Derby Takes To Air (Literally), Flip Flops On Bailout

Perhaps trying to hop on the Barack Obama bandwagon and capture some eyeballs from the 10,000 or so supporters who turned out for Tuesday's rally at UNR, Nevada CD-2 Democratic candidate Jill Derby went the old-fashioned route and hired a plane to drag a "Derby for Congress" banner through the skies of Reno.  Unfortunately, the dull red on semi-transparent white color scheme and the size made it nearly impossible to see in the 3:50 p.m. sky.  I almost crashed on S. McCarran trying to read what it said (I originally thought it was "I [heart] Art"!).

Now that I think about it, it might not be the first time this has flown.  A few days ago I saw a plane and banner flying in the distance around 1 p.m.  Again, too small to see, but the size fits.

Derby Flip Flops

Texex-Xpress catches Derby in one of those "I was for the bailout bill before I was against it" moments.  Apparently when it looked like it was going to pass, Derby was all for it.  Now that it failed, she was against it. Republican Dean Heller, meanwhile, bucked his party leaders and voted against it.  One suspects a TV ad highlighting Derby's indecision and Heller's independence will be greeting Nevada viewers in the next few days.

Nevada Supreme Court Candidates Take Campaign Online with Google

Kris Pickering has popped up occasionally in our Google Adsense advertising but tonight was the first time we saw an ad for Deborah Schumacher appear.  And in the same banner to boot.

Schumacher, a Democrat, and Pickering, a Republican, are running for the Nevada Supreme Court Seat B.  Pickering edged Schumacher 25.4% to 23.7% in a closely fought four-candidate primary.

TheRealBobBeers.com Launches

If Nevadans think the presidential campaign has gotten dirty, they need to check out what's going on in State Senate District-6. Cripes, it's so bad even a Bishop in the Episcopal church has had to step in and disavow attacks (.pdf) by Allison Copening on incumbent Bob Beers.

Beers is fighting back, though, with TheRealBobBeers.com.

Obama Girl Does Nader

Ralph Nader turns in another funny campaign video.  This time with the ubiquitous "Obama Girl."  So does this mean Nader has jumped the shark or has the Obama Girl reached her 15th minute?

Nevada GOP Absentee Ballot Mailer Plays Pro-Life Card; But Is It The Wrong One?

Of all the topics to rally the GOP troops to vote by mail, why would Nevada party heads choose the Pro-Life angle?  You have taxes, national security, the specter of an Obama administration and many other issues to try and fire up Republicans, yet you go with one that 30% of your own party opposes.  Plus, the same Gallup poll found only 13% of the electorate considers a position on abortion a make-or-break factor.  So you piss off a third of your party for a topic 87% of voters don't consider overly important this election.  It's almost like they're trying to lose.

Craig Bergland Mention Causes Telephone Survey Hang-Up

Either Craig Bergland has splurged for a telephone poll or he had a sympathetic survey-taker working for someone Wednesday night.

A friend of mine called to tell me about his weird experience with a political phone survey.  From the description of the questions asked it seemed like a legitimate non-push poll looking for the "youngest voter" in the household (perhaps commissioned by a media outlet with an interest in the Nevada Congressional District-2 race).  But the response from the survey-taker was a tad different.

The first slight oddity occurred when he was asked what concerned him most this election.  Out of the litany of options he chose "budget deficit and reducing the nation's debt".  That brought forth a "good answer" from the phone rep.  But it was on the subject of CD-2 candidates where things got a little bizarre.

After answering a couple questions about whether he would vote for Dean Heller or Jill Derby in CD-2, and if he was "definite" or not, the survey decided to add third party candidates to the mix to see if that would change his vote.  He said he knew of the Green Party's Bergland and kind of liked him but was still voting for Heller.  There was a pause on the other other end of the line, followed by an incredulous "Why?" and then the dial tone.

Needless to say he has decided to reciprocate with any future poll requests.

Let's Not Forget the Root of the Mortgage Crisis

It seems everyone is pointing fingers at either Wall Street or the political party they're not a member of for being at fault with the mortgage crisis.  And while there is blame to go around, let's not forget the actual root of the problem -- people who signed on for mortgages they couldn't afford.

For all the exotic Wall Street financial tools in this crisis, from credit swapping to derivatives, everything still goes back to some under-funded buyer taking on a no-down, 5-year teaser Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) on a house that in some markets cost twice what it did three or four years earlier.  Granted, out-and-out fraud and house-flippers late to the game are a part of the problem, but the majority are people who simply couldn't afford it and were too lazy or stupid to know better.

Buying a home is the single biggest purchase most families will ever make in their lives.  It's something they will commit hundreds of thousands of dollars to for decades.  It's not like buying a big screen at Best Buy for the Super Bowl.  With all the info out there on the web, in magazines and newspapers there is no excuse whatsoever for someone to not know their payment was going to go up once the ARM resets.  That fact that their APR was a lot less than those published everywhere should have been a big clue.  Plus, virtually every expert there is says an ARM is almost always a sucker's bet.

And for those who thought the market would keep increasing at the same pace, has even the most rudimentary math skills escaped them?  Home prices in Reno doubled in just a couple years earlier this decade.  Did the average buyer's income increase 100% in that time frame?  Were they expecting their income, and hence the next buyer's as well, to increase at a 20-30% annual clip?  All it would have taken was a pocket calculator and about 30 seconds to discover that at that rate a double-wide in Lemmon Valley would be going for $800,000 by 2010.  Common sense says prices, and equity, would have to fall.

A lot of people, though, will cry and blame aggressive Realtors and mortgage brokers pushing garbage loans as the prime culprits.  And, let's face it, Reno Realtors were chanting in unison "There is no better time than now to buy" all the way through the housing bubble, full well knowing those increases were unsustainable.  And, even now, they are chanting the same mantra as prices drop; that's what they do.  But again, just because somebody offers you a too-good-to-be-true package doesn't mean you have to take it.  When did buying a house become as mindless and unresearched a purchase as an impulse buy in a grocery checkout line?

Ironically, one of the biggest casualties in the mortgage meltdown is affordable housing, or at least the prospect of it. The very same people who need it most have, thanks to eased credit and income requirements, helped drive up prices to levels where even a middle-class family is hard pressed to buy.  Now, as the ARM hens come home to roost, those buyers will not only be foreclosed on, but also struggle along with all those who didn't bite on the housing free-for-all to find something they can actually afford.

But the people who are really being screwed by this, and are hardly ever mentioned in all the noise, are the families who played by the rules. The ones who scrimped and saved enough for a down payment, steered clear of gimmicky loans, went with the stable 30-year mortgage and, most importantly, bought a house that though its price had been run up by the foolish was one they could still afford.  They also continue to pay their mortgages because they budgeted for it and that's what they do.

Their reward for being responsible?  Surrounded by empties and a mortgage they are now upside down on.  Oh, and their portion of the national debt will probably increase $2,700 each.

The "Left-Wing Smear Machine" Hits Nevada

One of the funniest things, or maybe tiresome is more apt, in the wild world of hyper-partisan politics is the whole "Right Wing Smear Machine" legend.  You know how it goes. Rich, white evil conservatives hidden in a bunker deep in the South dreaming up false attacks to tarnish the image of virtuous, above reproach Democratic candidates who have never stooped to negative campaigning in their life.  It's a time-honored complaint, usually wrapped around a fundraising appeal or a denial to some scandal they got caught in.  But it's BS.

No, not the "smear machine" part; that's correct.  It's the whole "Right Wing" only spiel that is patently false.  Smears and half-truths have always been part and parcel of politics, on all sides.  Because a lot Democratic presidential campaigns seem to fall apart in August while under withering attacks doesn't make the GOP sole proprietors of negativity.

A case in point, are the campaigns being waged against Nevada Republican state senators Bob Beers (SD-6) and Dr. Joe Heck (SD-5).  Mailers claiming Beers was "in bed with the sex industry" because an adult bookstore owner contributed to his 2006 gubernatorial run and similar smears against Heck have been filling Vegas mailboxes all courtesy of the Nevada Democratic Party.

How bad is it?

• "Pathetic Attacks" says the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a 9/21/08 editorial.

• "Anti-Heck Ads Mislead Voters" says the Las Vegas Sun in a 9/11/08 article.

• Jon Ralston recently wrote, "The Nevada Democratic Party is showing an analogous moral bankruptcy in its effort to oust state Sens. Joe Heck and Bob Beers because it must believe the end — returning the upper house to the Democrats for the first time in 18 years — justifies the execrable means."

Why such "execrable means"?  Perhaps when your chosen candidates Allison Copening and Shirley Breeden are so helplessly clueless, and hiding from any further debates, it's all you got.

So, please, can we drop the pretense of smearing being the tool of only one party (you know, the one you hate).  If anything, it's about the only bipartisan trait there is.

SodaHead's "Who's More Likely to Cheat" Sleaze

Who says it's just the campaigns that are rolling in the gutter.  I mean, how bad do you have to want to snag somebody's email address to put this garbage up.  No wonder SodaHead converts like crap on Adsense.

And These People May Be Deciding Our Next President

I think people who spend hours devouring political blogs and plot their evenings around when Olbermann or O'Reilly air tend to believe that everyone else is as interested in and as astute (well, maybe not as astute) as they are on politics. The only idiots in their world are the folks who are equally as rabid but fall on the opposite side of the political spectrum.  But I think that may be severely underestimating the number of idiots out there who might be punching a ballot in November.

Granted, the following are just two random experiences.  But it's still a cringe-inducing 0-for-2.

Case #1:
I was in a local McDonald's early last week and noticed a couple, probably in their late 40s, at the next table.  What caused my ears to perk up was I heard "mores in the time of Ben Franklin."  Not your typical Mickey D's conversation. I soon found out, though, she was just reading an article in the conservative Sierra Sage magazine that seems to be stocked at every McDonald's and car repair shop in the Truckee Meadows. 

Anyway, the topic soon turned to politics and Barack Obama.  Neither would be voting for him, which is fair.  So was it tax policies, foreign affair experience or the celebrity factor that had swayed them?  No.  It was because he was Muslim and refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  Both false and, I thought, long debunked.  Yet both took it as gospel and will go to the polls thinking that.

Case #2:
A few days later, a couple of us were at Claim Jumper when a group of four twenty-somethings sat down.  At one point one of them said "How about that Sarah Palin?"  I was curious as to what they thought as Palin had been dominating the news for close to two weeks.  So would there be a spirited discussion on the pros and cons of McCain's pick?  Would I gain valuable insight into the minds of younger voters?

Not exactly.

After the promising opening, he followed with "She's only been governor for a couple months. For a state like uhhhh ..." I'm not sure what was sadder, the fact he didn't know what state Palin was from (nor her time in office) or that his three companions apparently didn't know either.  But on a positive note, he did have his cool Aztec calendar tattoo on his arm.  Of course, he was white and probably couldn't place the empire if you spotted him the continent and gave him a three century leeway.  But he's hip and eligible to vote.

Nader On Anal Flutter

Ralph Nader coins a new phrase in a Red State Update video interview.  And, shockingly, as of this posting (5:45 p.m. PST) AnalFlutter.com is still available for domain registration.

How To Rip A Political Opinionator

What happens when the facts don't fit a "pundit's" hyper-partisan narrative?  Well sometimes you get called on it.  Which then produces the usual response -- anger, denial, angry denial and, finally, calling the critic a troll.

MrJerz.org sheds some light on a recent truth-bending post on Sarah Palin by a local blogger and all that followed.

Nader and the Parrot

Who says Ralph Nader doesn't have a sense of humor.  Although not quite as funny as the inspiration for this campaign video, the Hurricane Bear, it's still refreshing and head and shoulders above, say, the Mike Gravel videos.

Obama Team Screws The Pooch With "Still" Ad

Pointing out John McCain doesn't know how to email or use a computer does make for a funny spot and the new "Still" ad from Barack Obama's campaign hammers it home.  It's clever, but there is one big problem with those jabs.  The reason he doesn't is because of injuries to his arms ... when he was a POW in Vietnam.

"McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball."  -- Boston Globe 3/4/2000.

Who the hell was in charge of vetting this ad?

Palin Rally, Interview, Camera Angle Conspiracies and Photogate

OK, so it's probably not really a "photogate" but the title was getting a tad long already and everybody attaches -gate to anything semi-controversial.  And, let's face it, people are clicking here for their Palin fix and not for some lefty photog trying to screw over McCain.

• Local So-and-So fights crowd at Sarah Palin rally and comes away impressed with the Veep pick, not so much with the local GOP politicians.
  

• The "Media is in the tank for Obama" storyline adds another example with The Atlantic photog scheme.

• UPI, yeah they're still around, wonders if Charles Gibson's perceived grilling of Palin in ABC interview will backfire.
  

• While others think there was a conspiracy in the camera angles used in Gibson's interview.

Real Money Behind McCain Thanks To Palin

Thanks to the boost from Sarah Palin, John McCain has become the favorite for the first time with InTrade traders.  The predictions market, where real money is exchanged, has McCain at a bid price of $52.00.  Barack Obama, who has reached a high of $68 was sitting at $47.80.  Those who bought McCain for a buck back in the dog days of his campaign in late 2007 are sitting pretty with a huge windfall.  The question now is do they cash in or hold on for the max on a win?

Dear Mr. Obama Goes Viral

Republicans have their first viral video, Dear Mr. Obama.  As of Friday night, 9/12, the video has been viewed over 5.6 million times on YouTube.

Half the Nation Think Media In the Tank For Obama

A full 50% of a new Rasmussen Reports poll think the nation's media is trying to help get Barack Obama elected.  Only 26% thought they were unbiased.  Plus a whopping 69% believe reporters are trying to help the candidate they personally want to win.  Will there be a slight voter backlash?

Cheney Pictures Dumped At Local Savers

After being dragged to the Savers on Kietzke in Reno, I wandered aimlessly around looking at the piles of goods abandoned by their previous owners.  For some reason the art section is always kind of interesting to me. Perhaps it's the trainwreck appeal ("Somebody actually had that on their wall?").  But this time something jumped out at me.  Actually it was three things that jumped out.  A trio of pictures of Dick Cheney with some couple at a fundraiser in Utah!

It was one of those nicely matted and framed jobs, with a Bush-Cheney 2004 label and the personalized 8"x10" of the VP and the couple.  You know, the kind of fundraising photo op that that usually carries a four-figure price tag.

The cost at Savers?  $4.99 each.

Palin Carson City Visit Could Be Big

It's probably not wise to draw any firm conclusions on things based strictly on blog visits, but we'll go out on a limb and say that Sarah Palin's upcoming Carson City visit will have a huge crowd.

On our sister site, the never-ending catalog of presidential campaign emails, we've seen a surge in hits for info on Palin's visit.  In fact, it is challenging the all-time Campaign Emails champion -- the free Barack Obama magnet and bumper sticker.

Heck, we were even contacted by someone looking to RSVP for a local Truckee Meadows celebrity. But you don't need tickets. The rally will be at the Pony Express Pavilion in Mills Park (1111 East William Street) with the doors opening at 4:00 p.m.  And in a sign organizers are expecting a big turnout, they will be running shuttle buses from the Carson City High School (1111 N. Saliman Rd) parking lot.

Palin To Hit Carson City This Saturday

Nevadans will get a chance to see and hear the GOP's great hope, Sarah Palin, this Saturday (9/13) in Carson City.

For more information, RSVP to PalinNevada@Gmail.com or call Tim Kelly at (702) 425-2299.  Please include the number of guests in your party with your message.  An email with complete details will follow.

"Obsession" DVD In RGJ and Newspapers Nationwide

Either it is an extremely expensive way to market a $19.99 documentary or an extemely expensive way to get your message about terrorism out there.  Either way the makers of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West" paid for a one-hour sample DVD insert in the Reno Gazette Journal Sunday, one of many newspapers (e.g., New York Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Wall Street Journal, etc.) targeted in a massive buy.

And it may be paying dividends, the free DVD has already changed one Reno blogger's world viewpoint.

Nevada Geniuses, Chickens and Unexpected Reviews

Nevada bloggers on Nevada candidates:

• Not sure if this should be classified as "extremely stupid" or "extremely full of oneself" but, either way, what the hell were Dr. John Gwaltney's web designers thinking?  As Zeke Says So uncovered, "genius" is one of the meta tag keywords used ("winner" was another) in the Republican AD-24 candidate's website.  This is almost as bad as Ross Miller.
  

• Chuck Muth calls Democrat Allison Copening "chicken" for bowing out of any more debates with incumbent state senator (SD-6) Bob Beers.  Perhaps it's because Copening stunk in her only one.

•  Blue Sage Views attends Dean Heller reception and liked the congressman (but not his policies).

P-poll Capitol Hill Vigil Follow-Up

A couple months ago we interviewed an activist, Pablo del Real, who was embarking on a a 40-day vigil on Capitol Hill to promote his plan of using polling technology (P-poll) to let Washington know what their constituents want.  Not so much a form of direct democracy, but a way to let representatives know how their voters feel.

Now that it has wrapped (you can read his weekly updates),we asked him a couple quick questions on the vigil and his future plans for P-poll.

After 40 long days would you do it again?

If necessary but I do not foresee the need.

Best moments?

The best moments of the P-poll vigil were making one-on-one connections, seeing group rallies, talking to student groups and the day that I had some company. During my stay, the Ron Paul Revolution March came to town and several thousand people turned out. There were also a couple of other smaller rallies, one by Somalis urging Congress to end the U.S.-sanctioned Ethiopian occupation of Somalia and another by students from the Freedom School as part of their Social Action Day to learn about social justice advocacy. Seeing so much political interest and energy was encouraging.

Many student groups pass through the west terrace of the Capitol. Occasionally, their teacher/leader would approach me individually. Once he or she got the gist of my pitch, they would bring their whole group over and let me teach them about digital democracy. My son, Daniel, is 19 and my daughter, Meztli, is seven so I have had to explain this concept to teenagers and young children. It's easy when you put into the classroom context: teachers make the rules, students obey. It's the same with adults but government makes the rules. Should the adults just have to obey or do they deserve a say? The sense of fair play is evident at a very early age--kids get the injustice involved right away.

But talking to average citizens, the ones who need more power, about our government and ways to improve it, was perhaps the best of all, for almost everyone who talked to me had some hope--hope for the opportunity to improve our government and hope that regular people can still do that. That is inspiring. And that was why I showed up every day: I knew somebody would want to talk to me.

Of course, a vigil highlight was the day Alexander Moll joined me. He is the Director of Civic Engagement at the Public Forum Institute. Alex saw me one Saturday and was so intrigued by the idea that he promised to join me the next Saturday. Sure enough he was good to his word--he sat with me on the terrace for a few hours. Alex's interest in the P-poll stems from its connection to his own work--he is planning a nationwide series of public forums that would parallel the schedule of the U.S. Congress. As he says, the forums would be a "new component of the legislative process [that] would construct a meaningful, productive bridge between Congressional Representatives and citizen-led, deliberative bodies." So the two projects are a good match.

Worst moments?

There were no bad moments during the vigil.

Where does P-Poll go now?

The purpose of the vigil was to sound out average citizens and see how they feel about the opportunity to "digitize" the will of the people. The other half of the audience for this message is U.S. Representatives. As you know, they are up for re-election, so we have initiated a 2008 House candidates campaign. Starting Tuesday, September 2, we are sending a letter and a brochure to candidates to the House of Representatives, asking them to support the P-poll.

Then, next month, we plan to speak at the Gandhi-King Peacemaking Conference in Memphis. The theme of our presentation will be "Renewing the dream of Gandhi and King: Equal representation through digital democracy."

Finally, we are exploring the possibility of implementing nationwide polling technology ourselves. We think that if we build a prototype P-poll and enough people register, we could leverage that support for some attention from elected officials and the press.

Blue Lyon, "Too Cool" Reporters and Another Pol Caught On Tape

Oh, and another reason to be glad you aren't the media in Russia.

• Blue Lyon wonders what's going on with some of the progressive attacks on Sarah Palin.  Also rips Zeke a new one in the comments section.
  

• Editor & Publisher's Mark Fitzgerald scolds reporters for "being too cool" to stand up during the national anthem.

•  Damn those cheap camcorders and those who use them, says another politician.
  

•  Be glad you're not blogging here.