Saving Senator Heller: Who’s Scared?
Despite inside-the-beltway bloviation to the contrary, the GOP establishment pooh-bahs charged with “Saving Senator Heller” are scared down to the skivvies.
Last week the Republican National Committee decided it needed to send out a press statement lauding Nevada Sen. Dean Heller “for his dedication to finding a solution to our healthcare system that ensures Nevadans have access to affordable healthcare, and repeals the burdensome individual mandate.”
That unusual statement was put out because of the blowback Heller’s been getting from conservative Republican primary voters who are furious that he voted last month AGAINST a bill to repeal ObamaCare – the exact same ObamaCare repeal bill he voted FOR in 2015.
And as far as “ensuring Nevadans have access to affordable health care,” ObamaCare is NOT affordable.
If this is Sen. Heller’s idea of helping, please…STOP HELPING!
Anyway, Heller’s failure to honor his campaign promise to repeal ObamaCare comes on the heels of his “Never Trump” position in last year’s presidential election. And, not surprisingly, has resulted in this morning’s announcement that he’ll be facing a credible, viable Republican primary challenge next year.
“Today, after much thought and discussion with my family and friends, I have decided to run for the United States Senate,“ conservative Danny Tarkaniansaid in a statement. “I am running for United States Senate because Nevada deserves a Senator who will keep his word and vote in Washington DC the same way he campaigns here in Nevada.”
And if you don’t think Team Heller is worried sick about it, get this press statement released shortly after Tark’s announcement from Heller campaign spox, Tommy Ferraro…
“Danny Tarkanian is a perennial candidate who has spent millions of dollars on five campaigns over the last decade. Nevada voters have rejected him every time — including less than a year ago against Jacky Rosen. He’s wasted conservatives’ time and cost the Republican Party seats up and down the ballot. If he ultimately files for U.S. Senate he will lose in the primary. Dean Heller is a proven leader and is the only candidate with a solid record voters can count on.”
I’m guessing Tommy lives in that bubble above The Swamp in DC, so he may not know that in all of Danny’s races, he’s only lost ONE primary contest.
And Danny hasn’t cost the GOP seats “up and down the ballot.” He’s made the GOP competitive in general election races it otherwise wouldn’t have had a viable shot at. Danny’s been a team player and good party soldier who isn’t embarrassed by or ashamed of his conservative, pro-business, free-market principles.
And if Danny says he’ll vote to repeal ObamaCare, he’ll vote to repeal ObamaCare.
As for Tommy’s closing sentence, I’m amazed at the audacity to even put that in writing. “The only candidate with a solid record voters can count on”? Seriously? This is the clap-trap you’re going to run on in the primary? Good luck with that!
A couple hours later, the National Republican Senatorial Committee issued its own pabulum-filled statement from spox Michael McAdams…
“Time and again, Senator Dean Heller has proven he is unafraid to put Nevadans first. NRSC fully supports Senator Heller in his primary and general elections, and we are confident he will be re-elected.”
“Proven he is unafraid to put Nevadans first”? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
And does that include the 31,496 Nevadans who are about to lose their health care coverage once Anthem pulls completely out of Nevada’s ObamaCare exchange as announced yesterday?
Team Heller is clearly scared. And they should be.
Gentlemen, start your engines…
Follow the Bouncing Ball
When running for the State Assembly in 2014, Victoria Seaman signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge promising the voters of Nevada that she would oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes and fees.
She won.
During the 2015 legislative session she proceeded to break her promise by voting for nine tax and fee hikes.
Not wanting to have her hands tied any longer on voting for tax hikes, or be held accountable if she broke her promises, Seaman refused to sign the Pledge when she ran for State Senate in 2016.
She lost.
Now she’s running for Congress. And on Monday morning tweeted a photo of her signing the Tax Pledge in Washington, DC with Grover Norquist, Father of the Tax Pledge.
Happy to see Vicki re-commit to opposing tax hikes. I just hope she keeps her word this time.
Emergency “Active Shooter” Boxes Missing One Important Ingredient
The Las Vegas Sun this morning has an article about Lamb of God Lutheran School installing new boxes in classrooms that look like first aid boxes but are actually filled with stuff in the event of an “active shooter” showing up on campus.
By definition, “active shooter” means the person has a gun and is using it.
“In the event of an active shooter,” the Sun reports, “a teacher or staff member can run to the box and unlock it using a fingerprint. That triggers a phone call to 911 and a series of strobe lights and alarms from devices around campus to warn others.”
Inside the box are tools to combat the active shooter: a baton and pepper spray.
Conspicuously missing from the assortment of tools to combat an active shooter with a gun:
A GUN!
All these boxes do is give people a false sense of security. The fact remains: The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Not a baton. Not pepper spray. A gun. Period.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Poll Shows Nevada’s Dean Heller Vulnerable In GOP Primary: The poll, conducted by Strategic National, a Republican-leaning consulting firm, revealed that Heller would face stiff competition from Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei and businessman Danny Tarkanian should either man choose to take on Heller. . . . Head to head versus Tarkanian, Heller received 38 percent to Tarkanian’s 34 percent, within the margin of error. . . . The poll, which surveyed 500 registered Nevada Republicans on Aug. 1 and 2, revealed that Heller holds a 31 percent approval rating, with a 43 percent disapproval rating.” – Daily Caller News Foundation, 8/8/17 (Note: “Registered Nevada Republicans” isn’t the same as likely Nevada Republican primary voters)