The Women: Their Bodies, Their Health, & Their Votes

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) also happens to be the Chair of the Democratic National Committee. And in addition to that, she's a committed mother and family woman. Oh yes, and she's a cancer survivor.



And she's not alone. Millions more Americans have been struggling to afford health care, and they've had to endure gruesome discrimination just because they have "pre-existing conditions". And yes, one of those "pre-existing conditions" was simply being a woman. Earlier this year, Nevada women arose to thank President Obama for making health care reform a reality and delivering more affordable and comprehensive health care for women across our state and our country.



Contrary to the lies and endless spin coming from the G-O-TEA, the Affordable Care Act is delivering real, quality, affordable health care for American women. Discrimination is no longer tolerated. Preventive care is now more accessible. Insurance is becoming more affordable. And yes, contraception is now covered.

Yet while President Obama has been working to move our country forward in developing better health care policy, Mitt Romney and his G-O-TEA have been working overtime to not only take away women's health care... But actually try to force them to follow their extreme "tea party" anti-woman ideology!

And of course, Dean Heller and Joe Heck have studiously followed Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's lead in attacking women's health care. Remember what Romney, Heller, and Heck have said and done.

The more Americans learn about the G-O-TEA's radical anti-woman agenda, the more they reject it. Maybe Heck's BFF Mitt Romney gets excited about attacking women's right to make their own health care decisions, but the vast majority of Nevadans are not. Just take a look at all the health care services that the G-O-TEA faction in Congress wants to deny to American women! Once Americans figure out what they actually mean when they wax poetic about "liberty", they turn off to the G-O-TEA ideal of giving employers "liberty" in denying preventive health care to women for whatever "religious" excuse they want to throw out.

And Joe Heck still wants to claim that "this has nothing to do with women's health issues"?

Nevada women don't want any more empty rhetoric. And they certainly don't appreciate the radical "tea party" War on Women that Romney, Ryan, Heller, and Heck all seem to revel in. Rather, they just want to see results on delivering quality, affordable health care. Perhaps G-O-TEA "culture warriors" like Joe Heck have to keep spewing out empty rhetoric because they really have nothing else to run on.

Under the Affordable Care Act, Americans like the ones featured above will see expanded access to low-cost and no-cost preventive care, no more limits on lifetime coverage, an end to discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and (of course) more affordable health insurance. [...]

Perhaps this explains why Joe Heck is now claiming he just wants to "fix" health care reform instead of outright destroying it. However, Heck won't say that his bill largely has that same effect. The "onerous regulations and mandates" he complains about are the very provisions that are working to save Americans' lives. Oh, and by the way, those regulations and mandates that Joe Heck complains about help in cutting the federal budget deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years. If the ACA is repealed, not only are those savings erased, but the deficit actually INCREASES by $230 billion in the next ten years. [...]

And this is what Joe Heck and his BFF, Mitt Romney, don't understand. Perhaps they never have to worry about health care costs, but all the rest of us do. And all the rest of us would very much appreciate expanded access to the health care we need, along with immense savings that actually result in reducing the budget deficit.

As we've discussed before, there's no actual, legitimate policy or legal argument for repealing the Affordable Care Act that Republicans can make, at least if we're to believe they're actually interested in improving health care in this country. So why are they still pulling out this ridiculous "dog & pony show" threatening repeal of the ACA? Simple. They're playing raw politics, and they're hoping they can keep riling up uninformed voters with scary images of "OBAMACARE!!!" What scares the likes of Joe Heck the most is the most recent Pew poll suggesting that as more Americans become more aware of what's actually in "Obamacare", the more they like it.

This is why the Romney-Ryan-Heller-Heck G-O-TEA has to keep spewing lies about the Affordable Care Act. And this is why they fear what happens when more Americans hear stories like Debbie Wasserman Schultz's. Believe it or not, Obamacare works for Nevada's women.

What John Lewis Said.

John Lewis may now be a Congressman from Georgia... But his story didn't start on Capitol Hill. He's experienced first hand the struggle for civil rights, a struggle that we are still enduring now. And just moments ago at the Democratic National Convention in neighboring North Carolina, John Lewis spoke so poignantly about one of the most gruesome civil rights violations of our time.



Yes, you heard me right... And you heard him right.

And believe it or not, this issue is still lingering at our doorstep.

Especially as the Latino and Asian-American populations continue to grow here in Nevada and OFA & Nevada Democrats continue to target these communities for intense voter registration, Republicans will continue to feel the heat. This is why they're trying to spin away this inconvenient truth with puffed up chests and fluffed up "non-troversy". Of course, this is also why some Nevada Republicans have pursued voter suppression and Kris Kobach/Arizona G-O-TEA style "papers please" scare tactics to try to hold down the minority vote share.

So why are they so scared? It's simple, really. Until now, they've used xenophobia to win elections. And in using that xenophobia, they've alienated minority communities. So now that they're voting in larger numbers, the tables are turning and some Republicans are now realizing they're on the losing end of the equation.

Just last year, my own (now outgoing) Assembly Member spearheaded legislation designed to implement voter suppression. And even though Nevada has so far resisted these efforts to suppress the vote, the G-O-TEA has no plans to stop trying any time soon. In fact, one of their own batshit crazy leaders continues to beat the drums for voter suppression.



Well, here's what she and her "TEA" fueled conspiracy theory fan club "movement" don't want you to see.



Yet this is something John Lewis knows all too well. Don't ignore his warning to us.

NV-03: Your Budget, Your Values

So DC's local gossip rag caught Joe Heck's new ad. Supposedly, this his big move to "get ahead of likely attacks on Social Security and Medicare". At first, that sounds all fine and dandy.

However, there's a catch. Joe Heck's words don't really match his actions. Remember this?



And remember this?

Paul Ryan's budget dumps another $187,000 tax cut on the lap of every multi-millionaire and billionaire. Yet while the ultra-wealthy are getting another "bailout", the working poor suffer as 62% of Ryan's proposed budget cuts hit programs like Medicaid and Pell Grants that are meant to lift Americans out of poverty. Oh, and let's not forget the centerpiece of Paul Ryan's budget, which is his "RyanCare" plan to end Medicare as we know it and force seniors to pay up to $5,900 more for health care. Even retired military officers have come out against Paul Ryan's budget because of his proposed cuts to international programs meant to keep America safe. [...]

If even Paul Ryan's own constituents can't stand what he's trying to do to our country, what makes Joe Heck think he can get away with this here in Nevada? Between his own "Destroying America's Trust in Our Economy Act" and his constant votes for Paul Ryan's dangerous austerity agenda, Heck is sending us the message that he cares more about pleasing Paul Ryan and the rest of the House G-O-TEA leadership than doing what's right for Nevada's working families. All Heck is doing is proving Mr. Gleaner's point that he's nothing more than a G-O-TEA tool.

So yes, this is something to remember when Joe Heck talks about Medicare. However, it doesn't actually end there. In addition to their shared goal of privatizing and "voucher-izing" Medicare, Joe Heck and Paul Ryan share an overall desire to rip to shreds the very social safety net that has made America's great middle class, as well as our economy built upon that foundation, possible.

Remember when Joe Heck actually jumped to the right of even Paul Ryan by introducing his "Destroying America's Trust in Our Economy Act"?

Nowhere in Heck's "Restoring America's Faith and Trust Act" does it address the Bush tax rates, war spending, or economic health. Instead, Heck wants to slash federal investment in our people to 2006 levels and fire more public sector workers! Even though we have more miltary veterans in need of VA care, college students in need of Pell Grants, working poor families in need of Medicaid and food stamps, retirees in need of Medicare and Social Security, and unemployed workers in need of unemployment insurance, Heck refuses to acqknowledge this reality and instead has introduced this bill that would plunge our economy into double-dip recession if enacted!

If we were to slash all these programs and more, we would all pay the price of further suffering. Without unemployment insurance, those without work can't survive. Same goes for seniors on Medicare, working poor families on food stamps and Medicaid, students with Pell Grants, and veterans using VA assistance. If they can't even buy food and basic supplies, let alone purchase anything else, our economy would take a massive hit. Oh, and in the longer term the budget deficit would only worsen as tax revenue plunges because of even more people losing their jobs.

Remember all of this when Joe Heck declares his love for public education, military veterans, Social Security & Medicare, or pretty much anything else that requires some kind of public investment. Remember that in the end, one values what one pays for and one's values can be revealed in how one budgets. So when we look at Joe Heck's record on setting and influencing the federal budget, we see that he doesn't actually value that middle class foundation of America's economy as much as he claims to in his ads.

Also remember to contrast Joe Heck's empty rhetoric with what John Oceguera has said and done about that middle class foundation. Here's what he told the audience at the Henderson Democratic Club last night about how he demonstrates his values.





It's one thing to pay for glitzy TV ads that show happy looking seniors, smiling students, and gauzy rhetoric about "protecting the middle class". It's another to actually match one's rhetoric with one's record. And so far, Joe Heck has failed to do that. Without Medicare, Social Security, Pell Grants, unemployment insurance, SCHIP (children's health care), and so much more of the American social safety net, America's middle class couldn't exist.

Without Medicare & Social Security, many seniors would be thrown into dire poverty. Without Pell Grants and low cost federally backed student loans, many young Americans would be forced to relinquish their dreams of finishing college and embarking on a brighter economic future. And again, without the social safety net that makes America's middle class possible, we wouldn't have a middle class and we wouldn't have any hope for a stronger economy. If Joe Heck really valued that, he'd reflect those values in his (bills targeting the federal) budget.

Big Dog

He's back! And he won't back down.

With Republicans scheming to divide them and reporters reviving silly 2008 storylines to predict disaster, former President Clinton and President Obama got the last laugh: Obama joined his predecessor on stage, for his first appearance in Charlotte. Clinton actually bowed to Obama when the president came out. It wasn’t clear whether it was a bow of deference, or of a proud performer to an appreciative audience. You could both men them savoring the way they’d confounded the trouble-makers.

Republicans will rue the day they dragged Bill Clinton into this fight with their welfare reform lies and their silly claims that Obama is a socialist defiling Clinton’s centrist legacy. Clinton can say things Obama can’t. He vividly laid out the depth of the economic challenge his successor faced –as well as the right-wing hatred. “Though I often disagree with Republicans,” said the man who was impeached by the other party, “I never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate our president.” The Republicans’ “number one priority,” he said, “was not to put America back to work, it was to put the president out of work.” By contrast Obama, he said, was “committed to constructive cooperation –heck, he even appointed Hillary!”

Clinton also summed up the 2012 campaign more clearly than any other surrogate: “We believe that ‘we’re all in this together’ is a far better philosophy than ‘you’re on your own.’”

Last night, President Clinton completed the picture that Harry Reid and Michelle Obama started drawing. President Obama did try to include Republicans in "grand bargains" and "bipartisan solutions". They said no. Even when he was putting together tangible solutions to our economic woes, they kept saying no.

Yet now, these same "TEA" fueled Republicans want us to forget their role in stalling economic recovery so they can finish what George W. Bush started? This is where Clinton and Obama want voters to say no to the G-O-TEA. And perhaps in the coming weeks, their wish will finally be granted.

What President Clinton did last night was astounding. He took every argument that Mitt Romney has been using against President Obama, then he debunked it, turned it on its head, and fully discredited Romney like no one else could. After all, who would understand the challenges of building lasting economic recovery better than someone who actually made it happen?

As Salon's Joan Walsh suggested above, Team Romney must be regretting the day they pulled "Big Dog" Clinton into their fight. In his case, his bark and his bite can really pack a potent punch. And they did last night- for Obama.

NV-04: Horsford's Ad... & Baby Tark's Cheap Shots

Today, Steven Horsford released his first TV ad of the cycle. As you can see below, it's incredibly personal.

“I grew up on these streets,” Horsford says as he drives through the West Las Vegas neighborhood in which he grew up.

“Right here is where we lived,” he says, pointing to a small mustard-colored corner house.

“And, there, that’s where my dad was shot and killed,” he says, driving past a non-descript strip mall. “I drive by it every day on my way to work.” [...]

Horsford’s father was killed when he was 19. Horsford interrupted his college education to care for his younger siblings while his mom struggled with a drug addiction.

He’s now a father of three.

“My family now grounds me in what’s really important,” Horsford says in the ad. “So, when politicians say we can’t fix the mortgage mess, our economy and our schools, that Nevadans have to live with less, well, I say no way.

“We’re gonna fight for our future and I’m not going to back down.”

But is it controversial?

Frankly, I see it as powerful testimony. Steven Horsford's life has been far from easy. Yet instead of letting family tragedies hold him down, Horsford kept working. And he eventually worked his way up to where he is today. I mean, isn't this a little something we call "The American Dream"?

Apparently, that's not how "Delusions of Grandeur" Master Danny Tarkanian sees it. Fresh from insulting over 40% of Nevada's population, he's now set to insult pretty much anyone who's experienced family tragedy and has the courage to talk about it. No really, look at this.



What kind of candidate mocks someone sharing his personal story and explaining how it's made him a better person? I guess Danny Tarkanian is that kind of candidate willing to stoop that low.

So this dude really has the nerve to criticize Horsford's ad? I guess this is all he has left without the delusions of grandeur.

The =

Last week in Tampa, the G-O-TEA doubled down on bigotry with a platform that would have made the Puritans of 1692 Massachusetts awfully proud. This week, we're seeing something completely different in Charlotte.

For the first time, Democrats stated in no uncertain terms that they support “equal treatment under law for same-sex couples,” including a repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. The Democratic platform also states the party’s opposition to state laws that “deny equal protection under the law” to same-sex couples.

“This is one of the main reasons I wanted to be here this year,” said Chris Miller, chairman of the Clark County Democratic Party and the first openly gay man to occupy the position. Miller is also a delegate to the convention.

“I get to vote for it the first time it happens,” he said. “It’s historic.” [...]

“I started crying when they passed the platform, and I didn’t stop until Michelle Obama,” said Nevada delegation guest Nancy Kuhns, “And I didn’t stop until Michelle Obama.”

By the way, it passed by acclamation. For the first time ever, a major American political party has endorsed civil marriage equality. And for the first time ever, a major American party's convention has placed LGBTQ equality on center stage.

Here's Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) talking about his family and their American life.



And here's DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias sharing his American coming out experience.



And it wasn't just the LGBTQ speakers discussing this. Even Michelle Obama got in on the action!

Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it…and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love…If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.

The contrast between what Republicans did in Tampa last week and what Democrats are doing in Charlotte this week is like that of night and day. Oh, and certain Republicans want to add an exclamation point to this! No really, they're going there.

Believing in civil rights –and calling out true discrimination when it occurs –isn’t the same as squelching religious freedom. And in much the same way that the imaginary Gay Menace isn’t out to make the bishops teach that marriage is a “genderless contract” with no space for biological babies in it, it’s likewise not attempting to make everybody in America dance in the pride parade. Yet in the most poorly acted clip outside of YouPorn, conservative Gary Bauer and his Campaign for American Values PAC recently unleashed a bizarre pro-Romney plea to keep marriage one-man-one-lady.

In it, a forlorn looking wife shakes her head sadly at the newspaper and tells her husband that “Obama is trying to force gay marriage on this country.” Apparently she’s reading the latest edition of the Things So Crazy Even Paul Ryan Wouldn’t Make Them Up Daily. “That’s not the change I voted for,” she adds to her appropriately sexed spouse. (As one of my Twitter friends astutely added, not what she voted for when she voted for McCain.)

“Marriage,” Sad Wife further explains, “is between a man and a woman.” The husband gives a rueful, uh-huh look at her and agrees, “That’s not the change I voted for either.” And then they agree to vote for someone with “values” and quietly sit around nodding in assent with their three no doubt biological children. Yes, it’s true, conservatives. Obama is going to force us into becoming a gay marriage nation. I’m hoping I get Scarlett Johansson. He’s also going to make everybody get an abortion. Even the men.

Here’s a little message to those of you on Planet La La La I Can’t Hear You. You can keep holding your hands over your ears and saying that “marriage is between a man and a woman” till you turn blue, but it won’t magically stop people of the same sex from entering into committed unions and even starting families. Also known as marriages. Marriages that won’t do anything to erode the heterosexual institution. I live in a gay marriage state and not one hetero married couple I know has spontaneously combusted yet.

Let me reassure you, bishops and Bauers of the world. There’s no shortage of marriage, so you don’t have to worry that if all the gays want it, there won’t be enough to go around. And if there’s a big gay lair out there where the gay supervillains are plotting to eradicate man-on-woman love, you’d think we would have heard about it by now. Probably in Dwell. This is not about taking any of your precious straight culture away. It isn’t about forcing anybody to do anything, other than accept the truth that gay people can love each other as fully, as deeply, and as wholeheartedly as straight people. That’s nothing to be scared of. And if you believe that love and family are a threat to your values, maybe it’s time you got some better values.

I don't care what some media pundit tells you about Mitt Romney "not focusing on social issues". Romney wants to strip away our civil rights. Period. If he didn't, then Bigot King Gary Bauer wouldn't be cutting Super PAC ads for Romney.

Yet while Romney, along with his Nevada henchmen Dean Heller & Joe Heck, wants to party like it's 1692, President Obama, Harry Reid, and the rest of the Democratic Party look to be liking things here in 21st Century America. They've pretty much realized that equality actually isn't a scary word. Rather, it's something beautiful to celebrate.

The Women

While the media focused their attention on other speakers, there was one person who really set the convention hall in Charlotte last night. And unlike the blustery politicians who blithely crapped on President Obama's record in Tampa last week, she actually knows all too well the value of something President Obama signed into law at the very start of his term.



Lilly Ledbetter reminded the crowd of both her personal struggle and the continuing struggle of working women in America. While there's been plenty of progress in working towards workplace equality, there's still more work to do. Yet when the Paycheck Fairness Act came up for a vote, Republicans shot it down... And yes, Nevada's own Dean Heller proudly (??!!) joined in the effort to kill the Paycheck Fairness Act. Apparently for him and his G-O-TEA colleagues, equal pay for equal work and economic security for America's working women are just another "job killing regulation" (never mind the data proving otherwise).

Earlier last night, several Democratic Congresswomen addressed the convention. They also know the President's record very well. And they know all too well what the G-O-TEA extremists in Congress have done to not just undermine President Obama politically, but truly wage war on women.



Mitt Romney has certainly been going out of his way to fully endorse the G-O-TEA War on Women. So of course, Dean Heller and Joe Heck joined with Romney's running mate Paul Ryan to fight the religious right's battles to take away women's rights... Even to the point of trying to redefine rape! And then to top it all off, Joe Heck has fought alongside his House G-O-TEA comrades in fighting the bipartisan (!!!) Violence Against Women Act. I'm still wondering when helping rape victims and domestic violence victims became so "controversial".

Last night, NARAL's Nancy Keenan also spoke at the Democratic Convention. She made it clear that this election will be a very important choice for women to decide.



And this will indeed be a critical choice here in Nevada. Dean Heller and Joe Heck just keep going put of their way to join with Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the most radical elements of the G-O-TEA in waging war against the concept of equality for women. Even when it seems like "the issue is dying down", some teabagger always seems to find a way to bring it back to the forefront. Funny enough, Romney, Heller, and Heck always try to dismiss their own party's "women problem" as just "partisan Democrat attacks". Yet if that's the case, why are they always backing up their party when it rehashes these battles in Congress and in their own party's platform? They still don't realize they can't have it both ways.

And they still don't get what women want. Sure, women care about a whole host of issues, issues like health care, education, and economic justice. And guess what? Their party doesn't make sense on those issues, either! If these Republicans had engaged in sensible dialogue to reach common sense solutions to encourage economic recovery and a sound future for America's middle class, we wouldn't even be having this discussion now. But because Republicans allowed their party to be taken over by "tea party" extremists, then followed the "tea party" lead on obstructing economic recovery efforts while pushing "TEH CUL'CHUR WARZZZ!!!" instead, they must now face the wrath of the women they've been threatening and bullying with their forced ultrasounds, attempts to redefine rape, attempts to defund women's health care, and all around continued assaults on women's rights. So when Mitt Romney and his Nevada Republican BFFs whine again about complaints from "the women", remember that they only have themselves to blame for agreeing to wage war on women.

"The Closer" Opens Up

Remember when Michelle Obama came here to Henderson in June? Remember when she pumped up the crowd? And remember when she so beautifully and seamlessly tied powerful personal stories to progressive policy and Presidential politics?

Well, she did it again last night. And she may have very well outdone herself in Charlotte.



TPM's Benjy Sarlin may have very well nailed the pure political beauty of what Michelle Obama accomplished in Charlotte last night.

[Mitt] Romney’s name may have never come up in the First Lady’s speech once, but it was impossible to miss the message when she described learning from her parents that “you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules — and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square,” or that “helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.”

“[Obama] believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity you do not slam it shut behind you,” she said at one point. “You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.”

Throughout her speech, Michelle Obama portrayed her husband as someone who didn’t just know what it was like to be down and out, but someone who had enacted his major policies specifically because of it. She singled out health care reform in particular, of which she said, “He didn’t care whether it was the easy thing to do politically — that’s not how he was raised — he cared that it was the right thing to do.”

“Barack knows the American dream because he’s lived it,” she said. “And he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love.”

What was truly amazing about Michelle Obama's speech was that she was able to paint a rather detailed portrait of the choice voters must make this fall, yet she was able to do it without mentioning Romney by name. Perhaps she didn't have to. It's not too hard to figure out who Mitt Romney really is and what he's out to do.

What Michelle Obama did last night was remind Americans that her story and her husband's story are truly American stories. They came from modest beginnings, worked their way through school, and struggled their way to success. And in progressing on their journey, they took advantage of the unique opportunity, which is the American opportunity of giving anyone a chance at success by providing public education and a social safety net meant to prevent Americans from becoming trapped in poverty. What makes America great is our middle class, and that's what Michelle Obama truly personified.

And this is why her husband somehow still manages to defy the DC pundits' odds. It's been said OFA staff refer to Michelle Obama as "The Closer". Last night, America had a chance to see why.

Confirmed: Nevada Democrats Dominated Voter Registration... Again!

Last week, we got a sneak peek of the new voter registration statistics to come. Tonight, The RGJ's Ray Hagar pointed out the reality of the big picture now before us.

Nevada Democrats now hold a 55,716 advantage in number of registered voters in Nevada, according to the August voter registration statistics from the Secretary of State. In July, the advantage was about 48,000.

As is becoming an embarrassing trend for the Nevada GOP, the voter registration numbers of unorganized non-partisans are greater than that of the Republicans.

In August, 6,575 voters registered as non-partisans. Only 5,042 registered as Republicans. Democrats more than doubled the GOP voter registration efforts, gaining 12,163 registered voters.

Of the 1,122,236 active registered voters statewide, 41.28 percent (463,229) are Democrats,36.31 percent (407,513) are Republicans, and 16.66% (1 86,941) are nonpartisans.

If this keeps up, Nevada will no longer be considered a battleground state.

But wait, there's more! Here are some more details on the new numbers:

- In NV-03, the newly regained Democratic registration advantage grew a bit more since last week's Clark County report, edging up from 0.14% to 0.17%. Last month, Republicans had a slight 0.24% edge here.

- We now know the full results for NV-04. Districtwide, Democrats' registration advantage grew from 9.96% last month to 10.56% now.

- Overall for Clark County, Democrats grew their registration advantage from 11.88% at the start of last month to 12.53% now.

- And up north, the Republican registration advantage in Washoe County shrunk from 1.63% at the start of last month to 1.55% now. Believe it or not, this is the "bright spot" for Nevada Republicans!

So yet again, the best the Nevada G-O-TEA could do was hold back some Democratic gains in Reno. Otherwise, they fell even further behind as Democrats ramped up voter registration yet again in and around Las Vegas. Wow.

And you know what? Ray Hagar is right. If this continues, it will become even clearer that Nevada is indeed a Blue State... And Nevada Republicans just can't adjust to the new realities of our state.

The Contrast Harry Reid Pointed Out

See, I told you so. He went there.

In a speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, the Senate Majority Leader portrayed the Republican Party as "naysayers" and elitists who favor the wealthy over the middle class, and called Romney the biggest proponent of a "rigged game."

Last month Reid claimed without proof that Romney may not have paid income taxes for years despite his wealth.

Romney has denied it, and Reid refused to say who had told him otherwise.

In his speech Tuesday, Reid praised President Obama for his handling of the Great Recession and health care reform, and said re-electing Obama will move the country forward.

Note to Mitt Romney and the Nevada G-O-TEA: Don't mess with Harry Reid.

Oh, and here is something else to remember.

People can and should argue about whether Obama's successes have been worthwhile, whether they were ambitious enough, and whether they were effective, but whether one approves of the president or not, the fact remains the successes are real.

This is a president who passed a health-care reform breakthrough 100 years in the making. He also imposed the most sweeping Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression. Obama also rescued the economy from collapse, rescued the American auto industry, ended the war in Iraq, decimated al Qaeda and killed bin Laden, reformed the student loan system, ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," vastly improved fuel efficiency standards, helped topple the Gaddafi regime, negotiated the New START treaty, improved food safety protections, cracked down on credit card company abuses, expanded stem-cell research, and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Republicans disapprove of these measures, as is their right. But to say the president "has no record to run on" is kind of silly, even by Paul Ryan standards.

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

Last week, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan tried to convince us that President Obama is "lazy" and "failed to deliver on his promises". And this week, they want us to disregard the fact that the economy has been healing under President Obama. Romney's ideological sibling, George W. Bush, drove the economy into recession. And Romney would return America to Bush era policies if elected.


Tonight, Harry Reid pointed out the clear contrast. While Mitt Romney has been making ideological backflips, pandering to teabaggers, promoting the very policies that would throw America into the kind of austerity driven "Greater Recession" now ravaging Europe, and hiding his financial records, President Obama has been busy getting our country back on track. This is what Harry Reid made clear tonight, and this is what may very well tip the election this fall.

Who's Still Afraid of Harry Reid? (Hint: Willard)

Remember when Mitt Romney's professional campaign spinners and various media pundits were rushing for their smelling salts because of "Big Bad Harry Reid!!!"? Well, great ready for Round 4... And perhaps a TKO?

During his speech to the Democratic National Convention tonight, Reid plans to keep up the pressure on Romney to release his tax returns. Reid is scheduled to speak about 4 p.m. Pacific time.

Although Nevada’s DNC delegation hopes sticking with that line will increase the crowd-pleasing quotient of the majority leader’s speech, they’re being cautious about predicting how rousing they expect Reid’s rhetoric to be.

“Harry is not flashy. He’s not a great orator. But his message is very straightforward, and it’s very sincere,” said Linda Cavazos, a Nevada delegate and an Obama for America volunteer.

“The thing I like about Harry Reid is he gets up there and he speaks in his nice, soft voice, and people shut up and listen to him,” said Richard Collins, a Nevada delegate. [...]

“I was having a conversation with the president about this,” Patrick Gaspard, the executive director of the Democratic National Committee, told the Nevada delegation over breakfast Monday morning. “The president said, ‘I don’t know why the Romney campaign is choosing to challenge Harry Reid on this issue. Don’t they know that this guy was a boxing champion in the Army and the way he won was by letting the other guy just pummel on him for round after round, wear him out and then take him out at the end?’"

And this is what makes me laugh. Mitt Romney and his professional G-O-TEA media spinners keep looking for ways to discredit Harry Reid. But the more they try to discredit him, the more foolish they look for their continuing clumsy attempts to hide the truth about Mitt Romney.

Seriously, if Mitt Romney paid what he really owed in taxes, why won't he release his tax returns? If Mitt Romney really wasn't involved in outsourcing formerly American jobs overseas when he was in charge of Bain Capital, then why won't he let Bain release its records? If Mitt Romney hasn't been hiding his money in overseas tax shelters far away from the IRS' purview, then why won't he tell the truth about his financial records? And if Mitt Romney really has a realistic plan to put more American workers back to work, then why won't he or Paul Ryan mention any specifics on his "Magical Mystery Jobs Plan"?

This is why Harry Reid is more than happy to continue calling out "Mendacious Mittens" for his not so honest ways. And this is why Mitt Romney continues to fear that "Big Bad Harry Reid!!!" No really, Reid's speech tonight should be fun to watch.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Remember this?

Even though Republican leaders want to make it seem like they're now a "diverse and inclusive party", reality just doesn't sync with them. Even Mitt Romney himself has basically conceded that his base is overwhelmingly old, white, and straight (and majority male on top of all that), and that his only plausible path to victory lies in fueling racial tension.

Now, see this.

The Republican convention in Tampa revealed a deep bench of talented women and minority leaders, many of whom were given prime speaking slots. But the delegates and convention-goers were overwhelmingly white (despite high-profile speeches from Condoleezza Rice, Mia Love and Artur Davis, for example, only 2 percent of actual delegates at the RNC were black), a fact that the Democratic convention organizers in Charlotte pointed out several times as they detailed the week ahead in a press conference Monday.

Declaring Democrats the “party of openness,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the convention chairman, said this convention “will be the most diverse in history, and we’re very proud of that. You’ll see people from every walk of life: rich, poor, black, white, Latino, Asian, Christians, Jews, Muslims … we’re all here celebrating this great vision of ours.”

Twenty-seven percent of Democratic delegates are black (up from 24 percent in 2008), and 50 percent are women, according to Alice Germond, the Democratic National Committee secretary.

“This is truly the most diverse, the most open, the most transparent, the most exciting convention we’re about to undertake,” Germond told reporters. “It is big, it is bold, it is beautiful, it is America.”

And remember this?

[Ron] Paul's troops refuse to go away quietly. And actually, they've already been causing trouble for the entire Nevada delegation. For one, the Nevada delegation has been placed in "the nosebleed section" of the convention center. And to make things worse, the big name G-O-TEA politicians are staying away from them. And since conventions are often defined by access and "schmoozing", it really hurts for the Romney alternates who wanted to enjoy the "pomp and circumstance" of the convention.

Now, see this.

In Nevada’s case, there’s no comparison: The Democrats are wooing much harder than the Republicans did.

This week, when Nevada’s delegates gather for their daily state breakfast meetings, they will be feted by practically every Democratic party A-lister short of President Barack Obama.

The week’s scheduled roster of breakfast speakers and schmoozers includes Democratic National Convention chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; permanent convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles; Obama campaign manager Jim Messina; top Obama counselor and White House congressional liaison Pete Rouse; and at least two members of the president’s Cabinet.

It is a far cry from the treatment Nevada received at the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa, Fla., where delegates were ignored by everyone but the most fringe figures of the GOP, such as the Republican voter fraud watchdog group “True the Vote” and 2010’s Tea Party darling Sharron Angle. Even when House Speaker John Boehner and Mitt Romney’s son and surrogate Josh came by the delegation’s hotel to speak with the Pennsylvania representatives, they steered sharply clear of the Nevada breakfast room down the hall.

So for one, Democrats are set to have a truly diverse body from top to bottom present at theory convention in Charlotte this week. Unlike the Republicans, Democrats seem to actually be matching words with action when it comes to respecting and embracing the diversity of America.

And secondly, Nevada Democrats actually look to be getting the red carpet treatment in Charlotte this week. This is obviously totally different from what happened to Nevada Republicans in Tampa last week. I wonder why this is happening (snark).

So already, it looks like there will be a wholly different tone in Charlotte, especially when it comes to how Nevada is viewed and how the delegation looks more like America. We'll have to wait and see what happens next as the week unfolds. But so far, we can already see what a difference a week makes.

NV-01: Chris Edwards Exposed

Remember Chris Edwards? He's the NV-01 G-O-TEA nominee. And he actually thinks he can deceive Nevada Latinos that he's more of a friend than Dina Titus is!

Believe it or not, the Chris Edwards saga just got a hell of a lot weirder. Unfortunately for him, he accidentally let his true colors appear.

MT @ChrisEdwardsNV: Dina's best help to Hispancis was courtroom translaters to tell them they are going 2 jail

Seriously? Seriously? Did Chris Edwards just say that? Oh yes, he did.

But wait, there's more! He then tweeted this.

RT @ChrisEdwardsNV: @laurakmm courtroom translators. If you provide help sooner then there is no courtroom

Oh yes, he actually said that. Apparently, Chris Edwards thinks Latinos are all criminals.

I figured his charade couldn't last forever. He opposes the DREAM Act, comprehensive immigration reform, universal health care, support for public education, and pretty much everything else Nevada Latinos care about. Yet all this year, he's been pretending to care about the Latino families of NV-01. I guess he's been getting advice on minority voter outreach from Danny Tarkanian.

Well, that's being put to an end. The charade is over. Chris Edwards has just been exposed as just another anti-immigrant G-O-TEA sycophant.

How The West Will Be Won: How to Score in NV-04

Last week, we opened our new series on critical Western swing (Congressional) districts with a closer look at the always critical ground game in NV-03. Today, we're swinging north to Nevada's newest Congressional District. While this year may be NV-04's grand debut, it combines all the quintessential elements of Nevada's unique demographic and political landscape to create a different kind of swing district.

Below, we'll examine what had made Republicans so dominant throughout much of the district in the not too distant past... And why Democrats are feeling so upbeat about it now.

Perhaps the wildest surprise of the June primary was what happened in NV-04. While Danny Tarkanian managed to win the G-O-TEA primary, he faced a much stiffer challenge from State Senator Barbara Cegavske (R-Spring Valley) than most pundits had expected. And in perhaps the biggest blow to Baby Tark, his famous last name (his dad is the famed former UNLV
basketball coach, while he himself was a star UNLV basketball player in the early 1980s) fell flat in his home turf of Clark County! Oh yes, Cegavske actually narrowly won the Clark (Las Vegas Metro) part of the district, while Tarkanian ultimately had to count on outsized margins in the Rural Nevada part of the district to put him over the top.

So wait, how did this happen? Let me explain.

Redistricting meant Nevada was set to gain a Congressional District. And ultimately, that resulted in this rather unique district.

NV-04 is an interesting district in that it runs through all the cross sections of Nevada's topography and demography. It stretches from the tranquil rural confines of Yerington and Ely to the bustling urban atmosphere of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. It includes hard hit, poverty stricken neighborhoods, like Pahrump, as well as Nevada's wealthiest neighborhoods, like Summerlin. It includes some of the whitest and some of the most minority-majority communities in the state. And despite the 10% Democratic voter registration advantage, it's a district that both parties are fighting for.

Although 85.2% of NV-04's registered voters reside in Clark County, the rural parts of the district have an outsized influence over the district. Why? They turn out in big numbers, while some of the Clark County areas (in particular, the poorer and minority-majority urban core of the district) tend to produce lower voter turnout. This turned out to be Danny Tarkanian's "Ace in the Hole" in the Republican Primary, and he's clearly hoping it will be his secret to success this fall.

However, there's a reason why Barack Obama (2008) and Harry Reid (2010) both won NV-04 handily. Just take a look above. There are more Democratic voters in the district. And as long as they turn out, Democrats win.

This is what really seems to scare Danny Tarkanian's campaign. After all, why else would Danny Tarkanian so cravenly and clumsily attempt to run away from his own "tea party" approved record? Even Baby Tark himself must be realizing that "TEA" won't be fueling any realistic win in NV-04.

So Steven Horsford has some challenges ahead of them, but they're certainly achievable. While the rural areas vote heavily, the numbers in Clark County are still far greater. Basically, as long as North Las Vegas and the urban core of Las Vegas turn out I'm large numbers, and as long as Horsford can at least keep it close in Summerlin and Northwest Las Vegas, he can win in November.

And that's pretty much how to score in NV-04.

Falling into New #NVLeg Senate Race Ratings

Since the last time we examined the state of the race for #NVLeg, Democrats had gained an edge in their quest to keep control of the Senate... And possibly even expand their numbers. So what's happened since June?

For one, overall voter registration trends have strongly favored Nevada Democrats over the course of the summer, with the only exception being SD 15 in Washoe County. In addition, recent polling has shown tight races in most of the contested Senate races, as well as a steady lead in the "generic ballot" statewide. So all in all, the big picture still looks brighter than some pundits think.

Need proof? Take a look below.

Clark County

SD 5
Henderson- Green Valley, Silverado Ranch, Old Henderson

US-Pres 2008
Obama (D) 56%
McCain (R) 42%

Estimated NV-Sen 2010
H Reid (D) 54%
Angle (R) 41%

Estimated NV-Gov 2010
Sandoval (R) 50%
R Reid (D) 45%

Voter Registration: +3.70% Democratic

Race Rating: Tossup

Early on, Kirk was seen by many pundits as at least a slight favorite (despite the partisan numbers) because of his strong fundraising. However, he was ultimately forced to spend in the primary. That gave Democrat and Former State Senator Joyce Woodhouse (who entered just this year, after Senator Shirley Breeden announced her retirement) a chance to catch up on fundraising... And get a head start on persuading voters in the field.

So far, Woodhouse has been working extra hard in the field, including canvassing herself, leaving signed lit at doors (where no one answered), and going the extra mile to be extra visible in the community. That's probably why the Senate Democratic Caucus internal poll had her leading 47-43 (and even the Senate GOP internal could only muster a 44-37 Kirk lead). I'm still waiting to see what kind of field work Kirk's campaign will do, but so far it just looks like he has a bare bones team of canvassers passing out "Generic Republican" fliers. While Kirk will probably get some high profile help in the home stretch (he did just snag the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce endorsement), it's still unclear how he intends to counter what's increasingly looking like a "perfect storm" of strong Democratic field work, additional union field efforts, and the Obama campaign & state party efforts to expand the Democratic electorate.

SD 6
Las Vegas- Summerlin, Northwest

US-Pres 2008
Obama (D) 55%
McCain (R) 43%

Estimated NV-Sen 2010
H Reid (D) 53%
Angle (R) 43%

Estimated NV-Gov 2010
Sandoval (R) 52%
R Reid (D) 44%

Voter Registration: +4.49% Democratic

Race Rating: Tossup

In June, some Democratic insiders were starting to worry about this seat potentially slipping away. After all, Benny Yerushalmi scored a weak 56% in the Democratic Primary against "some dude" who spent $0 (!!!) on his campaign. Meanwhile, Republican Mark Hutchison was reveling in the spotlight as
"Mr. Take Down Obamacare"... And as someone several big business lobbyists seemed to be rallying behind.

Yet over the summer, the Democratic registration edge here swelled swelled to nearly 4.5%. And apparently, Yerushalmi seems to do better in internal polling than most had expected. While this may still be a tough seat for Democrats to hold, all may not be lost here.

SD 9
Enterprise- Rhodes Ranch, Mountain's Edge, Southern Highlands

US-Pres 2008
Obama (D) 58%
McCain (R) 40%

Estimated NV-Sen 2010
H Reid (D) 54%
Angle (R) 41%

Estimated NV-Gov 2010
Sandoval (R) 50%
R Reid (D) 46%

Voter Registration: +5.61% Democratic

Race Rating: Leans Democratic

So State Senate Republican Leader Michael Roberson got his way in the end after all... Or did he? Mari St. Martin will indeed be the GOP nominee here. However, that's coming at a very steep price. While Brent Jones failed to upset on Tuesday, his "tea party" fueled opposition to St. Martin and Roberson succeeded in damaging the former Nevada Republican Party spokesperson's public image. In branding St. Martin as a "reckless party girl", they reminded voters of their Former Senator turned Maxim model (Elizabeth Halseth). And in the end, that does nothing but further weaken Team Red in this seat that redistricting first put into play.

Meanwhile on the Democratic side, Justin Jones breezed through his primary, raised over $130,000 so far this year, and has been working the field like crazy. In addition, Democrats' voter registration advantage jumped over the course of the summer. Even the Republicans' own internal poll had Justin Jones leading! On top of all this, there have been no reports of any field being done by and/or for Mari St. Martin. Add this all up, and it looks like this seat is slipping away from the Republicans' grasp more quickly than anyone had originally expected.

SD 18
Las Vegas- Northwest, Centennial Hills

US-Pres 2008
Obama (D) 50%
McCain (R) 48%

Estimated NV-Sen 2010
Angle (R) 50%
H Reid (D) 45%

Estimated NV-Gov 2010
Sandoval (R) 57%
R Reid (D) 38%

Voter Registration: +2.38% Republican

Race Rating: Tossup

Normally, this kind of seat is incredibly difficult for Democrats to win. However, a "near perfect storm" has put flipping this seat into the realm of possibility.

First off, the North had to give up a Senate seat. Secondly, Democrats scored big time when Kelli Ross, local businesswoman and wife of Las Vegas City Council Member Steve Ross, decided to run here. And finally, they've been helped by the ugly Republican infighting spilling over to local races.

Still, Roberson approved candidate Scott Hammond survived the primary... And that part isn't sweet music to Democrats' ears. In this primary, Roberson got to breathe a big sigh of relief.

However, Assembly Member Hammond now has a bigger task ahead in fighting for his promotion in the general. And since Kelli Ross has managed to thread the needle in preventing the Democratic base from throwing her overboard (she survived her own primary challenge from progressive favorite Donna Schlemmer) while maintaining her appeal to independent and crossover Republican voters, she can't be counted out. This is likely still a close race that Republicans will have to fight hard to win.


Washoe County

SD 15
Reno- Caughlin Ranch, Northwest, West Downtown

US-Pres 2008
Obama (D) 57%
McCain (R) 40%

Estimated NV-Sen 2010
H Reid (D) 54%
Angle (R) 40%

Estimated NV-Gov 2010
Sandoval (R) 57%
R Reid (D) 37%

Voter Registration: +1.92% Republican

Race Rating: Tossup

As usual, this seat is still on the razor's edge. The region is traditionally Republican, and Republicans are accustomed to dominating local elections. However, the region is trending Democratic and it's incredibly unlikely that Mitt Romney will do well here at the top of the ticket.

While Greg Brower has the edge in fundraising and voter registration, Sheila Leslie has the edge in field work and local goodwill in Reno. This is why the race is so close. Even the Senate GOP internal poll had a tight race, while the Senate Democratic internal had Leslie ahead by 5%. Above all the other races, this one will likely hinge on how Nonpartisans vote. And so far, Brower really hasn't done much to earn their support.

So what does the final count look like? Again, let me give the latest scoreboard, which is ranked highest to lowest in likelihood of Democratic win.

9 (Flip)
5 (Hold)
15 (Flip)
6 (Hold)
18 (Flip)

If I had to draw a line now, it would again fall just after 15. This would give Democrats 12 seats, or a net gain of 1 (GOP flips 6, but Dems flip 9 & 15). While I decided to keep the tilts the same for now, I'm already noticing some changes coming that could reshape the landscape this fall. While SD 18 should go Republican, Kelli Ross has so far proven to be a stronger campaigner than many had originally expected (and that's what's keeping it in Tossup Territory). And while Democrats have had trouble in SD 6, there may yet be hope for Benny Yerushalmi if he can pick up his ground game.

However, some things are constant. SD 9 continues to slip away from Republicans as Mari St. Martin does next to nothing to counter Justin Jones' strong field efforts. And even though Steve Kirk seemed to have the inside track early on, Joyce Woodhouse continues to stay in the game by running a nearly impeccable ground game. As I always like to say, field matters. And this fall, what happens in the field will likely determine the balance of power in Carson City next year.