MUTH’S TRUTHS

Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Molly Ball wrote earlier this week that Nevada Republican Assembly Minority Leader Garn “Maybe” Mabey told her the odds were “about 80-20” that he wouldn’t run for re-election. In other words, the man remains a weather vane of indecisiveness. Maybe he’ll run again, maybe not.

On the other hand, that he’s 80 percent leaning toward not running again is perhaps the best news Nevada Republicans and conservatives have heard all year.

Mabey was a political disaster as the Minority Leader for Republicans in the Assembly this year. He played “yes-ma’am” to Democrat Speaker Barbara Buckley the entire session, and openly opposed Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons’ proposal pump a billion dollars into new highway construction projects without raising taxes. There was even an unsuccessful end-of-session coup against him by some of his own people.

SpongeBob SquarePants shows more spine.

So let’s hope Maybe Mabey follows the lead of other failed political leaders - such as former Democrat House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt - and does his party a favor by hanging up his legislative spurs, shuffling off into the sunset and allowing some new blood a shot at the brass ring.

And let’s hope he does it SOONER, not later.

One of the reasons so many Democrat incumbents didn’t have a Republican opponent last year, and why Republicans ultimately LOST one net seat, was that then-Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick refused to officially announce HIS retirement until the week before filing began - meaning the caucus was essentially leaderless during the all-important early candidate recruitment and fundraising stages.

Not that it improved any once Maybe Mabey took over, but still.

Recognizing that the very fact that I advise a particular course of action for assembly Republicans by definition means they won’t do it, here nevertheless are 10 things they should do immediately if they want to have any hope of picking up a couple seats in 2008…and getting the majority in 2010 before redistricting in 2011.

1.) Maybe Mabey needs to announce he’s quitting…yesterday.

2.) Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert of Reno should be elevated from Assistant Minority Leader to Minority Leader. She won’t have very big shoes to fill, but the sooner she gets started the better. And to borrow a word Maybe Mabey usually reserved for Democrat Speaker Barbara Buckley, Gansert and Nevada GOP chieftess Sue Lowden would make an “awesome” team.

3.) Assemblyman Chad Christiansen of Las Vegas should be elevated to Assistant Minority Leader. He’s a young, pro-business fiscal conservative with a few legislative terms under his belt. Much like Gov. Gibbons, he got off to a rocky start early in his first term, but has stabilized and regained his footing since then. Plus, as a southern Nevadan he’d bring regional stability to the new leadership team.

4.) Freshman Assemblyman Ed Goedhart of Nye County should be tapped as Minority Whip. And with a group as small as this one, there’s no reason for more than one “whip” to count caucus votes. Why Maybe Mabey needed THREE whips to count to 15 is anyone’s guess. Public school math education, I suppose.

5.) A new leadership position of Caucus Campaign Chairman should be created and given to freshman Assemblyman Ty Cobb of Reno. Cobb, despite his legislative inexperience and tendency to ruffle feathers of friends and allies who only want to help the guy, has a better political background and more campaign knowledge than anyone else in the caucus. Give him the responsibility of growing the size of the caucus and he’ll likely rise to the occasion.

6.) Another new leadership position of Caucus Policy Chairman should be created and filled by freshman Assemblyman James Settlemeyer of Douglas County. His job would be to…and get ready, because this is a really radical notion…to develop an actual conservative legislative agenda (gasp!) which the caucus would pursue during the 2009 session. I recognize that it was a hell of a lot easier for Maybe Mabey to just rubber-stamp Barbara Buckley’s agenda, but let’s give limited government a shot, huh?

7.) And for the fifth leadership slot, the caucus should create the new position of Finance Chairman whose job it would be to raise money. Lots and lots of money. And I can’t think of a better person for the job than Assemblyman Joe Hardy of Las Vegas. Joe is the only remaining GOP assemblyman who supported that gigantic 2003 tax hike from start to finish. Perhaps putting him in the position of raising money from voluntary contributions to support a conservative agenda instead of using the power of government to just take it will give him a better perspective.

8.) Hire a new full-time caucus Executive Director with EXTENSIVE political skills and legislative experience. Perhaps recruit someone who’s spent some time working for the conservative Republican Study Committee in Washington. This is no time for on-the-job training.

9.) Develop a “Contract with Nevada” for the 2008 campaign season. No, not like that lame one they came up with in 2004. Something with teeth. Something with meat. Something which average, ordinary voters can easily understand and support. Something that includes…are you ready for it?…NO NEW TAXES! If every incumbent Assembly Republican and challenger were to sign the same Taxpayer Protection Pledge which Gov. Jim Gibbons signed, the lobbyists, government bureaucrats and mainscream media would have a cow. All the more reason to do it.

10.) Veteran Assemblymen John Carpenter and John Marvel should announce their immediate retirements and allow two new Republicans to fill their seats in 2008. That would mean that NO assembly Republicans would be term-limited out in the crucial 2010 legislative session, as opposed to the TEN Democrats who won’t be able to run again that year. This will be the best opportunity Republicans will have to win the majority before redistricting in the 2011 session.

BONUS ADVICE: Find qualified and well-funded primary opponents for Assemblywomen Francis Allen and Valerie Weber. They represent two GOP-friendly districts which deserve much better representation. Francis and Val are taking up legislative seats which Republicans could better fill with persons of…well, leadership potential and substance. After all, a picture of this pair doesn’t exactly appear in the dictionary next to the phrase “deep thinkers.”

Think I’m exaggerating?

Consider that Weber is the one who introduced a bill this year to give inmates a “free” drivers license (at taxpayer expense) once they’re released from prison, and Allen introduced legislation raising the mandatory life-vest age from 12 to 13. Oh, and Allen was the only legislator to join Maybe Mabey in voting against Gov. Gibbons’ proposal to fund $1 billion in new road construction without raising taxes. Need I say more?

Again, none of the above is likely to happen because…well, simply because I suggested it. Which is exactly the kind of short-sighted childishness that will likely keep Assembly Republicans in the minority for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, that’s not good for Gov. Gibbons, and it’s certainly not good for Nevada taxpayers.

Posted on June 30th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada