Just when I thought I was out of the Sharron Angle vs. CityCenter insanity, they pull me back in. As I feared, the mythical “CityCenter bailout” has become a meme in that echo chamber of misinformation and urban mythology, cable news. On a previous occasion, Neil Cavuto got schooled by Anthony Curtis when he tried to make a bunch of half-assed gambling analogies involving the economy. This time, he’s done his homework … although the result is more like Dr. Cavuto, Therapist, trying to “talk down” a delusional patient for whom a “bailout” is whatever she chooses it to mean at any given moment.
The tragic irony (for Angle, anyway) is that she could marshal some serious arguments — if she actually knew what she was talking about. For instance, why does one intervene on behalf of CityCenter but not Fontainebleau or Cosmopolitan?* Nor has CityCenter produced the promised degree of lift in visitation or spending. (Angle flails at that fat pitch, but can’t connect.) She could say Nevada is too reliant on one industry and its senior senator is its water-carrier. Geez, give me a few minutes brush-up time with visitation and gambling data, and I could take Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) apart on this one, just to show it can be done.If you’re going to employ CityCenter as a baseball bat, at least figure out which end hits the ball.
* — One possible argument for CityCenter and against Cosmo or F’bleau is that the former was on schedule and budget, and the latter were out of control, not to mention that MGM Mirage was getting more end-product for its billions and was at risk of default solely due to Dubai World‘s treachery. Whether such considerations should go into cold-calling on behalf of the home-town crowd are a question for better minds than mine.
(I, for instance, can chastise Reid for rewarding excessive borrowing by MGM, Harrah’s Entertainment, Station Casinos, Las Vegas Sands, etc., with tax deferments — but Angle would be ideologically hamstrung if she attempted it, since there is no such thing as a “bad” tax cut where she lives.)
With all manner of facts lying about the ground, Angle can’t muster so much as one. Not a single iota of specificity. Instead she reiterates sweeping generalities and promulgates her purely fanciful notion that adding X number of jobs at one resort subtracts an equal number from another. To contend, as she does, that because Nevada’s unemployment is higher now, CityCenter is somehow to blame (ignoring myriad other economic factors) shows the application of one-dimensional thinking to a multi-dimensional problem.
Throw in previous remarks about CityCenter not generating “real” jobs and this sounds like sloppily veiled casino-bashing to me, but others may differ. I don’t know if Angle believes in the Theory of Evolution or not but her economic views are ruthlessly Darwinian. Future casino execs need not pick up the phone to a Sen. Angle if they’ve need a sympathetic ear in Washington, D.C., as she continues to make it clear she’ll be deaf to their pleas.
This is too abtruse an issue to account even partially for Angle’s swift meltdown in the polls, where a lead is turning into a deficit. My candidate, “None of These,” is polling at 5%; if Sharron Angle could go from single digits to a primary victory, surely “None of These” has got a fighting chance, no? (S&G doesn’t endorse people for office but there’s no rule against endorsing “nobody.”)
I was not supportive of Reid getting involved in the CityCenter fracas and to me it’s because everyone knows the gaming giants are pretty big financial backers of his. I’m against lobbying and politicians doing donors’ biddings even when it’s to benefit things in my own backyard. God knows that I couldn’t get Harry Reid to call credit agencies and extend my limit, no?
I’ve felt that Angle has something to tap into there, and that CityCenter dropped a huge glut of rooms on the market that didn’t need it and it’s impact has reverberated at job losses at Binions, Sahara, even Encore and possibly elsewhere that we don’t know about. Given how many CityCenter positions were allegedly handed out internally to MGM veterans, you could make a catchy sound bite phrase like “the only job he saved is Jim Murren’s.”
Unfortunately, Angle and her people seem to be too ignorant as to what is actually happening, so outraged and tortured over government intervention in our lives that MGM may also be connected to BP and Goldman Sachs in her head. Not to mention she appears to have taken the Northern Nevadan’s tactic of simply not giving a care what happens in Southern Nevada, and everytime she opens her mouth it shows off her ignorance.
I’m surprised Angle hasn’t transitioned to Plan B, spending all her time up north and giving everyone there scary visions of Harry Reid stealing their water for the overgrown suburbtropolis to the south.
“Scary visions” … and not entirely unfounded. Google “Coyote Springs,” a classic Reid juice job on behalf of a well-connected developer.
Loved the video! Best was Cavuto’s expressions as Sharron flailed around trying (or not) to answer his questions. Lol.
I just wrote me a note to check YouTube for more Angle videos. 🙂
(Still think Angle vs. CityCenter won’t provide ammo for the Reid campaign?)
I just thought of something: In a previous post, I predicted that Ms. Angle would tack to the left in the general election campaign, to try to pick up “regular” voters, and it would be fun to see the gyrations.
I was wrong. Looks like she’s too dumb to even try.
David, maybe you meant “her economic views are ruthlessly [Social] Darwinian”? Maybe antediluvian?
the tea party has some valid points but these ding bats-angle and palin-end up being the face of this movement.if they riled up the base and let some common sense candidates come to the fore the republicans might have a better chance in the midterms.
the democrats can beat these people.
I think the Republicans are sending out a dishonest message about being a member of the Senate. There are 100 Senators. To be effective one must learn to compromise and engage. This dishonest attempt to portray Harry Reid as the One Size Fitz All Bad Guy is not only factually incorrect, it misleads the public into thinking individual members of a legislative branch have lots of power and say. What we need is more Ronald Reagan, not Sharron Angle. Reagan used to spend weekends hanging out with Tip O’Neil, his “rival”. Out leaders used to understand that we elected them to do a job, not pine for power. The Republicans are clearly rooting for the economy to fail so they can re-take power IMHO. The last straw was yesterday on Meet The Press when two leading Republican Senators flat-out refused to propose policy or ideas. They are too frightened for their own hides to suggest ideas that might be painful. Truly sad…
I have already made my decision for US Senator. You DON’T vote out a party majority leader even if you disagree with the way they have performed. The end result will be Nevada losing more money and power in Washington if Angle takes Reid’s place.
Mike A., the Senate has one procedure that can and does hamstring legislation and appointments at the request of one Senator:
‘The practice of “holds” (requests by Senators to party leaders to delay floor consideration of legislation or nominations), which is nowhere recognized in Senate rules or precedents and about which little is known with respect to its origins, has become a prominent feature of today’s Senate.’
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/briefing/Senate_legislative_process.htm
We’ve seen this a lot lately. For example, GOP Senator Bunning, acting alone, held up passage of a previous unemployment extension bill because he contended it would add to the deficit – even though his party wanted the bill passed. (‘Course that was then; now all the GOP Senators are blocking another extension, for the same supposed reason.)
Actually a Senator Angle could gum up a lot of Senatorial work if she were so inclined:
Suppose she would put a “hold” on the Medicare budget bill unless it included a clause directing that all doctors & hospitals show all female patients anti-abortion films – on pain of loss of all federal funds? Would she? I think so.
Suppose she would put a “hold” on Senatorial approval of ANY nominee who refused, in advance, to acknowledge allegiance to the supremacy of Tenth Amendment of the Constitution? Would she? I think so.
Suppose she would, in the privacy of her Senatorial office, insert all kind of religious texts, sermons, and exhortations against God’s enemies into the official Congressional Record? Would she? I think so. (Then later, she’d amend/delete/obfuscate what she’d written – blaming her enemies for misconstruing what she hadn’t said.)
David H., I can’t vote in your Nevada election, but your point is one to ponder for those who can – especially given that Reid is the SENATE majority leader – and Angle would quickly show her incapacity for the job, even to her Repug colleagues.
You are 100% correct Kerr, the best chance for Senator Angle to make her voice heard would be in the context of obstruction and symbolism. She would become the “Ron Paul” of the Senate. I do love how she referred to a “communication problem” in her campaign. If that is indeed the case, perhaps she should allow the local media to interview her. Her decision to stick to “friendly” media is a slap in the face to the people of Nevada. The people deserve to see how a potential lawmaker handles all situations. Senators vote on important matters, so it’s critical to see all aspects of a candidates persona.