Candidate Angle says she’s no jersey girl

For months I've heard vague details of a story involving current GOP Senate hopeful Sharron Angle and an incident in the early 1990s involving black jerseys and the Tonopah High football team.

Angle is a former Tonopah resident and Nye County School Board member. As the story went, Angle and others objected to the football coach's attempt to use special black jerseys to psyche up his team in an effort to avenge a loss to Laughlin High. The objection was based in part on the grounds that the color was one favored by the devil.

Pahrump Valley Times columnist and former Tonopah newspaper publisher Bill Roberts offered his recollection of the incident in a recent edition. Roberts has a son who played football for Tonopah in 1992. His column is gaining attention in the political press thanks in part to the promotional efforts of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's campaign.

A devout Christian, Angle has denied Roberts' assertion she was part of a group opposed to the black jerseys because they saw black "as a color was thoroughly evil."

Angle told the Reno Gazette-Journal, "Bill Roberts loves Harry. I will just tell you that Bill Roberts and I have completely different recollections of what happened then."

Roberts stands by his story.

Although Angle's campaign has scoffed, saying it's old news at a time of high unemployment, the candidate is still talking about it several days later.

When The Ticket asked the Angle camp about the jersey incident, spokesman Jarrod Agen responded, "The state has bigger things to worry about than high school football games from 20 years ago, like 14½ percent unemployment thanks to Senator Reid. But I'm glad that they won their game."

That glib retort aside, it's another anecdote that could raise questions about Angle in voters' minds.

And I'll bet a bundle Roberts isn't the only one who remembers the black jersey story.

HISPANIC PANIC: Jon Summers of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's campaign was quick to call for a correction after reading my take on his candidate's recent remarks about Hispanics and the Republican Party. Although I drew my quote from multiple published sources, Summers said Reid's precise remarks earlier this month to a group of Latino supporters were, "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, OK. Do I need to say more?"

Well, only if you want to win votes from Hispanics who are also registered Republicans.

ANGLE'S RHETORIC: Although her opponent is working hard to characterize her as "extreme," Angle's policy and religious views essentially reflect current Republican politics.

Angle was criticized following an interview with TruNews Christian Radio, in which she said, "And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that's really what's happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We're supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government."

Outrageous, cried the Democrats.

But guess the author of this quote: "Government is their God. Government is the source of their power."

Those words were spoken Thursday morning by conservative radio titan and GOP bellwether Rush Limbaugh.

Sounds like Angle has been writing Limbaugh's material, or is it the other way around?

ON THE BOULEVARD: Don't forget to attend the Be The Match bone marrow registry from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson. It's painless and could save a life. For more information, contact the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation at 737-1919.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.