By: Chuck Muth
Nevada News and Views

TODAY’S NN&V HEADLINES

  • Seems Like Old Times: Ensign Defends Reid…Again (Chuck Muth) – Nevada Republicans, pay attention. Harry Reid OWNS John Ensign now. John Ensign will NOT help you defeat Harry Reid. In fact, John Ensign, as we just saw yesterday, will do everything he can do to HELP Harry Reid.
  • #87 on the List, #1 in the Hearts of Reno Conservatives (Chuck Muth) – Talk about local boy making good. London’ Daily Telegraph has compiled a list of the Top 100 “most influential US conservatives” in the United States today. And wouldn’t you know it, #87 on the list is former Renoite….
  • First Friday January: The Stars Come Out to Play! (Karri Bragg) – In what may go down as the largest First Friday turnout since the event’s inception back in August 2009, First Friday January turned out many of Nevada’s biggest political players and soon-to-be politicians for a festive kickoff of the 2010 election year.
  • Candid Candidate: Exclusive Interview with U.S. Senate Candidate John Chachas (Elizabeth Crum/Nevada News Bureau) – In an exclusive interview with the Nevada News Bureau, Republican senatorial candidate and investment banker John Chachas sat down and talked about his campaign, his family and his concerns about Nevada and the nation.
  • UNR Study: Field Skipper Butterflies Enjoying Spring a Month Earlier (Chuck Muth) – Representatives of the Nevada System of Higher Education continue to tell us that there is simply no “fat” left to cut in the higher ed system and that Nevada taxpayers should simply pay a “miniscule” amount of higher taxes to perpetuate the critically important work being done at our state’s two public universities. Critically important work such as studying the effects of alleged global warming on butterfly habitats in Nevada.

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

SURVEY SAYS!

Do you agree with Sen. John Ensign that Republicans should back off of Sen. Harry Reid?

  • Yes, John Ensign is a paragon of truth and virtue
  • No, John Ensign should blow it out his pie-hole

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

MUTHS TRUTHS

  • Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Ben Spillman inked a story today which quotes Rainier Spencer, UNLV professor of African-American Studies, defending Harry Reid. Rainier says he doesn’t see why Harry Reid should apologize “other than using the archaic word Negro.” Three questions:

    (1) Would Rainier have taken the same position had Harry used the other archaic “N word”?

    (2) Why is Spillman, purportedly an objective reporter, quoting a liberal university professor about a political story on race, but not a conservative?

    (3) Why are Nevada taxpayers funding useless “African-American Studies” programs at UNLV, especially in these tough budgetary times?

  • Spillman, by the way, also took the opportunity today to word-process another negative Sue Lowden story where there wasn’t one. In “Lowden’s stance a contrast to year ago,” Spillman tries to make it seem as though Lowden said one thing about Reid and race a year ago over the Roland Burris flap and another thing now over the “Negro” flap. Not.

    A year ago Lowden, as Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, said Harry Reid wasn’t a racist. She hasn’t changed that opinion one iota over this “Negro” business. She simply said yesterday that Reid’s comments were “outrageous” and “racially charged” – which they were. You need an awfully large rubber band to stretch that into calling Reid a racist and insinuating that somehow Lowden’s positions on the two incidents are diametrically opposed.

    There simply was no story here. Must have been a slow news day.

  • Meanwhile, the fact that Clark County School Superintendent Walt Rulffes is one of four finalists for “Superintendent of the Year” indicates that the award is about as credible as Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize – in ANY dialect. Clark County’s public schools suck by just about any measure. Yet Rulffes is up for “Superintendent of the Year”? What a joke.
  • The union-owned Clark County Commission awarded a paving contract to a union contractor despite a competing bid by a non-union contractor which would have cost taxpayers $4 million less. A judge last week ordered the commission to give the contract to the non-union low bidder instead of the commission’s union overlords. To which Commissioner Tom Collins responded by charging that the judge ruled in favor of the non-union contractor because the judge, like the non-union contractor’s lawyer, are both Mormon.

    They’re also light-skinned with no detectable Negro dialect.

  • There’s a new blog in town. Slash Politics made its debut on Monday. No, it’s not written by former Assemblywoman Francis Allen. It’s a new-and-improved (but not lemon-scented) political blog by our cyber-friend Steve Sebelius. Check it out and bookmark it. www.slashpolitics.com
  • Speaking of Slash Politics, Sebelius reports today that “Dave Berns, the former host of KNPR-FM 88.9’s State of Nevada radio program, has signed on to work for state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford. Berns confirmed today that he’s doing ‘pretty much anything he [Horsford] asks for,’ including writing speeches.” Hopefully with no detectable Negro dialect.
  • And finally, not only do the rounds of Lincoln Day dinners begin in earnest for Republicans next month, but their bi-annual county conventions, as well. If the 17 Nevada counties want to really spice up their confabs, each one ought to make plans now to include a “straw poll” for, at the very least, the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. It would make get-togethers far more interesting.

OTHER NEWS & VIEWS

Harry Reid wasn’t sorry for his “Negro” comments so much as he was sorry they became public without his staff knowing about it in advance and that they could hurt him politically. So reports POLITICO on how the Reidites did effective damage control. Reid….er, read all about it HERE

TUBE TIPS

  • Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele goes Face to Face with Jon Ralston tonight. The program airs at 4:00 pm Monday through Friday on KVBC Channel 3 in Las Vegas, as well as NBC affiliates in Reno and Elko. http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/face-face/
  • Sam Shad’s guests today on the Nevada Newsmakers program will be Catherine Cortez Masto, Attorney General of Nevada. The program airs on KRNV-TV Channel 4 at 12:30 pm in Reno and on Cox Cable Channel 123 at 4:30 pm and 11:35 pm in Las Vegas. http://www.nevadanewsmakers.com/

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Some Reno citizen has set up a website, a website called ‘RINO BS’ at rinobs.com. BS happens to stand not for a cow pie but for Brian Sandoval. And everyone should know what RINO stands for. If they stay consistent, this site might prove effective. It’s got the professional look, at least.” – Blogger “Reno Rob”