By: Chuck Muth
Nevada News and Views

TODAY’S NN&V HEADLINES

  • Obama’s Afghanistan Speech: Ghastly, Dreary, Dreadful and Morose (Herschel Smith) – The speech was ghastly, dreary, dreadful and morose, full of wishful thinking and blame of others for the situation we now face. Obama seemed to be unable to stay focused on Afghanistan, appeared bored with the subject, and even seemed a bit peeved that he had to deliver such a speech.
  • Heller Calls for Death Penalty for Death Tax (Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., spoke out today against a measure that would permanently set the estate tax at 45 percent. Under current law the tax, also referred to as the death tax, is set to expire at the end of this year.
  • Gibbons Urges Nevada Delegation to Oppose Obama-Care (Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – Gov. Jim Gibbons today asked Nevada’s Congressional delegation to oppose the U.S. Senate health care legislation, saying a mandated expansion of the Medicaid program would cost the state $613 million in general fund dollars between 2014 and 2019.
  • Daschle-Slayer Says Lowden Can Beat Reid (Dick Wadhams) – Five years ago, we made history when John Thune defeated Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota.
  • Special Session, Here We Come! (Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – An official with the Gibbons administration said today there will be a special session of the Legislature by June to repeal a Nevada law that is keeping the state from going after millions of dollars in federal funds to improve schools.

Click here to read these stories at the Nevada News & Views site!

FIRST FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR TONIGHT!

OK, talk about a fun-filled, star-studded, action-packed cast for tonight’s monthly First Friday Happy Hour Brew-ha-ha & Christmas Party.

Not only will we have Nevada’s only conservative member of Congress not under investigation, Rep. Dean Heller.

Not only will we have former Gov. Kenny Guinn and former First Lady Dema Guinn.

Not only will we have Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle all the way down from Reno.

An not ony will we have the United States Marines collecting unwrapped new toys for their annual Toys for Tots campaign.

But I was just informed yesterday that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Amodei will also be “in the house” all the way from the state capital (which is Carson City, by the way, for you Clark County publik skool kidz).

SURVEY SAYS!

Would you like to see Newt Gingrich’s “Real Jobs Summit” come to Las Vegas?

  • Yes
  • No

To cast your vote in today’s online survey, click here!

MUTHS TRUTHS

Remember those Nike “I’m Tiger Woods” commercials? If not, check it out HERE

And for the record, Nike swears there are no plans to update the commercial featuring John Ensign, Mark Sanford, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Bill Clinton, James McGreevey, Gavin Newsome and Eliot Spitzer.

OTHER NEWS & VIEWS

Despite a recent bombing run of glowing, greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread television, radio, newspaper and direct mail ads on behalf of embattled U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, only 38 percent of Nevadans like the guy according to a new poll today.

Meanwhile, the GOP race for the right to challenge Reid next November shows Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian running neck-and-neck in the lead and Sharron Angle within closing distance. Everyone else is way back in the pack.

Read all about it HERE

This is the first major poll on this race since Lowden got in. That she and Tark are running neck-and-neck likely means the two are going to have to finally start campaigning against each other for the GOP nomination and worry more about Harry after the primary.

Don’t get me wrong: No one will ever stop beating up on Reid in this race, but you don’t go to the big dance by winning opinion polls. You go to the big dance by winning the primary. And that race is about to heat up considerably. Let the games begin!

P.S. The news story doesn’t report it, but I understand that GOP senatorial candidate Mike Wiley is actually leading in the new poll in Nevada’s 32nd, 22nd, 9th and 25th congressional districts.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“We know that since Harry Reid has become the Senate Majority Leader, our state has lost over 64,000 jobs and in the Las Vegas metropolitan area the unemployment rate has gone from 4.3 to over 13 percent. Rather than working towards creating jobs, Reid has been fixated on his government-run health care that according to the CBO will raise premiums on hard-working families in Nevada by over $1,100. Next November, Nevadans will finally have the chance and an important opportunity to replace Senator Reid with a senator who is committed to putting Nevada back on track.” – Nevada Republican Party Chairman Chris Comfort

HELP WANTED

Freelance “Stringers” – Volunteers wanted to write interesting op-eds or engage in targeted “citizen journalism” around the state. If you have a gift for the written word and an interest in government and/or politics, please contact Nevada News Bureau editor Elizabeth Crum at [email protected]