A former Joe Heck staffer, who is in his mid-thirties, decided to enroll at UNLV after the campaign ended. As a sophomore he is now the new president of UNLV's college Republicans. Since his election, this student organization has launched a full-scale attack on Dina Titus. Complete with bird-dogging, a media campaign and website. How they find time to go to class between disrupting Dina's classes, harassing her in her office and tabling in UNLV's student center is a mystery.
Associate Professor Ken Peffers raked in $173,376.54 (that's $67K more than Dina!) in 2009-2010 school year. And guess what? HE IS ON PAID LEAVE. You're mad Dina teaches only one class full of students? HE TEACHERS NO ONE and has no other assignments.
Why would College Republicans leave that out? Rumor has it they have no one else to advise them. I am told that no other professor will touch the group. And if they have no faculty adviser, they have no organization.
The UNLV college Republicans are nothing more than a Joe Heck re-election shadow campaign using up UNLV's resources and good name.
My mom used to cover the cops beat for our local paper. I was in elementary school at the time and she would drag me to many different ceremonial police activities. One of the most festive events was the graduating class of the police K9 unit.
German shepherds who were trained to perform were paraded in front of the adoring public and given their diplomas. The crowd would “ooh” and “aww” and clap as the dogs were taken through a few training exercises to show off to the crowd.
I thought the whole thing was sad.
These dogs were so convinced that they had no role in life but to do whatever their trainers said, they’d whine and squirm while anxiously waiting for the next command. Some would even pee on the floor in anticipation for the next order.
Legislative Republicans remind of those dogs.
Some are eager to please, like Senator Michael Roberson who yelps “GOV REC!” whenever asked about the budget. Or Mark Sherwood, who when given the challenge of thinking for himself and providing his opinion for all who are upset with cuts to education, simply replies “WE DON’T CARE! *ROO-ROO-ROOH*”
If anyone gets out of line, if someone wants to tax groceries to raise revenue or admits the truth that we must raise our almost non-existent taxes to meet our budgetary needs and keep the state running, if Governor Sandoval’s persistent phone banking of the Republican caucus (the other thing he does when he’s not reading to children), there’s always someone who will yank that choke chain. Sending the wounded legislator, whimpering and broken, back to their caucus. Eagerly awaiting their next chance to prove how well they've been trained.
Press Releases Media April 21, 2011 ENSIGN TO RESIGN FROM OFFICE
Washington, D.C. - Senator John Ensign today announced his resignation as the 24th United States Senator from the state of Nevada. In a letter to Vice President Joe Biden tomorrow, Senator Ensign will state that his resignation from office is effective as of May 3, 2011.
"It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years," said Ensign. "The turbulence of these last few years is greatly surpassed by the incredible privilege that I feel to have been entrusted to serve the people of Nevada. I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life.
So now Governor Brian Sandoval has to appoint someone (re: Dean Heller) to that open Senate seat and a special election for the the now open congressional district 2 seat must be called in 180 days.
Why did this all happen, when only a month ago Senator Ensign said he'd finish his term? No one knows for sure. Ensign says it was to protect his family, but if he really cared for his family, he would've never cheated on his wife then given money and jobs to his mistress and her family.
Maybe Ensign knew the ethics investigation would not go well. If he's no longer a senator, there is no investigation.
Maybe Ensign was pressured by Governor Sandoval (side note: When Harry Reid involves himself in state politics he's called a meddler; when Brian Sandoval does it, he's a strong leader. I hate Nevada politics sometimes.) to get out because Dean Heller knows he can not defeat Congresswoman Shelley Berkley on his own merits. Being an incumbent adds some panache to your campaign, I'm told. Don't know if I believe that.
Now, who will run for #NV02? Sheila Leslie is the best option in my very humble opinion. I hear Debbie Smith is interested. And Jill Derby (two-time #NV02 loser) has been popping up at party events lately. She might want it too.
So much drama.
My dear friend Rhett sums it all up. I hope the Dems are smart enough to use this:
John Ensign resigning is a political stunt for Republicans to try to retain his Senate seat! First you cheat on your wife, now you cheat on Nevadans!
Sausage Factory readers voted for their favorite Nevada journo who covers the legislature (#nvleg) full time:
Here are the results:
Congrats to Andrew Doughman for taking first place!
Side note: I'm gonna guess that our readers either 1. Don't care about polls 2. Don't care about journos covering #nvleg or 3. Don't live in Nevada
A few hundred people visited the blog in the past 12 hours, but as you can see, only 36 people voted in our poll.
I was going to do a post with several polling questions (best #nvleg tweeter, best #nvleg analysis, etc...) but it looks like TSF readers aren't really into polls.
The Assembly republicans have a blog, and for some reason they decided to post a picture, featured right at the top, of all their GOP assembly members.
Reminding everyone that the NV GOP is a Grand ol Party of old white men.
And Melissa Woodbury
Does Nevada's GOP even try to recruit candidates of color? Or is Brian "my kids don't look hispanic" Sandoval enough for them?
I wonder how many LCB staff or Republican attaches up in Carson are people of color.
Maybe the title is a a little unfair, but it seems that every time Carolyn "Oscar's Wife" Goodman is asked a question the response is either I don't know (re: DREAM Act) or some strange off-topic answer.
Carolyn Goodman is not good with details or facts. Perhaps she was too busy molding the young minds of the elite class' offspring to pick up a newspaper or watch the news and actually learn something about the outside world and how it might affect the city she now wants to be mayor of.
Local journalist Steve Friess was one of the first to expose her staggering ignorance. Despite claiming to be an educator and friend to Las Vegas' Latino community, she had no clue what the DREAM Act was and had no official position (and seemed to have no knowledge of) Las Vegas' Domestic Partnership law or gay marriage in general.
And now #OscarsWife has inserted her foot in her mouth once again.
Given a chance by Univision to clarify her DREAM Act remarks, she claims that students can find a pathway to citizenship by participating in the Teach for America program.
Teach for America does not provide you with a pathway to citizenship. Right now, the only way a non-US citizen can became a "legal" citizen is by going through the US' archaic, drawn out citizenship process.
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.
In the short run, our corps members work relentlessly to ensure that more students growing up today in our country's lowest-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve. In the long run, our alumni are a powerful force of leaders working from inside education and from every other sector to effect the fundamental changes needed to ensure that all children have an equal chance in life. Learn more about our impact.
Nothing about citizenship. At all.
I attended almost all of the mayoral debates during the primary, and I noticed whenever Chris Giunchigliani talked about legislation or ordinances she worked on, #OscarsWife would roll her eyes or pass a look to her staff as if to say "Now here she goes with all those facts and shit"
Why the hate from OscarsWife?
Every time Chris G talks about her experience, OscarsWife if forced to admit that she has none. Every time Chris G describes in detail a bill, proposed legislation or policy, OscarsWife is exposed as not just a political neophyte, but a Sarah Palineqsue character who has no knowledge of current events and no ability to articulate any of the little knowledge she does have.
