Nevada’s Republican Senator John Ensign admitted today he had an extramarital affair with a former member of his campaign staff. Ensign told The Associated Press in a statement, “I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

…the affair took place between December 2007 and August 2008 with a campaign staffer who was married to an employee in Ensign’s Senate office. Neither has worked for the senator since May 2008.

Sad. But a price for living in a fishbowl. [Read more →]

The Nevada state Board of Examiners is set to approve Wednesday the payment of $170,000 to ABC News related to a dispute over Nevada’s law restricting Election Day exit polling. [Las Vegas Sun]

News organizations filed suit in 2006 against former Secretary of State Dean Heller challenging the law, which prohibits media organizations from conducting interviews with voters within 100 feet of polling places.

A federal judge ruled the law was invalid and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state to pay the news organization’s court costs and lawyer fees.

A spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office said the state owed $115,000 related to the federal district court case and $55,000 for the costs of the appeal.

Heller, of course, is not fully responsible for the $170,000 since it was a Nevada law which prohibited the exit polling. Some of the blame must be shouldered by the Nevada legislature and the governor who signed it into law.

Recent Senate Votes

Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act – Vote Passed (79-17, 3 Not Voting) The Senate passed this bill that would give the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco, but would not allow the agency to ban cigarettes or other tobacco products. Sen. John Ensign voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 – Vote Passed (235-187, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would authorize funding for the Department of State and the Peace Corps through fiscal year 2011. Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act – Vote Passed (234-185, 14 Not Voting) The House approved this bill to authorize democratic, economic and security assistance to Pakistan. Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act – Vote Passed (307-97, 30 Not Voting) The House gave final passage to this bill granting the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco, sending it to the President. Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 – Vote Passed (235-187, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would authorize funding for the Department of State and the Peace Corps through fiscal year 2011. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act – Vote Passed (234-185, 14 Not Voting) The House approved this bill to authorize democratic, economic and security assistance to Pakistan. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act – Vote Passed (307-97, 30 Not Voting) The House gave final passage to this bill granting the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco, sending it to the President. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 – Vote Passed (235-187, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would authorize funding for the Department of State and the Peace Corps through fiscal year 2011. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act – Vote Passed (234-185, 14 Not Voting) The House approved this bill to authorize democratic, economic and security assistance to Pakistan. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act – Vote Passed (307-97, 30 Not Voting) The House gave final passage to this bill granting the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco, sending it to the President. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Dean Heller, Nevada’s Republican Congressman for Nevada’s Congressional District #2, speaks out on healthcare reform. [Reno Gazette-Journal]

I am concerned that the majority party’s "health-care reform" is merely a scheme to place bureaucrats in charge of a government-run health care system. Under their proposal, about 120 million people would lose their current health insurance to a public plan.

Not quite accurate Dean. Just yesterday President Barack Obama told the American Medical Association that people that want to keep their current healthcare plan can keep it. Those that don’t can change to the public plan. They have the choice. Just like members of Congress have with their health plans.

I see Dean has read Frank Luntz’s talking points prepared for the Republican Party’s use in seeking failure of healthcare reform. Luntz’s rules (4) and (5) state:

(4) The arguments against the Democrats’ healthcare plan must center around “politicians,” “bureaucrats,” and “Washington” … not the free market, tax incentives, or competition. Stop talking economic theory and start personalizing the impact of a government takeover of healthcare. They don’t want to hear that you’re opposed to government healthcare because it’s too expensive (any help from the government to lower costs will be embraced) or because it’s anti-competitive (they don’t know about or care about current limits to competition). But they are deathly afraid that a government takeover will lower their quality of care – so they are extremely receptive to the anti-Washington approach. It’s not an economic issue. It’s a bureaucratic issue.

(5) The healthcare denial horror stories from Canada & Co. do resonate, but you have to humanize them. You’ll notice we recommend the phrase “government takeover” rather than “government run” or “government controlled” It’s because too many politician say “we don’t want a government run healthcare system like Canada or Great Britain” without explaining those consequences. There is a better approach. “In countries with government run healthcare, politicians make YOUR healthcare decisions. THEY decide if you’ll get the procedure you need, or if you are disqualified because the treatment is too expensive or because you are too old. We can’t have that in America.”

And as I said previously:

See how it works? This post could be titled The snowing of Americans. Analyze those 10 rules. The effect of those rules are a subtle seduction of the American public away from healthcare reform. They are a modern sophistication of the old day snake oil salesmen. They could be taught at Harvard Business School as “Conning America 101.”

In the days, weeks and months ahead you will hear the right wing Republican conservatives, politicians and pundits, and talking heads repeat repeat those 10 rules over and over and over. Soon you will begin to believe it. Cut out those 10 rules and tape them on your TV monitor and see.

You will be witnessing the sales pitch of big healthcare corporations to hang onto their high business profits. Close your eyes and you will see Mr. Luntz smiling, approvingly, as the Republican leadership scam you out of your healthcare, chuckling all the way to the bank.

True to form, Mr. Heller is more concerned about his fear of taxes than he is about the health of his constituents. He said, “If the federal government begins providing health insurance, your taxes will support that plan regardless of your participation. Such changes disadvantage existing health plans, resulting in fewer individual choices, rationing of care and higher taxes. We cannot ignore the 47 million Americans without health insurance, but, in providing them coverage, our objective should be quality, affordable health care for all.”

He prefers not to “disadvantage existing health plans…rationing of care and higher taxes.” Those “existing health plans” cost you in premiums paid to the healthcare insurance companies. Either way you pay, whether you call it “premiums” or “taxes.”

Go check out Heller’s voting record. Want to trust Heller with your health, or should you trust Obama?

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Update: Desert Beacon, today, expands on the Heller editorial in the Reno Gazette-Journal, with superlative incisive analysis well worth your reading.

The election of Clark County Democratic Party officers will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, July 25, 2009, in the atrium of the CCDP office, Building B, 2320 Paseo del Prado.

Newly elected officers (Chair, First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Third Vice Chair, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer) will be sworn in immediately after the final vote tally is completed, and will serve for two years, until the next election in 2011.

Duties of the Officers are specified in the CCDP Bylaws, along with the requirement for eligibility:

Section 3.2 Eligibility.

Any citizen of Clark County registered to vote as a Democrat for at least the preceding 180 days shall be eligible to hold any office of the Central Committee.

Nomination forms to run for any CCDP Office are now available online and at the CCDP Office. Forms received by 3 p.m. each Monday through Friday will be posted on the website in the order received for each office by 5 p.m. on the day received. Nominations close at 5:00 p.m. PDT on Thursday June 25, 2009.

For more go to Clark County Democratic Party.

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I posted the foregoing for the benefit of Nye County Democrats. Notice how simply Clark County elects their Central Committee and contrast it with the manner in which the Nye County Democratic Central Committee conducted their election last April.

Notice also, the inclusionary manner Clark County uses rather than the exclusionary method Nye County used in it’s last election which pared down eligible voters to a mere handful out of the 9,000+ registered Democrats residing in Nye County.

Nye County Democrats should keep this in mind when adopting new by-laws for the Democrats of Nye County.