Ex-Bush adviser’s speech excites Nevada conservatives
Watching Nevada conservatives react to Karl Rove was like watching longtime Las Vegas residents listen to Frank Sinatra music.
Nostalgia for the glory days drowns out the problems of the present.
Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, spoke to an audience of several hundred at The Venetian last week for a dinner event hosted by Nevada Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank in Las Vegas.
He told stories about his days in the Bush White House when Republicans controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress.
That changed as Democrats took back the majority in Congress and then won the White House with President Barack Obama.
But Rove was able to captivate the audience by describing his vision of a return to power for conservatives.
The vision will come to fruition because, Rove said, America is a center-right nation that will re-embrace conservative politics.
"Conservatives are going to make gains next year, the question is how many and what quality," Rove said to cheers.
He challenged the audience to articulate a vision for conservatives that goes beyond opposition to the economic, health and foreign policies of Obama.
"It is not just about winning elections, it is not just about winning votes it is not just about winning arguments," Rove said. "It is about our vision of the future of America. It is about freedom and personal responsibility and free markets."
GIBBONS GOES FUNDRAISING
With so much attention being showered on Brian Sandoval, the front-running candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary, it is easy to forget Gov. Jim Gibbons, the incumbent Republican who has shown he has every intention of running for another term.
According to an item in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza newspaper, Gibbons is already out fundraising.
The paper listed an announcement for a fundraising event at Big Water Grille in Incline Village on Thursday. It's being hosted by Joanne Levy and Lee Barett, Donna and Chuck Ruthe, Pat Lundvall and Jerry Bussell and Jerry Katzoff. The suggested contribution is $250 per person.
CZAR WARS CONTINUE
It's another czar wars sequel.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., took a few shots at the propensity of President Barack Obama to appoint so-called "czars" to lead initiatives on behalf of the administration.
It wasn't long before the Democrats struck back.
During a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee Ensign said: "We are now facing a situation where there is almost a shadow Cabinet that is being developed. It is thwarting the position of the United States Congress and these czars are in different positions."
Shortly thereafter, the Democratic National Committee broke out some old quotes in which Ensign argued that administration czars had too little power, not too much.
They used this quote by Ensign on Fox News, Dec. 10:
"The car czar that they put in this bill, first of all, doesn't have a lot of power -- has a lot of ability to suggest things -- but doesn't have enough power to cause the restructuring."
Ensign made his remarks as he submitted an amendment to a health reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee that would have made any would-be health czars subject to Senate confirmation. The committee rejected the amendment by a 13-10 vote.
STUPAK AND POLITICS
The death of Bob Stupak on Friday didn't just conjure tributes to the audaciousness he showed in building the Stratosphere.
It also reminded people of his failed campaigns for local political office.
One Stupak quote from a 1989 article summed up his success in attracting a crowd to a casino. Surprisingly, the sentiment didn't help him achieve political success.
"I understood the principles of gambling and the greed factor, which everyone basically has," he said.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
