Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey (Reno-RINO) recently opened his
mouth, removed his socks, stuck one foot inside, wriggled around his
toes, rinsed and repeated. But that’s not the reason he should
resign his leadership position.
In a recent radio interview Hickey said the 2014 election cycle holds
out promise for Republicans because “a lot of minorities…will not
turn out.” He then attempted “damage control” in a follow-up
television interview in which he further embarrassed himself and the
Republican Party with a smart-aleck comment about having “a yellow
wife and kids with olive-colored skin.”
Good grief.
“As a black Republican, I find Pat Hickey’s comment disappointing
and sadly out of touch,” said As Niger Innis, president of the
Congress of Racial Equality in North Las Vegas. “Thanks for
nothing, Assemblyman.”
Thanks for nothing, indeed.
Understandably, this has Democrats all across the country frothing at
the mouth, claiming Hickey’s comments were racist and an effort to
“suppress” the minority vote. Which is absurd. Hickey’s
comments were neither. They were just stupid.
And they won’t, as Hickey said, go away in one or two news cycles.
They’ll return like a bad case of herpes next fall when Republicans
all over the state will have his “minorities” comment wrapped
around their necks. Alas, this “Macaca Moment” is only the
latest and least of his failings.
In the 2012 election cycle, Hickey failed to pick up any net seats
for his caucus despite at least three solid opportunities – including
one in his own Reno back yard where a highly-touted “minority”
candidate ran in the only district with a Republican majority that is
currently represented by a Democrat.
He then went into the 2013 legislative session with absolutely no
agenda whatsoever and refused to contest the seating of a Democrat
assemblyman who had been ruled by a judge to be ineligible for
failing to live in the district where he ran.
Hickey has discouraged candidates from signing the Taxpayer
Protection Pledge while leading his caucus in voting for a second
extension of the $620 million worth of “temporary” taxes, as well
for the Kirner Tax in Washoe County and the misleadingly named More
Cops tax in Clark County. He handed these tax hikes to the Democrats
on a silver platter while not even getting table scraps in return.
And not only did the Minority “Leader” barely utter a peep when
Democrats again killed the “campus carry” bill without even a
vote, he also oversaw the embarrassment of Republicans in his house
killing the “parent trigger” bill; the only worthwhile education
reform bill with a chance this last session.
And there’s plenty more, but space here is limited.
If Republicans keep Pat Hickey in his leadership position, they truly
are stuck on stupid.
Oh, and if they take the advice of Nevada’s #2 liberal blogger, Jon Ralston, and replace Hickey with Assemblyman Paul Anderson, they’re stuck on stupid squared!
In NPRI’s conservative scorecard for the 2013 legislative session, only one Republican, Assemblyman Lynn “Bug Man” Stewart (49.91%) scored worse than Hickey (51.26%).
Anderson’s score? 51.51%. The guy is a Gumby clone of Hickey.
Republicans in the Assembly will never become the majority party in the Assembly if they continue to vote like Democrat-lite and continue to fight like a litter of puppies. Will they ever learn?