TODAY’S NN&V HEADLINES

• When Tarks Attack! (Chuck Muth) – Late Sunday afternoon the Tarkanian campaign decided to stop campaigning against fellow Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sue Lowden and shift its disinformation campaign against yours truly by issuing the following “news” release to various Nevada media sources:

• The Stakes in Massachusetts (The Daily Grind) – The stakes in today’s senatorial election in Massachusetts could not be higher.

• Reid Puts Money Where Mouth Is; Ensign Contributes Squat (Chuck Muth) – As John Ensign continues to make public appearances while refusing to answer legitimate questions about the $96,000 payoff to his mistress’s family and his possible violations of federal lobbying laws, he’s also continuing to claim he’s Mr. Republican.

• Where the UNLV Employees’ Bellyache Campaign Came From (Chuck Muth) – As noted here yesterday, some taxpayer-funded UNLV employees are using their taxpayer-funded email accounts to email Nevada state legislators with “woe is me” sob stories about how their one-day-a-month furloughs are killing them.

• Where to Cut, and How (Paul Jacob) – State and local governments have been hard hit by the current depression. What to do? Cut. But where?  

Click here to read these stories at the Nevada News & Views site!

SURVEY SAYS!

Which of these Republican candidates would have the best chance of beating Harry Reid next November?

·         John Chachas

·         Chuck Kozack

·         Sharron Angle

·         Sue Lowden

·         Mark Amodei

·         Robin Titus

·         Danny Tarkanian

·         Bill Parson

To cast your vote in today’s online survey, click here!

MUTHS TRUTHS

• Today is the day that Massachusetts voters could possibly derail ObamaCare by electing a Republican to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created when Ted Kennedy died.  Odds are against it actually happening; however, Republicans have already scored BIG in this contest just by making it close and forcing Obama to campaign on behalf of the beleaguered Democrat candidate on Sunday.  Even if they win the vote count, Democrats lost this contest.

• According to an eRJ Flash this morning, “A homeowner shot and killed a man attempting to break into his residence early Tuesday morning, Las Vegas police confirmed.”  YES!

• This Just In: Jon Ralston reports this morning that the “Department of Justice has taken up probe of Ensign,” while Politico reports that the FBI is now involved in the Ensign scandal, “a potential sign that the Nevada Republican could face a criminal probe over the matter, according to several sources.”

• Who will be the first major Nevada Republican leader or elected official to call for Ensign to step down for the good of the party, the good of the state and, frankly, the good of his own family?

• Las Vegas author and sports handicapper Wayne Allyn Root, the Libertarian Party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, announced yesterday on the Jerry Doyle Show that he is running to be National Chairman of the LP at their convention in St. Louis this May.

• Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Amodei recently completed the Gun Owners of Nevada questionnaire, leaving John Chachas as the only major candidate in that GOP primary race to have not responded.  You can read Mark’s and all of the other candidate’s responses HERE

• Former conservative Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth of Arizona will be the guest speaker at Washoe County’s annual Lincoln Day dinner on February 11^th at the Peppermill Casino.  I wonder if he’ll use the opportunity to announce a GOP primary campaign against Sen. John McCain?

• Democrat political consultant Dan Hart announced yesterday that he and Republican PR consultant Elizabeth Trosper have partnered up to develop a public relations division within his firm.  Trosper brings over twenty years of industry experience; launching her career in Los Angeles at Manning Selvage and Lee and spending the last ten years in Las Vegas as a partner in a local firm.

• The Clark County GOP finally sent out their first press release of year yesterday to announce elections scheduled for tonight in which no nominations will be accepted from the floor despite the fact that the Central Committee has never approved such a change in the organization’s longstanding rules and procedures. 

• In addition, the release notes that the election will be conducted using Clark County’s electronic voting machines – which must have the black helicopter crowd thrilled.

• And get this: Acting Chairman Bob Ruckman declared in the release that “All Registered Republicans are welcome and encouraged to attend, and to vote,”  which would appear to mean that not only do you no longer have to be a member of the Central Committee to vote for officers and members of the Executive Board, but you don’t even have to live in Clark County..or even the state of Nevada.  I’m telling you, this meeting has all the makings of major league political circus tonight. Bring popcorn.

TUBE TIPS

• Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller goes Face to Face with Jon Ralston tonight.  The program airs at 4:00 pm Monday through Friday on KVBC Channel 3 in Las Vegas, as well as NBC affiliates in Reno and Elko.  http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/face-face/

• Sam Shad’s guests today on the Nevada Newsmakers program will be Billy Vassiliadis,CEO, R&R Partners. The program airs on KRNV-TV Channel 4 at 12:30 pm in Reno and on Cox Cable Channel 123 at 4:30 pm and 11:35 pm in Las Vegas.  http://www.nevadanewsmakers.com/

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“The Gipper, wherever he is, cannot be happy. Ronald Reagan’s famed 11th Commandment is being violated almost daily now in a U.S. Senate race, with Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian treating each other almost as badly as they are treating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“Tarkanian has taken to lampooning Lowden as an establishment tool who implied she would have voted for the Bush-era bailouts while Lowden says Tarkanian is serially engaging in false characterizations of what she has said. This can only get worse, which is great for the media and for Reid, but perhaps not so much for the GOP. Right, Gipper?”

- Jon Ralston, Flashpoint, 1/16/10

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