Yes, the election was all about the unions turning out for Democrats in Clark County en masse. Yes, Trump overshadowed all the statewide Nevada races.
But can you believe the last graphs of the front page story in the morning paper?:
But many agree that to compete with Democrats, Republicans need to do better at being more positive and inclusive, with tighter focuses on more traditional fiscal conservative issues like job creation and wage growth as opposed to social issues.
That kind of messaging became the hallmark of outgoing Gov. Brian Sandoval’s eight years in office, and Sandoval’s popularity with both parties remains high as he prepares to hand the office off to Sisolak.
(Republican political consultant Greg) Ferraro said Sandoval’s style should be emulated by Republicans if they want to match his political triumphs.
Sandoval was popular with both parties? The “Republican” governor who pushed through in 2015 the biggest tax hike in history, a tax hike that included a commerce tax, which had been rejected by 79 percent of voters just months earlier? We’re not sure how popular he was with his own party, much less Democrats.
Emulate Sandoval, who did not endorse his own party’s candidate for governor, probably because he had advocated repealing the commerce tax? Sandoval who was AWOL at most Republican functions?
Who are the many who agree? What social issues? The Republicans in the statewide races were almost exclusively about job creation and wage growth through fewer regulations and lower taxes.
Bottom line: It was all about the liberal union turnout in the urban areas. Republicans may have talked about avoiding Californication, but it is too late. It is here and now.
(Footnote: Recently the morning paper posted a breaking news story online on a Friday afternoon but did not get around to printing it until Monday. The story mentioned above appeared in print on the front page, but searches online turned up nothing. Right hand, meet the left hand. It showed up online just before 10 a.m.)
The late posted online version adds an additional paragraph:
“I think Republicans would be wise to look at the success of the Sandoval brand going forward, which was a message of inclusion, either bipartisan or nonpartisan or both, and practical not political,” Ferraro said. “One that appeals to Nevadans in a message of Nevada first.”
What the hell does that mean?
4TH ST8 
I can’t believe Robert had the ‘nads to do this interview seeing his Lowden failures and his taking advantage of an easily flattered Italian boy named Domenici—but Greg Ferraro must be smokin’ Tick’s good Weed too not mentioning GOPers didn’t run on the Tax Caps already dead and Tick loving Sales Taxes to the CCSD with 5K earning over 100K there!
I have a better idea…JETTISON the over paid weak kneed consultants, stick to conservative ideals – smaller government, less taxes, less regulation, if you run as being pro life (know what the hell you’re talking about), etc. And work your fanny off in and among the voters! And if your opponent begins airing false ads against you…respond with a vengeance – quickly and accurately, and send some real mud their way.
The country was (and remains) angry at the putative president and his gang of republican sycophants who have for two years set about destroying the country and alienating this country from the rest of the world.
That’s what the last election was about and the republicans were routed, especially in Nevada, but even in places were backwater republican voters typically hold sway. No more emphatic message could be sent than the one that resulted in deep red district republicans getting putted, and others, like Cruz making it through by their skin of their teeth.
Those obnoxious far right republicans that indeed did run on “no regulations and no taxes” were sent a message from the entire country and I figure that is what the author of the cited piece was trying to say.
Stop being so extreme, because if you don’t, we’re going to lose a lot more. Simple and accurate if the last election meant anything.
Spot on again, Tom. See the attached analysis I did, which concluded: 1) 2014 was the outlier year (45%+ turnout statewide) because Dems deserted not that there was really a Big Red Wave. 2) 2018 was normal, showing we lost state by ~5%, mainly because we lost Clark as you note. 3) All women (D & R) in statewide races beat their own parties’ vote totals/margins: Rosen, Cegavske, Marshall & Byrne. RK
Ron Knecht Economist & Nevada Controller 775-882-2935 775-684-5777 http://www.RonKnecht.net
The link sends me to GoDaddy, whatever that is.
Destroyed the country by increasing jobs and GDP.
In urban populations, extremism simply will not work. And this is true for both parties. The more they operate toward their bases, the more people go non partisan or 3rd party.
GoDaddy sells domains and hosts websites. They were among the earliest to offer anonymous domain registration for WHOIS purposes.
Can a country be destroyed if the number of jobs are increasing and the GDP is rising?
Since the answer is pretty obviously yes (post WWI Germany comes to mind as an example) what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
Well extremism certainly seems to have been effective for the Dems…this go round!
Yup, Republican extremism most certainly did help the Democrats.
This election wasn’t about extremist positions by the democrats, the message was simply “stop Trump”.
Masses of Americans turned out with that single idea in mind. And if republicans refuse to do it, in the next two years, that turn out will be far bigger in the next election. And any republican who refuses to get the message, is going right along with him.
And you can take this to the bank right now; the results of investigations that about to commence, are only going to make the country more angry about what has been done and will redouble the furor of the people at this POS and an ally he has.
The rats better get off that sinking ship, or they are going down with it. I don’t even think it will happen to too many of them though because now that the Republican Party has truly been assimilated into the party of Trump, all those senators and republicans will see 40% of their base supporters as Trumpeteers who are going to be very angry the moment they turn against Drumph.
That’s pretty funny Steve, perhaps you could enlighten us?
What would it take to clean out the voter registration? Remove all but legal, US citizens to vote and put it in ENGLISH only.
Odds are worse than the Raiders winning the Super Bowl this year do to the Sec of State being a Democrat.
But why didn’t Adam Laxalt (as AG) get with Barbara Cegavske (as Sec of State) and clean out the voter registration over the past 2 years? Or are Republicans REALLY that dumb?
Excuse my misrepresentation of Sec of State. Barb is the ONLY Republican Elected to the Executive so she should be able to enact voter change now, right?
If you can’t see it, there is no enlightenment available. It’s as brightly lit as it possibly could be.
From both sides too.
Nice dodge…please name the “extremism” you are referring to and what it entails with respect to the Republican candidates for Governor, US Senator, and US House of Representatives a few weeks ago.
You prove my opinion correct.
No way to enlighten the intentionally blind.
I knew you wouldn’t or couldn’t do it. It’s contained in the “whispers and meadows of the pnumbra” of your superior intellect…right?
Of course you “knew”
You just doubled down proving my statement.
Bravo sierra at it’s ripest…