Thankful for a bountiful political season

As we all take pause today to share thanks with friends and family, I’m grateful that I can stuff myself with politics, thanks to Nevada’s early presidential caucus.

Having an early caucus is a political journalist’s dream, and Nevada’s is playing out better than any fantasy I might have had a year ago when Sen. Harry Reid was simply trying to get us some early attention.

Now that it’s rounding the bend, I’m giving thanks that so many candidates have spent meaningful time here, allowing Nevadans a chance to shake the hand of someone who may very well be the next president.

As we enter the holiday season, hundreds of volunteers are being trained to operate the Democratic and Republican caucuses on Jan. 19. The candidates continue to arrive — and it’s not just the Democrats, lured by last week’s national cable television debate.

Republican Rep. Ron Paul brought his libertarian message to an enthusiastic crowd at UNLV this week, and Mitt Romney, who continues to battle for the GOP lead in polls, campaigned at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and at an event in Henderson last week.

Nevadans should be thankful they finally have a real say in the nomination process — on both sides of the aisle. The candidates have a variety of things they, too, can give thanks for in the Silver State.

Sen. Hillary Clinton should give thanks today to Rory Reid. Not only did she get a senator’s son to chair her campaign here, she got one who chairs the powerful Clark County Commission. Big labor groups that have yet to endorse will have a hard time going against Clinton, but will have a really hard time going against Reid.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama should be thankful Nevada is a quick drive from California, and that you can still sometimes find $200 round-trip fares on Southwest Airlines from Chicago-Midway. Who needs Nevada voters when you can truck in supporters?

Former Sen. John Edwards must be thankful Nevada has Elko and a labor presence. Major union endorsements have yet to be announced, and the former vice presidential nominee still holds out hope he can get them. Barring that, he can always hit the rurals with his small-town-boy-makes-it story.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson should give thanks that Nevadans don’t really care about the Yucca Mountain Project, after all.

Sen. Joe Biden should be thankful for columnist Steve Sebelius. You can’t buy the kind of endorsement Las Vegas CityLife gave him.

Sen. Chris Dodd must be thankful for the International Association of Firefighters, whose endorsement provides credibility even if it isn’t helping him catch fire.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich should be thankful we have Yucca Mountain, which he has consistently voted against, and Area 51, which for UFO believers is out of this world.

On the Republican side of the aisle, there’s also plenty of reason for candidates to give thanks.

Rudy Giuliani must praise Sheldon Adelson for letting him hitch a ride on the third-richest man’s plane.

Romney should give thanks to local followers of the LDS faith for giving him the lead here.

John McCain should be thankful Nevada’s such a short drive from Arizona.

Fred Thompson, of “Law & Order” fame, should give thanks that so many Nevadans see him on cable TV reruns.

Paul needs to praise CNN, which just polled him at 8 percent in Nevada. The most recent Review-Journal survey had him at 1 percent.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee should be thankful he’s from Hope. Nevadans have twice elected a president from that hamlet.

Rep. Tom Tancredo should give thanks for English-only Pahrump. Then he should pick up his fork and try to take a bite of something an immigrant hasn’t already touched.

The state Democratic Party should give thanks it has taken over the voter registration lead and is making a serious push in Republican Rep. Jon Porter’s 3rd Congressional District.

The state Republican Party should be thankful Democrats have secured all those caucus sites. Not only have the Republicans taken the Dems’ date, they’ve also latched on to about 180 of the Democratic caucus sites. (Thank goodness the caucus meetings are hours apart).

Both state parties should be thankful for Harry Reid, without whom neither party would have an early caucus. And without the Senate majority leader, the state Republican Party would have little to say.

Contact Erin Neff at eneff@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2906.