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This is a Special Edition of Silver State Confidential.
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WAILING ON WHEELER
The
left has had a field day this week with conservative Republican Assemblyman Jim Wheeler’s statement at a town hall
meeting way back in August that he’d vote to bring back slavery if they put a gun to his head.
And
you know, that’s the part of Wheeler’s remarks that amazingly (not) his enemies
continue to ignore.
Wheeler never said
he would gleefully and without objection vote to bring back slavery if that’s
what his constituents wanted. He
said he’d bite his tongue, hold his nose and only do it if they held a gun to
his head.
So
how ‘bout you all with that hangman’s noose in your hands come down of that
sanctimonious high horse of yours. The
man made an analogy to make a point that no one with half a brain took to be a
serious proposal…and he has apologized for it.
Meanwhile...
THE SANDOVAL SLIP
I’d
forgotten this, but thanks to Ralston’s TV producer, Dana Gentry, for reminding us that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, is guilty of saying almost the exact same sort of
thing that Wheeler said, only in his case Sandoval was siding with the Nazis,
not slave owners.
Yet Sandoval
was one of the first turncoat Republicans to trash the conservative Wheeler
this week.
“Assemblyman
Wheeler’s comments are deeply offensive and have no place in our society,”
Sandoval said a statement dripping with disdain. “He should retract his remarks
and apologize.”
Which,
of course, Wheeler did. Very
quickly. Immediately, even.
Which
is more than we can say for Gov. Sandoval who, to the best of my knowledge –
though I may stand to be corrected - never retracted and apologized for his own
deeply offensive comments about the Nazis that have no place in our society.
What? You’re not sure what I’m talking about? Oh, gee, OK…
Let’s
hop into the Google Wayback Machine to April 22, 2010. Sandoval was trashing another conservative,
then-Gov. Jim Gibbons, in his GOP
primary challenge. In response, Jill
Lufrano, the Gibbons’ campaign’s communications director, issued
a press release which included the following…
Holy
hypocrisy, Batman! Talk about a guy in a
glass house throwing stones!
But
while we’re at it, let’s put Wheeler’s comment in this regard in even a little
more context…
GO FLY A KITE
Wheeler
represents a VERY conservative/VERY Republican district that
covers Douglas, Storey and Lyon counties in rural Nevada - or as
Ralston would say, “rules Nevada.”
And
ain’t no way, no how, the constituents of that district supported raising taxes
by some $700+ million in 2011 by extending the “temporary” tax hikes of 2009…which
the constituents of District 39 also opposed, as well.
And
yet…despite the desires of his constituents…then-Assemblyman Kelly Kite bent to the will of the
governor and Carson City lobbyists and voted FOR that tax hike.
As
such, the voters who Kite blew off kicked Kite to the curb in the GOP primary
last year and elected Wheeler to replace him.
And
unlike Kite, Wheeler stood up to the governor and the lobbyists and voted against extending the “sunsets” this
year. Wheeler, unlike Kite, listened to
his constituents. And that’s what this
is all about.
THE CUT-AND-RUN CAUCUS
Yet
some of Wheeler’s GOP colleagues are now rushing to throw the man under the
bus, with a vote on whether or not to oust him from the Assembly Republican
Caucus scheduled to take place in a 5:00 pm conference call tonight.
Four
of them have already given Wheeler a public shiv in the back, with Republican
Assemblymen John Hambrick,
Wes Duncan, Lynn Stewart and Paul
Anderson miraculously discovering this week how to send press releases
out, something they apparently did not know how to do during the Steven Brooks mess earlier this year.
I
guess piling on a colleague is only appropriate by Assembly Republican weenies
when going after a fellow Assembly colleague who was guilty of exercising free,
but politically incorrect, speech as opposed to, you know, actually threatening to shoot the Speaker. Go figure.
So
things look pretty dark for Jim Wheeler these days, right?
Um,
not so fast…
THE DEFENSE RISES
You
see, the only opinions that really matter here are the opinions of the very
constituents Wheeler is in trouble for listening to. So are they offended by Wheeler’s “gun to
the head” remarks and ready to toss him out on his can?
Not
just “no,” but “hell no!!!”
On
Saturday, the official Republican Party organizations from all three counties that Mr.
Wheeler represents passed resolutions in support of the embattled assemblyman.
“The
Lyon County Republican Central Committee offers its strongest, unqualified
support to Assemblyman Jim Wheeler for the leadership example he displays in
representing The People of the Great State of Nevada,” concludes the resolution,
passed UNANIMOUSLY and signed by Chairman Peggy Gray.
The
resolutions from the other two counties, I’m told, are nearly identical.
There
were also three letters-to-the-editor published in the Douglas County Record-Courier on Friday…
WHEELER SUBJECT TO
ORGANIZED ATTACK
Editor: Assemblyman Jim Wheeler upholds the Constitution: Government of, by and for the people. The illustration of slavery was unfortunate and should have been defused at the origin. But like many politicians including Obama, Sandoval, Heller, Reid, Assemblyman Wheeler got caught up in the discussion of his issue — working for the voters of District 39 — without taking in the explosiveness of the illustration. Would he vote for slavery? Of course not. That was never the issue, but there is an ugly face to politics. I believe there is an organized attack against Assemblyman Wheeler because he does not kowtow to the PACs, lobbyists, special interest groups. Why didn’t this incident hit the newspapers after it occurred in Storey County, earlier this year. Why now? Why did the YouTube video suddenly evoke the media outrage now and not then? Organized assassination? This stinks. I am appalled at what intelligent people are willing to believe. Republican or Democrat, our responsibility as voters and as responsible citizens is to examine the facts before we draw conclusions. It is interesting that Kelly Kite, former Assemblyman, is going to run against Wheeler in 2014. He has also tried to uncover issues long ago addressed by the Legislature when Wheeler took office. Kelly Kite’s voting record both as a County Commissioner and an Assemblyman demonstrated his leaning to the PACs, special interests and lobbies. This is a good lesson for the freshman assemblyman and I pray he will learn well and continue to keep my interests in the forefront. Elaine Smith Minden
HOW DUMB DO YOU THINK WE
ARE?
Editor: Regarding the primary front page Record- Courier article on Oct. 30 was “Wheeler Blames Media…” I read the Nevada Appeal Oct 29 article related to the above noted report…my comments: First, the slavery question is preposterous and insulting to the citizens of District 39. Second, the Appeal article states, “Democrats jumped on the statements as reprehensible and disgusting.” Really? The R-C article reports, “Wheeler told the Storey County Republican Central Committee in August.” From August to the end of October is a really big jump. Third, if this was so offensive in August, why didn’t a citizen-voter come forward from Storey County previously? This is politics plain and simple...and dirty at that. I am aggrieved that the media thinks we are so stupid. (This is not Washington, DC). I have faith in the intelligence and virtue of my fellow citizens. Nevada, vote your heart and soul in 2014, just as Jim Wheeler has done for us in the 2013 Assembly. Cheryl Kelley Gardnerville
WHEELER NOT VOTING FOR
SLAVERY
Editor:
Jim Wheeler is never going to vote for or against slavery. This brouhaha is a dream come-true for Jim’s political opponents. Take a conservative man’s principled position of being loyal to his constituent’s wishes, and turn it into a phony argument to insinuate that he is a racist. Why is this happening to Jim? It is because Jim will not vote to raise taxes. He will not betray his constituents. A politician like Jim is a threat to the Progressive Leadership Alliance as well as Republicans who depend on crony capitalism. We know that most politicians cannot resist the temptation of raising taxes. Kelly Kite, who may be Jim’s 2014 Republican primary opponent, makes no secret that he will raise taxes if he is elected. When Kelly Kite was in the Nevada Assembly, Kelly voted against the sunsetting of $712 million of taxes in 2011. We are fortunate to have Jim Wheeler representing us in the Assembly. Please join me in supporting Jim Wheeler for District 39 Assembly. Jeanne Shizuru Gardnerville
SUPPORT RISES OUTSIDE
DISTRICT 39, TOO
And
lest you think support for Wheeler and opposition to his political lynching is restricted
to just the constituents of his district, think again. The following letter-to-the-editor was
published today in the Las Vegas Review-Journal…
Overreaction to Wheeler's hyperbole
To
the editor:
Can
someone please explain to me what the difference is between Assemblyman Jim
Wheeler using hyperbole to illustrate that his job is to represent the people
who elected him and Sheldon Adelson using hyperbole to illustrate his belief
that actions speak louder than words? Granted, Mr. Wheeler used a poor example
(of voting for slavery if that was what his constituents wanted) to make his
point, just as Mr. Adelson used a poor example (of bombing Iran) to make his
point.
But
how can anyone really believe that Mr. Wheeler was serious, while at the same
time believe that Mr. Adelson was kidding? Why are some people calling for Mr.
Wheeler to resign, but not even condemning Mr. Adelson’s comments?
I
don’t belong to any political party, but I personally find it refreshing that a
politician, any politician, actually believes that his job is to represent the
people who elected him, rather than to represent the people who gave him the
most money. Most politicians only give lip service to representing the people,
but Mr. Wheeler actually practices it.
We
should be holding up Mr. Wheeler as an example of what all politicians should
be like. He might have put his foot in his mouth, but his heart is in the right
place. To believe anything else is to completely miss the point.
RICHARD
PRATT
LAS
VEGAS
THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
Of course,
it wasn’t just Mr. Wheeler’s comments referencing slavery that got him in hot
water. He also said some rather
unflattering things about southern Nevada to this northern Nevada gathering. But it is absolutely mind-boggling that
southerners, who regularly ridicule and denigrate our northern brethren, would
take such high dudgeon over such a trivial matter.
The
North-South rift in this state is as real as it is old. Indeed, who can ever forget that time back in
the 90s when then-State Sen. Dina Titus
referred to northern Nevada flood victims as “rascals” and suggested they were
padding their flood claims to build outdoor decks on their homes?
Or
when she called Washoe County a "sponge just soaking up the income
that's been earned by the blood and sweat of miners, gamblers, ranches
throughout the rest of the state."
What? I’m the ONLY one who remembers
that? Well, good thing you have me here
then, huh?!
So
enough is enough. Get off Jim Wheeler’s
back. He said what he said. It was a legitimate point when taken in
context. But he’s acknowledged it was a
poor choice for his analogy. He’s
apologized. Move on.
As for
his Republican colleagues in the Assembly “chicken” caucus who will vote on
what actions to take in this matter tonight, this is where we’ll separate the
men from the boys. Time to choose sides. Side with your base and conservative colleague…or Jon
Ralston and the liberal lynch mob?
Why
do I suspect that only Assemblywoman Michele
Fiore will show any balls on tonight’s call?
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