Monthly archive
Good morning, everyone. I know you are wondering the same thing I am this morning: Does the NSA read the Morning Flash? And without a subscription? And why hasn’t the NSA been better at being first with the trivia answers? Yes, I am puzzled, too.
As we enter the Season of Speculation, which normal people call “summer,” I have to be honest: I really don’t want to talk about the Legislature anymore. I could whine a bit about the dashed high hopes, on everything from tax policy to transparency....
Good morning, everyone. I miss Carson City already. OK, that woke you up, I bet. I look forward to reading all the wrap-up pieces on Sunday, as well as the “newspaper’s”s unscientific poll of lobbyists and legislators about the best and the worst. (I will expose ballot-stuffing!) Now begins the slowest part of the two-year cycle, which will last until Labor Day when the Sisolak-Flores ticket is unveiled to save the Democrats---
I am going to try to recover from the end of Session ’13 by taking...
Good morning, everyone. Here is my rule of thumb on what to believe from lawmakers and others involved in a Legislature in the hours, days, even weeks following sine die: Nothing. People are tired and dazed and often angry/frustrated. People will say they will never run again or will run for something else. Maybe. But let’s wait a bit – until the fall, at least.
One other truism I have learned as all sessions end ugly: No one really cares how they culminate except those who are there, and even...
Good morning, everyone. Late night last night, with both houses working into Day 120 on Day 119. Hence, the lateness of theMorning Flash and its brevity. Look for updates all day long on the final day here.
The absence these last few days of state Sen. Joyce Woodhouse has changed the dynamic here, despite the classy pronouncements from Republicans. All of the budget bills are fine – although please watch how all of the Republicans who voted for them will not all vote for the money to pay for...
Good morning, everyone. I got excited for a moment Thursday during a chat with Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick when she told me they were aiming to be done by Sunday, one day before the constitutionally mandated close of the Legislature. But then she clarified: They plan to get the major bills out of the way by Sunday so they can just do clean-up stuff on the last day. I see. Not that I would take that to the bank – the motto of this session will not be “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” But if it...
Good morning, everyone. Sorry this is a bit late as I am trying to recover from a Third House hangover. Or perhaps it’s guilt for all of the terrible, terrible things we said last night to skewer the poor Gang of 63. Guilt? Ha. Sorry, I am still in a joking mood.
Woke up wondering what Warren Buffett will buy next. We are, as everyone knows, a cheap date. One wag suggested his next purchase should be the Las Vegas Sun. Buffett is on anewspaper-buying spree, so maybe it’s not so far-fetched. But...
Good morning, everyone. As lobbyists scurry in the hallways to assure last-minute favors for their clients and four new leaders confront the messy business of closing the session, I keep hearing two words repeated over and over: Term limits. It’s not a new meme, but folks up here are talking about the toll they have taken on the process. And it will continue as experience evacuates and newbie’s descend. Has it helped the process? Don’t get me started.
One thing to look for in the closing days...
Good morning, everyone. Sending a bit late from 30,000 feet. With less than a week to go, it all seems like a blur now, doesn’t it? The Democratic leaders promising the world. Brooks. Brooks. Brooks. NV Energy’s gambit. The SJR 13 miracle in the Senate. Mining. Mining. Mining. The Democrats disappoint. Gaming wins. And the end is near----
Lots of interesting stuff Sunday for premium subscribers. Grades for Gov. Brian Sandoval are high despite lack of engagement. Expected veto count ranges from...
Good morning, everyone. The weather outside in Carson City is delightful, but I don’t see much sun inside the building. It seems as if we have entered not so much The Rush to Close, but The Going Through the Motions. Lawmakers are doing the drudgery of getting their bills passed and getting bills passed for lobbyists who have worked very, very hard to curry favor for 110 days. It’s nice to have a front-row seat to---history.
Speaking of history, it was almost anticlimactic Thursday to witness...
Good morning, everyone. My penultimate trip top Carson thismorning (I hope). I must acknowledge that I am not the joyful fellow you all knew on Feb. 4. The spring in my step has become a trudge, the hopeful outlook has become a resigned one. A flicker of hope remains because that’s how I got my reputation as Sunny Pundit. But the Session of Nothing – we have had those before – is about to peter out, full of sound---
In case you missed it, I did muse Wednesday on what might have been. It’s...