Here are the best quotes that came out of Nevada this year
As we look back at the year just now wrapping up, here’s some of the most memorable quotes from people who made the news. My own annotations are in italics. Enjoy!
• “In today’s political climate, we are experiencing an unprecedented overreach from the federal government and a complete disregard for constitutional limits on power and the rule of law. It’s because of this environment that you need an active and passionate attorney general to represent you and protect this state.” — Adam Laxalt, January 15. But what was really unprecedented here with the disregard for laws limiting hyperbole!
• “I am not willing to let up on Xerox until it is fixed. The deadline was yesterday, The deadline is get it fixed now. The time for patience is over.” — A monumentally pissed Gov. Brian Sandoval, Jan. 30, describing his frustration with the contractor that screwed up the implementation of the state’s health-care insurance exchange. In the end, Xerox was replaced by the federal government’s health-care website.
• “Homosexual rights are trampling religious rights these days. We’re going to defend the amendment. It was voted on by the majority of the people and it is still the law.” — political activist Richard Ziser, Feb. 14, on the fight to keep a gay-marriage ban in effect in Nevada. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ban later, under what may to Ziser appear to be the foreign concept of “the equal protection of the laws.”
• “When you make billions of dollars a year, you can be as immoral and dishonest as your money will allow you to be. It’s too bad that they’re trying to buy America, and it’s time that the American people spoke out against this terrible dishonesty of these two brothers who are about as un-American as anyone I can imagine.” — Reid, Feb. 27, on oil billionaires Charles and David Koch. But senator, isn’t making a lot of money and buying America the very definition of the American dream?
• “They’re going to take our jobs. We’re going to take their jobs and see how they like it.” — Las Vegas Township Constable John Bonaventura, March 15, on campaigns by himself and top aides against county commissioners and judges motivated primarily by revenge. (The county commission in 2013 voted to dissolve his office effective early next year.) All of Bonaventura’s “revengers” lost their respective races, and he will become a private citizen next month.
• “I think he’s doing a wonderful job.” — Robert Goodman, March 15, the Democratic nominee for governor, on his Republican rival, Sandoval. Goodman lost the Democratic primary election to “none of these candidates,” and repeated his performance by coming in a distant second Sandoval in the general.
• “Do I have the best credentials. Probably not, ‘cause, you know. Whatever.” — Former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, March 25, describing his qualifications to run for the Senate from neighboring New Hampshire, in what must be considered the political quote of the year. Despite a Republican wave, Brown was one of the few members of the GOP to lose his race on Election Day. He remains a private citizen.
• “No drop of human blood is worth spilling over any cow, in my opinion.” — Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie, March 27, describing the Bundy standoff. Gillespie was one of the few public officials to handle the Bundy situation well.
• “Cresent, God bless you, I know you’re a decent man, but one of the things I will do in Congress is not just move legislation. I will be a loud, active voice for liberty and for individuals that have been trampled upon by the federal government.” — Republican TV personality Niger Innis, April 4, addressing his primary election opponent in the 4th Congressional District, now-Rep.-elect Cresent Hardy.
• “Watching that video last night created a visceral reaction in me. It sounds dramatic, but it reminded me of Tiananmen Square. I don’t recognize my country at this point.” — Arizona state Rep. Kelly Townsend, April 11, on images of Bureau of Land Management officers facing off with armed insurrectionists on the Bundy ranch. It not only sounds dramatic, it IS dramatic, given that Chinese troops in Tiananmen Square in 1989 actually fired on unarmed civilians, whereas the BLM elected to end its legally authorized seizure of Bundy’s cows without firing a shot.
• “Cliven Bundy’s fight is a civil rights issue.” — Innis, April 12, letting us all know that his “campaign” for Congress was really just a bit of performance art designed to attract the attention of Fox News and CNN bookers.
• “The country has seen we can make them [the federal government] back down.” — Todd Fingel, a self-styled militiaman from Idaho, April 15, who said watching BLM vehicles drive away as the most moving day of his life. It’s unclear which would be worse: That he was exaggerating about that, or that he was telling the truth.
• “Those people who hold themselves out to be patriots are not. They’re nothing more than domestic terrorists.” — Reid, April 18, on the armed insurrections who gathered at the Bundy ranch in response to Bundy’s call for a “range war,” some of whom pointed weapons at law-enforcement officers.
• “I have a very different view. What Sen. Reid calls domestic terrorists, I call patriots.” — U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, April 19.
• “I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” he said. Mr. Bundy recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, “and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids — and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch — they didn’t have nothing to do. They didn’t have nothing for their kids to do. They didn’t have nothing for their young girls to do. And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?” he asked. “They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.” — Cliven Bundy, quoted in an April 23 New York Times story by reporter Adam Nagourney.
• We shouldn’t let Bundy’s comments on race “…divert our attention from the issues of the atrocities the BLM committed by harming our public land and the animals living on it.” — Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, April 25. Perhaps she’s not familiar with the definition of the word “atrocities”?
• “I am very quick in calling American citizens ‘patriots. Maybe in this case, too quick.” — Heller, quoted in Politico April 29, walking back his earlier remarks.
• “What also bothers me is virtually every one of these horrible things they send, they cite scripture, something out of the Bible. Now you try that one on.” — Reid, April 30, describing threatening letters he’s received adorned with Bible references. Maybe they haven’t read to the “love your enemies” part yet?
• “Free speech sometimes has consequences.” — political operative Lisa Mayo DeRiso, campaign manager for Innis, May 5, on a teacher losing her job with a group that formerly employed Innis after the teacher questioned him about his unpaid debts.
• “One of the problems that the press has in modern-day journalism is everything you do is tit for tat. You won’t call things the way they actually exist. What’s happening here [in Washington, D.C.] is the Republicans have stopped everything from happening.” — Reid, May 9, indulging his inner media critic. Reid actually has a pretty good point here; most modern political journalism is more akin to theater criticism, judging whether the actors performed their parts well, rather than evaluating the events that give rise to the play. But, speaking as a person who tries to call things the way they actually exist, I can tell you that Reid isn’t always pleased with that journalistic approach, either.
• “If Bundy is allowed to escape this without consequences, that just sends a really bad message that federal law is optional as long as you have enough men with guns to back you up.” — Retired National Park Service official Alan O’Neill, May 11. As of year’s end, Bundy was still allowing his cattle to trespass on federal land and no one has been arrested or charged for offenses committed during the April standoff. So, message received!
• “Thirty years of legal experience means nothing if you are anti-Semitic or racist. We need to make sure that, especially in light of the concept of absolute judicial immunity, we have judges in office that will not purposefully trample on our constitutional rights judge because they are intolerant of others.” — Attorney Jacob Hafter, June 2, accusing Judge Valorie Vega of anti-Semitism because she refused to change a long-scheduled trial to accommodate a Jewish holiday. The old Semitism card, which Hafter has played before, didn’t work here: The trial went on as scheduled, and Hafter went on to lose his own bid for judge by the largest margin on judicial ballots in 2014. Maybe the voters are anti-Semitic, too?
• “I’m very demanding of other people and myself. I’ve got one shot going through this life. I want to make sure I do as much as I can.” — Jim Rogers, owner of KSNV Channel 3, June 18, in the Las Vegas Sun. Rogers, who let profitable syndicated programs go in favor of locally produced news and commentary shows, died in June. His station was sold to Sinclair Broadcasting, which immediately canceled some of those programs.
• “We need to have something that everyone feels secure about. I don’t want to disenfranchise anybody, but I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have identification.” — Secretary of State-elect Barbara Cegavske, June 19, outlining her key policy rubric. Because it’s a well known truth that if something happens outside of your direct experience or observation, it cannot actually exist. That’s why we know the Earth is the center of the universe and is totally flat, for example.
• “The answer is that it is my job to make sure Senate Republicans win and that we take a majority in the state Senate next session to help Gov. Sandoval advance his legislative agenda. I think we have the best opportunity we’ve had in many, many years.” — state Sen. Michael Roberson, June 30, in the Las Vegas Sun, on the potential for a turnover in the upper house. At year’s end, Senate MAJORITY Leader Roberson was preparing for the 2015 session.
• “If you step over that line there are consequences to those actions. And I believe they stepped over that line, no doubt about it. They need to be held accountable for it.” — Clark County Sheriff Gillespie, July 5, on Bundy ranch protesters. As of year’s end, no consequences have befallen anyone involved in the ranch protest.
• “Unless the clean votes are separated from those that are fraudulent, we will not accept the election results.” — Innis, July 7, protesting his loss in the Congressional District 4 race. Only kidding! That’s actually Abdullah Abdullah, a losing candidate for president Afghanistan, who was every bit as whiney as Innis about losing.
• “I am 100 percent certain the DRE machines were hacked and compromised. We will spend whatever it takes to prove it. But we are not going to give any money to state officials so they can whitewash it.” — College of Southern Nevada Professor Fred Conquest, July 8, who came in dead last in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, explaining why he would not avail himself of the only proper legal remedy, a recount.
• “We know increased education funding has to happen next session. It will happen next session. I, and many others [who] serve in the Legislature of both parties, are committed to doing that.” — Roberson, July 9, obviously attempting to make conservative heads explode statewide.
• “Before burning what little political capital the university has left on a football stadium, let’s search for an economics professor that [sic] understands that growth and taxes are inversely related.” — Gary Loveman, chairman, CEO and president of Caesars Entertainment Corp., in an Aug. 20 email to interim UNLV President Don Snyder. Loveman was upset about a Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) study that concluded the Education Initiative would be a net positive for Nevada’s economy, not a negative as the casino industry had claimed. And if anybody knows economics, it’s the guy atop the gambling industry’s largest debt load, hurtling headlong toward bankruptcy!
• “Given how this task will impact our business, I guess I can put off trying to find ways to support the various ‘asks’ from the university including support/funding for a new hotel college building, a proposed medical college, [Thomas and Mack] renovations and that stadium project.” — Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming, in an Aug. 20 email threatening to withhold contributions from UNLV as a result of the CBER report.
• “It always amazes me that there are units of the university that feel they can do things like this with no notice to anyone. I fully understand academic freedom but I also like a little common sense.” — Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Klaich, in his own Aug. 20 email, reacting to the controversy of the CBER report. And by “common sense” of course he means “don’t offend the university’s donors!”
• “My comments were in extremely poor taste and I apologize. Sometimes, I say the wrong thing.” — Reid, Aug. 23, on a couple of rather lame Asian jokes he uncorked at an Asian Chamber of Commerce luncheon. If you doubt that, just ask any of the senator’s current or former press staffers.
• “It’s a no-brainer. People are so ready to tax it, regulate it and make some money on it. It’s just perfect for our economy.” — state Sen. Tick Segerblom, Aug. 31, n a petition to legalize recreational marijuana in Nevada. If history is a guide, voters could legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, and the Legislature could finally get around to creating the most Byzantine process imaginable to allow for its sale in, oh, the 2027 session.
• “He’s a huge asset to the union. Bryan Yant lived through the hell of being in a police shooting.” — Metro Police Protective Association Executive Director Chris Collins, Sept. 21, on hiring the detective involved in a questionable police shooting to counsel officers after use-of-force incidents. Oh, by the way, Yant has actually lived through the hell of THREE police shootings, which is more than can be said for two people involved in those incidents.
• “The Senate Democratic caucus and its leadership are incompetent and they’re failing the people of Nevada. The Senate Democrats have not got the job done.” — Roberson, Sept. 22, in an interview with the Review-Journal editorial board. Can’t argue with the truth. But Roberson could not be bothered to debate his super-competent opponent, Deputy District Attorney Teresa Lowry, during the general-election campaign.
• “If Karl Rove wants to buy a seat, he is going to have to go through me and the 700,000 people I represent. I am not going to be quiet about calling out his corrosive influence on our democratic institutions.” — Rep. Steven Horsford, Oct. 22, on a nearly $1 million ad buy placed by a Rove-connected super PAC in his race. Yeah, Rove pretty much went through Horsford and the 700,000 people he represents and bought the seat. So, um, yeah.
• “The rebels are coming back to the Death Star.” — Rob Lang, executive director of Brookings Mountain West, Oct. 24, on the potential for North Las Vegas to develop 7,000 acres at Apex. But nobody told Lang that it’s the EMPIRE that runs the Death Star, and the two times on record that the rebels went there they blew it up, and … how is Apex like the Death Star again?
• “At the state level, we lack a comprehensive vision as a party for what’s possible in Nevada. It’s been very tough for people to imagine the state being a better place without that kind of leadership. and vision.” — Yvanna Cancela, political director for the Culinary Union Local 226, Oct. 31, explaining why organized labor didn’t muster as much support for Democratic candidates as in past elections.
• “There’s no doubt that the political winds in Nevada are shifting. And they’re becoming less strident.” — Greg Ferraro, political consultant, Nov. 2. And, two days later, Republicans would sweep the Nevada ballot, resulting in an Assembly majority that briefly installed one of the most conservative lawmakers in the state as speaker.
• “Academic freedom is very important and something that needs to be preserved and protected fundamentally. You’ve got to find a balance between that and the new model for American public higher education, [which] is more partnerships externally, and you’ve got to be responsible to those external partners. So that’s the tension that any university leader faces.” — Newly appointed UNLV President Len Jessup, Nov. 13, explaining why academic freedom is not very important and will probably not be preserved or protected fundamentally.
• “Everybody is saying we’ve got to do something this time. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. But its not like other sessions when the business community has said, ‘The answer is no.’” — Newly hired Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Jim Wadhams, Nov. 16, on why this legislative session will be different when it comes to taxes. Meanwhile, reports from insiders indicate that business types are indeed saying no behind closed doors to some proposed taxes.
• “That’s one of the problems being in the back room raising money for eight hours [a day]. You don’t always have he opportunity to know what the plan is.” — Erin Bilbray, Nov. 21, quoted in the Las Vegas Sun explaining why her promising-on-paper campaign turned into what Roll Call labeled one of the nation’s top flameouts by Election Day.
• “The deliberate character assassination and the politics of personal destruction have totally distorted my views and record. Ultimately, this whole effort has very little to do with my views. The powers that be are planning a massive, more than one billion dollar tax increase, and I stood in the way as speaker.” — Resigned Assembly Speaker-designate Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, Nov. 24. Hansen, who has voted to extend a package of temporary taxes twice over the last two sessions for a grand total of $1.2 billion, stepped down after racist, sexist and homophobic remarks from his career as a newspaper columnist were revealed by reporter Dennis Myers of the Reno News & Review. When will this epidemic of quoting people’s actual words end?
• “Today’s Economic Forum report reminds us yet again that our revenue structure is not built to meet the demands of our changing economy nor our continued increase in statewide population.” — Sandoval, Dec. 4. Did someone say “how about new taxes”?
• “We must continue to look beyond our traditional revenue sources, which are not recovering at the same pace as the rest of our economy, toward funding mechanisms that capture and compliment the growth of our changing economy.” — Sandoval, Dec. 9. Yes, definitely sounds like “new taxes” to me.
• “It appears a few men in our party are not happy that we have Republican women in key leadership roles in the Legislature, and may look to Democrats for help in unraveling more leadership roles.” — Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, Dec. 10, playing the gender card every bit as ham-handedly as, say, Erin Bilbray, who in 2013 ridiculously asserted that a fundraising missive that described her as a “liberal political consultant” was an attack of a kind that kept all women from running for office.
• “I think it is hard to control for crime when you’ve got brick-and-mortar places, let alone something up in the sky someplace and it is very bad for children.” — Reid, Dec. 12, demonstrating an impressive grasp of the technology behind the Internet while simultaneously arguing that a.) widespread gambling via the web is bad, but at the same time, b.) Internet poker is OK.
• “Happy New Year, everybody, and thanks for reading!” — R-J columnist Steve Sebelius, Dec. 28.
Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist who blogs here at SlashPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.
