Dullard Mush

Sharron Angle Still Shilling Book, But Is Anyone Buying?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:53:00 +0000

I noticed Nevada's perennial political loser Sharron Angle is shilling her book, Right Angle, at CPAC Friday. Made me wonder if anybody out there is actually buying. Checked Amazon and, at #849,552 (it dropped 20K spots just as I was typing this!) on the sales chart, it's probably safe to assume "NO."

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Ron Paul Camp Even Calling After NV Caucus Has Ended

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Just when you thought it was finally safe to answer the phone, another call from the Ron Paul campaign came through Wednesday evening. It was a volunteer and he was asking about my precinct. I started to think perhaps this was going to be about counts, but it was about the next important phase in Nevada's GOP caucus -- delegates.

He wanted to know how many and if I was going to be one. I told him I thought Ron Paul "officially" won the precinct so there probably would be three for him. But the Oliver North and Gary Johnson guys just might stand firm. I think he recognized Johnson, but not North (pfff ... youngsters).

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Team Gingrich Works the Precinct Room with Signage

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:03:00 +0000

Somebody supporting Newt Gingrich did their groundwork well. This sign was greeting us in our precinct room.


Apparently it's okay for caucuses, as long as the signs aren't physically attached to the walls(?). The Ron Paul guy out front didn't know this and was a little chagrined when I told him. I said I would take a pamphlet up to even things out. No Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum signs, stickers or anything to be seen.

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Actual Nevada Republican Caucus Ballot

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Uh oh. No write-ins? That just might cause a problem in this precinct.

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Gingrich Finally Hits Nevada Caucus Mailboxes with Anti-Romney Pitch

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:28:00 +0000

And not a day to spare.

Two arrived, one with a smart (and fiscally conservative) merge of both our names and, alas, one in just my name. Do these guys just have money to burn?

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I Wonder if "Nevada's Religious?" Will Be a Question Asked Nationwide Today?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Since a Mitt Romney win seems preordained, I suspect a lot of Nevada caucus stories will mention the Mormon factor playing a part in the size of his win. Some pundits may even venture to say this is why a person can't take this win too seriously in the overall scheme of the campaign. I mean, how could he not win?

The other story that might also get a lot of play is the fact official results from the caucus will be slow in coming because of the special evening Jewish caucus being held in Las Vegas. You can't have final numbers until the Sabbath-observant voter has had their say. If the totals are close, and they may be between Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul for second, this could cause a problem. Having the official finish come around midnight on the east coast, with the next day being the Super Bowl, doesn't exactly work as far as advantageous media goes.

So if all this plays out as expected on the early Saturday evening news, I can't help but think people all across the country will be shaking their heads and wondering aloud how the land of gambling, cheap liquor and legal prostitutes even has Mormons and Jews, let alone enough to be part of a political story.

But have no fear America, in a 2009 Gallup poll our heathen state was the ninth "least religious" in the nation.

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Quick Gingrich Call This Evening

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:26:00 +0000

We received a Newt Gingrich call just a couple minutes ago. It was Newt himself in the recording saying "thank you" quite a bit. Urged us to make America a better place and go vote tomorrow. A relatively quick call, but he now surges well ahead of Mitt Romney in our voter contact scorecard. This call and his push poll from the other day are two more contacts than the Romney camp have done this entire Nevada GOP caucus season.

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Ron Paul Targeting Voters Who Aren't Pre-Registered for NV Caucus

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Every day seems to bring a new Ron Paul campaign letter to our house. Or, more accurately, a pair of letters as apparently their mailing list doesn't merge married couples. Throw in the duplicates, like the four postcards we received the other day, and you can see why I've been accustomed to Paul mailers arriving like Noah's ark -- by twos.

So it was a little surprising to receive just one letter Thursday. But it wasn't for me, it was for my wife. The content was also different in tone. There were a lot of "if you haven't decided to attend the caucus" and "if you're unsure where to go" sprinkled throughout the letter. Seemed a little odd, until I realized that only I had pre-registered for Saturday's caucus. Perhaps they ran those names through for a final mailing. Interesting, and smart, targeting. Makes you wonder if Paul will overperform the 15% recent polls have shown his campaign at.

One quibble, though, is with all the mailings Paul has sent. As the most fiscally conservative candidate out there, it does seem a little spendthrift the way his team has managed his direct mail campaign. To not merge last names with addresses, as a lot of campaigns do, is just wasteful. Plus, it's just plain sloppy sending duplicates to not just one, but both people. And, finally, if you are going to send out a two-page letter, do you really have to use two actual sheets of paper? Print on both sides, if not to appease any environmental concerns, at least to save money on wasted reams of paper. I mean, it's almost being ran like, gulp, some inefficient big government entity.

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Ron Paul "Social Conservative" Volunteer Stumped by Gold Standard Question

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

We received another live call from the Ron Paul campaign last night. But, unlike the previous one, this was from a volunteer in Henderson and not the great state of Mississippi.

It followed the same general script, asking if I was going to vote for Paul on Saturday as I was a "supporter." I told her I wasn't sure how I had been flagged as a "supporter" as I was still undecided. She apologized and asked what may be keeping me from voting for Paul. Now, on the previous call I had mentioned the abortion issue and though it was answered, it did entail a bit of stumbling. I wondered afterwards what would have happened if I had questioned the return to the gold standard. So this time I did.

Unfortunately, the person who called said she was more a "social conservative" and couldn't really address the issue. She apologized quite a bit and offered to have someone more versed in the economic message call me back. I declined and said I would just look it up on his site. She then told me about some videos on YouTube where he explains his issue. Again, she was very apologetic, but nice and, like the other, very earnest.

I wonder how many volunteers the other campaigns have working Nevada?

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An Online Gingrich Ad Finally Appears

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Much like my mailbox and phone, the only things Nevada caucus related I have seen have been from Ron Paul.  For example, the past few days, no matter where I went online I would see a Paul ad attacking Newt Gingrich.

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Ron Paul Mails Again (Twice)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:40:00 +0000

Actually, when I grabbed our mail today I saw an envelope with "RO" and what looked like the start of an "M."   I was actually kind of excited to finally receive something from the Mitt Romney campaign. But, alas, it wasn't an "M," but an "N." Ron Paul strikes again ... twice (another, identical, envelope fell from the pile).

This mailing was a two-page letter not just urging one to vote this Saturday, but to be sure and "become a delegate to the county conventions." It also includes, twice, bits about Romney and Newt Gingrich "pulling out all the stops to get every one of their supporters out." But, as of February 2nd we haven't received a single call or mailing from Romney. I guess the Mormon vote is enough.

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Newt Hits Romney On Guns in Push Poll

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Finally, something besides a Ron Paul item hits our household (well, except for that lone Herman Cain call a lifetime ago).

Last night's automated poll started innocently enough by asking which candidate I was supporting. I chose "undecided" to see where it was going to go, and it quickly moved into attack mode -- hammering Mitt Romney on his gun rights record while governor of Massachusetts. This was quickly followed by a glowing account of Newt Gingrich's record on guns. Well, at least I could guess who was paying for it.

The call ended with the question of whether I be more or less likely to vote for Gingrich after hearing the horrors of Romney's record.

Well, now it's just down to Romney and Rick Santorum to call, mail or do something to contact us this caucus season. There's only a few days left.

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Paul Postcard Points Nevadans to Their Caucus

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Continuing his uncontested onslaught on our mailbox, Ron Paul sent not one, but four postcards Tuesday. Unfortunately, given that they were all the same postcard and address, it probably doesn't speak well to his handling funds in the most fiscally-conservative way. But, whatever.

The good news is the postcards actually spelled out the when, where, how and why of Nevada's GOP caucus.  Which, for computer-free people, is a good thing. Let's just hope their info is correct.

And no, we have yet to receive anything from the Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich or (yes, I guess) Rick Santorum campaign. The latter two isn't so surprising, but the former is.

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Jim Rogers Really, Really Doesn't Like Barbara Cegavske

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

While most everyone who saw Nevada State Senator Barbara Cegavske's appearance on Jon Ralston's Face to Face seemed to agree she stunk, none were as vociferous as Jim Rogers. The television station owner and former chancellor of Nevada System of Higher Education's review managed to squeeze three "stupids" into one lone paragraph (with two "no knowledges" and a "clown" for good measure). So, yeah, he's no fan of the current GOP congressional (CD-4) candidate.

Things didn't get much better for Cegavske, at least in Rogers' eyes, when conservative activist Chuck Muth somewhat came to her defense. OK, he really didn't come to her defense so much as said she needs to be better prepared next time.

That didn't go over too well with Rogers, as he calmly explained why that probably won't work.

The reason Cegavske was woefully unprepared was not because she failed to study the issues, her problem is that she is stupid and has no capacity to understand the issues.

I guess if there is a silver lining for Cegavske it's that Rogers only used "stupid" once in his post.

But, as things often go, right on cue with reading Rogers' latest barb, an email arrived from Cegavske's campaign. It was the typical boilerplate message, repeal ObamaCare, no tax increases, etc. But the part that caught my eye was her pledge to cut "$1 trillion in spending in my first year in Congress." Really? A trillion in a year?

Besides the fact she suddenly seems to be channeling Ron Paul, this seems almost laughable coming on the heels of her Ralston interview. I mean, if you couldn't come up with a single good example on what she would have cut from Nevada's projected $600 million deficit (spread out over two years btw), how in the world  is she going to slice a trillion? She's not. It's a talking point so out there that it treats her potential constituents as complete fiscal rubes. She knows it (I hope) and, as Rogers is fond of saying, it's stupid.

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Ron Paul Volunteers Calling Nevada from Mississippi

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:16:00 +0000

After receiving a couple robo-polls from the Ron Paul campaign and a recorded Herman Cain message this caucus season, I finally was hit up by a live person last night. And, as has been the case for almost the entire campaign, it was from the Paul camp. After asking if I would be partaking in this week's caucus, the caller didn't waste any time in following up with the question of if I would be voting for Paul. I told him I hadn't made up my mind yet and he politely asked what was keeping me from supporting Paul. I figured "kookiness" on some issues wouldn't fly too well, so I mentioned his stance on abortion rights (he had sent a large mailer on the subject last month). After a bit of sputtering here and there, I was told that while Paul is anti-abortion he supports individual states making their decision. So if Nevada wanted to be pro-choice, they could vote for that. I got the feeling, though, it was an awkward topic for the campaign to get around (although I have to wonder how a conversation on returning to the gold standard would go). He then asked which candidate I did like in case I didn't vote for Paul. I mentioned former candidate Gary Johnson and got a pretty enthusiastic "Yeah, I like him too" response. Not so much of a surprise coming from a Paul fan, but a little so coming from a campaign volunteer. It was refreshing, though, to hear. To the caller's credit, he did follow by saying Paul was the closest to Johnson out of the remaining four candidates. I did mention I couldn't stand Rick Santorum and that also brought a strong agreement. No questions on Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich though. That about wrapped up the conversation as he hoped I would consider Paul this Saturday. As we were about to close I asked where he was calling from as his accent definitely didn't sound Nevadan. Turns out he was a volunteer in Mississippi. He said he was passionate about Paul and was trying to help out. A good kid. After we had hung up, though, I kicked myself for not asking him about all the comparisons Nevada gets to Mississippi. We always hear we're the "Mississippi of the West," so I was curious if they have something along the lines of being the "Nevada of the East." Actually, given the way the Paul campaign keeps contacting me, I'll probably have another chance. [...]

An Endorsement Gary Johnson Could Probably Do Without

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Granted, Libertarian (and former GOP) presidential candidate Gary Johnson has the most sensible drug policies of anyone this side of Ron Paul (but without the kookiness), but having supporters sending out endorsements from sites like Stoner Culture probably isn't helping his cause.

It was this op-ed by Johnson over at Big Government that prompted the ringing endorsement.

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Barbara Cegavske Channels Elizabeth Halseth in Ralston Face to Face Interview

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Twitter seemed to be, well, atwitter with how bad Nevada State Senator Barbara Cegavske did on Jon Ralston's Face to Face. Archenemy Jim Rogers was especially gleeful at her, seemingly, universally panned performance. I just finished watching Cegavske on Ralston. Whatever I have said about her in the past isn’t even a down payment on this clown’s stupidity. She has no knowledge and I mean no knowledge about anything. She’s so stupid she doesn’t even realize how stupid she is. She told my executive assistant this afternoon that she would be happy to appear on my show. I can’t wait. I won’t have to do anything except watch her self-destruct. Even conservative activists, like Chuck Muth, winced at her lack of answers and tired use of talking points that fill the air but say nothing. In fact, the harshness of the reviews reminded me of the Elizabeth Halseth vs. Dennis Nolan debate Ralston did back in 2010. I don't think I've ever seen a more inexperienced and ill-prepared candidate. Her lack of knowledge on almost everything was a cringe-inducing mess. So, did Cegavske match Halseth in ineptitude? Well, it wasn't the catastrophic train wreck Rogers had me envisioning. But, considering Cegavske's been a Carson City fixture for over 15 years, her zero-content responses may, in fact, be more egregious than Halseth's blatant stupidity (she was a newbie, after all). Although that didn't seem to stop Clark County SD-9 from voting Halseth in. (But we've all seen how that turned out.) It is getting increasingly tiresome to hear deficit-hawks suddenly lose their zeal for fiscal responsibility when asked the obvious question "What would you cut?" (with the added implication of "and please, for the love of god, give me a specific item that actually cuts something besides a few damn pennies!!!") But, like virtually all conservatives before her, she mumbles something about looking at a variety of unnamed solutions before being pressed into a laughably small (and, therefore, politically safe) target. In Cegavske's case I think Ralston's badgering finally elicited something about Easter Seals handling children health issues. Yeah, it was ludicrous. The real interesting question at this point is if Cegavske will follow through on her apparent commitment to appear on Rogers' show. Bowing out would look, well chicken, but if this is a typical performance, perhaps a "scheduling conflict" will suddenly appear. Either way, I'm sure fellow GOP CD-4 candidate Danny Tarkanian is smiling. [...]

County Corruption, Vegas Hookers and Puppets on Local News

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:42:00 +0000

See, now this is what can happen when you ban TV cameras from the court. My god, these guys should franchise "The Puppet's Court" to all local news.

Oh, and apparently "What Happens in Vegas" doesn't always stay in Vegas.

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If Nevada GOP Caucus Officials Can't Spell ...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:28:00 +0000

How the hell are they going to pull off the actual event? Perhaps a repeat of 2008's disaster is on tap.

Here's the lackluster, and error-riddled, caucus site.

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Righthaven, Operation Donkey Punch and the Nastiest Campaign Ever?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Oh, and a nice piece on how nasty elections are getting nowadays. Except that they have always been dirty.

• You have to hand it to Anonymous, they do come up with some clever operation code names. The latest is OpDonkeyPunch, and their target? Democratic lawmakers who supported SOPA and PIPA. This could be quite interesting.
• Speaking of SOPA and PIPA, do you get the feeling the MPAA regrets hiring ex-Senator Chris Dodd? The late Jack Valenti wouldn't have been so obtuse. Oh, and here's the petition mentioned above. It just passed the required 25K signatures.
• In a way it's fitting the new owner of Righthaven.com is a web hosting firm that promises to not rollover to legal firms like, well, the former Righthaven.
• Every election year is touted as the "dirtiest" or "nastiest ever." 2012 is no different. New York Magazine's "The Coming Tsunami of Slime."

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Clark County Republicans Think Ron Paul is Party's Best Chance at Beating Obama

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:57:00 +0000

Either GoVote.com's polling is a little off, or Clark County Republicans are. I haven't seen any polls anywhere showing Ron Paul beating President Obama but, in fairness, only 24 percent of the respondents thought that. Heck, even 10% thought Rick Santorum was the GOP's best bet to win in November!

The poll of 2008 Clark County GOP caucus goers, also includes the relatively odd question of if Ron Paul makes an independent presidential run this year would you be less or more likely to support his son Rand Paul in his future political endeavors. Seems somewhat weird for a Nevada caucus but, I suppose, it foreshadows what most expect -- a Paul presidential run every four years. Kind of like the Bush family except, of course, the winning part.

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Another Ron Paul Survey, No Perry Option

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:37:00 +0000

This evening's phone poll was the same Ron Paul one that called Wednesday, with only one minor difference -- no Rick Perry option. I wonder if the results have changed any? My answers did (just for the fun of it, of course).

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Ron Paul Phone Survey Goes Straight, No Pushing

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Most of the time when you are polled by a candidate, the questions usually run along the lines of "Would you vote for X if you knew they did Y?" It's the rare bird that goes so straight you had no idea it was even a campaign paying for it until the end. But that happened last night with a Ron Paul campaign robo-poll.

It was a straightforward "who are you leaning towards" with Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Paul, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry as your choices (in that order). You were then asked how firmly your support was and who your second pick would be.

The last question was regarding issues and ran the gamut from abortion, guns and unions, to jobs, Obamacare and wars. I think a voter had 10 choices for "most important" and then a "second most important."

When it ended, quite frankly, I was thinking it was about time a media outlet polled our state but, alas, it was the Paul camp.

And as an aside, is anybody out there besides Paul doing anything in Nevada? Criminy, I received a President Obama email hyping the Democratic caucus and he's running unopposed.

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Gary Johnson Just Can't Catch a Break

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Just when it seemed like former GOP-turned-Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was finally able to garner a bit of news with his surprise showing of 7% in a three-way race with President Obama and Mitt Romney, along comes Stephen Colbert to steal his thunder.

No Joke: Stephen Colbert ahead of Gary Johnson in National Poll

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How to Sell Bum-Fudge Nowhere Property in Nevada

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

If you have 40 acres in the middle of the Nevada desert that you have been trying to unload for $40K forever, what just might be the secret sauce to finally selling the damn thing?

Play to the survivalist nuts -- big time!

Iranian nukes ... radiation fallout ...gun control. It's all there in this above-the-fold front-page ad in the Sparks Big Nickel. And hurry folks, before "the hordes are runnin the banks and the stores ... cuz then you're just too-damned-late."

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