Often it’s prudent to remind people of the whack-jobs who walk among us.
In the coming days, I’m going to focus on a new canker-sore now gracing Nevada Republicans who goes by the name of Mike Wiley. This guy says he’s running against Harry Reid and appears to be both off his meds and off his rocker.
But before exposing Wiley Virus, let us not forget that Robert Holloway – one of the infamous tin-foil hat wearing morons of the ’08 elections – is still lurking around in Nevada cyber-space as a stark-raving paranoid who fell out of the Stupid Tree and hit every branch on the way down. If you run into this nut job at a party meeting down the road, make sure you keep your hands firmly on your pepper spray.
THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW
As anyone who knows me knows, one of the unpardonable sins for me in politics is hypocrisy – such as campaigning on a platform of moral values and then getting caught boinking one of your married campaign staffers. So I can’t let pass a major-league example of supreme hypocrisy displayed this week by Rew Goodenow, the Nevada GOP’s lawyer.
Hearken back, dear reader, to the winter of 2007. Nevada GOP chairman Paul Adams resigned in January. Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons made it clear that his choice to replace Adams was former Republican state Sen. Sue Lowden.
And it was critical to get her into the position, even on an “interim” basis, ASAP because the party was broke, the 2007 Legislature was about to convene, the presidential caucus needed to be planned, and an official election to fill the vacancy couldn’t take place for at least 60 days, by which time the session would be all but over.
But Goodenow decreed at the time that there was no way on God’s green earth for the party’s Executive Committee to appoint an interim chairman.
So Lowden was left cooling her stilettos until the election at the end of April, powerless to do anything to help the party or the governor for the entirety of the session.
Now fast-forward to this past Wednesday night. Lowden announced her decision to resign as chairman so she could explore a possible run against Harry Reid. An election to fill her position will take place sometime in early November. But guess what?
Chris Comfort was appointed interim chairman by the party’s Executive Committee….and Goodenow miraculously found a loophole here on God’s green earth allowing him to sanction the decision!
Un-believable.
ENSIGN THE MAGNIFICENT…NOT
A follow-up to yesterday’s reports on John Ensign’s private meeting with a dozen GOP luminaries this past week in which he claimed to have done more to help the Republican Party than anyone else, citing his part in raising money a decade ago to pay off the Nevada GOP’s debt of approximately $400,000.
Here’s the thing: The party back then had a budget and actually raised more money than the budget called for. It was the Ensign campaign through then-campaign manager Mike Slanker which pressured the party in the closing weeks of the campaign to break its budget and do more mail pieces for Ensign than the party had money to do. Slanker promised that John Ensign would raise the additional money after the election.
So the party wasn’t in debt because the party over-spent its budget. The party was in debt, partially, because John Ensign pressured the party to spend more on direct mail on his behalf using the party’s credit with vendors and non-profit bulk permit.
I say partially because there’s still even more to this story.
The bulk of the reason for the party being so far in debt was the legal and other costs the party incurred on Ensign’s behalf pursuing a recount in his 1998 race against Harry Reid, which Ensign lost by just over 400 votes. Had the party told Ensign to fund his own recount and do his own campaign mailings, the party wouldn’t have had any debt that year whatsoever.
This isn’t, by the way, a matter subject to interpretation. Following the election, a complete and thorough audit of the party’s books was conducted which clearly showed the party’s debt was 100% due to mailings requested which were over and above that which had been budgeted and the Ensign recount.
Ensign tried to portray himself this week as a knight in shining armor who rode in and saved an irresponsible, spend-thrift party organization when in reality all he was doing was paying off a debt he himself charged on party’s credit card. Under the circumstances, it was the least he could do.
And when it comes to the party, John Ensign is famous for doing the least he can do. Indeed, when was the last time John Ensign attended a party event where he didn’t show up late or leave early….or both?
All of that said, the real question to John Ensign from Nevada Republicans today should be: What have you done for us lately?
As a United States Senator, the former #4 guy on the party’s leadership team, and the immediate past chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, there is NO REASON today for the party to be broke, without a staff, without a headquarters and without a voter registration program.
No. Reason.
If John Ensign is sincere in his sorrow for the embarrassment he’s caused the party, he should, at the very least, cut a check to the party for, say, $96,000 to begin to make up for the last decade of neglect on his part. If it will help, he could even make the contribution with eight separate $12,000 checks.
PROFESSOR MUTH’S TRAINING SCHEDULE
Regent 104, aka Yours Truly, will be the featured speaker at the North Valley Republican Women’s Club meeting on Friday evening, September 18th, at Hobey’s Casino in Sun Valley. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact club President Vicki Maltman at northvalleysrw@live.com.
The next morning, September 19, I’ll be conducting a Candidate Training workshop for Republican, Libertarian and Independent American grassroots activists, party leaders and potential candidates at the Airport Plaza across from the Reno airport from 9:00 am to noon. The specific program agenda will be announced next week. Tuition: $20 plus a bag of M&M’s.
On Monday, September 21st, I’ll be hosting an invitation-only round-table summit in Las Vegas of conservative GOP candidates who have signed or have indicated a willingness to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The featured speakers will be Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Saul Anuzis of the Dump Reid PAC, and Nancy Bocskor, perhaps the best fundraising trainer in the nation today.
If you’re a conservative running for office or thinking of running for office, and are committed to opposing any and all efforts to increase taxes – including plans to make this year’s Raggio Tax Hikes permanent – shoot me an email at chuck@chuckmuth.com so I can get you the details. But seating is limited, so don’t delay. We’re almost full already.
On Thursday, September 24th, I’ll be conducting a workshop exclusively for Libertarian Party candidates in Las Vegas. If you are a Libertarian interested in participating in this program, contact Clark County LP Chairman Nathan Santucci.
An finally, on Friday, October 9th, Regent 104 is scheduled to participate in a training program being offered at the Nevada Federation of Republican Women’s convention in Las Vegas.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Speaking of Ely being friendly territory, our ‘other’ senator, John Ensign came to town last week. But Ely isn’t so friendly that Sen. Ensign wanted to meet with too many of his White Pine constituents. It would have been a wonderful opportunity for a meaningful town hall meeting. Many of us have many, many questions that could have been answered best in a public forum.
“But Ensign – he’s the Republican senator who’s not from Searchlight – chose to have an invitation-only luncheon at the Big Apple. . . . We understand the senator’s shyness. His confessed marital infidelity – despite his assurances he broke no laws – doesn’t match up well with his advocacy for family values.
“Ensign’s may be stuck with a hypocrisy label, at least for a while. It’s going to take courage for Ensign to set his personal failings aside and deal directly with the public – and he should. . . . (M)eeting with those people who elected him directly would be a good focus.”
- Ely Times editorial, 9/2/09
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