Jim Gibbons' tea party gambit
It seems like Gov. Jim Gibbons is officially jumping on the Tea Party bandwagon.
I've been wondering what was taking him so long.
Gibbons has been such a disaster that he might become the first sitting Nevada governor to lose a primary. His main challenger, Brian Sandoval, has raised five times more cash as Gibbons, and there are many who think this race has already been decided.
But there is a long way to go, and Gibbons is still governor. And despite his near-perfect record of abject failure, Gibbons' adamant stand against new taxes puts him in good stead with the tea party crowd.
If he can capture some of that tea party energy and define Sandoval as a Conservative In Name Only, he might be able to best him in a Republican primary with low turnout among moderates. Then there is former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon, who is also running, and could split the anti-Gibbons vote.
The funny thing is Harry Reid's part in this political drama. Say what you want about our senior senator, but he knows his politics. He saw Sandoval as a threat to Nevada Democrats, so he arranged for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench for the GOP up-and-comer. And if Gibbons had been even halfway competent these last three years, that's where Sandoval would still be.
I can imagine that Reid is rather unhappy that Sandoval is back on the scene, and is the main obstacle standing between his son Rory and the governor's mansion.
This has all the makings of a soap opera, and it can only get better.