Monthly archive

Heller wants to get rid of Obamacare "exemption," but won't say whether he will opt out
Sen. Dean Heller has sent out news releases and given speeches about erasing the special "exemption" senators, congressmen and their aides have in Obamacare, but his office refuses to say whether Nevada's junior staff and his staff will opt out once enrollment opens next month. Indeed, Team Heller has gone to great lengths to avoid answering the question. After Heller gave yet another speech this week about the "exemption," I emailed his press secretary, Chandler Smith, and asked: I saw the...
Democrats continue lack of leadership evident during legislative session
Unlike too many of my colleagues, I tend to give elected officials, especially Nevada legislators, the benefit of the doubt. They get paid less than a Big Mac flipper. Most of them are hard-working. And the Southern Nevada ones have to be far from their families. It’s not all dinners at Adele’s, frolicking at Tahoe and free tickets to Strip shows. Not for most. But as hard as I try to be understanding  despite the serial failings of the Gang of 63 to deal thoughtfully with the state’s problems...
The political Bible is delivered; joy ensues
I felt a little like Navin Johnson when the new phonebook arrived. My joy was irrational, unrestrained. The 2014 version of "The Almanac of American Politics," the closest thing to a holy book in the business, came in the mail recently. Overseen by the master, Michael Barone, and ably assisted by Chuck McCutcheon, Sean Trende and Josh Kraushaar, the tome is stuffed with information about every state's political environment and its top elected officials. It is the veritable treasure trove, with...
Adelson lobbyist seriously considering run for GOP chairman
Robert Uithoven once had to be a spokesman for Jim Gibbons, so he must think there are no worse jobs. Why else, besides a desire by many in the GOP for the state party to be credible, would he be considering a bid to oust Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald?  Party chairman is as thankless a job as you can imagine, perhaps more so than being a campaign spokesman for a soon-to-be governor whose first name would become "scandal-plagued." But Uithoven, now a lobbyist for Sheldon Adelson's...
Angle embraces homophobic Alabama candidate
Former Senate candidate Sharron Angle has inserted herself into Alabama's special congressional election next week, endorsing a candidate who has said he is "against homosexuals pretending like they’re married." Angle's PAC, which solicited money for Dean Young in a missive I have pasted below, also set her disqualifiers for endorsements: Anyone who has voted for taxes, contributed to Democrats, has ties to the Establishment and does not display a serious campaign. (I wonder if incipient...
Dean Heller's strange PBS interview
 
Tonight's "Ralston Reports" -- Delving into the new school rankings
Tonight, we look at the new Nevada school rankings with Clark County Superintendent Pat Skorkowsy. Check out your kid's school, and tune in at 6:30.    
No margins tax weaseling
The margins tax has been around for awhile. It was proposed by Democrats in 2011, and the teachers union qualified its proposal last year. If you are involved in Nevada politics, even tangentially, you know what it does. This is especially true for lawmakers, who cravenly ignored the ballot question this year. (To be fair, this was mostly the fault of Democrats, who didn't want to bring it to a vote and put their members on record or propose an alternative. Most Republicans would have been...
Heller: Obama said we can bomb Syria "because we think we can get away with it"
President Obama told GOP senators he would authorize bombing Syria "because we think we can get away with it," Sen. Dean Heller said last week in a wide-ranging interview in which he first said he would not shut down the federal government  but then said he would not vote for a budget that contains Obamacare. Heller's comments came Friday evening during an interview on Vegas PBS' "Nevada Week in Review" in which he also said the left is "all for" bombing Syria and half of Democrats want to shut...
Site readers 2-1 against Syria intervention
Should the U.S. intervene in Syria? Primary tabs View Edit Outline Results(active tab) Votes No   67% (55 votes) Yes   32% (26 votes) Total votes: 81  

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