MUTH’S TRUTHS

Your grassroots efforts to move the Nevada Republican presidential caucus up to January 19th instead of February 7th is paying off and gaining steam!

From Jon Ralston’s “Flash” yesterday afternoon:

“Sources say today that movement behind the scenes has made it more likely the Republicans will hold their presidential caucus on Jan. 19 — the same day as the Democratic Party’s. The deal is not quite consummated but insiders say key players — elected officials included — have agreed to pay the penalty meted out by the Republican National Committee — the loss of delegates and national convention seats if the date is moved from Feb. 7.”

The Hotline back in DC immediately picked up on the breaking story, as did Real Clear Politics.

Ralston followed up on his initial report later in the day writing:

“(Chuck) Muth’s campaign via the Internet – incessant e-mails and an online petition – have resulted in a general assent inside the GOP that losing some seats at the national convention is worth moving the caucus before Feb. 5, when so many big states will vote that the GOP nomination could be sewn up. That view has held sway with many prominent GOP insiders, who see the value in a Jan. 19 date and not much in Feb. 7.”

Ralston added: “Sources say that several key elected officials and the national committee types have signed off on moving the date to Jan. 19. The anointed incoming chairwoman of the party, ex-state Sen. Sue Lowden, also has been working the campaign with members of the central committee’s executive board.”

Molly Ball of the Las Vegas Review Journal reported this morning:

“A guerrilla campaign to move up Nevada’s Republican presidential nominating caucus to the same January 2008 date as the Democrats’ probably will succeed. ‘The rank and file have decided that if February 7 was a good idea, January 19 is a great idea,’ said Republican caucus Chairman Pete Ernaut, who agitated to move the GOP’s Nevada contest from April to February.”

Ball added:

“After meeting with Muth Wednesday, “(Gov. Jim Gibbons) has stated that if the executive committee of the Nevada Republican Party and other elected officials support moving it up to January 19th, then we would support their efforts,’ Melissa Subbotin said.”

It bears repeating here that NONE of this would have happened if Pete Ernaut hadn’t gotten the ball rolling. And he praised all of you who have been part of this effort this week:

“They (GOP grassroots activists) want to be competitive, and they don’t want to give the Democrats an advantage, even of a few days,” Ernaut told Ball. “It just shows the true independent spirit of Nevadans once again. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder.’”

Michael Mishak of the Las Vegas Sun weighed in this morning, as well:

“Backed by the Silver State’s top Republican brass, the state party’s executive committee voted this month to shift the Republican caucus to Feb. 7, about 2 1/2 months earlier than previously scheduled. But they soon came under fire from party activists who said a contest at that date would be an afterthought in a crowded calendar. . . . (C)ritics turned up the heat this week, circulating an online petition calling for a Jan. 19 caucus, the same day of the Nevada Democratic contest.”

Mishak added: “Pete Ernaut, a Republican lobbyist who’s heading the party’s caucus effort, said moving the date to Jan. 19 appeared likely.”

And Ray Hagar of the Reno Gazette-Journal quotes pollster Don Carlson today as saying, “I absolutely agree that the Republicans would be very smart to hook up on the same day as the Democrats.” Added political science professor Fred Lokken, “When you get both of them (caucuses) on the same date, it’s like you layer it and get more energy.”

Indeed, the only person who now appears to be opposed to this move is acting-GOP Chairman Paul Willis, who ducked a scheduled interview with us on this subject Monday, which is why we launched our petition campaign on Tuesday.

Willis thinks losing a mere 17 delegates to the national convention is a bigger deal than Nevada being second-in-the-nation in the presidential selection process. “I’m very concerned about the loss of our delegates for the national convention,” Willis told Hagar. “These are not just people in funny hats going to cocktail parties.”

Well, yes, they pretty much are…but that’s beside the point.

South Carolina Republicans are already willing to give up half of their delegation in order to be the first state in the south to vote in the presidential selection process next year. And on Wednesday, the Florida House of Representatives voted 115-1 to move Florida’s primary up to January 29th next year (the Florida Senate still needs to agree). And both South Carolina and Florida have MUCH bigger convention delegations than Nevada.

If THEY think the penalty is worth it, why in the world wouldn’t Willis? What is he thinking?

In any event, as I noted the other day the loss of half our delegation isn’t “for sure.” Can you imagine the GOP holding a national convention in which half the seats on the floor for Florida, South Carolina and Nevada are empty. Yeah, THAT would make a great camera shot for CNN!

Anyway, acting-Chairman Willis also told the Sun’s Mishak that he’d only gotten 45 email petitions, rather snidely remarking that that hardly qualified as a “groundswell” of grassroots support. But what Willis neglected to tell the reporter was that the GOP either disabled or began blocking emails to the party Wednesday morning. So some might consider Mr. Willis’ statement to be rather…let’s say, disingenuous.

In addition, we’ve only just BEGUN gathering signatures at various GOP meetings and such to be presented to the Central Committee in April. But since Mr. Willis doesn’t seem to think there’s any kind of “groundswell” of support, here’s a working list of folks who have already told me in one way or another that they either support moving the caucus to 1/19, or they have no objection to the party moving it to 1/19 if that’s what the state Republican Central Committee decides…

Gov. Jim Gibbons, Republican governor
Gov. Kenny Guinn, former Republican governor
Gov. Bob List, former Nevada Republican governor
Joe Brown, Nevada National Committeeman
State Sen. Bob Beers, former Nevada Republican Party Treasurer
University Regent Mark Alden, former Nevada Republican Party Assistant Treasurer
John Mason, former Nevada GOP Chairman
Steven Allemang, former Republican county chairman
George Harris, Finance Chairman, Nevada Republican Party
Dan Burdish, former Executive Director, Nevada Republican Party
Don Chairez, former Republican district judge and Attorney General candidate
Monte Miller, Republican donor and activist
Robert Uithoven, Republican campaign consultant
Jim Denton, Republican campaign consultant
Joe Enge, Republican school board member
Mary Burgoon, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Michael Burgoon, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Dorothy Crowder, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Robert Crowder, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Sheila Ward, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Lona White, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Gigi Valenti, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
R.C. Alexander, member, Carson City Republican Central Committee
Kristopher Munn, former Republican candidate
Ken Sondej, former Republican candidate
Ann Bednarski, former Republican candidate
Neil Weaver, former Republican candidate
Steven Saul, former Republican candidate
Cort Farmer
Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
Garry Hamilton
Barbara Davis
Mary Harding
Richard West
Eric Odom
George Caras
Harkley Boak
Jill Dickman
Robert Strauss
John Green
Robert Alexander
Dale Andrus
Bob Ballou
Patricia Lincoln
Eric Arnett
Harry & Patricia Fowler
Joan Delgado
Thomas Dickman
Suzanne Cornell
Julie Johnson
William Shuster
Brian Barbier
William Weikel
Brandon Goedhart
Kim Becker
Neil E. Barber
Jill Nicholson
Patte Purcell
Richard Deeds
Lynda Bevins
Patricia Fowler
Brian Barbier
David Abbot
Valida McMichael
James Shedd
Elena Brady
Laurel Ballou
Danielle Kohler
Evelyn L. Barber
Paul Deterding
Trisha Moore
Cricket Arens
Mary Regester
Rick Jones

Which makes it all the more outrageous if the rumors are true that Mr. Willis is actively working the phones today to get the Executive Committee to KILL the 1/19 move during their conference call scheduled for tonight. That the unelected acting-chairman of the party would be so intent on stopping Nevada Republicans from being the second state in the nation to participate in the presidential selection process next year is, to say the least, baffling. I thought party leaders were supposed to act in the party’s best interest, not their own?

In any event, grassroots Republicans disagree with Mr. Willis and recognize that the loss of delegates is a small price to pay. As Ernaut told Hagar:

“Seventeen (lost) delegates in the midst of hundreds is probably not going to make a huge impact overall. (The decision to move to 1/19) is obviously going to have a big impact on Nevada’s delegation, but our Nevada Republicans are saying that it is far more important to keep the state on a national level than it is to worry about 17 delegates in the midst of the whole national convention.”

Ernaut concluded by heaping credit on folks such as yourselves who made calls and sent emails to the Nevada GOP on this subject:

“This is really an issue that came from the ground level, from party volunteers and party activists. It means that I will have to raise more money faster (to finance the caucus) but I’m pretty proud of the way Republicans have banded together.”

For those of you reading this and who participated in the effort…take a bow. But don’t quit now. Remember, there are still a few party leaders who seem intent on derailing this. Let’s keep the pressure on…and let’s convene on 1/19!

Posted on March 23rd, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada