The Special Session Trainwreck Nobody Can Look Away From
What a fiasco.
The special session of the Nevada Legislature has jumped the tracks over the Hollywood Handout and what a trainwreck. Some thoughts.
Let’s start with this: I still see merit in the project for a lot of reasons. But as I tweeted during the Raiders embarrassing loss on Monday Night Football last night, not THIS proposal at THIS time by THESE Democrat “leaders.”
I have always maintained that, at the very least, approval of this project should be contingent on Democrats giving up something big on school choice. At the very least, funding for Opportunity Scholarships needs to be restored.
But Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jaueregui – author of the bill – rejected a proposal by Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill to include such funding in addition to funding for pre-K day care.
Then again, why would she? O’Neill ended up giving her his vote anyway. Republicans in the Assembly couldn’t negotiate a raise in their 4-year-old’s allowance.
But the fault really lies in the fact that proponents of the project chose not to include conservatives in the negotiations leading up to the session. I’m not talking about wishy-washy Republicans who claim to be conservatives. I mean real ones.
In fact, I’d argue the only real, principled conservative that you can count on in the Assembly is Assemblywoman Jill Dickman.
And not only wasn’t Dickman consulted with in drafting the bill, the Democrats kicked her off the committee that heard the bill and inserted a guy who got appointed to his seat just a couple weeks ago.
In any event, the bill got out of the Assembly, 22-20, and the ONLY reason it advanced was because “Republican” Assemblymember Danielle Gallant voted for the Hollywood Handout . . . before she voted against it.
Gallant, inexplicably, voted to approve Speaker Steve Yeager’s decision to allow two pro-studio Republicans – Heidi Kasama and Brian Hibbetts – to vote remotely even though both fled Carson City for vacations, not any kind of “emergency.”
It was revealed yesterday – after Kasama and Hibbetts completely missed an important vote on another bill – that Kasama is in Cabo and Hibbetts is in Europe rather than being in Carson City doing the jobs they were elected to do.
So everyone still stuck in Carson City can thank Assemblymember Gallant for dragging this thing out. She single-handedly could have stopped the Hollywood Handout cold in its tracks but instead enabled its passage.
So now the bill is in the Senate where Majority Leader Nicole Cannibizzaro – the Geno Smith of the Legislature – is scrambling to find the votes to put a bow on the studio package.
As of last night, it’s believed that there are 12 votes against and 9 votes for. And that’s after a blizzard of wild rumors that legislators are being “bribed” – they call it “horse trading” – to secure their votes.
One such rumor is that Republican Sen. John Ellison was offered some $1.5 million for the airport in Elko, combined with threats to put an opponent up against him in the next election.
There was also another wild rumor that a Democrat senator was offered a multi-million dollar donation to the charity of their choice if they’d switch their vote and vote for the Hollywood Handout.
And there was another report that Gallant – of all people – was lobbying Republican Sen. Carrie Buck to switch her vote to a “yes” even though Gallant already voted “no.”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Still, the “bribery” and “extortion” will remain fast-and-furious unless/until Cannibizzaro sees the writing on the wall and pulls the plug.
But there’s no sign of that happening. Instead, word on the street in Carson City is that she might hold everyone in the special session for the full 20 days – meaning through the Thanksgiving holidays.
If so, everyone can again thank Assemblymember Gallant.
And I’ll wrap up with this final note before hitting the road to Palm Springs for an annual conference of CONSERVATIVE leaders from across the country…
The only reason this fiasco is still alive in the Senate is because two Republican senators are still saying “yes” to the Hollywood Handout: Sen. Lisa Krasner of Reno and Sen. John Steinbeck of Las Vegas.
If they vote “no,” this whole mess goes away, legislators can get back to their daily lives, and we come back to renegotiate and debate this project in the next regular session – where, if proponents are smart, they’ll include conservatives in the discussion.
By the way, your calls and emails to legislators have been EXTREMELY effective. Without naming names, I’ve been told by some that your messages caused them to change their minds and vote “no.”
So while I’m on the road this morning, here’s your homework:
Sen. Lisa Krasner
Lisa.Krasner@sen.state.nv.us
(775) 684-1450
Sen. John Steinbeck
John.Steinbeck@sen.state.nv.us
(775) 684-1442
The two could end this fiasco today. But right now they’re still in the grips of the lobbyists and powers-that-be. They need to hear from you. So light up the phones!
And I’ll leave you with this . . .
To all the Nevada legislators who are being offered what-will-it-take to get your vote “bribes” on the Hollywood Handout, remember this quote famously attributed to former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards:
“I take their money, and then I vote against them.”
P.S. Now this is HILARIOUS.
Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston held an event last week at a non-union hotel because it was cheaper than holding it at a union hotel.
And because of that, three prominent Democrats – Sen. “Wacky” Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Nevada Attorney General A-ron Ford and California Rep. Ro Khanna – backed out for fear of ticking off the Culinary Union.
Which resulted in Crybaby Jon inking a whiny, woe-is-me blog post yesterday kvetching about the boycott. Karma, baby. Karma.
NEVADA NEWS & VIEWS
- Clark County GOP Chairwoman Files Campaign Finance Complaint Against AG Ford (Brittany Sheehan)
- Immigrant Enrollment Crashes in Schools Across America – Nevada Next? (Erica Neely)
- As Energy Prices Soar, Blue States Abandon Green Agenda (Jessica R. Towhey)
X MARKS THE SPOT
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett caught blowing tens of thousands in campaign cash on luxury hotels, limos, and personal security | X
- Jasmine Crockett campaigning with Michigan Governor candidate… | X
- Trump tells McDonald’s franchisees: “I’m honored to stand before you as the very first former McDonald’s fry cook ever to become President of the United States.” | X
- A violent TRANSGENDER has been arrested for ASSAULTING federal agents at a gas station in Charlotte NC! | X
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
- “This much appears obvious: Hollywood handouts don’t have majority support in the Nevada Senate. Unable to win on the policy merits, supporters have turned to pressure, handouts and promises/threats.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks
- “I think that it very much smacks of a culture of corruption and a culture of cronyism because (Assembly Speaker) Steve Yeager has allowed corporate lobbyists to come bully people, to buy people off, to promise them appropriations in some bills in exchange for their vote on this bill.” – Democrat Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch
- “The corruption on this bill is bipartisan. We don’t have Democrats and Republicans in NV – we have almost exclusively people who do what gaming et al tell them to do.” – Attorney Maggie McLetchie
- “If we pass this (studio) bill, we are either going to have to raise taxes or we are going to have to cut services.” – AFSCME Local 4041
- “The massive hole that AB5 (studio bill) creates in the state’s budget will have detrimental impacts on our communities and the services Nevadans rely on. Sadly, Hollywood’s wants took precedence over Nevada’s needs.” – Nevada state teachers union
- “I rise in strong opposition to AB5 (studio bill)…There are numerous examples of great companies coming to Nevada without ANY incentives other than Nevada is a fantastic place to do business.” – Assemblywoman Jill Dickman
- “Brian Sandoval — the governor who passed Nevada’s largest-ever tax hike, despite being a Republican — is now pushing for Hollywood handouts. Who are our lawmakers listening to? Nevadans or lobbyists, bureaucrats, and bad politicians?” – Cristiane Mersch
- “I can’t wait until the next GOP event when some of these legislative snakes try to make nice with me. Don’t bother.” – Conservative podcaster Heidi Harris on Republicans who voted for the Hollywood Handout
- “I don’t understand much about politics…” – Liberal blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 1/2/20
