Tag: brian sandoval

Everybody Harry Reid’s ever viciously attacked is getting ready for 2016.

They’re coming to get Harry Reid.

Harry Reid’s reelection is more than two years off, but the Koch brothers’ political machine is already methodically laying the groundwork that will be used to try to take him out.

The efforts in recent months have been largely subterranean, but they are unmistakable. A handful of nonprofit groups in the vast political network helmed by allies of the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch have established or expanded permanent ground operations in Reid’s backyard. Focused on wooing key demographics like Latinos and veterans, they’ve also paid for ads assailing the Senate Democratic leader.

Basically, it boils down to this: nobody loves the Senate Majority Leader, and if Reid runs for re-election in 2016 he’s undoubtedly going to be facing Brian Sandoval, the very popular and term-limited Republican Governor of Nevada. That combination of a horde of enemies and a top-shelf candidate has gotten the Reid machine rattled, although they’d rather chew broken class than admit it.  Since Harry Reid is currently polling remarkably badly against Sandoval, the efforts for 2016 have already taken on the aspect of a hastily-built firewall.  For one thing, Harry Reid has already hamstrung the Democratic candidate for governor and thrown him to the wolves: Continue reading Everybody Harry Reid’s ever viciously attacked is getting ready for 2016.

The Las Vegas Review Journal backhands Harry Reid over… being Harry Reid, really.

I’m going to really enjoy the 2016 Nevada Senate election…

Last week, Sen. Reid was in rare form following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn part of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. The 5-4 ruling declared that closely held for-profit businesses, such as craft retailer Hobby Lobby, do not have to provide some forms of birth control to female employees if doing so violates the owners’ religious beliefs. Sen. Reid eviscerated the decision. “The one thing we are going to do during this work period, sooner rather than later, is to ensure that women’s lives are not determined by virtue of five white men,” Sen. Reid said.

That Sen. Reid would inject race into criticism of a ruling with gender-based ramifications was bad enough. What made the comment far worse, however, was that it was completely false. Justice Clarence Thomas, who happens to be black, sided with the court’s majority in the Hobby Lobby case.

Continue reading The Las Vegas Review Journal backhands Harry Reid over… being Harry Reid, really.

Gov. Brian Sandoval (R, Nevada) takes a big step forward in toppling Harry Reid in 2016.

If, you know, that’s going to be a thing that he wants to do.

Let me set the scene: Brian Sandoval is the (popular) governor of Nevada, and he’s going to win re-election in November. Yes, yes, there’s always the chance of scandal and/or unforeseen circumstances – but last night the Democrats’ top vote-getter in their gubernatorial primary was None of the above*.  Sandoval’s term-limited, so at 51 the man has to think about what happens next.  Basically, there are two options for him: a Vice President spot, or the Senate. Both would involve him leaving early, which Brian Sandoval said that he wouldn’t do.. but as the RCP link notes above Sandoval said that when he ran for Nevada Attorney General. That ended up with Sandoval leaving that job (as per a Harry Reid scheme) in 2004 to go be a federal judge… and then leaving that job to run for Governor in 2010.

Not that I – or many other Republicans – really mind any of that.  We typically don’t punish our politicians for deciding that, gosh and by golly, they’re going to run for something anyway.  Besides, in 2010 Brian Sandoval beat Rory Reid (Harry Reid’s kid) like a red-headed stepchild.  That’s the sort of thing that can endear a politician to the Republican base… Continue reading Gov. Brian Sandoval (R, Nevada) takes a big step forward in toppling Harry Reid in 2016.