Steve Sebelius

 

Fox News: Home of the whitest white people anywhere

Monday, March 19th, 2012

So, apparently, some folks over at Fox News were shocked and surprised that Cee Lo Green busted out his hit song, F**k You at a fundraiser for President Barack Obama. I guess we should have known what was coming when White Guy No. 1 said he’d never heard of Green. But c’mon, White Gal No. 1 said she had Green on her phone.

Nevertheless, the head-shaking and clucking was probably inevitable. Here’s a clip (don’t worry, it’s been appropriately censored by Fox):

BTW, I, too, long for the days of Frank Sinatra, but if you think Ol’ Blue Eyes never let loose with an F-bomb, well, you don’t know the guy’s history very well. Granted, he probably wouldn’t do it at a presidential fundraiser, but hey, those were different times, Fox.

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Present evidence!

Friday, March 16th, 2012

A very good lawyer I know once got into a little trouble during a hearing after his opponent made a charge  this lawyer felt was unsupported. “Present evidence!” he yelled, to the presiding officer’s consternation.

That’s how I’ve often felt about Sharron Angle‘s repeated allegations, insinuations and implications since she badly lost the 2010 U.S. Senate race to Harry Reid (by more than 41,000 votes) because she was somehow the victim of election fraud. Neither Angle nor her supporters have ever produced any credible evidence of fraud, although I’ve been asking them to do it from the very beginning.

Now, Angle has announced that she’ll skip running for office this cycle, instead devoting her efforts to produce a video titled “Voter Fraud: America’s Silent Epidemic.” Here’s the video:

Of course, there’s a certain pathology at work here, the notion that Angle couldn’t possibly have lost to Reid because she ran a terrible campaign, because she distributed racist television advertising, because she had the wrong positions, said the wrong things or was captive to an ideology that more voters rejected than accepted. It couldn’t be that, could it? No, it must be that the hated Reid stole the election. And look! It’s happening everywhere!

Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller put things in perspective with a statement he released earlier today. Said Miller:

“Our multi-jurisdictional Election Integrity Task Force has always aggressively investigated any leads and successfully prosecuted election law violations. However, we can’t send out our investigators until we have basic information about what crime may have been committed, when it happened and who may have been involved. The unsupported fraud claims on Ms. Angle’s campaign website don’t give us enough information to even open up a case file.”

Of course they don’t. And why? One theory could be that Angle is an incompetent an election fraud sleuth as she is a political candidate. But Occam’s Razor suggests an alternative, and far simpler, explanation: The allegations are unsupported by facts because the facts don’t exist to support them. Angle lost her race, fair and square, and no matter how many times she says or implies otherwise, it will not make it true.

But, hey, she’s not running for office this time around, so Dean Heller and Greg Brower can breathe easier.

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Berkley: Stop the third-party spending!

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Rep. Shelly Berkley today called on her opponent for U.S. Senate, Dean Heller, to agree to renounce all outside spending in their high-profile contest.

Heller’s campaign consultant, Mike Slanker, swiftly rejected the overture, however.

Berkley’s “Free Nevada Pact” is similar to an agreement proposed by Republican Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and agreed to by his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren.

Essentially, it works like this: Both candidates agree to renounce all third-party ads (including those from super-PACs, 527 groups, political parties, labor unions and business groups). If a third-party group does air an ad on behalf of one of the candidates, his or her opponent agrees to pay 60 percent of the cost of that ad to charity. (Thus, third-party spending actually hurts a candidate.)

Berkley said the pact was a response to the increase in politically corrosive outside dollars. In the 2010 Senate race between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle, third-party spending reached more than $14 million on both sides.

“These so-called super-PACs, funded by third-parties like self-interested millionaires and billionaires and profit-hungry corporations are overpowering the voices of Nevada voters and damaging the democratic process,” Berkley said. “What I’m saying is, join with me, Dean. Let the voters of the state of Nevada make this decision without outside influence of millions and millions of dollars pouring into this state with negative ads where there’s no accountability and no way to track the money.”

Berkley cleverly heaped praise on Heller’s record of election reform as a way to show he was amenable to transparency in the past. “Throughout my opponent’s career, Dean Heller has been a leader on transparency and accountability in the elections process,” Berkley said. “As secretary of state, he spoke eloquently about the importance of disclosure of candidates and groups, about restoring public confidence in the political process and about the legal and moral obligations for fair and honest campaigns.”

In background materials, Berkley’s campaign unearthed Heller quotes in support of campaign finance disclosure. (One of the arguments against super-PAC and independent expenditure groups is that the source of their funding is occluded.) In 2000, for example, Heller (then secretary of state) said flatly in an infamous anonymous flier case that “voters have a right to know who is financing campaign material. Anonymous political literature that seeks only to damage an individual’s character threatens the integrity of the electoral process.”

But neither the praise of Heller’s past stances nor the appeal to good government were successful. Less than two hours after Berkley’s news conference proposing the pact, Heller campaign consultant Mike Slanker released this statement:

“Yet another sideshow in the Shelley Berkley Campaign Circus. ‘Free Nevada?’ Three quarters of her contributions come from outside Nevada. If the Congresswoman is willing to send her out-of-state money back, we are willing to discuss her pact.”

(That’s a no, by the way.)

But Slanker well knows that campaign contributions made to candidates are limited and subject to full disclosure, as opposed to super-PAC money. In fact, Slanker himself once complained about outside group spending. In 2006, working on Heller’s Republican primary race for Congress, Slanker denounced outside spending by the group Club for Growth on behalf of Sharron Angle.

“The Club for Growth bought the race in Michigan, and they are spending $1 million to try to buy it for Angle here,” Slanker said then. “It is a sad commentary on representative government when people can be elected who are bought and paid for by people outside their district.”

Indeed, although every congressional campaign accepts money from people who don’t live in the district.

Berkley’s campaign was understated in its response, a sign that she’s very serious about trying to get Heller to agree to sign the pact. Jessica Mackler, Berkley’s campaign manager said this:

“Limited, fully transparent donations to a campaign are completely different from the secretive third party organizations that are running attack ads funded by unlimited corporate, undisclosed and billionaire’s donations. We again ask Senator Heller to sit down to discuss the pact in good faith.”

I’m guessing this is going nowhere, for two main reasons. First, Heller spent much of last week being led by Berkley. (He was forced to denounce comments by radio host Rush Limbaugh after Berkley focused on the issue, and she taunted him for not signing a pledge to excise Limbaugh from the airwaves.) In any campaign, it is never a good day when you are being led by your opposition.

Second, the sheer amount of money now available to candidates—as well as the high-profile of Nevada’s Senate race, which guarantees outside groups’ interest—make signing the pledge a bad tactical idea. Who would want to turn down millions in campaign advertising that you don’t have to raise or pay for yourself? It’s not a tough decision, especially when the argument in favor of it amounts to “good government.”

UPDATE: Here’s my report that aired on Wednesday on 8NewsNow:

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No, Limbaugh is an entertainer, too

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

Rep. Shelley Berkley is not backing down from her criticism of Rush Limbaugh, whom she’s trying to bounce from the air with an online petition that has a reported 30,000 signatures. But she’s trying to deflect criticism that she’s a hypocrite because she failed to object when comedian Bill Maher used demeaning language to describe Sarah Palin.

Berkley—quoted in a piece by Anjeanette Damon of the Las Vegas Sun—sought to distinguish between Limbaugh and Maher. Here’s her quote:

“If you cross Rush Limbaugh and you’re a Republican office holder, then you have to crawl over and kiss his ring,” Berkley said. “There’s a big difference between what is being said by Bill Maher and his humor, although I don’t find that funny, and what Rush Limbaugh does, who pretty much calls the shots in the Republican Party.”

But that distinction doesn’t hold. Limbaugh himself has said his job is not to lead politically, but to build and hold the largest audience possible so as to charge confiscatory advertising rates. And he’s steadfastly refused to endorse one of the more conservative candidates in the Republican primary, although he clearly wants to.

The fact that Republicans fear offending Limbaugh is simply a GOP pathology, not proof that Limbaugh is a party leader. In fact, what they really fear is the hordes of Limbaugh fans who accept unquestioningly what Limbaugh says about current events. (In fact, years ago, Limbaugh once discouraged his audience from reading for themselves, assuring them that he would do the reading and thinking for them.)

But Limbaugh and Maher are both entertainers, and both successful ones, too. And they both enjoy free speech rights that, notwithstanding Berkley’s protestations to the contrary, are harmed by a campaign to silence them. (To be sure, no White House press secretary has ever admonished Limbaugh to watch what he says, as Ari Fleischer did to Maher in 2001.)

The real distinction between the two, if any, is that Maher doesn’t generally misquote or paraphrase people in such a way as to distort what they’ve said. Limbaugh has done that, and he did it to Sarah Fluke, the flashpoint of the present crisis. But there’s no First Amendment obligation to tell the truth; that’s more a professional obligation that not everybody in media fulfills.

Bottom line: Don’t believe anything you hear, from anybody.

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Turning on a dime

Sunday, March 11th, 2012

I’ve commented before on how transparently false it was for soon-to-be-former Regional Transportation Commission General Manager Jacob Snow to play coy and say he was “committed” to staying at the RTC while he was clearly and obviously engaged in conversations with the city of Henderson about becoming its new city manager. Why lie when the truth would suffice, I wondered?

Now that this story has ended as we all knew it would—with the Henderson City Council appointing Snow as the city’s next manager—it’s amusing to review a series of quotes, and to ponder what a difference a week or two makes.

  • “He has had conversations with Mayor Hafen, but he has not received an offer. He is committed to the RTC.” — RTC spokeswoman Tracy Bower, Review-Journal, Feb. 14, 2012
  • “What I can tell you is I’m committed to stay at the RTC. I think it would be inappropriate to talk about this. The city hasn’t made an offer yet, but I do think the world of [Henderson Mayor] Andy Hafen.” — Jacob Snow, Review-Journal, Feb. 29, 2012
  • “I don’t expect that I will be at the RTC much longer.” — Jacob Snow, Review-Journal, March 7, 2012
  • UPDATE: “I’ve been looking at the city of Henderson for a long time. This is where I live. It’s a shorter commute, and I’m really looking forward to going to work for the mayor and council” (emphasis added). — Jacob Snow, Review-Journal, March 21, 2012

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Not for nothing, Clark County GOP convention…

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

If you bet the “over” on the number of times President Barack Obama would be called a socialist at the Clark County Republican Party convention on Saturday, you won. But if you had that word in your drinking game, well, you’re probably dead by now.

The ever-helpful Daily Show had a segment recently that’s right on point, and I commend it to all members of the Clark County GOP. In fact, I commend it to all Republicans period.

The Socialist Network, from The Daily Show.

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Berkley: Heller pursues radical anti-woman agenda

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Rep. Shelley Berkley sought today to (politically speaking) gay-marry U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, over the issue of women’s health care.

“He [Heller] uses his appointed seat in the Senate to push Rush Limbaugh’s agenda,” Berkley charged, characterizing it as a “radical anti-woman social agenda.”

“Nevada’s elected officials need to pick a side,” Berkley said on an afternoon conference call today. “There’s a fight in this country, one side standing up for Nevada women and the other side—the Rush Limbaugh side.”

Limbaugh stepped into controversy recently after repeatedly assailing Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, who sought to testify in favor of a mandate for insurance companies to cover contraception services. Limbaugh called her a “slut,” a “prostitute” and said she should post sex tapes online in exchange for receiving free contraception via her health insurance company.

He later apologized for his remarks, but Fluke has declined to accept. Heller distanced himself today from those remarks for the first time since the Limbaugh controversy erupted last week.

But asked directly if Heller hates women, Berkley said no. However, she said votes to defund Planned Parenthood and in favor of the s0-called Blunt Amendment had the effect of limiting women’s health care choices.

“That demonstrates where Dean Heller is, which is right where Rush Limbaugh is,” Berkley said.

But Heller spokesman Stewart Bybee defended Heller’s votes, saying they are consistent and not motivated by hatred of anyone.

The Blunt Amendment would have allowed any business to elect to not pay for health coverage that violates a religious principle. The amendment—which failed a procedural vote in the Senate last week—sought to change a provision of the yet-to-take-effect Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to which religious groups have objected. Catholics, in particular, have said birth control violates church dogma, and church-affiliated organizations should not be forced to pay for such coverage.

“Should the federal government respect religious freedom?” Bybee asked.

Berkley and other Democrats objected to the Blunt Amendment, saying companies could reject coverage on the pretense of religious faith simply to save money. Health care should not be dependent on the whims of a person’s employer, they have said. (Ironically, however, most Democrats in 2009 elected not to pursue a single-payer health-care system that would remove employers from the health-insurance equation entirely and provide coverage for all procedures, thus avoiding the present debate.)

Bybee also said Heller voted—once in the House of Representatives and once as a senator—to repeal the entire health-care bill as an unlawful, unconstitutional requirement on the American people, so voting for an amendment that would restrict a portion of the law is consistent with his position.

As for de-funding Planned Parenthood, Bybee said Heller opposes taxpayer funding for abortion. But by law, Planned Parenthood may not use federal funding for abortion, although opponents such as Heller say federal funds free up more donor money to be used for that purpose. Still, just 3 percent of Planned Parenthood money is spent on abortion; the vast majority is spent for contraception, sexually transmitted disease testing, health screenings and other health services.

Bybee said similar services are available in community health clinics, but Berkley argued that de-funding Planned Parenthood restricts access to vital services that women rely upon for their health, or, in her exact words, “a very radical attack on women’s health care.”

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The ghosts of CD-1

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Former Rep. Dina Titus, now running to reclaim her old title albeit in a different district, spoke to a modest crowd at a breakfast meeting of the Hispanics in Politics group today.

Among the missing: state Sen. Ruben Kihuen, the man she forced out of a primary in the overwhelmingly Democratic seat. At least one person at the meeting attributed the smaller turnout to lingering resentments in the Hispanic community that badly wanted Kihuen to become the state’s first Hispanic member of Congress.

For her part, Titus gamely delivered a list of Latino-oriented initiatives she’s worked on for years, first during her two decades in the state Senate, and then during two years in Congress representing the 3rd District, which she barely lost to Rep. Joe Heck in 2010. Among them:

  • Professional courtroom interpreters.
  • A state minority health officer.
  • The federal DREAM Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for some residents brought to the U.S. as children, provided they graduate from college or serve in the U.S. armed forces.
  • A ban on racial profiling.
  • Fighting against efforts to require that only U.S. citizens be eligible for the Millennium Scholarship.

It’s an impressive list—in fact, it’s a far more extensive list than Kihuen himself could have offered after a term in the state Assembly and half a term in the state Senate. And while no one mentioned Kihuen’s name, the specter of his aborted candidacy hung over the gathering nearly from the start.

Hispanics in Politics President Fernando Romero introduced Titus and said she’d agreed to speak to the breakfast group a long time ago, before the recent unpleasantness with Kihuen. Titus concurred, and noted, “A lot has happened in the interim.” Indeed: The man Romero once called “our American dream” was no longer in the running.

How much differently might the morning had gone if Kihuen himself had shown up and introduced Titus to the group, perhaps providing a heartfelt endorsement of her? He and Titus never really battled in public; although campaign staffers and surrogates took some shots, Kihuen and Titus remained mostly above the fray. If Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could come together after their bitter 2008 fight, why not Kihuen and Titus after just a few months without a major blowup?

Titus said Kihuen was in Mexico on Wednesday, and thus couldn’t attend. But asked if she detected any lingering resentment, Titus said no.”I don’t see any sign of that,” he said. “I know all these people.”

And she’s also making gestures toward the Hispanic community, showing up with a Latino staffer to Wednesday’s breakfast and pledging to staff a “joint office” at the East Las Vegas Community Center with Las Vegas Councilman Bob Coffin and state Assembly members Lucy Flores and Olivia Diaz.

Although some Democrats are worried that Hispanic turnout might be less than what it would have been had Kihuen been on the ballot, Titus countered by noting that Flores, Diaz, Richard Carillo, Steven Brooks and other Hispanic lawmakers will be on the ballot, too. Plus, she said, Kihuen—although he’s not on the ballot himself—has pledged to help candidates from President Barack Obama to would-be senator Shelley Berkley to congressional and state legislative contenders.

Does that include campaigning for Titus? “He said he would,” she says.

Although the 1st District has an overwhelming Democratic advantage—51.4 percent to just 26.5 percent Republican, a difference of more than 52,000 actual voters—Titus has still attracted token Republican opposition. But another foe lurks in the district, too, the ghost of a what-might-have-been Kihuen candidacy, with which she’ll have to contend just as surely as with any of her flesh-and-blood opponents.

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Depends on meaning of ‘committed’

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

This may be a small matter, but it’s a point worthy of being made: Why is Regional Transportation Commissioner Jacob Snow telling two different stories when it comes to his interest in the job of Henderson city manager?

Both Snow and his spokeswoman have claimed in recent days that Snow is “committed” to staying at the RTC. But a Review-Journal story today reports that Snow has submitted his resume to the city of Henderson for consideration as the replacement for outgoing City Manager Mark Calhoun. And he’s obviously had conversations about the job with Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen, who has placed Snow’s appointment on Tuesday’s council agenda.

Not only that, but the agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting states clearly that “Mr. Snow has expressed interest in working for the city.” And his resume is attached. So clearly, Snow is not that committed to staying with the RTC.

So why would he tell the R-J‘s Doug McMurdo this: “What I can tell you is I’m committed to stay at the RTC. I think it would be inappropriate to talk about this. The city hasn’t made an offer yet, but I do think the world of Andy Hafen.”

Nobody would fault Snow for exploring career options after being at the RTC since July 1999. And since his interest in the job has already leaked, it’s not like his current bosses are in the dark about his intentions. (Heck, some of them may actually want him to leave, after the bus contract bidding fiasco.)

So why not just say this: “I’ve had conversations with my longtime friend Mayor Hafen about the job at the city of Henderson, and it’s something I would be interested in. But as of right now, no final decisions have been made, either by me or by the city. If the city is interested in my candidacy as city manager, then we’ll explore things from there. But I really like my present job as general manager of the RTC.”

That’s simple, direct and has the virtue of being true. Because when a person tells an obvious lie when the truth would suffice, it has to raise the question: why?

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Oh, that Mitt

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Democrats are obviously relishing the dynamics of a matchup between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has a tendency to seem somewhat patrician in his candidate comments. And they’ve collected pretty much every one of those comments in this devastating new video.

My take: So, Romney is rich. So what? We pretty much knew that. Whether Romney can relate to me or not (he once discussed his favorite Carl’s Jr. meal, which I can relate to) is probably secondary to whether he’s got the skills to do the job he’s running for or not. After all, I was never a community organizer, never went to Harvard Law School, never taught at the University of Chicago and I don’t really enjoy arugula from Whole Foods, so how much do I really relate to Obama, either?

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Ron Paul stands apart

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Who says Texas Congressman Ron Paul isn’t willing to call out Mitt Romney? (Well, Politico does today, calling Paul a “Romney surrogate.”) But in this new ad—aimed at voters in Washington state—Paul slams all three of his Republican opponents for embracing “more big government, more mandates and less freedom.”

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Poll: Most believe health-care reform unconstitutional, but some cool with that

Monday, February 27th, 2012

USA Today and Gallup teamed up to poll swing state voters—including those here in Nevada—about the presidential race and issues related thereto. And one of the results stands out: A vast majority of people in swing states and people in general believe the health-care reform law is unconstitutional.

According to the poll, just 19 percent of swing-state voters and 21 percent of voters nationwide believe the health-care law is constitutional; 76 percent of swing-state voters and 75 percent of voters nationwide believe it’s not constitutional. (The swing states are Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.)

Here’s where it gets interesting: A much smaller number—53 percent of swing state voters and 50 percent of voters nationwide—strongly or somewhat favor repeal should Republicans win the White House. But 40 percent of swing-staters strongly or somewhat oppose repeal, and 44 percent of voters nationwide strongly or somewhat oppose repeal.

That means that between 31 percent and 36 percent of people who say the law is unconstitutional nevertheless oppose repealing it! In other words, they’re content to live under a law they believe violates the constitution. No matter your position on health-care reform, that’s a notion that should disturb all fans of constitutional governance.

The law has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on its constitutionality late next month, and justices are expected to have a decision long before the general election in November.

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The problem with the auto industry

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

I am definitely old school when it comes to cars, although I drive a modern vehicle myself. But I have a healthy and nostalgic appreciation for the way cars used to look, as opposed to the homogenized, generic look of vehicles today. Allow me to illustrate what I mean.

This is the way the Dodge Dart used to look, back in the late 1960s.

It’s simple, boxy, but it had character. Here’s what the convertible version looked like:

Now that’s style, at least from my perspective. If they made a car similar to this one today, I’d buy it, even without the airbags, shoulder-belts or, hell, FM radio.

Now, here’s what the all-new Dodge Dart looks like:

No, that’s not a Ford Festiva, a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic, although you could be excused for making that mistake, since most modern cars look alike. Here’s another view:

I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t have the character of the old Dart. And yes, I know modern CAFE (fuel economy) standards force design changes, and that modern sensibilities tend to favor sleeker, rounded body styles as opposed to the old boxy design. But I still like the old one better.

Even cars that are deliberately designed to be throwbacks to yesteryear—think the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger, the Chevrolet Camaro and the short-lived Ford Thunderbird—still lack what I think was the essential character of their forebears. Given the choice between a modern Corvette (with all of its advancements) and driving something like this, my choice would be clear:

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Raggio’s farewell: A roundup

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Bill Raggio was eulogized around the state in print today. Here’s a quick roundup of those pieces:

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Bill Raggio, an icon, dies at 85

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Former state Sen. Bill Raggio, who led the Republicans for decades in the statehouse and was finally forced from office when a modern breed of aggressive anti-government Republican supplanted more moderate members of his caucus, has died in Sydney while on a trip to Australia. He was 85.

Raggio had been in poor health in recent months; he cited that in 2011 as part of the reason he gave up the state Senate seat he’d held since 1972, serving in 12 special and 19 regular sessions of the Legislature, the longest in Senate history. (Because of term limits, Raggio’s record will never be broken.)

The man whose car permanently bore “State Senator 1″ license plates saw the state, and the Senate, change around him. A moderate Republican, Raggio was legitimately disturbed by a new breed of Republican that sought not just to limit government spending, but to cut away at the essence of government itself. In 2003, as a band of Republicans in the Assembly refused to vote for a tax package even as deadlines loomed, Raggio famously called them “John Birchers.”

In turn, Raggio was accused of being a RINO, for “Republican in Name Only,” because of his support for taxes and state programs, especially the Nevada System of Higher Education. (A bust of Raggio, created by a college program in a mini-scandal, still greets visitors at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.)

The clearest indication of changing times came in 2008, when ex-Assemblywoman Sharron Angle challenged Raggio for his seat in a Republican primary. Raggio, unused to having to campaign hard in the district he’d held for so long, nonetheless walked precincts and won the race, but not before he was forced to the right, promising one voter that he’d not vote to increase taxes. Raggio broke that promise in the 2009 session, helping the state out of yet another fiscal mess.

In 2011, he faced a challenge to his leadership from state Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, emboldened by some more conservative elements within the Republican caucus. Among their complaints: Raggio had broken with his party to endorse U.S. Sen. Harry Reid in his 2010 re-election against Angle, whom Raggio clearly disliked. Raggio stepped down as leader and from his perch on the influential Finance Committee, and later resigned from the Legislature altogether, following the coup.

Raggio was the subject of a biography by author Michael Archer titled A Man of His Word.

Nevada political figures praised Raggio today as news of his death spread. Here’s a sampling of their words:

“With the death of Senator Bill Raggio, one of the great lights in the world of Nevada politics has gone out,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Senator Raggio’s career exemplified the very best of public service. His dedication to law and order, higher education, and the fiscal health of this great state spanned literally decades of Nevada history and touched the lives of tens of thousands of Nevadans. Kathleen and I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the Raggio family in their time of mourning. I have said before that if there was a Mount Rushmore of Nevada politics, Bill Raggio’s image would forever be carved there. The Nevada family has lost a great patriarch; may God rest his soul as we remember all that he meant to our state.”

“I am very saddened to hear my friend, Bill Raggio, has passed away,” said Reid. “I have known Bill for decades, he has been a mentor to me. He always fought for Nevada and his invaluable contributions and service to our state will live on. I want to express my sympathies to his lovely wife, Dale, who has always stood by his side. His important voice will be missed.”

“I am deeply saddened by the death of Bill Raggio. There are no words to describe his dedication to the state of Nevada and I wish to express my deepest condolences and prayers for his wife Dale, and his family. Bill was a true statesman who dedicated his life to making Nevada a better place to live. His legacy will be remembered for generations to come,” said U.S. Senator Dean Heller.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of Senator Bill Raggio, one of Nevada’s most respected public servants,” said state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford. “Last year, I was honored to induct Senator Raggio into the Senate Hall of Fame for his unwavering commitment to our state. From his service as a district attorney to becoming one of the longest serving legislators in Nevada history, Senator Raggio always put the people of Nevada first. My heart and prayers go out to his wife Dale, his daughters and the entire Raggio family. Nevada has truly lost one of its finest statesmen.”

“This is the end of an era in Nevada. Bill was an icon of legislative public service and it was a privilege to serve with him in the state senate. My condolences go out to his wife Dale and his two daughters,” said Congressman Mark Amodei, a former state Senate colleague of Raggio’s.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of Bill Raggio’s passing,” said Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. He was nothing short of a giant in Nevada politics and a fierce advocate for the state he loved, especially the north. His dedicated public service has improved the lives of thousands of Nevada families and his tireless work on higher education has left a permanent mark on this state. My thoughts are with his wife, Dale, and the rest of his family during this difficult time. He will be sorely missed.”

The Nevada Senate Republican Caucus said, “Senator Raggio epitomized the term “public servant.” As a district attorney and legislator, Senator Raggio was committed to doing the right thing for the people of Nevada. A dedicated friend, father and husband, Senator Raggio remained true to those he cared about most. He was a tireless advocate for higher education, believing that it was the gateway to a better life for any Nevadan. With so many accomplishments and such universal respect, it’s impossible to do justice and honor to the life of such a man. He has been a friend and mentor to many of our caucus members for many years. He will be missed greatly.

“It was an honor and privilege to serve with Bill Raggio in the Nevada State Legislature,” said Assembly Speaker John Oceguera. “No one has ever loved this state more or had a more passionate desire to make things better for the people who live here. His ability to bring people together to get things done was legendary. Those of us fortunate enough to have served with him learned so much about putting aside our differences to accomplish real, tangible goals for our constituents and our state. At times, he may have been an adversary on a particular issue, but he was always a true leader, a teacher and a friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Said Congressman Joe Heck: “This is a sad day for the state of Nevada. Bill Raggio was the consummate statesman and a dedicated public servant. he was a mentor of mine and it was an honor to work under him in the state Senate while he was majority leader. He will truly be missed. Lisa and I extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Dale and the rest of the Raggio family.”

Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Saitta said:

Sen. Raggio was always a friend to the Judiciary and often our champion. He clearly understood that a strong Nevada requires a strong and independent Judicial Branch of government. He was not shy about standing for his beliefs and ensuring that government in Nevada was as effective and efficient as it could be.

The Supreme Court could always call on Sen. Raggio to serve on one of our commissions or committees and provide a steady, knowledgeable, and powerful voice. Nevada has lost a great leader and a great Nevadan.

Sen. Raggio was an icon, a consummate statesman and one of the most knowledgeable and pragmatic legislators ever to serve the people of Nevada. His absence from the Legislature with his retirement was keenly felt. His passing on Thursday ends a chapter in Nevada history.

The Supreme Court is saddened by his passing and the justices send their heartfelt condolences to his family.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute, which broke with Raggio over tax policy often, still mourned his passing, albeit without using the honorific “senator.” President Andy Matthews offered this statement:

Nevadans awoke to the news this morning that Bill Raggio, one of the truly great icons of Silver State politics, has died at the age of 85.

Mr. Raggio served 38 years in the Nevada Senate, and it’s difficult to spend that much time in public office without leaving a significant mark. Yet even among long-tenured public servants, his legacy stands out.

There are many, many people in this state who have worked alongside Mr. Raggio and who knew him much better than I did, and so I will leave it to them to offer their reflections on his life and his career. But it’s impossible for anyone involved in state politics or public policy not to feel the magnitude of this loss, and to appreciate what he meant to this state.

Those who have followed NPRI’s work over the years know that we have both agreed and disagreed with Mr. Raggio’s views on various policy issues. But there was never any doubt as to his love for Nevada and his commitment to making it a better place to live. For that, he will always have our respect and our admiration.

May he rest in peace, and may his loved ones find strength and comfort today and in the difficult days to come.

And the Nevada System of Higher Education—always one of Raggio’s pet causes during his tenure—said this, via Jason Geddes, chairman of the board of regents, and Kevin Page, vice chairman:

Like all Nevadans, those of us in the higher education family were shocked and devastated to hear of the death of Senator Bill Raggio. First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Dale, his daughters, Leslie and Tracy, his six grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Much will be said in the coming days and weeks about the lifetime of accomplishments of this giant of a man. However, for those of us in higher education, indeed the whole education community, we pause to thank this man who came from humble immigrant roots and rose to great power, in part by public education. He never forgot the contribution of education to his life. We have lost a member of our family today – indeed, our patriarch and champion. You will be greatly missed, Bill, but we will never forget all that you have done for Nevada and, particularly, for her young men and women who, like you, look to better lives through education.

And the Nevada Republican Party added its voice to the list, with this:

“Today Nevada Republicans across the state mourn the loss of a great leader and the loss of an even greater friend. While it is a sad day for all Nevadans, it is only appropriate to remember the legacy and leadership he left behind for us to follow. A loss of a true icon in Nevada politics will not be forgotten. Bill Raggio holds the title of the longest serving legislator in Nevada’s history and Senator Raggio served the State of Nevada with honor and devotion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Raggio family, and we offer our condolences in this time of loss. We will miss you.”

Ironically, Raggio warned shortly after his resignation from the Senate that his party needed to change, lest it start to lose elections. “I think the leadership of the Republican Party is a little too radical and has been taken over by what I think is a radical element,” Raggio said in January 2011. “That party has to reshape itself or it won’t win general elections down the road.”

Jan Gilbert, who is retiring as chief lobbyist and Northern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, had this to say about Raggio:

Last night Nevada lost one of its true statesmen, Senator William Raggio. Many knew him as a champion for higher education and a “tough on crime” advocate. But PLAN worked with Senator Raggio on many other issues. He championed the rights of disadvantaged people. He knew that Nevada needed to provide essential services, particularly for Disabled individuals. He often voted against many in his party to increase funding for Human Services including raising the grant for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. And he stood up for increasing revenues at a time when his party was fractured on the issue. Senator Raggio will be remembered by PLAN as someone who spoke out for increased revenues at one of the largest Human Services rallies ever held at the Nevada legislature in 2003. He spoke against those in his party that represented the John Birch Society. He felt that they were destroying the integrity of his party. He was someone who knew the power of compromise and diplomacy.

And Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said this:

Sen. Raggio was a true public servant who practiced service to community with civility.

He was a champion of Nevada whose indelible imprint for good will be a model for generations to come.

Sen. Raggio sought the common good. He helped foster the state’s quality of life through the promotion of education, health care, research and preservation of our state’s most precious natural resources.

We will miss him greatly, but will always seek to celebrate his spirit.

UPDATE: More coverage of the story in the Reno Gazette-Journal and from the Las Vegas Sun.

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