J. Patrick Coolican

Story Archive

Nevada again will be presidential battleground, pundits say: Wednesday, May 21, 2008; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s victory Tuesday in Oregon pushed him ever closer to winning the Democratic nomination, and now strategists and political observers are looking again at Nevada.
Frustration, anger among Republicans growing: Sunday, May 18, 2008; House Republicans unveiled a new slogan last week, “Change You Deserve,” which, besides sounding vaguely malevolent, shared a slogan with an anti-depressant medication.
Calls for unity draw different answers from Clinton voters: Many will support Obama, some say they never could; Sunday, May 18, 2008; Barack Obama has a lot of work to do. After a long and contentious presidential nomination battle, Democrats gathered here for their state convention Saturday, with party leaders calling for unity in a tacit acknowledgment that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will likely secure the nomination.
Happier days for Democrats: As state convention delegates gather in Reno, their party is stronger than it’s been in years; Saturday, May 17, 2008; As Democrats gather in Reno today for their state convention, they can take heart. With the help of Sen. Harry Reid’s power play — making Nevada an early presidential voting state — as well as Republican drift, state Democrats have made significant gains.
Teamsters may undercut members: Complaints of union collusion to hire nonunion convention labor spur revolt; Tuesday, May 6, 2008; Members of Teamsters Local 631 complain their union is colluding with major convention center contractors to wean them of union labor, a suspicion that has spurred efforts to replace local leadership with a slate of insurgent candidates.
Mischief-making blockers are signature gatherers’ bane: They holler to dissuade potential backers of teachers union petition; Monday, May 5, 2008; Russ Stevens walks out of the North Las Vegas DMV office and is approached by a woman asking him to sign a petition in favor of raising casino taxes to benefit teachers and schools.
In politics, spoils go to those who have fun: Sunday, May 4, 2008; In politics you can often tell which party, candidate or movement is winning by what could be called the “fun gap.”
Parks wants Titus' seat: Friday, May 2, 2008; Assemblyman David Parks, a Las Vegas Democrat, will announce today he'll run for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Dina Titus, who's running for Congress.
Ron Paul campaign dominates convention: Meeting reveals a party, in this state at least, far from united; Sunday, April 27, 2008; Call 2008 the year of the great tumult, the year of the outsiders, the young, the tech-savvy who are changing American politics.
Dems fail to aim at big target: Not attacking governor when he’s down may be major mistake; Sunday, April 27, 2008; Nevada Democrats are operating with a faulty strategic premise. They’ve heard politicos and journalists on TV chuckling about an old rule in politics: When your opponent is facing scandal, say nothing, get out of the way and watch.
Beers’ rival is ‘nice,’ but is nice enough?: Democrat says she’ll talk issues — later; Friday, April 25, 2008; Allison Copening is in some ways a dream candidate to take on Republican stalwart Bob Beers in the pivotal race to decide the future of the state Senate, which Republicans control by one vote.
Orleans case sparks investigation: Official’s involvement draws attorney general’s interest; Friday, April 25, 2008; The Nevada attorney general’s office has opened an investigation into the state Business and Industry Department’s handling of a case involving the deaths of two workers at the Orleans, the Sun has learned.
Gibbons at the fights: Monday, April 21, 2008; Seen: Gov. Jim Gibbons, at Saturday's big title fight between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins. Right up front ringside.
Workhorse, or stalking-horse?: As Nevada's attorney general takes a deliberate approach to her job, some observers wonder where her priorities lie; Sunday, April 20, 2008; Catherine Cortez Masto is always well-prepared and articulate. She’s graced with an angular face framed by a bob of jet-black hair and wears fine suits. With a little practice, she would make great television: the tough, youthful but mature attorney general, standing on the steps of a corrupt mortgage lender or corporate polluter, railing on behalf of the great state of Nevada. But like Melville’s Bartleby in “Bartleby the Scrivener,” she would prefer not to. She pursues popular initiatives with little fanfare, head down, studying, avoiding conflict. It’s her style. It’s who she is.
Beers takes center stage: Republican Senator a pivotal character in gaming’s direction of election; Sunday, April 20, 2008; A lobbyist with close ties to the Strip doesn’t mean to be arrogant, and indeed, he isn’t. But his description of the calculations on the Strip heading into the 2008 election, and his gaming out of the possibilities, sounded like a TV director musing about the arrangement of actors on the set, the timing of the comic lines, the timing and pitch of audience laugh track.
Quietly, Reid works to void term limits: Effort to strike amendment comes as top legislators stand to lose seats; Thursday, April 10, 2008; Sen. Harry Reid continues to play a key role in a quiet but widespread effort in both parties to upend a state constitutional amendment passed in the 1990s imposing term limits on legislators.
Oops! Governor has nine guns: He amends statement that all weapons tested; Thursday, April 10, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons admitted Wednesday that he misspoke last month when he described to a Sun reporter how he had renewed his concealed weapon permit.
Teamsters’ next hurdle: Election: Accusations already flying over contested contract; Saturday, April 5, 2008; Las Vegas Teamsters Local 631 is never at peace.
After struggling for at least a decade with corruption, mismanagement and infighting, the union now faces a brutal election campaign.
Friendly crowd goes frigid for Gibbons: In speech, he extols free market virtue, lays out agenda for the future; Friday, April 4, 2008; The applause for Gov. Jim Gibbons inside a conference room at the Rio could be called tepid only if the Colorado River runs tepid this time of year. No, this applause was downright cold, made all the more so by the makeup of the audience — a Las Vegas business community as friendly as the governor will ever see outside of Sparks.
On George Will and rich men: Thursday, April 3, 2008; George Will's column this morning, a paean to Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson, brought to mind a long-forgotten episode involving Will and another controversial rich man: Conrad Black.
Less spending, more bites: Sun analysis finds Nevada’s per capita spending backsliding; Thursday, April 3, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons and other anti-tax crusaders have long asserted that Nevada’s budget shortfall will not require real spending cuts. Rather, the deficit will merely cut into the 16.8 percent spending increase passed by the Legislature and signed by Gibbons in 2007. A Sun analysis shows that argument collapsing, however, under the weight of population growth, inflation and new revenue shortfall projections of $900 million.
Gibbons names three to Medical Examiner's Board: Wednesday, April 2, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons made some health care appointments today.
Reid wants deadline for Democratic delegates: Tuesday, April 1, 2008; Sen. Harry Reid says superdelegates should make up their minds by July 1. This is in line with DNC Chairman Howard Dean's view.
Republicans' rocky road: Monday, March 31, 2008
Winning West not a given for Arizona’s senator: Presumptive GOP nominee breezes in and out of his stop in Vegas; Sunday, March 30, 2008; Sen. John McCain came to town Friday, a reminder to Democrats that their plan to take the White House via the intermountain West may now be in doubt.
Political journalism suffers from 'groupthink': Sunday, March 30, 2008; The Nevada Legislature, as I wrote in an article for the Las Vegas Sun, would be a perfect laboratory for Irving Janis, the Yale psychologist who did extensive work on the psychological notion of “groupthink.”
Justice Dept. tough on Nevada official's former firm: Wednesday, March 26, 2008; New Century Financial and its auditor KPMG are the subject of a tough Justice Department report, according to the New York Times.
Rogich rises with McCain: Tuesday, March 25, 2008; Las Vegas image maven and former Reagan and Bush administration official Sig Rogich has been named chairman of an outside group of media strategists to Sen. John McCain, Chris Cilliza reports.
Engage Iran, scholar says: War and silence are not the United States’ only options; Tuesday, March 25, 2008; American conservatives used an ingenious ploy before the Iraq war, accusing war critics of being morally obtuse, of turning their backs on the Iraqi people — an argument now being turned on Iran. But one scholar is still committed to the idea of engagement.
And the real threat is ... Big Brother: Libertarians fear governments will pounce on hepatitis, housing crises to expand their role; Thursday, March 20, 2008; For Nevada’s fervent libertarian community, the real fear isn’t hepatitis C or the mortgage meltdown, but rather a populace that will look to the government to solve these pressing problems.
Gibbons: Inspections sufficient: Governor says regulation not the answer in Southern Nevada’s hepatitis C scare; Tuesday, March 11, 2008; Faced with a public health crisis, sinking confidence in Nevada’s medical care and questions about inadequate government oversight, Gov. Jim Gibbons is standing by his ideology: Regulation is not necessarily the answer.
Time’s nearly up; they don’t want to go: Top Dems, some nearing end, meet to discuss extending term limits; Friday, March 7, 2008; A group of prominent Nevada Democratic officeholders, including Mayor Oscar Goodman and Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, met recently to discuss a legal challenge to the voter-approved constitutional amendment imposing term limits on local and state officeholders.
Dems regroup for county convention, Take Two: Wednesday, March 5, 2008; As the Sun reported last week, a committee including a party luminary and representatives of the two
campaigns will help run the Clark County Democratic Convention, which ended
in chaos and a suspension of the voting last month.
Ouch! Why this last week made being a Nevadan rough: Sunday, March 2, 2008; For the cynics and the hopeless, the naysayers and the joyless, Nevada had a grand week, a week to remember.
Fallout feared if Gibbonses split up: Governor could be asked to resign if it gets ugly, ally says; Friday, Feb. 29, 2008; Friends and confidantes of Gov. Jim Gibbons’ are fearing the worst following the awkward revelation Thursday that the governor and his family will meet this weekend to discuss the future of his marriage to first lady Dawn Gibbons.
Marital problems at the governor's mansion: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008; The Reno Gazette-Journal is reporting that Gov. Jim Gibbons and his family will meet this weekend to discuss the future of his marriage to Dawn.
Nevada redux: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008; Several of the leading players in the dogfight between Illnois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton here in Nevada have moved on to the next battlegrounds: Ohio and Texas.
Quick fix and Dems’ debacle may be history: Insiders say convention won’t scar — barring future bungles; Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008; The consensus among Democrats is that the damage done by Saturday’s infamous Clark County Democratic Convention can be repaired before it has lasting impact, such as costing Nevada its early position on the presidential nominating calendar.

But no more screw-ups.
State Democrats preparing to handle the county delegates convention (UPDATED): Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008; Following the debacle that was theClark County Democratic Convention Saturday, the campaigns and the state party are stepping in to ensure the do-over is done right.
Convention ends in chaos, so Dems need a do-over: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008; The Clark County Democratic Convention turned into a fiasco Saturday, with a host of problems that were entirely predictable but blithely ignored by county party leadership.
Clark County Dems suspend caucus voting: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008
Early tally for Clinton: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008
Confused scene at Democratic convention: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008
Clinton spent big for rooms on Strip; Obama workers stayed with backers: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008; The presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton racked up big bills at some of the Strip’s finest hotels, according to recent campaign finance disclosure reports.
Thought the caucuses were wild? Just wait: Clark County convention could devolve into free-for-all; Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008; For all the chaos of the Jan. 19 state Democratic caucuses, it may pale in comparison with what happens Saturday when the elected delegates gather for the next step in the process.
State, U.S. preparing loan fraud crackdown: Task force is planned to tackle major factor in foreclosures; Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008; The FBI and the IRS are teaming up with Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, state regulators and Metro Police to tackle a surge in mortgage fraud that is overwhelming Nevada authorities. The announcement of a task force is expected early next month.
In executive suites, some see split in caucus as sign of union’s weakness: Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008; The Culinary Union’s failure to deliver for Sen. Barack Obama in the Nevada Democratic presidential caucus revealed a weakness in the union’s solidarity that has not escaped the notice of Strip casino executives smarting from the union’s tough negotiations.
In private, Dems agree: Damage done in caucus will ripple: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008; Prominent Nevada Democrats have been shuttling from meeting to meeting recently, trying to patch up frayed friendships following last month’s at-times brutal presidential caucus.
Campaign’s ‘Big Dawg’: Ex-president opens doors, goes on attack; Monday, Jan. 21, 2008; When the former president of the United States calls, you answer the phone, and you don’t say no to his request.
How Clinton hit pay dirt: The keys to her Nevada victory: a huge wave of new voters; Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008; If you want to know how Sen. Hillary Clinton won a convincing victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucus, look back to a meeting Dec. 15 at William E. Orr Middle School in Las Vegas.