May 19, 2008 - 12:14pm

Filing Fallout

This year ended with more of a bang than a whimper. Joseph Cooper has the races to watch here.

Getting a freebie this year are Democrat Valerie Wiener, and Republicans Dean Rhoads and Mike McGinness. All have safe seats.

In CD-1, Shelley Berkley may just pull this one off. With a spare 60,000 voter registration advantage you would think that she is safe, but the race still managed to attract seven GOP opponents. Seven. Must be the huge Republican surge that we're seeing nationwide that makes these guys think they have a chance with those odds. Strange sidenote: Russ Mickelson and Kenneth Wegner may be the same person. They have similar campaign platforms, have the same odds of winning and are never at the same meeting in a very Peter Parker sort of way.

The two last minute legislative surprises were the about-face of Chad Christensen and his decision to file for re-election, and the news that activist and former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle decided to challenge Sen. Majority Leader Bill Raggio in a Reno primary. No word on the reasons for Christensen's rumored departure and then subsequent non-departure, but the lines have been buzzing on the Angle vs. Raggio primary.

Several GOP insider sources are telling us that Angle gave her word to GOP State Chairperson Sue Lowden that she had no intention of challenging Raggio, and Lowden was trying to help Angle find a race that didn't have a primary. The Angle/Raggio primary has conservative donors aggitated as her challenge to Raggio is seen as the most self-defeating race this year.

Conspiracy theory speculation is that this is Ron Paul Revolution retribution against Sue Lowden and the state GOP for ending the state convention early and snubbing the Paul campaign.

In SD-5, Shirley Breeden signed up to take one for the team. If she campaigns at all the powers that be will have to crush her just to be sure. Her choices this year: don't do a thing and lose, or try really hard and lose because they tear you limb from limb. Breeden is leading polls in the office for the ‘short straw award' this year.

SD-6 continues to shape up as the top head-to-head match with no unnecessary primaries on either side. This will be a long, hot summer in SD-6. The public threats to Beers from the Ron Paul campaign supporters were much ado about nothing as the Revolution failed to field a primary challenger. But if the Angle angle is true, they are still batting .500.

With no Manendo factor to deal with, Parks will wade through the six-person race in SD-7 to become the newest member of the upper house. Lou Toomin should get a lifetime achievement award from the GOP for taking arrows for so many years in this district.

AD-2 wins the ‘mud football' award with two Democrats, three Republicans, one independent who is a former GOP statewide candidate, an Independent American and a Libertarian. I'm going long on Mark DeStefano in this race. He will have enough money to attack anyone who leads in either party. With the race such a wide-open mess, contributors will avoid the seat giving someone who can self-fund the advantage.

AD-4 is a close second in the ‘mud football' awards with incumbent Francis Allen attracting three GOP challengers. But in this case, it is far better for the incumbent to draw three than one.

In AD-13, poor Andrew Martin. No more day trading with Wally's retirement. Chad Christensen is coming back, and will bring with him a bunch of money and a bunch of pictures of his picture-perfect family that will be plastered around the district.

With few other surprises, the big races this year are shaping up to be Porter vs Titus in CD-3, two senate races with challenges for Heck in SD-5 and Beers in SD-6, and the open seats created by the departures of Valerie Weber in AD-5 and Susan Gerhardt in AD-29.

Comments

PolitickerGOPLV


This Blog should be named "PolitickerLV", as you guys sure don't cover anything outside of Clark. (Or non GOP races)
Interesting
And you are apperantly scared to add me as a Nevada Blogger on your Blogroll.
I'd be scared of me too.
Zeke Says So.com

05/19/08 10:39 pm

Wally, you missed another


Wally, you missed another meeting.

05/20/08 1:40 am

Get Chris Carter to write better conspiracy theories


I doubt if Lowden or anyone in the GOP ever bothered to talk to Angle - this is probably just the establishment's way of playing 'victim'. I just love the: "inside sources are telling us..."

For her part - Angle isn't running any race because of Ron Paul. Believe me when I say that Bill Raggio is reason enough. He not only authored but voted for the largest tax increase in state history - nearly $1 billion dollars worth.

We do live in a democracy and anyone has the right to run - only extreme arrogance would dictate that Raggio was entitled to a seat in the state senate. He has a lot to answer for...

05/20/08 6:26 pm

Let's GET REAL!


"Wally", with all due respect, if all of the candidates running against Shelley Berkley combined all their assests - they still wouldn't have a snowball's chance in the hot desert of beating her - Shelley's Berkley Brigade will again kick their butts! She's beaten Kenneth Wegner before and she'll defeat any alter ego his delusional mind may manifest!

"Zeke" the reason hardly anyone one wants anything to do with your site, first and foremost, is that when you click on it - it comes right up, but, when you try to click back, or off, it just doesn't want to let go, and a lot of us find that very, very disturbing! So, you might want to look into whatever your site problem is - then, check other sites and re-think your lay out and content O.K.?

Oh, and sites authored by anonyMOUSE people who are, usually, highly opinionted, but lack the common courage to come out of the closet rarely succeed - I'm just saying... don't a lot of adults to play with you and the kids - their time is really valuable!

05/20/08 8:25 pm

Raggio is a tax-hiking


Raggio is a tax-hiking liberal. Sharon Angle will bring a conservative vote to the senate. This is the best news I have heard, thank you Sharon!

05/21/08 12:51 am

Andrew Martin and Assembly


Ok, should have read this article first, Andrew Martin is running Assembly 13. Someone ought to tell Wally that Andrew's primary opponent withdrew and Chad Christensen, who is obviously a bit of a flake, actually has a challenger. Now that is interesting...the incumbent is in a primary and the challenger is not.....hmmmm...

05/30/08 11:32 am

Americans Ships Are First At All Times


It is very sad that Americans are being forced to tell the story of abuse.

So we who really support our American soldiers must let the world see the truth.

If one American is abused or dies it is as you have attacked a whole nation.

“TREASON ON THE HIGH SEAS”
December 9, 2007 — crescentandcross

BY PHILLIP F. TOURNEY

SURVIVOR OF THE USS LIBERTY

As I sit in my office beginning to write my first article for American Free Press newspaper, I look out my window. I see snow covered peaks, nature at its best in Colorado. It calms me to see such beauty and thank God I’m alive with my family. As I start to write, my heart is beginning to race, my palms are sweating. I’m not as comfortable as I was just a few moments ago. I know all of you know the story of the attack on our ship, the USS LIBERTY, by the government of Israel, but it needs to be repeated.

June 8, 1967 I was a 20 year old 3rd class petty officer in damage control at the time of this sneak attack from our so-called ally, Israel. We were identified as American and friendly many hours before the slaughter began at 2:00 P.M.

The Israeli jet aircraft were ruthless and stubborn in their attempt to sink and murder all hands aboard. They hit every antennae on our ship, no accident for sure. The Israeli reconnaissance aircraft took pictures of our ship in the morning hours, nothing was missed. The attacking aircraft dropped napalm on the bridge of our ship to burn us alive.

Soon after the jets were done with us we see 3 motor torpedo boats approaching our ship at a high rate of speed. We then learned who our attackers were.

We saw 3 flags marked with the Star of David. We were in shock because the Israelis were supposed to be our allies! We had had no idea who was attacking us until then. The attacking jet aircraft were unmarked. The torpedo boats maneuvered themselves into a torpedo launch attitude, now come the 5 to 6 torpedoes. The captain was doing his best to maneuver the ship to avoid sudden death. The torpedoes whizzed by our ship, forward and aft with 1 hitting its mark, almost dead mid-ships, blowing to bits 25 American heroes who stood their ground below the water line and accepted their fate, doing their duty for the United States Government.

The torpedo gunboats were not even close to being done with us. The torpedo gunmen shot at our fire fighters and stretcher bearers, anything that moved. They were shooting at our water line to blow up the boilers inside and finish the job of sinking us.

The captain had given the order to abandon ship, as it appeared we were about to roll over. There were 3 life rafts left that were floatable. We put them over the side so we could put our most severely wounded in them to try to save their lives. The torpedo gunmen would have none of that and blew 2 of them out of the water. They took the 3rd raft aboard their boat, seeing it as an obvious trophy for all their hard work. The torpedo gunmen continued their assault until I guess they ran out of ammunition. They circled the ship and left.

Old Glory was still on her mast, 7’ x 13’ holiday colors. We thought the attack was over. Two Israeli helicopters approached our ship with armed gunmen at the ready to finish us off. They were there a short time and left in the same direction they came. We had no idea why they didn’t shoot at us. We wondered if they were finally done with their murderous carnage on a virtually unarmed ship which only had 4 50 caliber machine guns that had been taken out by the jets on the first pass when the attack began.

Little did the crew know that Terry Halbardier, an ET, got off an SOS from an antennae that was not hit by the Israeli heat seeking missiles because it was taken off line due to a malfunction before the attack. The SOS he sent stated we were under attack by unknown jet aircraft. This message was sent out within 15 minutes of the attack and was picked up by the USS SARATOGA and the USS AMERICA. Captain Tully of the USS SARATOGA sent ready aircraft to our aid only to have them recalled. The USS AMERICA also sent rescue aircraft to come to our aid. These life saving planes were recalled not once but twice. These orders came straight from the White House, first from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and then from President Johnson himself. Johnson said he was not about to attack our “ally”, Israel. How did he know who was attacking our ship when we didn’t even know? Help did not arrive until 18 hours later when the American rescue aircraft could have been there in 15 to 20 minutes driving off the torpedo boats and saving precious American lives.

What remained was a ship with a 40 x 40 foot torpedo hole in her side, 821+ canon and rocket holes, thousands of rounds of fifty caliber armor piercing bullets and napalm that had been burning up our ship. Thirty four American souls were murdered, 173 were wounded, which constituted attempted murder, out of a crew of 294. Two thirds of the crew had been murdered or wounded.

Israel and our government, in this 2 hour attack, had come up with a plan to sink our ship, blame it on Egypt and bring the U.S. into the Six Day War. If this so called accident was so cut and dry, why were all records sealed tighter than Fort Knox? Israel got by with cold-blooded murder and other war crimes and it’s only a matter of time until they do it again, perhaps on a ship off the coast of Iran. Israel controls America’s fate and our elected officials bow to their every whim.

I love my country and will not stand by and let this continue. While there is time, we must do what we can to save our sinking ship of state. In many ways, America today is the USS Liberty after that 2 hour attack taking place 40 years ago. We are badly hit and stand the chance of sinking into the abyss with everyone being lost forever unless something is done immediately. Write your president and congressmen and let them know you know what is going on and you will not fight anymore for Israel. Israel has 300 nukes, so let them take care of themselves. There is nothing, neither in the Middle East nor elsewhere, that is worth one more drop of precious American blood.

The leaders of our country who swore an oath to protect this nation ordered the survivors of the LIBERTY to never repeat this piece of history under penalty of jail or worse. 40 years ago, another nation got away with cold-blooded murder on the high seas, and as an American veteran, let me say this for the record–NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GET BY WITH COLD-BLOODED MURDER, AND ESPECIALLY NOT ISRAEL, NOT THEN AND NOT NOW.

The USS LIBERTY VETERANS ASSOCIATION is offering $10,000.00 to anyone who can disprove that our story is the truth. as of this moment, no one from the pro-Israeli crowd has accepted the challenge.

2007 By Phil Tourney, survivor of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty

08/04/08 5:09 pm

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