SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 12/07/2014

THE NERVE OF ERV In an online interview leading up to the November general election, GOP Assembly candidate Erv Nelson wrote… “It is critical that the Republicans maintain at least their current number of 15 of 42 seats in the Assembly so as to be able to stop any tax increases which would require a 2/3 vote. … I will fight to foster conservative Republican principles in the Legislature.” The official position of the Nevada Republican Party is to oppose tax hikes.  And Nelson declared that it is “critical” to stop any tax hikes…which, one would presume, includes any tax hikes proposed by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R&R Advertising). So, um, how does Nelson justify his support for moderate Assemblyman Paul Anderson to be Speaker-designate of the GOP majority caucus when Anderson supports tax hikes (he voted to extend the sunsets last session) and is threatening to use the “nuclear option” to form a coalition with Democrats to wrest control of the Assembly from conservative Republicans in the upcoming legislative session? Why not ask him yourself.  His email address is: erv@nelsonfornevada.com MR. MINING TAX RUSHES TO RINO’S DEFENSE Republican establishment figure Monte Miller, as exposed two years ago, was the leading force behind efforts to screw the state’s mining industry by raising its taxes.  And I just learned that last week he also rushed to the defense of Assemblyman Paul Anderson, rumored to be leading the under-handed power-sharing scheme with Assembly Democrats to deny conservative-backed Assemblyman John Hambrick the Speakership in the upcoming session.  Here’s the behind-the-scenes story… Apparently there was an inter-caucus dispute about some $100,000+ in donations that caucus members thought had been made to the Assembly Republican Caucus but somehow ended up in Anderson’s personal Growth and Opportunity PAC instead.  That controversy weighed heavily on members leading up to a caucus showdown vote between Anderson and Hambrick last Tuesday night. I’ve since learned that just prior to that caucus meeting, Miller sent an email to caucus members defending Anderson. “There have been rumors that funds (from the Keystone Corporation) given to the Growth and Opportunity PAC were misappropriated or misused,” Miller wrote.  “I would like to address these rumors directly.  “Funds were specifically invested in the Growth and Opportunity PAC because of the strategic plan to grow the caucus - developed to pick up and maintain seats over multiple cycles.  These funds were given directly to Assemblyman Anderson’s Growth & Opportunity PAC instead of the Caucus for the purpose of executing a plan presented to us through multiple meetings. They were not intended for general Caucus use but to execute the Growth and Opportunity project.” Sorry, but this still doesn’t pass the smell test. At the time of the donations to Anderson’s PAC, Anderson was the Assistant Minority Leader of the Republican Assembly Caucus.  If there was a plan “to pick up and maintain seats” in the Assembly, why was that plan being “executed” through Anderson’s PAC - in which Anderson had full, complete and total control - rather than through the caucus, where he was in the #2 leadership position? Seriously. Anderson was a top caucus leader.  But according to Miller he was directing donors to give to his personal PAC instead of giving to the caucus, which is the official body dedicated to electing Republicans to the state Assembly.  What were Miller and Anderson trying to pull?  Why do I suspect this was all some kind of legal campaign money laundering operation?  Maybe some enterprising reporter should start trying to “follow the money.” THE CHAMBER IS NOT CONSERVATIVE Conservatives are pro-business. But the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is not conservative. According to a recent story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Las Vegas Chamber supports Common Core and all-day kindergarten. In addition, newly-installed board chairman Bob Brown told the paper that “To craft positions on additional reforms, chamber officials will meet this week (in Washington, DC) with executives of The Education Trust, a group centered on closing opportunity and achievement gaps among children from low-income or minority households.” I checked EdTrust’s website.  Not a single board member or senior staffer of note from the conservative movement.  On the other hand, conspicuous by their absence in the story of groups the Chamber is meeting with: The conservative Heritage Foundation and the libertarian Cato Institute, both of which have done EXTENSIVE work on education reform and school choice. The Chamber is not a conservative organization. Brown also declared that “The time has come to have serious tax-reform discussions.”  To that end, the story reports that Chamber “leaders will meet this week with the Tax Foundation, a policy-research nonprofit.” The Tax Foundation is notorious among fiscal conservatives for their misleading state tax rankings. On the other hand, conspicuous by its absence in the story of policy-research nonprofits on TAX REFORM that Chamber leaders will be meeting with: The well-known and highly respected Americans for TAX REFORM organization led by conservative leader Grover Norquist. The Chamber is not a conservative organization. DRIVE-BY MUTHINGS This Wall Street Journal news alert from last night pretty much says it all: “Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu (of Louisiana), burdened by ties to an unpopular president, lost her bid for a fourth term on Saturday to Republican Bill Cassidy.” Correction: Assemblyman Wes Duncan is no longer on Assemblyman Paul Anderson’s “team” in the fight for caucus control.  He has resigned his seat in order to take a position with incoming Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.  So the current roster includes 12 members on Team Fiore and 11 members on Team Anderson. Speaking of which: Word on the street is that Assemblyman Pat “The Appeaser” Hickey is in Vegas this weekend meeting secretly with certain caucus members, possibly plotting deployment of the “nuclear option” for Operation Sell Out.  How appropriate that his efforts coincide with the anniversary of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. You know, if Hickey had devoted even a fraction of the effort and passion he exerts trying to screw conservatives to instead oppose Democrats, he’d probably still be the GOP caucus leader today. BTW: Haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but despite the fact that it’s been over a week since both Hickey and Anderson were ousted from the Republican Assembly Caucus leadership, I hear they still haven’t signed the cards to turn over the caucus’ bank accounts to the new leadership team. FAMOUS LAST WORDS "With Landrieu's loss, 30 of the 60 senators who voted for Obamacare will be gone from the next Congress.” – David Freddoso HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Silver State Confidential is an email newsletter on Nevada politics, public policy and current events published (usually) daily by Chuck Muth, Nevada's #1 Renegade Conservative and the man voted "Most Likely to Irritate Liberals!"  Click on the link below for subscription information…