Monthly archive
Welcome to the Weekly Report.
This week:
1. My snapshot of the state of the LG’s race
2. The Weekly Insiders assess the Laxalt and UNLV damage, background check initiative chances
3. Smartest/dumbest moves and coming campaign developments
Best comment of the week from one of my insiders: How much political dialogue among legislative leaders and the governor have regarding a legislative tax solution? If those discussions have any teeth during a campaign season, and voters are fully informed...
Adam Laxalt’s campaign for attorney general has become what his old law firm’s evaluation committee once said of his legal skills: a train wreck.
His bid has gone off the rails since the disclosure last week that a review committee at his former law firm essentially thought he was incompetent, even using the unfortunate shorthand of labeling him a “train wreck,” asserting he needs to "address basic legal principles" and has "judgment issues and doesn't seem to understand what to do."
As Laxalt...
One day after the release of a highly critical evaluation of Adam Laxalt, the GOP attorney general hopeful moved into damage control mode.
Step One: Best defense is a good offense. Laxalt tried to raise money off the disaster, asserting it is "petty politics" from his foe, Secretary of State Ross Miller. I have attached the solicitation here.
Step Two: Acknowledge the truth. He put out a statement contradicting Wednesday's in which he questioned the authenticity of the evaluation. Laxalt...
UPDATE: The chancellor and the chairman of the board of regents backed up UNLV President Don Snyder's open questioning of an academic study after major political players objected. They made it sound as if this is about a vigorous debate between academics, when it really is about an administration bending to the will of major donors.
Here are their statements -- read them and then read the post below again, which is about how any pro-margin tax conclusion apparently "does not represent the...
On March 5, 2013, state Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson stunned the Legislative Building by assembling a majority of his caucus to propose a mining tax initiative.
A month earlier, Democratic leaders had promised a revolutionary session on taxes, promising to fully fund education. So surely they would embrace Roberson’s proposal, or at least use it as a jumping-off point for serious discussions about a tax package.
But they did not.
Instead, they whispered about how untrustworthy the...
Two years ago, Adam Laxalt thought he was a superb lawyer with amazing analytical and writing abilities. His colleagues thought otherwise.
In a self-evaluation he filled out in 2012 for his law firm, Lewis & Roca, Laxalt labeled his skills as either “exceeds expectations” or “outstanding.” He bragged about his ability to “demonstrate solid grasp of basic legal concepts” and “draft clear and concise written work that is free from errors of grammar, usage, and spelling…” His colleagues...
UPDATED BELOW WITH LAXALT CAMPAIGN STATEMENT, 5 pm:
Republican AG hopeful Adam Laxalt was described by his firm's evaluation committee as "a train wreck" who "doesn't even have the basic skill set," according to a review of his performance two years ago.
The assessment by the Lewis & Roca Associate Evaluation and Compensation Committee (AECC) suggested that Laxalt attend seminars to "address basic legal principles" because of his "horrible reviews" and because he "has judgment issues and...
Good morning, everyone. As you can see below, today is the eight-year anniversary of an LA Times exposé about Harry Reid and Harvey Whittemore. That piece detailed the symbiotic relationship between The Family Reid and Whittemore. Harry scratched Harvey’s back; Harvey scratched Harry’s. I note this because when Whittemore was indicted, Reid ran away as fast as he could, did his shocked, shocked act and pretended his former friend had leprosy. Whittemore is now in prison for a scheme that seems...