Jon Ralston

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Story Archive

A study in contrasts: Obama and Romney at VFW: Wednesday, July 25, 2012; You had to be there.
When politicians and partisans exploit: Sunday, July 22, 2012; In stark contrast (I hope) to the thumbsucking and fulminating about the horrific events in Aurora, Colo., I prefer to spend today on a much less tragic incident last week, but one that has sparked similarly offensive and embarrassing behavior from politicians and partisans.
Dean Heller’s dissociative disorder: Friday, July 20, 2012; There are plenty of good campaign books out there, but this year’s Senate race in Nevada may provide a new one: “How to take a silver bullet and shoot yourself in the foot with it.”
Asian-American vote cannot be ignored: Wednesday, July 18, 2012; The last time The Forgotten Minority made any difference in Nevada politics was when the marvelous Sharron Angle told a group of Hispanic students, “Some of you look a little more Asian to me.”
When Reidisms are no longer funny: Sunday, July 15, 2012; On Thursday, Harry Reid was mad (or so it seemed). And when Reid gets mad, Reidisms follow.
Intensity already at high level in Senate race: Friday, July 13, 2012; Nary a moment’s letup in the Nevada Senate race this week since the Monday mid-afternoon disclosure that the House Ethics Committee had formed a special panel to look into allegations against Rep. Shelley Berkley.
Berkley’s not quite dead yet: Wednesday, July 11, 2012; Shelley Berkley is dead, one in an occasional series:
In wake of ruling, politicians display The Pivot Reflex: Sunday, July 1, 2012; As unpredictable as many observers found the Supreme Court’s health care reform decision, the reaction from the political class was depressingly predictable.
Validating voters plague the system: Wednesday, June 27, 2012; I’d like to nip this in the bud.
Sandoval meets with Romney to talk about his role: Sunday, June 24, 2012; So Gov. Brian Sandoval has finally agreed to be an enthusiastic, no-hold-barred supporter of Mitt Romney, and the two had a meeting last week in Carson City to discuss his role.
Nevada GOP: The ugly, the bad and the good: Friday, June 22, 2012; Taking the pulse – yes, there is one — of the state’s Republican Party efforts in your Friday Flash.
Lawmakers are transparent in their opposition to transparency: Wednesday, June 20, 2012; It’s been a month since I suggested it might be a good idea to get state lawmakers on the record supporting Assemblyman Pat Hickey’s long-overdue transparency reforms.
Time for the high court to end character assassination: Sunday, June 17, 2012; It sickens me that I am still writing about this.
The primary winners and losers: Friday, June 15, 2012; Emptying the reporter’s notebook (and my mind) at week’s end, here are some primary winners and losers in your Friday Flash.
Heller-Berkley worthy successor to Reid-Angle: Wednesday, June 13, 2012; Now that the primary nonsense has passed, it’s time to get to the main event.
Whittemore overreached, but so does indictment: Sunday, June 10, 2012; During his Carson City heyday, Harvey Whittemore was the King of the Overreach.
Inside the backroom of the Nevada Republican Party: Friday, June 8, 2012; The executive board of the Nevada GOP met this week, and I have obtained a transcript.
Teachers press forward as Chicken Little Caucus prepares to cluck: Wednesday, June 6, 2012; Twenty-two years after the teachers union first attempted to fundamentally change the state’s tax structure with a corporate income tax, the Nevada State Education Association is at it again with a new initiative.
It’s Reid vs. Heller now in U.S. Senate race: Sunday, June 3, 2012; Even if they loathe each other, U.S. senators from the same state usually try to maintain a facade of collegiality.
Latest poll on Nevada reveals little – on the surface: Friday, June 1, 2012; A couple of days before the 2010 election, after I had predicted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would survive, I received an email from a smart GOP operative telling me I was “very bold” but likely wrong.
Time for Romney to fire Trump: Wednesday, May 30, 2012; Donald Trump is not important; he just thinks he is. Trump is a small man who has big thoughts about himself, a vulgar attentionophile who cares not what damage he causes or whom he might hurt so long as he is in the spotlight.
Fox News slanders Las Vegas, city stands silent: Friday, May 25, 2012; Shortly after he became president in February of 2009, in the unlikely venue of Elkhart, Ind., Barack Obama threw a Bombay into Oscar Goodman’s Sapphire. “You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime,” Obama said.
It’s time for lawmakers to take the Transparency Test: Wednesday, May 23, 2012; I’m generally opposed to litmus tests. But once in awhile, a litmus test comes along that really does illuminate something about a politician’s character and intent.
Assembly leader to propose political reform package: Sunday, May 20, 2012; Pat Hickey is about to become a pariah. And unless you are a member of the Carson City club, you should applaud what the Reno Republican Assembly leader is preparing to do. This week, as campaign contribution reports are due, Hickey, sources confirm, will propose the most sweeping and potentially effective reform package this state has seen.
Nevada GOP has natural comedic gifts: Friday, May 18, 2012; If you are in Las Vegas and want a good laugh, there are plenty of places to go: Brad Garrett. Jerry Seinfeld. Penn and Teller. But nothing — nothing! — compares to the comedy show playing daily on McLeod Drive, home of the vaudeville/slapstick act known as the Nevada Republican Party.
Dean Heller’s budget stunt is cynical nonsense: Wednesday, May 16, 2012; Sen. Dean Heller’s “No Budget No Pay” bill is the dumbest idea to come along in some time. And maybe the smartest.
Washoe County could hold key to presidency, Senate: Sunday, May 13, 2012; In 1998, Washoe County saved Harry Reid’s career.
History is made on same-sex marriage: Friday, May 11, 2012; I’m not often stunned or uplifted anymore, but I was both this week when the leader of a branch of the United States government actually spoke from his heart about gay marriage.
Oceguera makes case for ... Heck: Wednesday, May 9, 2012; The inescapable conclusion after congressional candidate John Oceguera’s performance on television this week is either he believes in nothing or is scared of everything.
The Paul revolution comes to Nevada: Sunday, May 6, 2012; Team Romney wants to swat away the Paul revolution, But in so doing, the presumptive nominee doesn’t want the Texas congressman’s dedicated followers to sit on their hands or even work against the GOP nominee in the fall (where’s Gary Johnson?).
Michael McDonald’s city deal gets curiouser and curiouser: Friday, May 4, 2012; He doesn’t have any money. He doesn’t have any experience. All Michael McDonald has is one of the sweeter deals in development history with a local government.
Nevada’s apple rots at its core: Wednesday, May 2, 2012; Confession: I love Apple.
Sandoval on right track, even if he won’t say what it is: Sunday, April 29, 2012; After an interview with Gov. Sunny last week on “Face to Face,” after listening to the bleating from both sides about whether he meets conservative litmus tests, I realize he is the perfect example of someone who demonstrates just how hollow, even misleading, political labels can be.
Will the past be prologue at state GOP convention?: Friday, April 27, 2012; As the state Republican Convention looms a week hence, I wonder if it’s possible for a repeat of the 2008 chaos, when state Chairman Sue Lowden and convention boss Bob Beers brought down the house because the Ron Paul folks were about to lock up national delegate slots.
Nevada Republicans light fuse to self-destruction: Wednesday, April 25, 2012; If I didn’t know better, I’d think there was a Democratic Party plot afoot. Is Prince Harry really this Machiavellian? Could the left wing really manipulate what the right wing is doing?
Sandoval for vice president?: Sunday, April 22, 2012; A Freedom of Information Act request produced this transcript from last week.
Reid stands by Berkley, not with NV Energy: Friday, April 20, 2012; Did you ever doubt that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could utter enough bon mots in a 15-minute interview to fill an entire column?
Shocked, shocked that people had fun in Vegas: Wednesday, April 18, 2012; So, 3,000 miles away, some important people are going on and on about what a crazy town Vegas can be and Nevada’s elected officials are ... outraged?
A platform that has no support: Sunday, April 15, 2012; The natural tension between political party platforms and candidates is that parties generally stand for something and candidates often try to stand for nothing.
Of voter and campaign money numbers: Friday, April 13, 2012; It’s only fitting on a Friday the 13th, where too much is made of the number, that your Friday Flash is all about the significance of numbers.
Senators’ public spat can’t be won by Reid: Wednesday, April 11, 2012; Harry Reid doesn’t lose very often.
Lawyers take character assassination to high court: Sunday, April 1, 2012; I wish this were an April Fool’s joke. It’s not.
Adelson’s riff, Reid’s flexibility and Sanson’s embarrassment: Friday, March 30, 2012; Gondolier Numero Uno Sheldon Adelson says Newt is sinking faster than Venice, Meddler-in-Chief Harry Reid pays back Byron Georgiou for obeying him, and a phony special interest exposes itself (twice) — here’s your Friday Flash.
Some things you can’t take off the table: Wednesday, March 28, 2012; In one short television appearance, state Sen. Greg Brower illuminated just how drenched in politics and how bereft of substance the debate over taxes continues to be in Nevada.
Ethics issue arises again in U.S. Senate race: Sunday, March 25, 2012; If it’s always darkest before the dawn, Rep. Shelley Berkley must be wondering when the sun is ever going to come up.
A new GOP chair, Sandy money and Lorne’s departure: Friday, March 23, 2012; The GOP self-destruction machine revs up again, a look at the Adelson money for Newt and a farewell to a good man.
Governor sucks air out of tax discussion: Wednesday, March 21, 2012; Brian Sandoval 2.0 already is resetting the campaign agenda for 2012, and, perhaps, the tax debate for 2013.
Federal races on marquee, but legislative contests paramount: Sunday, March 18, 2012; Yes, Nevada will be among a handful of pivotal states in the presidential race, bringing constant (and sometimes unwanted) attention from the candidates, their partisan allies and those third-party groups Rep. Shelley Berkley loves to hate.
Berkley’s spending ban is silly, pointless stunt: Friday, March 16, 2012; In 2006, when the Club for Growth almost purchased a seat in Congress for Sharron Angle, the barely victorious Dean Heller was not amused.
Brian Sandoval 2.0 sees tax policy differently from Sandoval 1.0: Wednesday, March 14, 2012; If history began this week, Gov. Brian Sandoval’s move to extend expiring taxes could simply be seen as a political masterstroke and a policy imperative.