For the greater good of the State of Nevada and the cause I support it is necessary for me to withdraw as Speaker Designee. The tens of thousands of people who both read my columns and listened to my radio shows through two decades in the media know this has been a carefully orchestrated attack to remove a conservative Republican from a major leadership role in State government. The deliberate character assassination and the politics of personal destruction have totally distorted my views and record. Ultimately, this whole attack has very little to do with my views. The powers that be are planning a massive, more than one billion dollar, tax increase and I stood in the way as Speaker. I have already served two terms as an Assemblyman without any of these vicious attacks. It was only when I had risen to leadership that this smear campaign occurred. That is the real reason for this and it is vital the public understands that.
One day after thanking people for their support and saying he was the victim of character assassination, incoming Speaker Ira Hansen sent an early morning email to his caucus declaring his intention to step down:
Ironically for an email slugged "Irony," Hansen attached a column in which he defended Pat McCarran, the notoriously anti-Semitic, racist and nativist senator, from a critical piece by Dennis Myers, who last week exposed Hansen's writings. I have attached the column here.
The email actually is unclear if he also is resigning his seat. (I have asked.)
How ironic that 16 years ago the same columnist Dennis Myers that I went after in my column for race baiting has done it to me.(see my attached column from 1998). Of course the media has not run this column...
Politics of personal destruction win. I need to step down. I hope that you all know that the Ira that you have known through these years and weeks is the real Ira and not what the media is painting me to be. You are a great group that can hopefully do great things and my staying will harm the caucus. I wish you all the best. Thanks for hanging tough through these difficult past days. If this were just about "me" I would fight this out to the bitter end, but it is going to harm all of you.
UPDATE: Here's Hansen's somewhat unrepentant statement.
For the greater good of the State of Nevada and the cause I support it is necessary for me to withdraw as Speaker Designee. The tens of thousands of people who both read my columns and listened to my radio shows through two decades in the media know this has been a carefully orchestrated attack to remove a conservative Republican from a major leadership role in State government. The deliberate character assassination and the politics of personal destruction have totally distorted my views and record. Ultimately, this whole attack has very little to do with my views. The powers that be are planning a massive, more than one billion dollar, tax increase and I stood in the way as Speaker. I have already served two terms as an Assemblyman without any of these vicious attacks. It was only when I had risen to leadership that this smear campaign occurred. That is the real reason for this and it is vital the public understands that.
One day after thanking people for their support and saying he was the victim of character assassination, incoming Speaker Ira Hansen sent an early morning email to his caucus declaring his intention to step down:
Ironically for an email slugged "Irony," Hansen attached a column in which he defended Pat McCarran, the notoriously anti-Semitic, racist and nativist senator, from a critical piece by Dennis Myers, who last week exposed Hansen's writings. I have attached the column here.
The email actually is unclear if he also is resigning his seat. (I have asked.)
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