videos, he gave a rambling account of obsessions and paranoias that appeared to be troubling him with increasing intensity up to the catastrophe. They included references to conscious dreaming, or "conscience dreaming" as he called it, a process of directing one's own dreams that he is thought to have practised. Another was a belief in the gold and silver standard of currency – a favourite topic of the rightwing of American politics that is regularly propounded by the Fox News commentator Glenn Beck.

The tone of Loughner's rantings is almost exclusively conservative and anti-government, with echoes of the populist campaigning of the Tea Party movement. "Don't trust the government listener!" he said in one video, accusing Washington of mind control and brainwashing.

The US constitution, the bible of the Tea Parties, features heavily, as does the suggestion that the federal government is acting against the text. "You don't have to accept the federalist laws. Read the United States of America constitution to apprehend all of the current treasonous laws."

There is also a strong streak of implicit violence in the postings.

He linked to his favourite video, America: Your Last Memory in a Terrorist Country, which shows a ghostly figure burning the US flag in the desert to a heavy metal song that repeatedly chants "Let the bodies hit the floor!"

He referred to people calling him a terrorist and wrote "a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially as a political weapon."

So are all teabaggers terrorists? No, far from it. Are Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Sharron Angle guilty of murder? No, and I would never accuse them of that. But has the tone of the "tea party" become so enraged that it's encouraged violence? There is increasing evidence to show just that. And has the message of the "tea party" turned so hateful that the mentally disturbed take it the wrong way and take images of "take Harry Reid out", "Obamanation", and cross hairs over Gabrielle Giffords' district as a more literal call to arms? I fear so.

Enough is enough. This just has to stop.

I'll conclude with a warning from Desert Beacon.

Perhaps the notion that this act of violence was the result of a deranged mind will become popular in some circles. If this is the case then there are two problems to address. First, if this individual was, in fact, mentally incompetent to understand the consequences of his actions, when - where - and how did his family and community miss the signals that his mental health was deteriorating?  Did they attempt to seek help for him? Where mental health services available? Affordable?

The second issue is, of course, who filled that fragile mind?  Was he listening to hate radio broadcasts -- ones with fiery rhetoric replete with visions of doom and gloom for the republic? Was he watching broadcasts or reading inflammatory media which made violence an attractive option? There's a precedent for this. In April 2007 a man was arrested in California for stalking and harassing then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. [WaPo] In April 2010, Charles Alan Wilson, stalked and harassed Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) leaving messages saying "It only takes one piece of lead." His family was disturbed by the effect Glenn Beck's television show had on him.  [HP] August 10, 2010, the California Highway Patrol arrested Byron Williams while he was wearing his body armor and threatening to take out the Tides Foundation, because, as his family explained, Beck had "opened his mind." [WaPo] [SFgate]

These weren't the first incidents. In April 2009 three police officers were assassinated in Pittsburgh by Ron Poplawski, who feared, "Obama would take away his gun rights." [NDN] In July 2008, Jim Adkisson of Powell, TN, killed 2 and wounded 7 in his attack on a Knoxville church. Adkisson explained: "He felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets," the affidavit said. "Because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement ... he would then target those that had voted them into office." [CNN] In June 2009, white supremacist and former resident of Butler's Hayden Lake, ID compound walked into the U.S. Holocaust Museum and killed the African American guard who opened the door for him. [CNN] It only took a very few individuals to bring down the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. [wik] There's an older song about all this:

"You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid 
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late, 
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!" [link, credits]

Terror in Arizona: The People Behind The Headlines

As we're still trying to make sense of what happened yesterday, we should remember the real human toll of this horrid act of domestic terrorism. We now know more about the victims slain yesterday...

Christina Greene, 9,who was born in Maryland on 9/11. She was featured in a book called "Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11". A neighbor took her to the event, thinking the girl would enjoy it. We're told the neighbor was also shot.

Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, was recently engaged to be married, was Giffords' director of community outreach. He graduated from University High School in 1998 where he was active in student government. A vigil was held tonight by his friends who described him as "caring," "motivated," "a free spirit," and "a man who understood how to live life"

U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63, earned his law degree from UA in 1972. Roll was nominated to the federal bench in 1991, and has been the chief judge of the district of Arizona since 2006.

Dorwin Stoddard, 76, was a church volunteer. When the shooting started, Dorwin tried to protect his wife by laying on top of her when the shooting started. She was wounded in the attack.

Others killed:

Dorthy Morris, 76
Phyllis Scheck, 79

These people come from various walks of life, and were at that suburban Tucson strip mall yesterday for various reasons.

There was federal judge John Roll, known for his dedication to his country, his state of Arizona, and the law.



And there was Gabe Zimmerman, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' director of community outreach. Two other Giffords aides were also injured by yesterday's attack, but are expected to recover.

Gabe Zimmerman was chatting with constituents in the line to speak with U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when the first shots rang out.

Zimmerman, one of five staffers and two interns at the "Congress on Your Corner" event, was killed by a gunman who opened fire on Giffords before spraying the crowd with bullets.

Two other Giffords staffers, district director Ron Barber and community-outreach worker Pam Simon, also were injured in the shooting, but are expected to recover. All three were part of a loyal core of Giffords staffers who have been with the congresswoman since she first went to Washington, D.C., Giffords' spokesman C.J. Karamargin said.

As director of community outreach, Zimmerman had organized the event.

"He was asking them what they needed," said Mark Kimble, a speech writer standing a few feet away.

Zimmerman, a 30-year-old social worker with a master's degree, brought compassion to his job.

"Gabe was a master at dealing with people," Karamargin said. "He truly cared about helping people. There were no politics involved in this." [...]

Michael McNulty, a Tucson attorney who chaired Giffords' campaigns since she first ran for the state House, said Zimmerman was "as close to a purely good human being as I've ever known. He worked tirelessly to solve people's problems."

And there was Christina Taylor Greene, a 9 year old girl who already had a strange association with another sad day of terrorism.

The 9-year-old girl who died is Christina Green, says her uncle Greg Segalini. A neighbor was going to Saturday's event and invited Christina along because she thought she would enjoy it.

"The next thing you know this happened. How do you prepare for something like this. My little niece got killed-took one on the chest and she is dead," Segalini said outside the girl's house.

Christina had just been elected to the student council at her school. The event, held outside a Safeway supermarket north of Tucson, was an opportunity for constituents to meet Giffords and talk about any concerns they had related to the federal government.

Christina was involved in many activities, from ballet to baseball, Segalini said.

"She was real special and real sweet," Segalini said.

But even amidst the unfettered evil and hate that was brutally unleashed yesterday, there were also a few courageous American heroes.

Daniel Hernandez Jr., a 20-year-old University of Arizona student who’d been working as an intern for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for only five days, is being credited with saving her life after she was shot on Saturday.

Hernandez, who confirmed that he is gay in an interview with Instant Tea on Sunday morning, is a member of theCity of Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. “She’s been a great ally to the LGBT community,” Hernandez said of Giffords during the brief interview across a bad connection.

According to the Arizona Republic, Hernandez was standing about 30 feet from Giffords during the “Congress on Your Corner” event outside a Safeway store near Tucson. When the gunshots began, Hernandez ran toward them and began checking the pulses of people who’d been hit. When Hernandez got to Giffords, he used his hand to apply pressure to the entry wound on her forehead.  He pulled her into his lap and held her upright so she wouldn’t choke on her blood.

Daniel Hernandez is shown with Giffords in this image from his Facebook page.

Hernandez used his hand to apply pressure to the wound until someone brought clean smocks from the meat department of the grocery store. He stayed with Giffords until paramedics arrived, then climbed into an ambulance with her. On the way to the hospital, he squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

Thank goodness Daniel Hernandez was there, and thank goodness he knew what to do.

He waited at the hospital while she went into surgery. He needed to tell police what had happened. He overheard people walking by talking about how Giffords had died. He also heard this on NPR. Later, he learned she had lived.

"I was ecstatic," he said. "She was one of the people I've looked up to. Knowing she was alive and still fighting was good news. She's definitely a fighter, whether for her own life, or standing up for people in southern Arizona."

The fact that Hernandez was nearby and able to react quickly probably saved Giffords' life, said state Rep. Matt Heinz, D-Tucson, and a hospital physician. He talked to Hernandez at the hospital after the shooting.

Eight hours after the shooting, Hernandez stood with Giffords' friends and staff and told them what had happened. The tall, strong 20-year-old said, "Of course you're afraid, you just kind of have to do what you can."

They hugged and thanked him. Later, he sat with his mom and sisters and told them about his friends and the staffers who had died that day.

"You just have to be calm and collected," he said. "You do no good to anyone if you have a breakdown. . . . It was probably not the best idea to run toward the gunshots, but people needed help."

Sometimes it takes a few people, people like the victims of this senseless tragedy, along with the heroes who saved lives yesterday, to remind me of the veracity of something President Bill Clinton once said, that there isn't anything wrong about our country that can't be fixed by what's right about our country.

What happened yesterday harmed real people. And these people were keen on helping other people. This should not have happened to them.

A 9 year old girl who was already excited about serving the community was lost. A 30 year old guy who was just engaged was lost, right as he was organizing yet another community event for Southern Arizonans to discuss their problems, issues, and concerns with their local member of Congress. A local church volunteer laid down his life so that his wife's could be spared. And a highly respected judge, a judge who just wanted to stop at the local Safeway to say hello to his Congresswoman, was lost.

I'm still trying to make sense of all of this.

We can't forget these people and the stories they've told. And we shouldn't forget those like Daniel Hernandez and Dorwin Stoddard, people who put themselves at risk (which proved to be fatal for Stoddard) to save others. Even as I wonder how our country and our political system can move forward after this gruesome show of brutality, I am reminded of the compassion, the caring, and the spirit of service of our people. This is what still makes America great, and we can't ever forget that.

Sarah, Sharron, Jesse, Gabby, & "Second Amendment Remedies"

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time moving past this infamous Sharron Angle quote:



Back in June of last year, just as the 2010 general election campaign was kicking off, Rachel Maddow took Angle to task over her casual references of "Second Amendment Remedies".



Some just laughed it off, but this was really a serious problem...



That we're now realizing can reach frightening conclusions.

Her father Spencer Gifford[s], 75, wept when asked if his 40-year-old daughter had any enemies.

"Yeah," he told The Post. "The whole tea party."

The dad, who was rushing to University Medical Center in Tuscon, said that politicians constantly faced danger.

"They always get threat[ened]," Gifford[s] cried.

This is the horrifying result of making light of "Second Amendment Remedies".

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who represents a district adjacent to Gabrielle Giffords's, said that Saturday's shooting is a consequence of the vitriolic rhetoric that has arisen over the past few years among extreme elements of the Tea Party.

"The climate has gotten so toxic in our political discourse, setting up for this kind of reaction for too long. It's unfortunate to say that. I hate to say that," Grijalva said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "If you're an opponent, you're a deadly enemy," Grijalva said of the mindset among Arizona extremists. "Anybody who contributed to feeding this monster had better step back and realize they're threatening our form of government."

Grijalva said that Tea Party leader Sarah Palin should reflect on the rhetoric that she has employed. "She -- as I mentioned, people contributing to this toxic climate -- Ms. Palin needs to look at her own behavior, and if she wants to help the public discourse, the best thing she could do is to keep quiet."

Remember that Sarah Palin put her district in cross hairs. And remember that Giffords' GOP/"tea party" opponent, Jesse Kelly, proudly stood by his M16 rifle in campaign ads while suggesting "Second Amendment Solutions" and boasting of "placing the cross hairs squarely on Giffords".

In an luridly prophetic MSNBC interview back in March of last year, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) warned of the consequences of allowing overheated rhetoric to boil over into violence.

I mean, this is a situation where -- I mean, people don't -- they really need to realize that the rhetoric and firing people up and, you know, even things, for example, we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list. But the thing is that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district.

When people do that, they've gotta realize there's consequences to that action.

Sadly, Gabrielle Giffords herself, along with 24 others in Tucson yesterday, were victims of those consequences. And while questions remain over the actual motives of the suspect in this case, it's increasingly clear how the "tea party" and its escalating flirtation with violence hasn't helped matters.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Maven and Desert Beacon are right. How could we not see this coming? As I said yesterday, our political leaders from across the political spectrum need to dial down the heated rhetoric. And hopefully, we'll never again hear Sharron Angle, Jesse Kelly, Sarah Palin, or anyone else speak so lightly of "Second Amendment Remedies".

Arizona Congress Member Gabrielle Giffords Shot, Aide & Federal Judge Killed... Blood on Teabaggers' Hands?

So is this the logical conclusion of Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment Remedies"?

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head and an aide was killed Saturday when an assailant opened fire in an area where the lawmaker was meeting with constituents, officials said.

There were varying accounts on Giffords' condition, but a hospital spokesman said the Democratic lawmaker was in critical condition. An aide to Giffords was killed. An unknown number of others were injured, officials said, including additional aides to the lawmaker.

Congressional officials said one of the victims died soon after the attack, and others were taken to a nearby hospital.

So far, (federal) Judge John Roll has been confirmed dead, along with Giffords' Congressional aide and possibly a nine year old child as well.

Now before I go further, let me clarify this. Seriously, I'm not blaming all Republicans for this. I have many good Republican friends and family here, and they would NEVER condone such horrifying violent acts as this.

However, there's no doubt in my mind that all the heated, radical rhetoric from the teabaggers has certainly fueled this fire for violence in this country. I just hope The Secret Service is stepping up security for President Obama, and that Harry Reid and Shelley Berkley are getting good security here in Nevada.

It doesn't help when Jesse Kelly, the "tea party" Republican who ran against Giffords last year, spoke so often of "getting on target" to "remove" Giffords from office. It doesn't help when Sarah Palin put out a "target list" showing cross hairs to identify Democrats, including Giffords, she was "targeting". Remember, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"?

And of course, it doesn't help when leading "tea party" politicians, such as Nevada's own Sharron Angle, turn up the heat and encourage such violence with such horrifyingly extreme rhetoric.



I'm incredibly horrified by what happened today in Southern Arizona... But sadly, I'm not all that shocked. This was bound to happen. When our political climate becomes so heated, so polarized, and so radicalized, violence is bound to result. In the next few days, I hope Gabrielle Giffords survives surgery and begins full recovery. And I hope all of our political leaders- left, right, and center- condemn this horrid, criminal, possibly terrorist act, and urge Americans not to allow our politics to become so bloody.

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.

It's Tea Time... In Congress. Do You Know Where Your Health Care Is?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Teabaggers are already in a fury over The House taking a vote this month, perhaps as soon as next week, to repeal health care reform. Even though their efforts are violating THEIR OWN RULES, House Republicans are adamant in cramming through repeal ASAP. Why? Bob Herbert nails it.

The fundamental mission of the G.O.P. is to shovel ever more money to those who are already rich. That’s why you got all that disgracefully phony rhetoric from Republicans about attacking budget deficits and embracing austerity while at the same time they were fighting like mad people to pile up the better part of a trillion dollars in new debt by extending the Bush tax cuts.

This is a party that has mastered the art of taking from the poor and the middle class and giving to the rich. We should at least be clear about this and stop being repeatedly hoodwinked — like Charlie Brown trying to kick Lucy’s football — by G.O.P. claims of fiscal responsibility.

After all, health care reform includes a number of cost saving measures. One of the tenets attacked the most by the right (as well as some on the left), mandates (that is, requirements that individuals have insurance and employers offer insurance), is actually the key to lowering costs for everyone. The more people are covered, the less we have to worry about people using the emergency room as "primary care", thereby driving up costs for all of us.

Yet Republicans refuse to pay attention to these facts. Why? See above.

For all their talk of "respecting The Constitution", they already plan to ignore all the parts of it they don't like. Why? Again, see above. That's never been their real reason to attack reform. For that, one must follow the money (and juice) trail. Whatever the insurance companies want, the House GOPers will try to shove down our throats.

Oh joy, this next Congress should be a hoot! [snark]

New Year, New Start, New Governor... Really?

So Brian Sandoval has taken his oath. A new day has come?

"I think there is a lot of hope with Brian Sandoval," said Fred Lokken, a political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno. "Stylistically, we have already seen dramatic differences from the Gibbons administration. I feel Sandoval has put together a good Cabinet and has done it quickly. And unlike Gibbons, they will work and stay with him for a period of time and not create the instability that Gibbons had in his administration."

Or has it really? If we're to believe the donor list for Sandoval's inauguration celebrations, perhaps not.

He was recruited to run for governor by two of the state’s leading business lobbyists and was employed by one of Nevada’s largest lobbying firms.

A glance at the list of corporate sponsors of Sandoval’s inaugural celebration reflects those ties and includes companies and interests with some of the thorniest issues before the Legislature next year. They have spent a considerable amount of money on gaining access to political decision-makers.

Barrick Gold, for example, is at the top of the list of $25,000 Platinum sponsors on the inauguration announcements. The mining industry is a top target for those who are fighting for more taxes to better fund state services. [...]

In addition to Barrick, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Las Vegas and the Retailers Association have contributed $25,000.

Donors at the $10,000 and $5,000 level include his employer, the Jones Vargas law firm, Pfizer, United Health and CVS.

So meet the new boss, same as the old boss? See, I wasn't really far off after all. We are continually confronted with the brutal reality of the changes we must make to survive the future.

In November, the Brookings Institution and London School of Economics released a report saying that Las Vegas’ economic performance ranked fifth-worst among 150 metropolitan areas around the world, and prospects for a rapid recovery are dim with its dependence on domestic tourism and construction.

In December, the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies published a white paper that said what Nevada needs to be successful at diversification is to place greater priority on public schools, colleges and universities. [...]

The latest report on the Las Vegas economy shows the need for diversification.

In its Mountain Monitor that measures the region’s economic performance, Brookings said Las Vegas ranked second to last among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas through the third quarter. The index measures changes in employment, unemployment, gross metro product and house prices from before the recession to the present. Only gross metro product, up by 0.1 percent, increased, the report said.

Economic data from the third quarter show Las Vegas is losing ground, but at a slackening pace on almost every indicator, the report said.

“The fact that other metros with different economic bases and stronger, more resilient economic engines have been able to pull themselves out of recession and into recovery underscores the need for a fundamental reflection on the nature and prospects of Southern Nevada’s current economic base,” the report said. “Again, reaching, let alone surpassing its pre-recession size will require Las Vegas’ economy to first end its slide and second post exceptional growth rates in the years ahead. But where will the growth come from? This growth can likely only be powered by a substantially retooled economic engine, one fueled much more than the last economy ever was, by human capital, innovation and exports.”

Cheese louise, when did my name become Cassandra? (Oh please, oh please, I do NOT want to see the destruction of Las Vegas Troy!)

And just what will it take to get folks in Carson City to realize we really will be heading towards doom and destruction if we allow our infrastructure, everything from our schools to our transportation to our parks, to continue to be cannabalized, just so a few craven politicians can fulfill their "no new taxes" lies "promises" and jump to higher office? When will the madness stop?

Even Sandoval's staunchest allies, such as longtime state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, are wary of Sandoval's no-new-taxes stance. It was the same stance Gibbons of Reno took.

Gibbons was forced to break it on occasion, including the time when he put revenue from a proposed hotel-room tax hike into Nevada's biennium budget.

Raggio said Sandoval has the potential to become a great governor, adding: "I have heard what he said. I have heard what a lot of candidates have said, and my point is that it is easy to say 'no taxes, no taxes, no taxes.' But on the other hand, you have got an obligation to provide for essential services, and it is not the answer to push them over to local government and let them do it because that money will also come from taxes. So all you are doing is shifting the liability over."

When even Bill Raggio states the obvious, it's well past time to pay attention! But will Sandoval? Or will he try some "third way" out like "Home Rule" (aka passing the buck for government from the state onto the counties, primarily Clark and Washoe)? Or will he just let The Legislature do all the "dirty work" for him in piecing together yet another back room deal "compromise" that depends on "quick fixes" not slash essential services as much as originally threatened?

Whatever the case, Scott Dickensheets was certainly onto something this morning when he asked just how "new" our new Governor's "ideas" really are.

And no, I don't enjoy "bashing Brian". I'm not out to "settle scores", pass along gossip, or be bitchy. I keep coming back to this because I don't see how the failed "quick fixes" of the past can work for us again. We have to change course, and frankly the sooner we do the better we'll fare.

I don't want to give up on Nevada. In fact, I refuse to give up on Nevada. The ball is now in Brian Sandoval's court. Is he too afraid to make the slam dunk we all need? And if he is, will someone(s) else step up in his absence?

10 of '10: The #1 Story of 2010- YOU!

Yes, that's right. I'm finishing off this series with you. YOU were the biggest story of 2010.

You decided this election. You spent even more time volunteering than I! You helped your fellow Nevadans in need. You spoke out when necessary. And you will be essential in shaping Nevada's future in 2011 and beyond.

We've heard so many stories of what we supposedly are. Apparently we're stupid, uncaring, lazy, and violent... If we're to believe some of the media coverage of us over the course of this year.

And let's face it, it's much easier to believe the stereotypes of Nevadans than to take the time to really get to know us. It's easy to look at the numbers, but it's harder to look at the stories behind the numbers.

I actually did that. I met the kids who confronted Sharron Angle at Rancho High School over her race-baiting ads. I met my typically Republican neighbors in Henderson who voted early for Harry Reid. I met people who drove many miles to Dina Titus' campaign office because they believed she was "the real deal". I met folks pissed off at everyone and everyone, because they felt "overwhelmed" by all the negative campaign ads. I met volunteers who tuned out the political insanity as they were collecting food for the hungry, keeping community centers open, making parks and trails accessible to all the neighbors to use, and keeping the local libraries running with new and interesting knowledge just around the corner. Oh yes, and I even met a few teabaggers who are still in shock over the final election results.

All of us here in Nevada were able to catch what most of the public polls couldn't. We were able to listen to what Nevadans were actually saying, as opposed to what Nate Silver and Chris Matthews thought they were hearing.

I heard from parents frightened about their kids' future. I heard outrage over the all the cuts to public education. I heard from unemployed workers wondering where (and when) they will find work again. I heard frustration over all the broken promises of a better and more stable economy. And I heard from people still clinging onto hope that somehow, someday, our state will survive this and be a better place.

2010 was a very challenging year. The casinos couldn't make all our problems go away. The recession wasn't so much a "temporary blip" as it was a long overdue reality check that's forcing us to rethink everything.

Over the years, many authors have come to "investigate" Nevada and uncover all our "deep, dark secrets". We've been called everything from "The New American Dream" to the most evil, corrupt hellhole on the planet. However, you showed me that reality is quite different from any fairy tale or horror story shared by outsiders. You showed me that Nevada can be rough, but the people can be awfully tough.

You made me realize that my own preconceptions of life in The Silver State were wrong. You mean I can live near all these slot machines and life will go on? You mean not everyone here is a sex-addicted, gambling-addicted alcoholic doing raves and poker tourneys every night?

It's easy for outsiders to stereotype you, and it's easy for them to ignore what you're trying to say... Except when your statement shatters what was "expected", then they suddenly don't know what to say next. Were the polls wrong? Were they swayed at the last minute? Where did the "momentum" go? What are these people thinking?

You made me listen to you in 2010... And I'm looking forward to what you have to say in 2011.

10 of '10: Roots 2 Roots

Because I'm sick and ornery right now, and because these really helped me in recovering from the post-election doldrums and looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the future, I'm reposting my post Netroots California diary, followed my post RootsCamp Nevada diary.

OK, so I've had more time to process what happened. And I had a chance to talk with my old Cali friends at Netroots California last Saturday. And I came out surprisingly hopeful about our future.







While we did have some rough losses in Nevada, overall the picture here was much brighter than the rest of the country. Come on, all the incumbent statewide elected Democrats are reelected while Harry Reid won by over 5.6%! Reid outperformed almost all the public polls. What happened? How come "The Great Red Tide" that destroyed many Dems in many states east of The Rockies was barely a ripple here?

Basically, it comes down to what Harry Reid and Nevada Democrats did right. They invested in getting out the vote. They made our progressive message clear and concise AND accessible to regular voters. And they reached out to minority communities and actually IMPROVED Latin@ turnout over 2006 AND 2008!

It really comes down to this. Even in "wave elections", "the wave" doesn't have to be a monstrous tsunami. Good campaigns still matter. Good field still matters. And good messaging still matters. Harry Reid made all this happen and more.





Ralston explained this on Sunday.

The Reid organization’s Terminator-like single-mindedness, relentlessness and discipline turned preparation into the most satisfying victory of Reid’s career, a resurrection unthinkable most of the year by the Beltway cognoscenti. Combined with an Angle campaign that was thoroughly unprepared for the post-primary onslaught — think of a Little League batter facing Roy Halladay — that by the time the GOP nominee brought in some D.C. pros, the damage was insurmountable.

Interestingly, a similar dynamic appeared in California last Tuesday. More Latin@ voters turned out than ever before. And while Jerry Brown's campaign (for CA Governor) didn't exactly "strike while the iron was hot" on delivering his message or attacking Meg Whitman's record, California unions did. And they delivered, big time!

And Barbara Boxer followed a very similar strategy to Reid's in defining Carly Fiorina early as quite the unacceptable choice, delivering a progressive message in a practical way to attract voters (Hint: Make it real. Make it tangible. Make it about one's pocketbook/wallet/purse.), and turning out Dem voters like crazy.

Again, it comes down to whether Democrats can field good candidates, deliver a good message, and turn out as many allied voters as possible. It worked in California and Nevada... But because the national Democratic groups failed in these categories and many other state parties were in turmoil, that's why the results were so bad elsewhere.

Why didn't other Senate candidates try to turn health care reform and good climate policy into winning arguments? Why didn't other state parties invest more in good GOTV infrastructure? Why didn't the DCCC and DSCC take a closer look at the winning arguments being made by Reid and Boxer?

That's the challenge moving forward. President Obama needs to rethink his messaging. Democrats need to work harder on showing how good progressive policy means more and better jobs. And Democrats nationally need to look at places like Nevada and California to learn how to rebuild good, strong GOTV infrastructure. And if Obama can turn his numbers around and offer a strong and appealing progressive message that reveals the crap the GOP is truly offering and explains how to truly get our nation back on track, he can win handily again and Democrats can soon retake the House and keep the Senate.

It really comes down to that. Oh, and I had a great time in SF...

atdleft http://twitgoo.com/1qmik0

atdleft http://twitgoo.com/1qmihk

Then I had the joy of doing Roots Camp here in Las Vegas with many of the great progressive friends I've met along the campaign trail over the last six months.

And in these last few days, I've been able to think some more about what to do moving forward. In the next few days I'll be writing more about federal legislation, but tonight I want to talk about the state of our state.

atdleft http://twitgoo.com/1qmicx

So how is the state of our state?

Do you really need me to tell you?

That's what I thought.

Now I won't candy coat things. We're facing as much as a $3 billion deficit, and many corporate "powers that be" in this state are already telling lawmakers that the solution lies in more cuts. Yes, you heard me correctly. Even more devastating budget cuts are on the table.

Have you faced extraordinarily long lines at the DMV? Have your classes at UNLV and/or CSN been cut? Are your neighborhood parks in complete disrepair... Or even worse, closed? And are your neighborhood's roads in shambles?

This is our community here. This is our state. This is our life. This is our future.

Right now, Nevada is at a crossroads. For far too long, our Legislature has postponed so many critical decisions regarding the badly needed infrastructure our state needs and how to fund the basic services we all rely upon.

And yes, we all rely upon such essentials as schools, roads, and parks. And I'm sure you have your own horror stories of what's happened to them thanks to all the state and local budget cuts... Or perhaps these stories have happy endings, thanks to the much needed funds from the Recovery Act coming to our rescue.

So do I. And so do many of the people I talked to on Saturday. And in the coming days, I'll be talking more about the stories we all need to share. Since the corporate right will be speaking up plenty in the next few months about how such profit making clients like Wal-Mart and Kroger simply can't afford to simply pay their fair share of taxes like all the rest of us do, we need to respond by raising our voices.

We need to speak up if we want to save our state.

atdleft http://twitgoo.com/1qlx92

atdleft http://twitgoo.com/1qlwtg

10 of '10: Wild About Harry

Come on, you really thought we couldn't mention him (again) in our Top 10 countdown? This was the race that consumed so much of our attention. This is the contest the entire country was obsessing over. And of course, this was the election that the Beltway pundits thought they already knew the results of many months in advance... Only to emerge shellshocked by the actual final results.

Again, they didn't see what I saw.

[T]hat's what I've been finding on the ground here in Southern Nevada. Sure, teabaggers pop up here and there occasionally with their protests of everything "government" (except when they want it, go figure). But with the exception of all those thousands of people who drove in or bussed in from out of state for that "Showdown in Searchlight", I still haven't seen any massive "grassroots" outpouring of "tea party" support.

Instead, what I see and hear is concern about when more Nevadans will get back to work, concern about access to good education, concern about the family member(s) dangerously close to foreclosure... Basically, what I'm hearing from real Nevadans is real concern about how to get our state back on track. [...]

[W]ithout a doubt, most of the people I've spoken with here agree that our only chance of moving forward is with Harry Reid as our Senate Majority Leader. And I know I'm not alone. That's what the Beltway pundits are missing. This isn't a game to us. We're dealing with our very lives here, and we can't afford the insane and dangerous extremism of Sharron Angle.

I want to be able to finish school at UNLV and get a good job. My unemployed friends depended on unemployment insurance, and need good jobs soon. My friend who came close to foreclosure needed someone to help him negotiate with the bank to keep his home. My parents depend on Social Security to survive. And guess who's been helping us?

Again, this isn't a game to us. And I think this is what's closing "the enthusiasm gap". And at the end of the day, I think a whole lot of folks will be surprised by the final election results.

And again, they were! Hell, I was even surprised when I saw that Harry Reid won MY precinct!

And while I was certainly frustrated with him at times, at the end of the day I knew his heart and his head were in the right place. There was really no other choice.

Nope, we don't need this kind of crazy. We need someone who can deliver good results. Harry Reid can. Sharron Angle can't.

Now I know he isn't perfect. Trust me, I know.

But right now, we don't have "perfection" on the ballot. (And frankly, I wonder if "perfection" can win in a volatile climate like this.)

We have Harry Reid. And he's not just our best choice... He's really our only choice to get this state and this country back on track.

He may not be the most glamorous politician around...

But he's done plenty to help Nevada in our time of need.

We can't afford to lose the Majority Leader. We can't afford to lose someone who's listening to us. We can't afford to lose the kind of expertise that Reid has on all things Nevada.

We need Harry Reid... It's really as simple as that.

This has been quite the brutal election, but thanks to Reid's brilliant campaign, Nevada emerged much more intact than most of the rest of the country. And Nevada will still have the most powerful advocate in Washington that we've ever seen.



And Harry Reid's journey is far from over.

10 of '10: Dina Titus, Comeback Queen?

She's strong. She's principled. She's brassy. She's determined.



And she's never afraid to ruffle feathers. Dina Titus has endured plenty in her political career here in Nevada, including an excruciatingly narrow NV-03 reelection loss...

But is it the end of the road for Dina? Actually, NO! She will soon be on the esteemed US Civil Rights Commission... And she may one day be back in Congress. Nevada is now guaranteed to get a 4th Congressional District, and Dina hasn't done a good job hiding her intention to come back. Again.



And why should she? Just 1,923 votes separated her from another term. And in her one term in Congress, she helped Nevadans save their homes, fought to end childhood hunger, worked to make health care reform work for Nevada, spoke loudly for LGBTQ equality, and was overall a superb Representative in Congress.



I won't forget when she came to our Stonewall BBQ, right across Pittman Wash from my humble Henderson abode. I just couldn't sit on the sidelines when so much was at stake. And although Dina didn't quite make it, I'm still proud of her campaign and what she did for us in NV-03.



This is our loss... For now. But hopefully, we'll see her again soon. ;-)

10 of '10: Scandaliciousness (& The Solution)

Scandal. We've heard plenty about it this year. How many politicians were caught with their hands in the cookie jar when they weren't supposed to be anywhere near it? How many accusations, true, false, and sometimes downright bizarre, have we heard this year? It's been pure insanity...

But amidst all the usual complaints of "corruption", how often do we hear about actual solutions? Any takers?

Back in August, I wrote this. Let's take another look, and perhaps offer this challenge to anyone claiming to "fight corruption" in 2011. Next time one complains about the problem, one also needs to address real solutions like the one I highlight below.

---

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?

10 of '10: DADT, Dan, & Harry

In light of last weekend's very encouraging news, I'd like to repost a diary I wrote in July after witnessing the event that many still are in shock over. So come on over and take the time warp back with me to July 27 and the famous Netroots Nation session that was a sign of the major LGBTQ equality breakthrough that was to come.

---

So today, I get a nice little message from Lt. Dan Choi and GetEQUAL. I read they want to "keep Sen. Reid accountable to his promise" to ensure the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell". OK, I agree with that. I'll toast to that.

I just want to say that this should be easier than some expect. In the last year that I've lived here in Southern Nevada, I've learned things about Harry Reid that I never knew before.





Before I moved here last year, I just assumed that Reid was just "Mr. Mormon Limp Dick" who didn't know what he was doing. But as soon as I moved here, I learned things I had never realized before. Reid's a master vote counter who can count his way to a win better than anyone else I know. He's the best friend Nevada's LGBTQ community has had, and the door is always open for us to go and ask about what's happening with ENDA or DADT. And for being so "conservative", he's much better than past "Democrats" elected as Senators here (Pat McCarran was a notorious McCarthy ally, Howard Cannon lost his touch with the locals, Richard Bryan was never interested in anything progressive).

There's an interesting back story on Reid that I've been learning since I moved here, and the more I know the more I come to love "Grampa Harry". He's not perfect, but he's our Senator and he's done a damned good job for us.



Because Harry Reid is Mormon, it's often assumed he's a "homophobe". Maybe in the distant past there were problems, but today that couldn't be further from the truth. He received plenty of flak from his church when he publicly disagreed with the church leadership's decision to finance California's Yes on H8 campaign to repeal marriage equality. When the National Equality March went to DC last October, Harry Reid proudly endorsed it.



Plus, I can tell you about what I've observed since I moved here to Vegas. Whenever we at the Stonewall Democratic Club (Disclosure: I'm the Secretary & Political Director) have wanted to talk to him about ENDA or DADT or hate crimes, the door has always been open and he's always been on the same page. When the Las Vegas LGBT Center needed help with a new TV for the youth program, Reid's office got it for them. When we were preparing for Las Vegas PRIDE in early May, Reid's office was there for us and made sure we had enough resources to do voter registration and be a major presence.

OK, so Reid isn't perfect. Who is? I wasn't impressed at first... Hey, I was used to calling Barbara Boxer my Senator! But you know what? It was all these little things, combined with some really important big things, that created the soft spot I have for Harry Reid.

And this is why I know we can count on him to fulfill his end of the promise to end "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and make sure what happened to good soldiers like Dan Choi won't happen to anyone else again. I think my change in attitude toward Reid is similar to his evolving relationship with our community. As he's come to know all of our LGBTQ families in Las Vegas, in Reno, in Winnemucca, in Pahrump, and all around our great state of Nevada, he's become more of a friend to us.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not making excuses. And I'm not saying it's wrong for GetEQUAL or any other LGBTQ advocacy group to demand full equality. As a gay person myself, I'm 110% there with you! I'm just saying that Harry Reid is NOT the enemy, but rather a friend who I know wants to do the right thing. Sometimes we need to give him the extra push and "make him do it", as both he and Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday at Netroots Nation. But in the end, it's important to keep building these relationships, holding leaders like Reid and Pelosi accountable when necessary, but also remembering that these are our friends and we don't have to fight against them.

OK, enough of my rambling rant. I have some phone calls and door knocking to get back to. ;-)

LATE BREAKING: DADT Repeal Moves to Senate Passage!

After a 17-year struggle, the Senate on Saturday cleared the way for repealing the Pentagon’s ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military.

By a bipartisan vote of 63 to 33, the Senate acted to cut off debate on a measure that would allow President Obama to declare an end to the Clinton-era policy, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which allows gay members of the armed forces to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation a secret.

The vote was a historic moment that some equated with the decision to end racial segregation in the military. It followed a review by the Pentagon that found little concern in the military about ending the ban and was backed by Pentagon officials as a better alternative to a court-ordered end.

Backers of the repeal said that it was long past time to end what they saw as a discriminatory practice that cost the military valuable personnel and forced American troops to lie in order to serve their country.

“I don’t care who you love,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said as debate opened. “If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are.”

And by the way, Senator Wyden postponed his own surgery to take care of his prostate cancer. He did that so he could vote today. Now that is determination!

And so is this.

Today’s historic vote means that thanks to the leadership of Nevada’s Senator Harry Reid, the discriminatory policy of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is going to be repealed once and for all. Though the opponents of equality did everything possible to keep delaying this vote through cynical political maneuvers, Senator Reid’s extraordinary leadership ensured that they did not succeed.

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not only the right thing to do, it is critical for our nation’s national security. It will end the discriminatory policy of forcing gay service members out of the military even though they are willing to serve and die for their country. In fact, the Pentagon released an in-depth study at the end of November finding that repealing the ban would not harm long-term effectiveness. The vast majority of the country also supports the repeal of DADT with poll after poll showing a huge pro-repeal sentiment. Last week, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that almost 8 in 10 Americans favor repealing DADT.

We are proud to have worked hard on Senator Reid’s reelection efforts because we have always trusted that when it comes to doing what’s right for America, the “Man from Searchlight” will lead the battle and today he did.

And so am I. Thank you again, Senator Reid. And thanks to the other 62 Senators who voted to do the right thing today.

10 of '10: Bock, Bock, Barter-gate!

It seemed like the whole US Senate campaign turned on its head when Sue Lowden spoke those words that would soon doom her campaign for good. While she had turned up the crazy far before before April 6, this just took the cake... Well, more like the chicken.





Simply put, Sue Lowden long ago forgot what we "plebes" have to endure just to access the health care we need. Because she was pandering to teabaggers (who would then ditch her for "the real deal") in bashing health care reform, she felt compelled to offer an "alternative"... An "alternative" that simply doesn't work in 21st Century America!

So instead of either acknowledging the many great new features of health care reform or offering any sort of meaningful alternative to it, Sue Lowden just offered this garbage. And she actually expected us to just accept it as "rational"! And then instead of clarifying what she said or offering any sort of apology for being so crude and callous, Lowden then doubled down, tripled down, and quadrupled down on this nonsense.

It actually turned out to be a sign of what was to come from Nevada Republicans this year. Remember this doozy from Sharron Angle?



Sadly for Nevada Republicans, Sue Lowden pretty much secured the carte blanche that Sharron Angle would then use to continue spewing out nonsensical "policy" during an election when Nevadans were desperately looking for real solutions. And it looks like neither is going away any time soon. In fact, look who will now be on the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners!

Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sue Lowden has been named to the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners.

Gov. Jim Gibbons announced Lowden's appointment Tuesday. She replaces Van Hefner, who resigned. Her term will expire in June 2014.

A wealthy casino executive, former state senator and television news anchor, Lowden was a perceived front-runner among 12 GOP candidates who sought to challenge Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

But her campaign sputtered when she suggested bartering with doctors - like bringing a chicken to the doctor as they did in the olden days - was a valid health care option.

Lowden lost the GOP primary to tea party-backed Sharron Angle, and Reid was re-elected to a fifth term in November.

Pure insanity. And the beat goes on...