The Ultimate Betrayal

Earlier this month, we saw the culmination of the extended 21st Century Know Nothing campaign to kill the prospect of comprehensive sex education throughout Nevada in the form of an outrageous editorial published on the web site of the state's "newspaper" of record setting embarrassments. Who could have guessed that one of the top Democrats in the Nevada Legislature would ultimately do the bidding of the 21st Century Know Nothings and the "newspaper" they so love? John Lee, meet Mo Denis (D-Coward).

The sex-ed measure was not a license for Planned Parenthood to invade schools and promote abortion. It was legislation designed to update a decades-old curricula that is no longer relevant and to educate kids about an array of dangers that didn’t exist or were barely known 30 years ago.

Isn’t it their job to educate any constituents who might have misunderstood the intent or whose fears had been fanned by the other side? Wasn’t this issue important enough to do that?

Instead, Democratic operatives and senators were trying Friday afternoon to tamp down a social media firestorm from the left. That was their priority -- not having THEIR people make this worse for them. Profiles in courage, they are.

And what do they say to their Assembly colleagues who backed this measure? I can imagine: "Sorry, we hung you out, but you know, people might be mad at us so we had to kill it. Hope it's not an issue for you in your elections."

According to a source who blabbed to the Las Vegas Sun's Conor Shine, Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Huh?!) was threatening to veto the bill. And considering Governor Sandoval's penchant for reluctance to accept reality, this is likely true. Still, why would Senator Denis concede defeat so quickly and without any sort of fight?

Was Senator Denis ever willing to even give this bill a chance? Did the Senate Majority Leader ever plan to even listen to the majority of his majority caucus? Does he really want to punish and endanger Nevada students just for the sake of pandering to 21st Century Know Nothings who will never support him or any other Democratic candidate anyway?

Supposedly, Senator Denis also did this to "protect vulnerable incumbents". But so far, blowback from progressives looks to be delivering the opposite result. And Mr. Majority Leader may pay the ultimate price for the ultimate betrayal.