Campaign’s support really diverse

"It’s a tongue-in-cheek group, but kind of not, because it speaks a little bit to the diversity of the campaign," said the group’s founder, Greg Cortese.

The 35-year-old Cortese is of Italian descent, has considered himself a Buddhist for about five years, lives with his wife and two children on a ranch in Sandy Valley and has his own criminal defense law practice in Las Vegas.

On the My.Barack Obama.com Web site that allows Obama fans everywhere to create profiles, make friends and form groups, Cortese’s amusingly named posse includes a caveat "(and others)," chiefly Cortese’s relatives. His mother, who lives in New York City, and a brother who lives in Washington, D.C., are members, although neither is a Buddhist, cowboy or lawyer.

Cortese said his father, a Republican, was invited to join but refused. "We’re trying to convert him," he said.

The fourth group member is mysterious, but they are glad to have him, Cortese said. "I just checked and some other gentleman had joined. I have no idea who he is, but we absolutely welcome him."

BERKLEY LOVES EVERYONE

When Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, was in town recently, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., gave her a warm welcome.

"This is a woman that I admire above all others," Berkley said before the crowd that had come to see Edwards. "Behind every good woman is a good man, so I wanted to lend my personal support to the Edwards campaign."

Then she handed Edwards a check. But her words and money don’t constitute an endorsement, Berkley said later.

"As co-chair of the Nevada (presidential) caucus, I support the Democratic candidates. I am neutral," she said. "I think it’s important to support all of them to the best of my ability. When they come to town and I am in town and my schedule permits it, I’m going to go and lend support and give a check."

Berkley admitted, however, that she may not support all the candidates equally when it comes to cash. She said she previously gave $2,300 to Hillary Clinton at a Southern Nevada fundraiser, while the check she gave to Edwards was for $1,000.

She has yet to give to any other presidential candidates.

HELLER TARGETED

Republicans have added freshman Nevada Rep. Dean Heller to their list of House members they think could be vulnerable for re-election.

Heller and nine others were put in the "Regain Our Majority Program," or ROMP. Party leaders will hold special fundraisers for the ROMPers in the summer months.

Southern Nevada Rep. Jon Porter was put on a ROMP list for the spring and benefited from an April 26 fundraiser. His take from the event may not become known until mid-July, when the next round of campaign finance reports are due at the Federal Election Commission.

Heller represents the usually reliable Republican 2nd Congressional District of rural and Northern Nevada. But he beat Democrat Jill Derby last November by only a 50 percent-45 percent tally and Republicans are bracing for more tight races in 2008.

"The Democrats have put a target on Heller, and we will do whatever we can to help him," said Amos Snead, press secretary for House minority whip Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who put the Nevadan in the help category.

An aide said Heller was traveling on Friday and could not be reached.

While Porter clearly is in their sights, Nevada Democrats do not appear to have focused on Heller. But state party spokeswoman Kirsten Searer said Democrats hope their new early presidential contest will help them in the 2nd Congressional District.

"We have been using the presidential caucus as a way to organize areas where we haven’t been strong in the past in CD2," she said.

ENSIGN VERSUS BUSH

Only 12 Republican senators voted for the immigration bill that died in the Senate last week, despite pleas from President Bush. If the paltry support was an illustration of the president’s dwindling clout, he must have winced upon hearing the comment from normally loyal GOP Sen. John Ensign of Nevada.

Ensign voted against the bill after coming under intense pressure from local and national activists. He was asked his thoughts on sinking a bill that the president wanted so badly.

"I am worried more about the country than I am worried about whether it is one of the president’s top priorities," Ensign said.

Ensign said he spoke with Bush three times in the week leading to Thursday’s vote. The Nevadan was skeptical from the start, believing the bill was not tough enough to curb illegal immigration.

Ensign finally told Bush he was going to vote against it.

Bush’s response, according to Ensign, was: "You do what you think is right."

ENSIGN VERSUS KENNEDY

Ensign’s opponents were on both sides in the immigration battle. As emotions ran high leading to the showdown vote last Thursday, Ensign charged that aides to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., had altered a Social Security amendment he wanted to offer.

The amendment, as explained by Ensign, aimed to deny benefits to illegal immigrants who qualified by using forged or stolen documents. Ensign said Kennedy, who was compiling amendments to be debated, changed his in a way that would have killed it by procedure.

Aides to the Massachusetts senator then tried to bargain with Ensign, saying they would fix his amendment if he would vote to move the bill forward, the Nevada senator said.

Kennedy laughed off the accusation. He said Ensign changed his amendment back and forth.

"This amendment was the most cockamamie amendment, and I was just relishing the opportunity to debate it," Kennedy said.

If that was why Ensign voted to kill the immigration bill, "that’s a pretty thin reed for him to rely on," Kennedy said.

Ensign spokesman Tory Mazzola responded that Kennedy’s comments "were untrue and unfair."

Mazzola said Ensign sought to ensure "that people who will receive government benefits have earned them legally," while Kennedy would have granted "blanket government benefits to illegal immigrants who have committed identity theft."

NEON HARRY?

It’s not unusual for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to be the target of Republican criticism, but Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., last week went for a twofer, blasting Reid and Nevada’s casinos.

Miller, whose district includes suburbs north of Detroit, said she was appalled by Reid’s praise of an energy bill that would require automobiles to travel 35 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2020.

"Everyone knows that the biggest producer of (carbon dioxide) emissions is electricity production, and yet I didn’t hear the Senate majority leader volunteer to make the neon-blazing casinos in his home state of Nevada more energy efficient," Miller said on the House floor.

"How about we regulate their energy consumption?"

Miller "would have benefited from doing some research," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said.

"Recently passed state law (in Nevada) phases out the sale of old, inefficient incandescent tubes," Summers said. "And, the state is on track to ensure that 20 percent of all electricity sold in the state comes from renewable resources by 2020."

Stephens Washington Bureau writers Tony Batt and Brian Duggan contributed to this report. Contact political reporter Molly Ball at 387-2919 or MBall@reviewjournal.com.