A friend of mine argues that the only way for a fringe legislator such as Michele Fiore to prosper is for the media to give her attention.
I get his point. But when someone is so manifestly ignorant and mendacious as is Fiore and can influence other lawmakers, especially freshmen susceptible to her nonsense, good media cannot do nothing.
Fiore appeared Tuesday at a meeting of the Northern Nevada Republican Men's Club, which helpfully posted the video (see below, and her remarks start at about the 17-minute mark), and vomited more nonsense than even I imagined she could muster.
The assemblywoman who would be majority leader said the Legislature has to restore gun rights, but she did not say what had been taken away. She said lawmakers must take back land and water rights from the federal government, but the constitutional scholar had no plan to accomplish such a daunting deed. She also said mental health professionals in Nevada are putting kids on "psychotropic drugs" after they suffer through breakups and have a pimple, and that would would prevent the child from getting a gun later in life.
I am not making this up, folks.
Michele of the Thousand Tax Liens also said she already has 11 other solid votes in the Assembly to block the governor's tax plan, which she said was a gross receipts tax (you knew that was coming, governor, and it's hard to argue) opposes before she has seen the details but -- wait for it -- is "always willing to listen." I doubt her count is correct -- at least not yet -- but this clearly is a heavy lift for the administration.
Fiore said Sandoval should have "flushed his budget right down the drain" after the election results, but his "men and women" would not allow it.
"I'm a Republican to give you your money back, give you your guns back and get our kids off drugs," she said, mindlessly, and adding later, equally mindlessly and crassly, "Put your big girl panties on or your big boy boxers on and help us fight for you."
The crowd at the Atlantis generally ate up the red meat remarks from Fiore and state Sen. Don Gustavson, neither of whom were ever going to have an open mind or consider the governor's budget.
The analogy made most often -- and I've made it, too -- is to 2003 when a GOP governor (Kenny Guinn) proposed a gross receipts tax and 15 Assembly Republicans blocked it. But they were led by a very clever, canny lawmaker named Bob Beers.
I know Bob Beers. Michele Fiore is no Bob Beers.
Fiore is a captive of Citizen Outhouse (headquarters pictured above) and even has its boss, Dan Burdish, as her policy adviser, which she reiterated during her remarks. I do agree with my friend to the extent that Fiore & Co. are not the threat to any real debate in Carson City. But if we in the media let them utter complete Jabberwocky without calling them on it, we will be more responsible than they are for another lost session.
I get his point. But when someone is so manifestly ignorant and mendacious as is Fiore and can influence other lawmakers, especially freshmen susceptible to her nonsense, good media cannot do nothing.
Fiore appeared Tuesday at a meeting of the Northern Nevada Republican Men's Club, which helpfully posted the video (see below, and her remarks start at about the 17-minute mark), and vomited more nonsense than even I imagined she could muster.
The assemblywoman who would be majority leader said the Legislature has to restore gun rights, but she did not say what had been taken away. She said lawmakers must take back land and water rights from the federal government, but the constitutional scholar had no plan to accomplish such a daunting deed. She also said mental health professionals in Nevada are putting kids on "psychotropic drugs" after they suffer through breakups and have a pimple, and that would would prevent the child from getting a gun later in life.
I am not making this up, folks.
Michele of the Thousand Tax Liens also said she already has 11 other solid votes in the Assembly to block the governor's tax plan, which she said was a gross receipts tax (you knew that was coming, governor, and it's hard to argue) opposes before she has seen the details but -- wait for it -- is "always willing to listen." I doubt her count is correct -- at least not yet -- but this clearly is a heavy lift for the administration.
Fiore said Sandoval should have "flushed his budget right down the drain" after the election results, but his "men and women" would not allow it.
"I'm a Republican to give you your money back, give you your guns back and get our kids off drugs," she said, mindlessly, and adding later, equally mindlessly and crassly, "Put your big girl panties on or your big boy boxers on and help us fight for you."
The crowd at the Atlantis generally ate up the red meat remarks from Fiore and state Sen. Don Gustavson, neither of whom were ever going to have an open mind or consider the governor's budget.
The analogy made most often -- and I've made it, too -- is to 2003 when a GOP governor (Kenny Guinn) proposed a gross receipts tax and 15 Assembly Republicans blocked it. But they were led by a very clever, canny lawmaker named Bob Beers.
I know Bob Beers. Michele Fiore is no Bob Beers.
Fiore is a captive of Citizen Outhouse (headquarters pictured above) and even has its boss, Dan Burdish, as her policy adviser, which she reiterated during her remarks. I do agree with my friend to the extent that Fiore & Co. are not the threat to any real debate in Carson City. But if we in the media let them utter complete Jabberwocky without calling them on it, we will be more responsible than they are for another lost session.
Comments: