No One Asked Me But… (September 14, 2022)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… Where have all the Republicans gone? The only political campaign ads I see on television are for Democrat candidates. I had to go on line to find out the identity of the Republican candidates who hope to fill the major offices for the people of Nevada.

Steven Horsford (D) is the incumbent U.S. representative for Nevada’s 4th congressional district and is running a strong campaign to be re-elected in November. His ads appear often and explain what he has done for the State at the national level.

He has avoided attacking his opponent. In fact I don’t believe he has even mentioned his name. This is a good tactic as his opponent has, as of yet, chosen to not carry out a televised ad campaign. I had to go online to find out that the Republicans were placing their hopes on Sam Peters. Sam Peters has apparently joined his Republican brothers in not participating in televised campaigning.

I am not a champion of the present Democrat Governor, Steve Sisolak; however, I find it commendable that his campaign is free from attack ads on his Republican opponent, Joe Lombardo.

Gov. Sisolak’s ads, for the most part, explain what he has done for the State and what he hopes to do in the future. I saw only one ad where he even mentions Joe Lombardo by name. This too is a good tactic because those outside of Clark County are probably not familiar with any accomplishments by the local sheriff.

I am not excited about the fact that the current governor has turned Nevada into East California and I would appreciate Mr. Lombardo telling me how he would stop the ‘californication’ of Nevada.

One reason we may not have seen much in the way of campaign ads from the good sheriff is that Sisolak has over $3 million in campaign funds to Lombardo’s only a little over $1 million. Since we have approximately eight weeks before the November election, it may be time for Lombardo to spend some money.

Democrat Congresswoman Dina Titus, who is currently in her sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, is running for re-election. Rep. Titus is the dean of Nevada’s Congressional delegation. Does anyone know who her Republican challenger is? She also does not run attack ads and never mentions her mystery opponents name.

Republican Mark Robertson is running in opposition to Congresswoman Dina Titus to represent Nevada’s 1st Congressional District. Have you seen any ads for Mr. Robertson?

Incumbent Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto was elected in 2016 to fill the seat left open by former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. She is running for a second term. She has broken from the other Democrat candidates by launching major attack ads against her Republican opponent, the former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Laxalt has not responded to any of these attack ads. Most of the attacks on Laxalt are over gas prices, the opioid epidemic in America, inflation, and his support of the Supreme Court’s ruling on overturning Roe v. Wade. Each of these disparaging remarks could easily be countered. But Laxalt has failed to take the challenge. I have yet to see a Laxalt campaign ad.

The Republican Party criticized Joe Biden for campaigning from his basement in the 2000 presidential election. However, one must begin to wonder if this is not the overall campaign strategy adopted by the Nevada Republican Party 2022. If this is the case, I believe it is a dangerous strategy at best.

Recent national polls have shown with all the problems in America today the Republicans, who in March had a better than sixty percent chance of flipping the House of Representatives and the Senate, now have a less than a forty percent chance to do so. What has changed? Has inflation stopped? Is the stock market not still falling? Are gas price not still two dollars per gallon higher than when the present leaders were placed in control of the government? Is crime not at an all time high? Has the border crisis been cured? Is the international scene more stable? Has American prestige around the world not continued to slip?

I am not suggesting that the Republicans have the answers, but I agree with the old saying that to continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result is the definition of insanity.

Both parties are lacking in leadership. In the last Presidential election, the Democrats offered a professional politician, Joe Biden, who while spending his life as a career politician learned little about how to run a business, let alone the country.

The Republicans offered Donald Trump, an incumbent ego-maniac who knew how to run a business but could not keep from running his mouth.

These thoughts brought to my mind the 1960’s Peter, Paul, Mary protest song: “Where have all the flowers gone.”
Here is a rather poor parody of that song.

Where have all the Republicans gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the Republicans gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the Republicans gone?
The Democrats have out-campaigned them every one.
Oh, When will the Republicans ever learn?
Oh, When will they ever learn?
Democrats are out-campaigning them every one.
Republicans will go down to defeat every one.
It is time for Republicans to begin to campaign.

Interestingly enough, even though those registered to vote in Nevada as of January 2022 favor the Democrat Party 628,145 to Republican Party’s 550,360, neither of these parties will determine who is elected to office. There are 671,538 voters in Nevada who do not identify with either of these major parties. These include Independent American party, 82,814, Libertarian, 17,356, Nonpartisan, 516,120, and Other (whatever that may be) 55,068.

It is a forgone conclusion that one of the two major party candidates is going to be elected. Therefore, the Republican or Democrat candidate who convinces the most Nevadans who do not belong to either of the major parties to vote for them will win the election of 2022.

Thought of the week…There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.
– John Adams