Ego, Thy Name Is Ross Miller

One of the rites of passage for newly elected state officials is to rework their office's website to reflect, well, them. After all, Nevadans need to know what their state controller looks like or where their treasurer did their undergrad work, right?

But one 2006 victor has went even further in branding their office. In fact, their name is above the title, so to speak.

While doing a Google search for some voter registration numbers, I came across the Nevada Secretary of State website. Except that no longer seems to be the site name, like it was back in Dean Heller's day. According to the search, and the title in the corner of your browser, it is now officially "Ross Miller: Nevada Secretary of State." Miller, apparently had programmers change the title source code along with other updates.

Curious as to whether all of the Silver State's constitutional officers felt the same level of self-importance, we checked the rest.

Attorney General: The basic "NVAG" is the title for Catherine Cortez Masto's office. And, unlike most, one really has to look to found the link to her bio, plus she has the smallest photo.

Controller: If there was a state site that could use a little work it would be the Controller's. A simple "State of Nevada" identifies Kim Wallin's decidedly low tech website.

Treasurer: "Nevada Office of the State Treasurer" is the title for Kate Marshall's office. Though, on the site itself, Marshall's bio is, literally, front and center.

Lt. Governor: Brian Krolicki has his name in the title, but it comes after the office - "Nevada Lieutenant Governor - Brian K. Krolicki." And, fittingly for a Lt. Governor, the "news" link is empty.

Governor: Even the Governor keeps his name last with "State of Nevada - Governor Jim Gibbons."

Ron Paul Poll Numbers Still Lag

While Ron Paul has mainly been in the news for his online fundraising success and his fervent supporters annoying website owners, we wanted to check and see how the Republican congressman has been doing in the area that really counts -- actual presidential candidate polls.

The results? Still not too good.

• In New Jersey his numbers actually dropped from 2% in August to 0% in October, according to a Rutgers poll (.pdf).
• Paul did, though, see some movement in Maryland moving into fifth place with 4%.
• California also gave him 4% in The Field Report (.pdf) poll.
• Florida wasn't as kind, with Paul drawing only 1% in the recent Quinnipiac University poll.
• Nationwide, he dropped behind Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter polling just 1% according to Fox News' latest poll (.pdf). In the L.A. Times/Bloomberg (.pdf) poll he had 2%.
• Paul's best showing was in a recent New Hampshire Institute of Politics/Saint Anselm College (.pdf) poll where he placed fourth with 7% in the Granite State. However, Rasmussen Reports had Paul at 2% in New Hampshire.

Is Our Caucus Failing and Other Nevada Tidbits

With a headline of "Earlier caucus date is failing to gain traction in Nevada," the Boston Globe looks at the Silver State's first foray into caucuses that might actually matter. It's not exactly flattering.

"Democratic presidential hopefuls have made a total of 168 visits to Iowa and 122 to New Hampshire, but just 50 to Nevada, according to a count by The Hotline, a political website," notes the Globe's Susan Milligan. "Rarely do candidates spend the night here."

It wasn't all bad news for Nevada's upcoming caucuses, though, as we take a look at some other stories on the Silver State's political process:

• The Sun's Brendan Buhler wraps up some of the crowd observations at recent presidential campaign events in Vegas. Apparently Dallas Cowboy fans don't like Hillary Clinton.
  
• J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak look at what it will take to weave one's campaign successfully through the sometimes archaic caucus process.
• The Reno Gazette-Journal's Anjeanette Damon notes Nevada Republicans don't exactly seem in a hurry for their caucus despite the date fast approaching.
• And, perhaps proof that caucuses don't have to be hard to understand, some 500 Lyon County high school seniors came together and managed to run a successful mock election in record time. For the record, Billary Guliobama edged Richard Powerhouse.

Joe Biden Endorsed By Nevada's Bob Coffin

Joe Biden, who has been adding a string of Iowa politicians to his endorsement list, picked up one in Nevada.

State Senator Bob Coffin (D-Clark County) announced his support for Biden, saying "He is the only candidate with a knowledge of foreign affairs to be able to step into the Oval Office, and from day one is thoroughly prepared to tackle the myriad problems our country will face.”

Coffin joins former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Jack Carter in endorsing Biden.

Recent Presidential Candidate Poll Results

Besides Rasmussen Reports providing a glimmer of hope for Republicans, some other polls have recently came down the pike. And like most of them before, the landscape still favors Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton.

Here are a few. (PDF files have been noted.)

• Clinton beats Barack Obama by 16 points in New Hampshire. Dennis Kucinich actually does well scoring 7% in this Rasmussen poll.
• For the GOP, Mitt Romney leads Giuliani in NH by nine points. John McCain and Mike Huckabee each do surprisingly well.
• Not surprisingly, however, are the romps taking place (.pdf) in New Jersey. Giuliani has a 42-point advantage, while Clinton leads by 31 in a Rutgers poll.
• Maryland also favors Clinton and Giuliani in a Washington Post poll (scroll to bottom). Clinton by 19 over Obama and Giuliani 21 over McCain.
• The Field Poll (.pdf) in California brought more good news for Clinton. Not only is she heavily favored over Obama (45% to 20%), she also beats Al Gore and has double-digit leads over potential GOP rivals. For Republicans, Giuliani still leads (.pdf), but is favored by only 25%.
• A nationwide poll from Fox News (.pdf) has Clinton leading Obama by 17 points and John Edwards by a whopping 29. Giuliani leads Republicans with 31%. Fred Thompson polled 17% and John McCain 12%.
• Another delegate-rich state favoring the New York candidates is Florida (though they may not have any delegates to win). Both Quinnipiac University and the Florida Chamber of Commerce (.pdf) released polls showing big leads for Giuliani and Clinton.
• About the only goods polling news for candidates not named Clinton or Giuliani came from Georgia. A recent Strategic Vision poll gave Thompson a big lead (39% to 20%) over Giuliani. For Democrats, Clinton still leads, though Obama can claim he is within 13 points which, compared to the above results, is a bright spot.

Giuliani Edges Clinton In Latest Rasmussen Poll

The big leads Hillary Clinton had built against Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson just two weeks ago have evaporated according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released today.

In a head-to-head matchup, Giuliani edges Clinton 46% to 44%. This reverses a prior Rasmussen poll which showed Clinton leading 48-41.

But even more surprising his her results versus Thompson. In their poll from two weeks ago, Clinton held a huge 15-point lead (52-37) over the former Tennessee Senator. But the latest shows her lead shrinking to only two points (47-45).

Rasmussen notes that the overall recent trend still favors Clinton, though Thompson may be on the uptick.

Presidential Candidate Cash On Hand Third Quarter Totals

Hillary Clinton overtook Barack Obama for most cash on hand at the end of the third quarter. The New York Senator had over $35 million for the primary season and a whopping $50.5 million overall. Obama had $32.0 and another $4.1 for the general election.

For Republicans, Rudy Giuliani had $11.6 million for the primaries and $16.6 overall. Mitt Romney had $9.2 on hand, though he also loaned his campaign $8.5 million during the quarter. Fred Thompson had $7.1, while Ron Paul had a surprising $5.4 on hand.

For third-quarter fundraising totals, click here.

Cash On Hand for Primaries (in millions)
(Second Quarter results follow, on the right)
35.0 -- Hillary Clinton (D) 33.0
32.0 -- Barack Obama (D) 34.0
12.4 -- John Edwards (D) 12.0
11.6 -- Rudy Giuliani (R) 15.0
9.2 -- Mitt Romney (R) 12.1
7.1 -- Fred Thompson (R) N/A
5.8 -- Bill Richardson (D) 7.1
5.4 -- Ron Paul (R) 2.4
3.9 -- Chris Dodd (D) 6.4
1.9 -- Joe Biden (D) 2.8
1.6 -- John McCain (R) 2.4
0.65 -- Mike Huckabee (R) 0.44
0.33 -- Dennis Kucinich (D) 0.21
0.13 -- Duncan Hunter (R) 0.21
0.11 -- Tom Tancredo (R) 0.6
0.09 -- Sam Brownback (R) 0.46
0.02 -- Mike Gravel (D) 0.03
0.002 -- John Cox (R) 0.01

Scary Democrats, Staffers Who Can't Spell and New Whiz Bang Technology

Another roundup of some interesting things found on the internet regarding the never-ending 2008 race for the presidency.

• The RNC asks "Who is the Scariest Democrat?" So far it is Hillary in a landslide.
• Errors from typing too fast are one thing, but to also use "consistant conservative" in two separate emails is a little much. Especially when you are the campaign manager for Fred Thompson. How hard is it to use a spell-checker?
• Apparently quite hard. Bill Richardson staffers send out an email noting "soaring deficts."
• Send an email to a presidential candidate by just calling 1-866-JOTT123 and speaking into the phone. A nifty bit of new technology from Jott.com. Just think of the possibilities for campaigns where staffers actual read and respond to emails.
• Another new site, 10Questions.com, where the average Joe and Josephine can ask a presidential candidate a question via video. Only the Top 10 make it.

Casinos For Nepal, Dawn's Awkward Interview and Mr. Disney

A couple Nevada-centric stories for your reading enjoyment.

• In a Nepalnews.com guest column titled "My Vision for My Motherland" the author makes some interesting observations on Nevada and what it could mean to Nepal. "Casinos could play an important role in improving the economy of a region or country," writes Khagendra Thapa. "For example, look at Nevada in the USA. It has no agricultural land and no industries. Yet it is thriving economically. Right now the great industrial states such as Michigan are in a very poor economic situation where as Nevada is flourishing economically primarily because of its casinos."
• Do you get the feeling Las Vegas Review-Journal's Ed Vogel didn't exactly care for this assignment to interview Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons, or that he struggled to come up with the requested column inches? Besides taking the time to note the "gaudy" guitar she had made for her husband and that the lyrics to "Louie, Louie" were considered "obscene" by some in their day, he also mentioned how old Dawn was -- twice! (She's 53.)
• Failed AD-26 candidate Richard Disney takes it on the chin again from Mr. Jerz.
• Speaking of Disney, his friend and former Sparks Tribune reporter Tom Darby has a new blog and job. He also has a new enemy and some interesting friends on Myspace.

Dodd and Huckabee Moving Up?

Granted they are both in the second-tier, well one more so, but there have been some interesting movements by both Chris Dodd and Mike Huckabee. Whether it translates into actual poll movement, remains to be seen.

Dodd placed a surprising second in the most recent Daily Kos straw poll, rocketing from 0% in August to an October showing of 21%, though it should be mentioned that Hillary Clinton has only cracked double digits twice with this crowd (and it was only 11%). But his campaign is trumpeting some other numbers.

Since announcing his intentions to possibly filibuster a surveillance bill, his staff is telling reporters web visits have increased 10 times and $150K has been raised through small donors in the past day.

The case for Huckabee, however, appears to be stronger as a variety of good news has come his way lately.

Besides recent polls showing him doing well in Iowa (a close third in two separate surveys) and a strong second in the Values Voter Summit straw poll (Huckabee, however, dominated the in-person vote with 51%), the Arkansas governor is also doing surprisingly well on the internet.

Hitwise reports that for the week ending October 13, Huckabee's campaign website was the second most visited among Republican candidates, trailing only Ron Paul. And on the Spartan Internet Political Performance Index, Huckabee was one of only three GOP candidates to show an increase in the most recent (10/18/07) update.

Huckabee has also seen a surge in fundraising, for him at least, easily surpassing his $200K goal and now shooting for $450K by Halloween.

And in something that really is an actual Chuck Norris fact (though not as entertaining as "Chuck Norris counted to infinity ... twice") the martial arts king and former Cannon Films contract star has endorsed Huckabee for president.

Florida's Republican Presidential Candidate Debate Analysis

Though it was GOP presidential candidates on the Florida stage Sunday night, it was Hillary Clinton who seemed to dominate the debate, as it seemed Republicans took more shots at the Democratic frontrunner than each other.

While there was no clear consensus as to who won the Republican debate, virtually all agree John McCain had the line of the night when he said of Woodstock, "Now my friends I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event ... I was tied up at the time."

Here is a sampling of some of the opinions on the debate:

• Vodkapundit's Stephen Green live blogged the event for Pajamas Media and concluded "My last (first? only?) thoughts: Thompson exceeded expectations, I think, keeping him running. McCain had the best soundbites, Rudy had the best instincts, and Mitt turned out his worst performance to date. Tonight’s winner: Hillary Clinton, for being the focus of 15 minutes of a short debate."
• Katharine Q. Seelye of The Caucus live blogged the debate and also wrapped it up, stating "This debate makes it official: It’s open season on Hillary Clinton."
• The Washington Wire's Susan Davis noted "The Clinton name was mentioned 34 times at tonight’s debate. No other Democratic candidate received a mention."
• While Chuck Todd of NBC thought "All of them were full of energy and had one-liners and barbs at the ready. For that reason, I'm having a hard time singling out a winner because everyone in the so-called 1st and 2nd tier was VERY prepared tonight," he was impressed with McCain, writing "Can you tell McCain's now a candidate with nothing left to lose?"
• The Politico's Jonathan Martin also thought McCain got "the line of the night" noting "loud applause soon followed, McCain couldn't resist a smile, knowing he got off a gem, and the entire audience soon stood up to show their appreciation for the former POW."
• Showing that not all Republicans have forsaken the Hispanic vote, Fred Thompson's campaign live blogged the debate in Spanish.

For a more partisan take on the debate check out these open threads:

• MissLaura at Daily Kos opened with a summary from a friend that, among other things, makes light of John McCain's time as a POW. Classy.
• Little Green Footballs opened three threads for readers (1, 2, 3) and apparently is angry, again, with Ron Paul supporters.
• Red State's thread actually appears to avoid name-calling, or at least for the first dozen or so.
• Same with MyDD, though a lot less comments.
  

Ron Paul Buys Radio Time In Nevada

An email from the Ron Paul camp mentioned they had bought $430,000 worth of radio time for a new campaign spot. The interesting part was the states they are targeting -- New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada.

No word on when the roughly two weeks of ads are set to roll or in exactly what markets, though one has to think Reno's KOH would be in the mix.

Nevada Blog Battles

Apparently this was "Tick Off Your Fellow Blogger Week" as a few skirmishes amongst Nevada bloggers hit the internet in the past few days.

The first would be Ryan Jerz vs. Reno and Its Discontents. After R&D ran a post that misrepresented a point Jerz had made previously, fireworks ensued. Jerz responded with a lengthy statement outlining his beliefs and the world of blogging in general. R&D, in turn, made fun of him.

Our other dust-up comes from what would seem an unlikely blogging source, Nevada State Senator Bob Beers. But, in fact, Beers is quite an active blogger. Here he takes exception to a Gleaner post and promptly rips him. And, in what will surely send the conspiracy-minded into a tizzy, Beers also apparently likes Jerz.

Is New Media A Threat To Journalism?

Something truly amazing happened. We actually stumbled across a long comment thread about new vs. old media that didn't contain a single flame war, utterances of "Faux News," MSM conspiracies or any word with "-tard" in it. Naturally, it wasn't a political site.

So is the "new media" a threat to journalism? ProBlogger.net's Darren Rouse asked that sometimes loaded question and a shockingly civil discussion ensued.

While they were some comments that may have you shaking your head a bit, there were also many excellent points on what exactly is a "citizen journalist" as well as the often overlooked aspect of what would happen to the news media in general if ad revenue declined to the point where paid journalists began to disappear. It was refreshing.

And for a 2005 newspaper industry view on how to fight back or, perhaps more accurately, incorporate the new media with their more traditional model, check out this Poynter Online post called "The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism." And, yes, the comment thread is suitable for all ages.

Huckabee's "Willie Horton," Clinton's Poll Romps and Other Miscellaneous Political Stuff

While we await the official third quarter fundraising reports to trickle in today (and answer the all-important question of "How much did Dennis Kucinich raise?"), we figured we would take the easy way out and issue the time-honored weekend wrapup.

• If Mike Huckabee ever gains significant traction, he's probably only a 30-second ad spot away from losing it.
• Hillary Clinton receives more good polling news. Up by 21 points in New Hampshire and 18 in Nevada.
• Fred Thompson faces the "lazy" rap again when he bows out of New Hampshire event. One pundit agrees, but says "Don't count Fred out."
• While the "Is Obama Black Enough?" theme goes overseas, a new variant hits the states this weekend -- "Clinton-Obama Quandary for Many Black Women".
• Some think Rudy Giuliani needs to blow his top to inspire voters.
• Larry Craig tells NBC’s Matt Lauer that Mitt Romney "not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again." Something tells us the Romney camp won't argue the point.
• And finally, because no political roundup can be complete without some Ron Paul news, one sports book has the Texas congressman at 6 to 1, prompting one tout to claim "My daring prediction is that we will see Ron Paul at 4 to 1 odds of becoming the next US President by year's end."

How To Be A Famous Blogger

Democrats Targeting GOP Voters In Nevada or Just a Bad List Buy?

On the same day we received a letter from Congressman Dean Heller touting the $700,000 in anti-meth money he was bringing to the north state (well, I guess, $670K or so after the cost of franking is calculated in), a friend of ours had an "Official Presidential Strategy Survey" from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee drop in his mail box. The only problem, he's a registered Republican.

So, thinking it was an attempt to woo disenchanted GOP members, our Dem-hating friend eagerly opened the survey expecting a pitch to switch. But, alas, it was just a standard for-Dems-only fundraising plea wrapped around a survey that probably hits the round file after the check is removed.

We told him that could only mean one of two things. Either DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen invested in a bum mailing list or, our favorite conspiracy-laden theory, someone changed his voter registration (hey, is Ross Armstrong back in town?).

So now our friend is packing as much stuff as possible in the pre-paid envelope to send back to the DCCC. We suggested lead. He liked the idea.

Ron Paul Wins Another Straw Poll

When a conservative political leadership/blogger conference is dubbed "libertarian leaning" one would think Republican Ron Paul would do well if any sort of polling was done.

There was and, yes, the Texas congressman rolled to another easy straw poll victory Saturday at the Conservative Leadership Conference in Sparks, NV.

Paul was the choice of 32.8% of those voting, easily outdistancing Mitt Romney (16.13%) and Duncan Hunter (14.52%), both of who attending the three-day event. Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani were fifth and sixth (undecided finished a strong fourth).

Full results can be found at PoliticalDerby.com.

Fred Thompson Makes GOP Debate Debut In Michigan

While Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani clashing over their records on cutting taxes may have provided the fireworks (such as they were) in tonight's Republican presidential debate in Michigan, it was the debut of Fred Thompson that garnered most of the post analysis.

And, for the most part, Thompson passed, though not with flying colors.

• "Fred Thompson stayed on script," said Liz Sidoti. "The newcomer to the Republican presidential field didn’t stand out in his first debate of the 2008 race, but he didn’t blow it either."


• "Bottom line: he's got a lot of work to do. He did get better but I doubt he quieted critics; He was more on top of the issues than some may have thought but was he really a frontrunner when it comes to knowing what the issues are? That's the BIGGER question," noted NBC's Chuck Todd.


• "I thought that in his first debate Fred Thompson would come across as either bright or dumb. I forgot about dull," wrote Roger Simon at the Politico. "He wasn’t terrible. He wasn’t great. He was just 'eh.'"


• "For someone who has played dramatic roles on prime-time television and on the silver screen as well, Fred Thompson entered his premier televised debate as a presidential candidate today with remarkably low expectations. That's the way he wanted it," said The Swamp's Mark Silva.

And for a little insight into the mind of the extremely partisan, and what seems to pass for online political commentary nowadays, check out the geniuses over on this Crooks and Liars' debate thread.

Edwards Loses Service Union; Clinton Army Set To Invade Nevada

No candidate was counting more on securing the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) endorsement than John Edwards. Now he will have to wait along with the rest of the Democratic presidential candidates.

SEIU officials have decided not to make a national endorsement for the primaries and, instead, will let its locals make decisions on a state by state basis.

Other bits of political news:

• Hillary Clinton volunteers are set to go door-to-door statewide "from Reno to Las Vegas, from Pahrump to Fallon" this weekend.
• Speaking of Nevada, the state's teachers union touches the holy grail of Silver State politics and announce they will introduce a voter initiative to increase the gaming tax from 6.75% to 9.75%.
• John McCain's daughter, Meghan, joins the growing popularity of candidate family members starting blogs. McCainBlogette.com differs, however, in that it doesn't appear to be part of the official campaign.
• Fred Thompson falls behind Rudy Giuliani in latest Rasmussen Poll, the one outfit that has consistently shown Thompson winning the GOP vote.
• Clinton's roster of endorsements continues to grow. George McGovern throws his support her way.
• Detroit News editorial writer wonders about the practicality of some of Ron Paul's views.

Clinton Takes Over Iowa and Elsewhere; Romney Shows Strength In Early States

Hillary Clinton took over as leader in Iowa's close Democratic presidential race, according to the Des Moines Register. The former first lady was the choice of 29%, topping previous leader John Edwards who dropped to 23%. Barack Obama was third at 22%.

For Republicans, Mitt Romney continues to lead with 29% while Fred Thompson debuted in second at 18%. Surprisingly, Mike Huckabee is currently third with 12%, a point ahead of Rudy Giuliani. John McCain, however, trails badly with just the support of 7% of Iowans.

But while Romney leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, he continues to trail in nationwide polls. In the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Romney was favored by only 10% of those polled. Giuliani led with 30% (.pdf).

For Democrats, it was all Clinton. Whether it was Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota or nationwide, it doesn't seem to matter where, the results are the same -- huge double-digit leads.

Ron Paul Third Quarter Fundraising Results Raise Some Eyebrows

Everybody knew Ron Paul pulled in over $1.2 million in the final week of third quarter presidential candidate fundraising, but few could have guessed he had already added almost $4 million in the weeks before.

With headlines like "Paul Raises Jaw-Dropping $5 Million" on ABC and "Paul outraises Huckabee by $4 million" over at the Politico, the Republican congressman from Texas is bound to be the recipient of many a news and blog story over the next two weeks as his total puts him more in the category of John McCain and Bill Richardson, rather than the Sam Brownbacks and Chris Dodds.

Even more impressive is his cash on hand, currently $5.3 million.

Early Third Quarter Presidential Candidate Fundraising Reports

Barack Obama had another big fundraising period has his camp is reporting $19.0 million for the third quarter (July-September). He has raised almost $80 million overall, with $74.9 million earmarked for the primaries.

(Hillary Clinton, continues to leads in the all-important cash on hand totals.)

Update (9/2): Clinton had an even better summer, raising $22.0 million for the primary season in the third quarter (plus another $5.0 million for the general).

Update (9/3): Ron Paul surprises everyone with $5.08 million.

Update (9/4): Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain all release their results.

Update (9/16): Everybody is on file.

Third quarter primary fundraising numbers (numbers are in millions):

Hillary Clinton -- $22.0 ($79.6 overall)

Barack Obama -- $19.0 ($79.2 overall)

Rudy Giuliani -- $10.5 ($44.8 overall)

Mitt Romney -- $10.0 ($44.5 overall + $17.0 in own funds)

Fred Thompson -- $9.3 ($12.7 since June 1)

John Edwards --$7.1 ($30.1 overall)

John McCain -- $5.6 ($30.2 overall)

Bill Richardson -- $5.19 ($18.3 overall)

Ron Paul -- $5.23 ($8.2 overall)

Joe Biden -- $1.7 ($6.1 overall)

Chris Dodd -- $1.4 ($8.2 overall)

Mike Huckabee -- $1.02 ($2.3 overall)

Dennis Kucinich -- $0.99 ($2.11 overall)

Sam Brownback -- $0.8 ($3.49 overall)

Tom Tancredo -- $0.76 ($3.44 overall)

Duncan Hunter -- $0.49 ($1.76 overall)

Mike Gravel -- $0.13 ($0.31 overall)