MUTH’S TRUTHS

Nevada Republican leaders have FINALLY seen the light (after feeling the heat!) and have abandoned their “Seinfeld Caucus” plan for a February 7th presidential caucus and are moving it up to January 19th with the Democrats instead. Some reports from the front lines…

IT’S ON!

“Key Nevada Republicans moved ahead Friday with plans to advance their presidential caucus to January 19, the same day that the state’s Democrats will vote for their candidate.”

- Associated Press, 3/24/07

“Nevada Republicans agreed Friday afternoon to move the state’s GOP caucuses to Jan. 19, joining Democrats in deciding to vote second in the nation on the 2008 presidential candidates. The agreement came in a conference call among about 15 members of the state Republican Party’s executive committee, and in defiance of a Republican National Committee rule that bars states from selecting presidential delegates before Feb. 5.”

- Los Angeles Times, 3/24/07

THE WIDE, WIDE WORLD OF WILLIS

Acting Nevada GOP Chairman Paul Willis and his administration was against Nevada’s early presidential caucus before they were for it…before they were against it…before they were for it again. A little stroll down Inconsistency Lane:

“I think the (early) Democrat caucus is a gimmick and a scheme and a scam. It may bring some contenders and pretenders in here, but they’re still soft on the issues. It’s a lot of hype. I don’t think myself that the Republicans should stoop to the gimmickry that the Democrats are doing.”

- Acting Nevada GOP Chairman Paul Willis in the Las Vegas Review Journal

“Our executive board has made the decision that we can’t move up and we don’t want to violate the RNC’s bylaws. There has been zero talk about moving into January. That has been 100 percent decided.”

- Acting Nevada GOP executive director Zachary Moyle in the New Hampshire Union-Leader

“Before today, I was skeptical and wasn’t too sold on the idea because I thought the Democratic caucus was more of a scheme and a gimmick. But it is becoming more and more apparent that this (early GOP caucus) would be positive for Nevada.”

- Acting GOP Chairman Paul Willis in the Reno Gazette-Journal

“I’m very concerned about the loss of our delegates for the national convention.”

- Acting GOP Chairman Paul Willis in the Reno Gazette-Journal

“It’s a sacrifice we have to make.”

- Acting GOP Chairman Paul Willis to the Associated Press on potentially losing 17 convention delegates by moving the caucus up to 1/19

“I’m not opposed or for this.”

- Acting GOP Chairman Paul Willis in a GOP Executive Committee conference call Friday night on moving the caucus up from February 7th to January 19th

“We’re solidly in favor of moving the date again.”

- Acting GOP Chairman Paul Willis to the Associated Press after the GOP Executive Committee conference call Friday night

LOWDEN SHOOTS AND SCORES!

The idea of moving the Nevada GOP caucus up from its scheduled and meaningless April 26 date to February 7th goes to former Nevada state Assemblyman and political guru Pete Ernaut. You folks who made calls and sent emails deserve a LOT of credit for pushing the party pooh-bahs to move it even further to the much-more-desirable January 19th date.

But the person who brought this whole thing home last night was the former Republican state senator who will be the party’s next chairman…if the party ever gets around to putting her in the position: Sue Lowden.

On a conference call with members of the Nevada GOP’s executive committee and some of the GOP’s county chairmen last night, Mrs. Lowden reportedly made a short but powerful pitch in favor of moving the caucus to January 19th.

Lowden was given just five minutes to make her case by the acting chairman.  She first advised the group that she’d personally spoken with Gov. Jim Gibbons and Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio and both asked her to tell the Executive Committee that they were in favor of moving the caucus up to 1/19.

She then advised them that she’d spoke with former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, who simply stated the party rules were already set and the penalty for moving the Nevada GOP caucus up would be losing half the state’s delegation to the national convention.

However, Mehlman also assured her that there would be no monetary penalty imposed on the state party now or in the future; that Nevada was still a targeted state, and that the RNC would still support us even if we moved our caucus up; that the RNC fully understood that “Harry Reid set this date, not the Nevada Republican Party.”
 
Mrs. Lowden then added that “numerous Nevada major donors” she had been in contact with were on board with moving the caucus up; that Sen. Raggio was already in the process of changing the NRS to allow the change; and that caucus chairman Pete Ernaut had told her he could be ready by the 19th and already had someone with extensive caucus experience ready to hit the ground running.

In just five minutes, one participant on the call told me, Mrs. Lowden dotted every “i” and crossed every “t”. Her willingness and ability to take this ball and run with it resulted in near-unanimous support for moving the caucus up to 1/19 - with only the GOP chairmen of Lyon County and Carson City voting NOT to allow Nevada Republicans to be second-in-the-nation in the presidential selection process next year.

This should give you an idea of exactly the kind of leadership Sue Lowden will bring to the Nevada GOP as chairwoman. It’s exactly why the party’s Executive Committee should have nudged “acting” Chairman Willis aside and put her in charge of the party operation over a month ago. It’s exactly why the Executive Committee should have another emergency phone conference on Monday and do just that.

Perhaps us insignificant cyber-space bloggers and activists need to create another groundswell movement in that regard?

And speaking of “groundswells”…

NO BIG GROUNDSWELL

Acting Nevada GOP Chairman Paul Willis continues to maintain there was “no big groundswell” of support by Republicans to move the GOP’s presidential selection caucus up to 1/19. Here’s just a partial list of folks who yesterday joined the growing list of people who weren’t part of the groundswell that Chairman Willis says didn’t happen before the Executive Committee decided to do the right thing during their conference call Friday evening:

Gov. Jim Gibbons, Republican governor
Gov. Kenny Guinn, former Republican governor
Gov. Bob List, former Republican governor
Sig Rogich, former Republican United States Ambassador
Joe Brown, Republican National Committeeman
Beverly Willard, Republican National Committeewoman
Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio
Republican state Sen. Bob Beers
Republican state Sen. Joe Heck
Republican state Sen. Barbara Cegavske
Republican state Assemblyman Ty Cobb
Republican state Assemblyman Bob Beers
Sherese Settelmeyer, president, Sierra Nevada Republican Women
Yale Cunningham, former Executive Director, Nevada Republican Party
Sonny Minx, former College Republican president

And the list continues to grow. I guess it all depends on your definition of “groundswell,” huh?

NONE ARE SO BLIND

“I for one am not willing to blow off half of our delegate allowance to the national convention because you and a handful of alleged insiders say so,” writes Howard Hirsch, Chairman of the Lyon County Republican Central Committee in an email to me yesterday afternoon. “I will be contacting all of Lyon County’s state central committee members to advise them against this idiotic scheme.”

First of all, I’m no “insider.” I haven’t been an “insider” in the Nevada GOP for at least six years now. I’m as “outside” as you can get. Happily so.

That being said, when the party is run by individuals who think that moving our caucus up so that we are SECOND in the nation in the presidential selection process is an “idiotic scheme,” you can understand full well why the GOP is as screwed up as it is these days. And why it’s so important to get Sue Lowden into the driver’s seat IMMEDIATELY.

MOVING THE ESTABLISHMENT

“These are embarrassing times for those of us in the MSM. That’s mainstream media for those of you not savvy to the acronymic insults hurled our way by bloggers. We sit idly by and watch the bloggers do what we so rarely can : Move the political establishment. And now it is on both sides.

“First, the Democratic blogosphere types pummeled the Nevada party for partnering with Fox. What was just noise eventually catalyzed action and forced the dissolution of the partnership. Now, on the GOP side, led by activist Chuck Muth, the bloggers have forced the party to reconsider its caucus date, which now may be moving to Jan. 19 to compete with the Democrats. So I guess I should ask the cyber hit men: What’s the next big story?”

- Jon Ralston, Flashpoint, 3/23/07

THE SMELL OF FEAR

“Speaking of (Jon) Ralston, he’s reporting in his newsletter that poohbahs with the Nevada War Party, or Republicans, as they like to call themselves, are listening to Chuck Muth and may well move their little caucus thingy up to Jan 19, just like the Dems, instead of the NVWP’s current and profoundly meaningless date of Feb. 7.

“We’d probably be more excited if the Republican crop of presidential candidates was remotely as interesting, intelligent or high-powered as even the second tier of Democratic contenders. But what the hell, go ahead NV War Party people, parade Ratface Rudy, Crazy Old Man McCain and the rest of your pitiful dwarves through the state. No matter how busy, we promise to set aside a little time to make fun of them.”

- Liberal blogger Hugh Jackson, Las Vegas Gleaner, 3/22/07

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

On moving the GOP presidential caucus up to January 19: “The consensus is we’re moving to the 19th, and we’ll put it to a [formal] vote on April 4. Only two people (on an executive committee conference call to discuss the move) were against it. It looks good and we’re very happy.”

On the potential loss of delegates to the Republican national convention: “Our responsibility is to the Republicans in the state of Nevada. What happens at the national convention is all pomp and circumstance. Us being a live caucus on Jan. 19 makes us a big player.”

On the Democrat organizing operation in Nevada: “There’s a large concern that (Nevada) might go blue. (The Democrats have) been on the ground since last fall, and the unions have just dropped anchor in Las Vegas. We have got to do something to counteract them.”

- Nevada GOP Finance Chairman George Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3/24/07

Posted on March 24th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada