Sandoval’s loyalty, kooky caucuses and a good Republican

Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Emptying out the reporter’s notebook at the end of another eventful week in Nevada, home of the First in the West and First to be Irrelevant Caucus, with the usual dose of incandescent insight and snarky observations:

• Loyal to the end: It’s easy to mock Gov. Brian Sandoval for endorsing the hapless Rick Perry, who pulled out of a presidential race Thursday that no one realized he was still in. But I see Sandoval’s decision to endorse Perry at his apex and stick with him until his nadir a sign of character most politicians don’t have.

It would have been simpler and more politically expedient for Sandoval to dump Perry after ... he began to speak publicly. But the Texas governor, barely knowing Sandoval, embraced him last cycle even though he was taking on an incumbent GOP governor (Jim Gibbons) whom Perry – I suppose this is funny now – must have thought was an embarrassment.

As I have said before, this was a personal quid pro quo from Sandoval, a thank you for Perry’s unquestioning support of him. Even though Sandoval, as smooth as they come, must have cringed at Perry’s “Oops” campaign, what kind of man deserts a friend?

Also, remember Sandoval endorsed Perry in September, when many in the GOP and media elite saw the Texas governor as a rising star who could win the race – indeed, he led in the polls shortly after his entrance. So what was Sandoval supposed to do when Perry went supernova?

You can argue that Sandoval should have done more for Perry, that his passive endorsement followed by not one proactive pro-Perry statement or plane ride to help his friend was craven. Indeed, Perry noticeably omitted Sandoval when he listed his elected supporters during his withdrawal speech Thursday.

But loyalty is a scarce commodity in politics and Sandoval deserves praise, not derision, for displaying it. And for anyone who thinks it might hurt him at some point, his endorsement of Perry will be forgotten as quickly as the Texas governor’s candidacy will be.

• Caucus mania or caucus ennui? I’m not sure which is funnier – state Democrats trying to gin up interest in their meaningless caucus Saturday or Republicans trying to hype their almost as inconsequential event Feb. 4. (The GOP balloting originally was scheduled for last Saturday, but the local types, reminding the nation that prostitution is legal here, displayed their roundheels after the national GOP promised them favors in Tampa at the national convention.)

The Democrats recently induced a local “newspaper” to print a crowd estimate of 3,000 for Saturday’s caucus, a ridiculously low number considering there are 446,000 registered Democrats in Nevada. Yes, it’s ludicrous to try to hold the Democrats to the 2008 turnout of 116,000 when the race was contested. But no matter the turnout, the GOP will put out a “Little Enthusiasm for President” release. Guaranteed.

As for the Republicans, even if Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina, most pundits believe the race is still Mitt Romney’s to lose and he is likely to crush the speaker in Florida on Jan. 31. Besides Romney only Ron Paul has fervent followers here likely to caucus no matter how the race looks come Feb. 4. Gingrich has some less-than-successful local folks helping him here — perhaps he will invest if he starts to surge. But Gingrich probably will ignore Nevada even if he is still in the race — as will most everyone else.

• A good GOP choice: Pat Hickey, the Reno Republican elected Thursday to lead the Assembly GOP, is a solid guy and thoughtful. That, and his vote for extending $600 million in taxes, ought to make him Enemy No. 1 at Wingnut Central.

Hickey is the kind of lawmaker willing to consider compromising on critical issues, the type of legislator not seen enough during recent sessions on either side. He is a worthy successor to another solid Republican, Pete Goicoechea, who also had to endure brickbats from the right wing.

I’ve known Hickey during both of his legislative stints and in his previous incarnation in a truly disreputable profession, journalism. He’s a fine choice and whoever the Democrats alight on as speaker, assuming their majority doesn’t get washed away in a GOP tsunami, should find Hickey a worthy partner in leadership.

• Lonely POTUS? Last time President Obama came calling, I wrote about how sad — and telling — it was that only Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman greeted him on the McCarran tarmac.

It was craven by many Democrats, who surely were frightened about photos being used by opponents but were only too happy to benefit from the cash he brought into the state.

I suggest this time the Nevada sports books put up a line on how many Democrats will appear in public with the president.

Let’s start the over/under at ... five.