(Chuck Muth) – Well, the rumor was true.
Yesterday I got confirmation that Assemblyman Toby Yurek (R-Clark) had withdrawn his bill (AB195) that would have given voting rights to appointed members of the Clark County school board.
Two lessons…
1.) Your voice DOES matter. Assemblyman Yurek heard from opponents via phone, email, text, and during a Zoom town hall meeting he held a few days ago on the bill.
And he LISTENED. Good for him. He made the right decision.
2.) Now, I never heard from Assemblyman Yurek on this bill. However, in the past whenever I’ve written about a bad bill that a Republican proposed or voted for, I’ve gotten angry phone calls or emails from the legislators.
“Why didn’t you call me BEFORE you wrote that?” they ask.
My typical response: “Why didn’t you check with us BEFORE you put that bill in or voted for it?”
Once elected, too many of these people sequester themselves in their tiny little Carson City bubble. They get wined and dined by the lobbyist and other hoi polloi who talk sweet nothings into their ears.
And those Carson City operatives can sell ice cubes to Eskimos!
For example, these lobbyists often try persuading legislators that various tax hikes are NOT a tax hike that violate their signed Taxpayer Protection Pledge. And some legislators fall for it without ever bothering to reach out to me first.
Then they vote for the tax hike…I barbeque them…and they whine that I should have checked with THEM before writing about it.
No. It doesn’t work that way.
If you want to stay out of hot water with conservatives, then you better be talking to conservatives before making a decision. And not just with me.
For example, if you’re making a decision on gun rights, you better check with Randy Mackie.
If you’re making a decision on school choice, you better check with Valeria Gurr.
If you’re making a decision on abortion, you better check with Melissa Clement.
If you’re making a decision on small business, you better check with the Keystone Corporation.
No, we can’t wine-and-dine you at your favorite 5-star gourmet restaurant. But we can tune up our large numbers of members to support or oppose a bill.
And hell hath no fury like a conservative scorned.
So if you don’t already have a relationship with us…movement conservatives…well, there’s no better time than the present.
To borrowing a phrase from General James “Mad Dog” Mattis: “No better friend, no worse enemy.” So pick up the phone. Give us a call.
