Gibbons reaches out to the Republican base

For all his dishonesty, untrustworthiness, cruelty, narcissism, stunted emotional development and psychological disorders, mentally unbalanced Gov. Jim Gibbons still knows a thing or two about politics.

When he goes on TV and, citing the police report, insists that the 1981 attempt to blow up Harry Reid's car consisted of a phone book in a shoe box, even though the police report makes absolutely no mention of either phone books or shoe boxes, Gibbons isn't making "a mistake," as his spokesman claims.

The nation's creepiest governor is making a calculated and intentional appeal to the angry, paranoid base of conservative voters whose support will be crucial to winning the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination.

People who see socialism, death panels and a president with a Kenyan birth certificate under their beds are obviously impervious to sense, much less truth. By virtue of being Senate majority leader, Harry Reid allows Nevada's insecure, ignorant and frightened right-wing white people to localize their rage and paranoia and direct it at one concentrated source. And for all the innumerable matters of policy, or even decency, that Gibbons is too deranged or obtuse to comprehend, he totally gets the teabaggers.

Take a dedicated disregard for facts and mix it with the belief that Harry Reid is the boogeyman, and Gibbons sees a recipe for exploiting the people on whom the continuation of his political career -- at least through the Republican primary -- will hinge: the unhinged.

In his TV interview, Gibbons was not just wrong. He was strongly wrong:

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Ray. If you read the report, and I hope you read the police report. Did you read it? Did you read it? ... It didn't say car bomb. It said it was a shoe box with a phone book in it."

(For the record, again, the police report describes "a wire leading from the distributor to the fuel tank" and makes no mention whatsoever of a shoe box or a phone book).

Did Gibbons himself read the report? Almost certainly, just to see if by some bizarre coincidence there actually was some truth to the lone shoe box theory that he has propagated at least twice now. But let's be clear -- Gibbons has no more concern for what the report says than he does for the veracity of the words that come out of his mouth. Other matters are far more important, as his spokesman, Dan Burns, confirmed. "The larger question is, there was no bomb in the car? And who said the mob did it?" Burns told the Sun, demonstrating that he values accuracy and honesty every bit as much as his boss.

A sensible person, i.e., one not willingly associated with Gibbons, might think that the "larger question" has something to do with why Gibbons is lying so blatantly, willingly, deliberately, repeatedly and remorselessly.

The answer's simple. The teabaggers see him swiftboating Harry Reid. That makes them hot. And Gibbons knows it.

And really, is either Mike Montandon or Brian Sandoval, both of whom also hope to appeal to the radical right in the course of seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, going to call Gibbons out for lying about Harry Reid? Not likely, especially so long as Gibbons is viewed as a dead man walking, politically. Why bother?

But as the Sandoval and Montandon campaigns may have noticed, for now, Gibbons isn't running against them. He's running against the man the New Republican Party loves to hate. And he isn't the Batshit Crazy Shoeboxer King as a result of his idiocy, incompetence, laziness, sloppiness or dementia. He deliberately sought the crown.

Tricky little sociopath, ain't he?

Comments

[dave404]

Hear-Hear!

The "larger question" is why do people elect and re-elect those that lie "so blatantly, willingly, deliberately, repeatedly and remorselessly."

America is entrapped in a political party gang war.

Perhaps Prof. Green can tell us when was the last time it was that partisan political parties so dangerously put their interests over the peoples needs?

Sandoval might have no one telling him "no" when he calls for donations, but the "new" Republican Party isn't likely to elect as governor someone whose family is so involved in things that are anathema to their teachings. Gibbons has legs.

Hey, who has some good news to share?!

[A Done of Reality]

If Hoffman wins in NY23 (and I truly don't think he will), it will embolden the TEA folks and they will go after the likes of a Sandoval too. Judge Sandoval is way, way too sane for those guys.

[Michael Green]

Dave, I would say the last time is when the 2007 legislature didn't immediately try to impeach, convict, and remove Gibbons, because--I believe; I could be wrong--some Democrats felt they would be better off politically with Governor Assaulter in office.

Now to the main issue. Gleaner, you say Gibbons can read? Stop the presses!

[Goldy]

Gibbons may be on to something with the "Grassy Shoebox" theory. You see, the Rockefeller, Annenberg, Mellon, Getty, and Spears (Brittney, not Darcy) families have been in control of the World banking system. They knew Harry Reid would, one day, be a threat to their control of the world financial complex. They formed a commission--tri-lateral in nature--to "off" Reid early in the game when no one would expect it. But their plan was foiled by a cyborg who needed new shoes; hence, the shoebox.

The phone book was there only because Rockefeller was fastidious about updating the phonebook by crossing out the names of dead people. I still comb the obituaries and have a very accurate phone book.

[atdleft]

Yeah, Gibbons is batsh*t crazy... But so is today's GOP base. They LOVE it when he goes nuts like this! Perhaps this will help him win the nomination next year. If a total nutjob who doesn't even live in NY-23 can knock off the actual GOP nominee in that district, then I guess anything is possible with today's GOP (except actually winning national or Nevada statewide elections).

[dave404]

MG,

I apologize, I was speaking about Party discord at a national level.

[Nevada Ned]

Detachment from reality may actually be an asset in politics. Example: when Reagan was governor of California, he once gave a speech to a conservative audience, in which he brandished a piece of paper which, he said, had the conclusions of a committee that had investigated those awful radicals at Berkeley. And the committee had found the Berkeley radicals indulging in all sorts of sexual perversity. Reagan knew his audience, who cringed at the sexual debauchery as well as political unspeakable acts.

It was all an act. Reagan was not holding up the report of an official committee. There was no committee.

Then what was Reagan holding in his hand?
A blank piece of paper.

[Happygirl]

Please tell me again who this psychopath ever got elected. Really hope he goes away, and soon.

[Michael Green]

Sorry, Dave. The Iraq War comes to mind--the Bush administration ginning up a war so that an illegitimate, incompetent president could try to prove his manhood and trying to whipsaw Democrats by making it an electoral issue, and Democrats thinking they couldn't do anything about it.

[cynthia ryan]

Gush... one of the better blog posts ever.
What makes me sad is the compliant role Dan Burns plays. I worked with him in emergency management and he seemed like such standup guy, but I guess the $50k raise over what he was getting at DPS is enough to soothe any nasty ripples in ones' integrity.
I keep expecting him to run screaming like all the rest, but he hangs in there.