Thursday, February 23, 2012

SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 02/23/2012

  DEBATE DEBRIEF

OK, here’s what we learned from Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate in Arizona:
  1. Rick Santorum is not ready for prime time.  He had his shot on
  2.  the top, but after this debate performance look for the Santorum Sag to kick in as far as his poll numbers are concerned.
  3. Mitt Romney’s talking-points rhetoric will never win over
  4.  conservatives.  He just doesn’t “speak the language” and will always be viewed with suspicion.
  5. Ron Paul said last night that the biggest misconception about his campaign is that he can’t win; however, there’s just no real sign that he can.  Regrettably.
  6. As Santorum falls back to earth and Romney continues to fail at inspiring the base, it’s certainly possible that Super Tuesday could result in yet a third “rise from the dead” for Newt Gingrich.

STONE-ZONE: ROMNEY ON EDGE OF “POLITICAL DEATH”

“It cannot be understated how devastating a loss in Michigan will be for Romney,” writes political strategist Roger Stone. “Romney not only grew up in Michigan, he is the son of a former governor. He carried the state in 2008 as the Conservative alternative to McCain and now will be mired as the Dole-McCain establishment moderate. A Michigan loss will but guarantee Romney an Ohio loss to Santorum and Georgia loss to Gingrich - which means Romney will also be out over 166 delegates to rivals.

“He has lost the electability argument as well. A February 16th Democracy Corps Poll finds that Romney ‘may be on the edge of political death.’ The shift against him is one of the biggest in the polls and he now competes with Republicans in Congress for unpopularity.”

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MASTER AND (STEVE) COMMANDER

Tea party reject Steve “Master &” Commander has written an email dumping on conservative Republican state senate candidate Dr. Annette Teijeiro. “Personal experiences with Annette,” Commander writes, “as well as others I have talked with, point to issues that seriously question Annette’s overall ‘qualifications.’”

Hmm.  Word on the street is that his “personal experiences” include the Teijeiro campaign telling Master & Commander that his non-existent strategic campaign genius wasn’t needed.  So this really is just a big ol’ bowl of sour grapes.

One recipient of the email responded: “I am not sure what ‘personal experiences' anyone may have had, or what ‘others say’…that sounds like a witch hunt to me, not to mention a lot of gossip.”  Another added: “Pretty lame, making an assessment (about qualifications) like that and offering nothing in evidence.”

Yep, pretty lame indeed.  But par for the course for Steve “Master &” Commander.

TEMPEST IN THE TEA PARTY POT

Meanwhile, tea party activists Karen Steelmon and Penny Hess have stirred up a major league hornet’s nest by promoting a fundraising event for liberal Democrat congressional candidate John Oceguera – running against incumbent conservative Republican Rep. Joe Heck – which is being hosted by uber-liberal Democrat Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani next month.

The rest of the tea party movement and legitimate tea party leaders are furious, with one suggesting Steelmon is either a fraud or a Democrat mole.  Others are demanding to be taken off the pair’s email list.  And I understand there’s a bucket of tar being heated up next to the feather-pillow factory.

Look, it’s one thing to be non-partisan; it’s another thing to be non-conservative.  If a tea party group wants to promote a moderate Democrat vs. a liberal Democrat…fine.  But to promote a liberal Democrat over a conservative Republican?  That’s insane.  If you’re a real tea partier, that is.

In the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo, Steelmon and Hess “have some ‘slainin’ to do.”

DEM SHENANIGANS IN MICHIGAN PRIMARY

For all those naysayers who said Republican activists who worried about potential Democrat mischief-making in the Nevada GOP presidential caucus should same-day registration be allowed, I bring you the following:

“The Michigan Democratic Party sent an e-mail to supporters Wednesday encouraging them to take part in the state’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday,” reports Aaron Blake of the Washington Post.  “There has been some discussion that Democrats might cross over and vote for Rick Santorum over Mitt Romney in an effort either to prolong the Republican nominating contest or to nominate the supposedly less-electable Santorum.”

Just because Nevada Democrats didn’t get involved in the Nevada GOP caucus; and just because Republicans didn’t need any help screwing it up, doesn’t mean the potential wouldn’t have been there had the party gone forward with the dumb idea promoted by, in addition to many in the liberal media, a certain blogger-boob named Orrin Johnson – the political svengali that he is.

ALL THE “RIGHT” MOVES

* Assemblyman Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) announced he was running for re-election on Tuesday.  Hansen chalked up a not exactly impressive 68% score in Citizen Outreach’s ratings in 2011 and voted for the $620 million tax hike.  But at least he was better than 10 of his other GOP Assembly colleagues. 

* State Senate Republicans ain’t cryin’ over Sen. Elizabeth Halseth’s spilt milk.  Yesterday they announced that Dr. Vick Gill - a small business owner and managing partner of CVR Management, which employs over 65 people – is stepping into the breach.  So it looks like Halseth’s loss might not be much of a loss after all.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“President Obama believes that life officially begins when it’s old enough to apply for entitlements.” – Dennis Miller
 

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