Contrary to popular belief within Democratic circles, it would be better if founding fruitcake Sharron Angle just went away.
Yes, yes, however the process shakes out to replace putative senator Dean Heller in CD2, the larger Angle's role, the better the chance for some Republican-lite Nevada-style Democrat to win that seat.
But a blithering Angle guarantees that the outcome of the race will be shaped by, well, a blithering Angle. Angle's car wreck candidacy (hard to look away) notwithstanding, heading into 2012, Democrats locally and nationally would be far better served by a 2011 special congressional election in a conservative district that tested something a little more significant than the latest point on Angle's celebrity trajectory.
That something, of course, is the wildly extremist plan, supported by Heller, Joe Heck and all but four other House Republicans to replace Medicare with a stingy voucher program while giving more tax breaks to the rich. The plan condemns all but the wealthiest Americans under age 55 to a future senior citizenship of misery and poverty, while also ballooning the national debt, because if Republicans stand for anything, it's an endless buffet of yummy goodies for the wealthy and a steaming pile of jack doodly squat for everybody else.
Mainstream Republicanism is now defined by the vote to kill Medicare. Greg Brower, Brian Krolicki, Mark Amodei and other assorted potential CD2 wannabes would have to discuss that cornerstone of contemporary Republicanism, even if Angle hogs the spotlight. Yet with Angle screeching about guns, god and other goofiness, the race would ultimately be about her.
The proposed elimination of Medicare gives Democrats something big to be against. That's probably about as good as it's going to get, agenda-wise, for customarily spineless Democrats, and a special election should be a fine opportunity to take it out for a spin in a ruby red district, open it up and see how it does. Alas, with Angle in the mix, the race will be all about the freak show, an amusing diversion, but irrelevant.
It's a known fact that sh*t floats. I think this applies to the Repugnants in the confused state of Nevada.
Posted by: Rich | 04/26/2011 at 08:05 AM
Angle needs to sing karaoke more.
Guaranteed both Democrats and Republicans will jump up, run for the aisles, covering their ears, eyes wide open, screaming for it to stop, please stop, have to get away, anywhere, but here, please make her stop....
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | 04/26/2011 at 09:01 AM
In defense of Sharron "Obtuse" Angle...
I'll bet Harry Reid is very glad that she ran for Senate!!! She wuz about the only one he could beat. He mighta lost to Tiny Tark or to the good lookin' blonde, Sue "The Chicken Lady" Lowden.
Posted by: Observer | 04/26/2011 at 12:35 PM
You have an excellent point Gleaner. Running Sharron Angle would be a complete distraction from the Republican's focus of cutting everything from the middle class that they can possibly cut. Amusing, I chuckle just thinking about her campaigning again.
Posted by: Judy | 04/26/2011 at 01:03 PM
I love how some of them claim that they're not eliminating Medicare because the name "Medicare" will still exist for their voucher plan to operate under.
It's like standing in your garage and claiming you're a car - you can claim that all you want, but it don't make it true.
Posted by: Douglas Democrat | 04/26/2011 at 01:12 PM
Angle's liars on the Right were on the radio this morning, with the American Center for Law & Justice (a supposedly Christina bent organization-the type that isn't supposed to "bear false witness"), clamoring that Obama failed to issue an Easter proclamation while Reagan and George W. Bush had, numerous times.
Seems the American Center for Law & Justice flat out lied!! A simple review of GWB's White House archive page, and RWR's presidential archive demonstrate that NEITHER Bush or Reagan ever issued an Easter Proclamation let alone one for Passover.
The Right is apoplectic and like the American Center for Law & Justice, will flat out lie and create false arguments in order to further their hatred of Obama and go so far as to create false and imaginary presidential proclamations. I guess that speaks to how stupid their targeted audience is.
@DD: The GOP wants to cut Medicare thereby making their boogie-man $500bn Obama reduction (which originated with GOP inaction 2001-2007), a drop in the ocean.
Posted by: pissed off | 04/26/2011 at 02:06 PM
Legislature once again declares Nevada Constitution not worth the paper it was printed on!!!
Assembly, 42-0!!!!!, just passed Assembly Bill 117 which allows school districts to reduce school year from 180 days to 170 days. This does not meet Constitutional muster.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/nevada-assembly-oks-bill-to-allow-reducing-school-year-120735714.html
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Reports/history.cfm?ID=262
From our Constitution:
"Article 11, Section 2. Uniform system of common schools. The legislature shall provide for a uniform system of common schools, by which a school shall be established and maintained in each school district at least six months in every year..." (30x6=180 days)
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/const/nvconst.html#Art11
Really, is every assembly person under the impression that NRS 386.550, 388.090, which are statutory law, trumps Constitutional law?!
Is there no bottom to the barrel of ignorance in Nevada politics?
Posted by: dave404 | 04/26/2011 at 03:42 PM
"Is there no bottom to the barrel of ignorance in Nevada politics?"
Nope. No bottom I can see.
(Then again, we haven't had 180 days of instruction in a long time. Each District is allowed to convert up to 5 instructional days into Professional Development Days. So really, school years are already closer to 175 days than 180.)
Posted by: Douglas Democrat | 04/26/2011 at 04:02 PM