NV War Party financiers unfazed by area economic collapse

As you may have heard, times are tough here in Nevada and people are struggling to make ends meet. Fortunately, however, some Nevadans still have enough money to lavish campaign contributions on out-of-state Republican politicians, if those Nevadans are shaken down, er, asked by the right person.

"I bring people out and raise money for them in Nevada that they could never raise anywhere else," Sen. John Ensign boasts to Congressional Quarterly. Those Nevada donors are ponying up  "only give because I’m asking them," the ever-modest senator adds.

The great and powerful Ensign, or Sen. Hairdo McWedgeshot, as he's known locally, has used his considerable charm to loosen $560,000 from "his prosperous state" for candidates defending War Party Senate seats this year, according to the CQ story.

Ensign is head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee charged with raising money for GOP Senate races. For months, Ensign has been whining that his fellow senators haven't been forking over enough money to the NRSC effort.

Frankly, it's hard to see why that would surprise him. If Ensign -- and Nevada -- learned anything from the failed fight to override George W. Bush's designation of Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste dump, it is that the Hairdo has no influence whatsoever with his fellow Republican senators.

Little wonder, then, that Ensign and his trusty sidekick, beltway consultant darling Little Mikey Slanker,  would resort to their financial comfort zone of Nevada gambling/hotel industry executives to raise some cash in a desperate last-ditch effort to make it look like they were at least marginally competent while presiding over the loss of several Senate seats currently held by warmongering government-hating Republicans.

Meantime, in a somewhat-related story, bitchy little area megalomaniac Sheldon Adelson's personal political propaganda arm, Freedom's Watch, is launching radio ads against 16 House Democrats from coast to coast (WaPo).

Freedom's Watch declined to disclose how much of Adelson's money it is spending on the radio spots.

But between the ad buy attacking Democrats nationwide and Nevadans contributing generously to Republican senate campaigns from around the country at the Hairdo's behest, one conclusion is inescapable: Now, clearly, is no time to raise the gaming tax.

Comments

[Michael Green]

If Ensign thinks he's responsible for these casino donations, why did Sheldon Adelson and the other executives who care nothing about the well-being of the average Nevadan--or human being, for that matter--give so much money to Jim Gibbons in 2006? Could it be that they are a sucker for any brainless Republican?

[Judy]

Bingo!

[Nevada Ned]

Sheldon Adelson and other casino kings wanted to avoid paying increased taxes, so they supported Gibbons. Campaign contributions, a legal form of bribery, is a good investment by the Nevada gamers and also by non-gaming big business such as Stephens Media (publishers of the RJ), Bank of America, Wal-Mart, and others. Business is the main source of campaign contributions, which explains the political posture not only of Gibbons and the Republicans, but of the timid Democrats also.

[Michael Green]

NN, I agree completely. But at the same time, you make the point that shows the stupidity of their thinking: "timid Democrats." WHY do they think they will do worse with Democrats when our fellow Democrats don't have the guts to really tax them as they should be--and, especially, the businesses that continue to rely on the Chamber of Commerce here to block every possible bit of progress this state needs to make?

[fourohfour]

Adelson's three initiatives that got tossed for being filled out wrong and stuff, have their day in the Nevada Supreme Court tomorrow. I assume our ex-public constitutional officers, Bob Seale and Steve "not the funny one" Martin will be in attendence to explain how they screwed uptheir respective initiatives.