Don’t ya just love Nevada? Governor Jim Gibbons and Senator John Ensign are both hip deep in sex scandals. Harry Reid’s about as popular a scorpion in a swimming pool. But, the fun has just begun. Here come the Republican challengers for Reid’s seat falling all over each other with, oh let’s be kind, “interesting” ideas.
First there’s Republican front runner, Sue Lowden. The former state party chairwoman, Lowden made a national name for herself when she recommended bartering chickens for medical treatment as a way of dealing with the health care crisis. Not satisfied with letting the idea slip, or saying that she was speaking in jest, the former beauty queen defended the notion as a serious idea in three subsequent interviews. Now she’s in the soup again. This time for accepting a campaign contribution of a $100,000 RV to motor around the state. That’s $97,600 above the legal limit for campaign contributions, and may be a felony under current election laws.
Lowden now finds herself tooling around the desert explaining that the RV is a loan, not a gift. Even as a loan, it would far exceed contribution limits if anyone’s interested. And every time the RV comes to rest she tries to back off the chicken barter concept for medical treatment. Meanwhile, the situation has become so outlandish that the Nevada election commission has banned wearing chicken costumes at polling places.
Closing on Lowden is Reno’s own Sharron Angle, photo above. Want to know what Angle would like to do if she’s elected? For starters, she proposes “phasing out” Social Security, which she calls “a broken system without much to recommend it”. She would also shut down the Department of Education, an idea that has been championed before and is probably worthy of consideration. Other items on her to-do list include repealing the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution. That’s the one that permits a federal income tax. For those who don’t know the numbers, roughly half of the federal government’s revenue comes from individual and corporate income tax.
Angle is a former state legislator known for voting against all taxes and for advocating in favor of a Scientology based rehabilitation program for female prison inmates. The program reportedly includes saunas, massages and a vitamin regimen. She has worked with Scientologists to present the idea to the federal government as well. Angle describes herself is a Southern Baptist. What has all of this gotten her? Endorsements from the Tea Party Express and the Club for Growth. Says Angle of herself, “I am the tea party.” She has closed to within single digits of Lowden for the Republican nod to run against Reid.
Also in the race is Danny Tarkanian, son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. You may remember dad, Jerry, for his battles with the NCAA over multitudes of alleged violations during his coaching tenure. To be honest, son Danny is implicated in none of that, but he’s still running third behind the chickens-for-medical-service candidate and the phase-out-Social-Security-repeal-the-income-tax candidate.
And how much trouble is Reid in? He trails all three potential Republican candidates. As the Republican contestants have had their positions exposed, however, Reid’s poll numbers have moved from the low 30’s to the low 40’s through no apparent effort on his part. Those numbers continue to trend in his favor despite 13.7% unemployment in Nevada and one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. The disarray of the Republicans, more than anything Harry Reid has or has not done, could result in an unlikely re-election.
Cross posted at Elijah’s Sweete Spot.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.