How Democrats are Using Ensign to Shoot Down Republicans

(Chuck Muth) – GOP leaders who continue to take a see-no-evil/hear-no-evil/speak-no-evil position regarding the need for scandal magnet Sen. John Ensign to go away before the general election hoping against hope that he won’t be a drag on every other Republican campaign next fall are delusional.

For just a taste of what’s to come, consider this column by the Nevada State Democratic Party titled , “Will Angle, Tarkanian and Lowden stand with Ensign, against helping Nevada’s unemployed?” which was picked up and published by ThisIsReno.com on Thursday….

LAS VEGAS–Republican Sen. John Ensign again today stood in the way of helping Nevada families struggling to make ends meet, coming down on the side of partisan politics as usual.

So far, Sharron Angle, Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian have remained silent on whether the embattled Ensign should–or whether they would–leave 20,000 struggling Nevadans out in the cold. Will they speak up for Nevada families affected by the economic downturn now, or will they remain silent and support Ensign’s cruel and heartless vote?

Prediction: these leading GOP Senate candidates will remain mum. Why?

• We already know Lowden, Tarkanian and Angle opposed a stimulus bill that extended unemployment insurance for tens of thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans out of work during the recession.

• They stayed silent when Republicans held up extension of unemployment benefits for 20,000 Nevadans in March, even when national Republicans decried the rank partisanship on display.

• They said nothing when Republican Dean Heller said a vote to help a Nevadans in need was a vote for a new generation of hobos.

• They have continually rooted for the Nevada economy to fail because it’s “good for Republican politics,” as GOP Senate candidate John Chachas said.

“It’s time for Danny Tarkanian, Sue Lowden and Sharron Angle to come clean: do they stand with John Ensign and against Nevada families struggling to find work during a recession?” said Phoebe Sweet, communications director for the Nevada State Democratic Party.

“Nevadans deserve to know where these three stand. Are they, like John Chachas and John Ensign, rooting for the economy–and Nevada families–to fail? Or do they agree that the much-needed extension of unemployment and COBRA led by Senator Harry Reid will help tens of thousands of Nevada families make ends meet during tough times?”

Every and any issue that comes down the campaign pike this election cycle will be an opportunity for the Democrats to play the “Ensign card.” And they will. Over and over and over again. Is Ensign worth all this aggravation to Nevada Republicans? By their silence on whether or not he should resign, apparently they foolishly believe so.

Yet another reason why so many of us former Republicans are now registered independents.