The Price of Fame Lies Mainly with Playing the Name Game
Posted by: bernie in UncategorizedI remember a time in the not so distant past, before Harry Reid became the Majority Leader, that he wasn’t so militantly obstructionist. Alas, with the position of majority leader came the pandering to the left and the abandonment of his role as delegate and diplomat for the State of Nevada.
Among his many blunders and disappointing stances, he insulted and abandoned our heroic fighting men and women by declaring that we lost the war. He united with San Fran Grand Nan Pelosi to fight offshore drilling. He has been on the wrong side of immigration reform, the estate tax, and the government bailout.
The debacles and blunders would be comical, but for the fact that it is we, Nevadans, who are hurt by his buffoonery. He is bad for Nevada, and he is vulnerable as recent polling indicates. The price of his fame should be his defeat.
Having said that, he will be difficult to beat, and we are going to have to find the perfect candidate if we are to prevail. It limits the field, but I believe that the perfect candidate will have to be a known quantity.
That someone will need an already recognizable name (recognizable for the right reasons) so that he/she does not have to spend a big wad of cash “introducing” him/herself to the voters of Nevada. They will need a personality and philosophy that is already respected by and acceptable to the conservative base of the party. And if not already in command of a sizeable bank account, someone with the ability to raise lots of cash.
Did I mention that they will need to have to raise lots of cash?
Let’s compare the John Thune/Tom Daschle race of a few years ago to the effort to oust Reid today.
When Sen. John Thune beat then-Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle, Thune had great statewide name recognition, having just run a skillful but losing campaign against the other South Dakota Senator. He had previously served as South Dakota’s lone congressman, and prior to that was the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. He had money in the bank, having raised a whopping 9.5 million dollars during his campaign. Great name recognition. Great appeal. Great background. Great money.
With regard to his solid appeal to conservatives, Thune had something that I believe is overlooked or discounted by far too many people. He gave conservative talkers and bloggers something to get behind and actually work for. Through their yapping and pecking, they went to bat for him. If you doubt the importance of these folks and their efforts, check out this great piece: “ Year of the Bog: Open Source Journalism Changes the Face of Journalism . . . “ by Gene Veith and Lynn Vincent.
The lesson to be learned is this: Harry Reid has continued to give us big sticks to proverbially beat him like a piñata, but Republicans will not prevail against him in 2010 if we don’t play this one perfectly.
So, who fits the bill?
In my mind, there are two obvious choices. Sue Lowden or Dean Heller. Both have the right mix of the needed qualities. If Republicans are really serious about teaching Harry Reid the lesson he deserves, which is that he ought not to have abandoned Nevada values in favor of pimping for the left, then we Republicans have to learn to play the name game.
Ring the bell, school is back in session.
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Dean Heller…it’s a no brainer…if he wants the job.
Great blog, Bernie. Now if we can only get one of them to run against Dirty Harry, I’m willing to work ’round the clock to make it happen.
I agree with Raymond; Dean Heller is the obvious choice right now, as he is setting himself apart from the RINOs and at the front of the conservative movement. To Sharon, it is not fair to the original “Dirty Harry” to use that reference.
>>He had money in the bank, having raised a whopping 9.5 million dollars during his campaign. Great name recognition. Great appeal. Great background. Great money.
He went national, I donated and still receive mailings from So. Dakota.
You folks need to do the same thing; and let’s face it – whoever wins Las Vegas wins the seat.
Do America a big favor and get rid of Reid; we’ll pitch in from all across the country.
Form a Dump Reid PAC; that way whoever you wind up running has seed money right away; then take that candidate national via the internet as fast as you can.
You’ll be raking in 25 bucks (and more) a pop via PayPal before you can blink.
Would love to see Dean Heller run, he’s looking better and better with every vote. I would hate to lose him in Congress.
Krolicki is the man that Reid fears the most and when the Cortez witch hunt comes to a close Krolicki will be the man standing and will have weakened Reid, Cortez Masto, Buckley, Leslie and Hate Marshall all in one fell swoop.
How quickly we forget about the man who actually has the guts to take on Reid.
Who was the guy that sponsored the membership drive for the Women’s Republican Clubs?
Who was the guy that stumped for Assembly candidates when other Republican Elected officials couldn’t or wouldn’t?
Who was the guy that always says yes when asked to do something for the Party?
Krolicki may be a falsely accused standup guy but that’s his problem not the problem the Republican Party. You have to set priorities on your loyalty. If Reid Kryptonite feels strongly about Krolicki he should help with legal fees. But, to have Krolicki as a candidate is a recipe for defeat.
Heidi Gansert would be the anti Harry. She would be the best and she is in Reno.
Bernie is in charge of the search so he should recruit Gansert and put everything behind her.
Abbi Silver for US Senate!
I’m with you Ronnie. I see a bright future for Heidi Gansert.
Ronnie: Cedeno:
Have to admit, you may be on to something there. Wit, class, style, elegance, well-spoken, attractive, well credentialed. Hmmm?
Bernie
Great Blog! I agree with you. We absolutely have to get Reid out of the Senate, but it is going to be tough! In order to win, we’ve got to have someone that stands up for real Conservative values. The only way to beat him is with Reagan Conservatism!
Denise K’s last blog post..My Daddy
Money is the key to greasing the campaign machinery; a strong message sets the machinery in motion, the ability to communicate the message with effectiveness drives the machinery forward with ever increasing momentum, the momentum develops the passion and emotion, passion and emotion generate money. Find, develop and support the candidates that truly embrace and embody the message the machinery becomes perpetual.
Develop the message and the candidates will emerge. Develop the message and the volunteers will materialize. Develop the message and the voters will appear.
Harry Reid can be beaten. He can be beaten using his own rules. He can be beaten by the same rules that the Democrats used to defeat us in the last election. Harry Reid has provided the playbook and ammunition for his own defeat all by himself in his own words. Thank you Harry for being so thoughtful.
Phil Anderson
Krolicki will be the guy. 3 statwide elections, if/when this Masto harangue ends this summer Krolicki would be movin like a freight train.
We nee a candidate who has top name recognition, proven leadership ability, broad voter appeal in Nevada (both north and south) and ability to seed the campaign chest with his own funds while drawing big contributions from out of state due to his prospects for winning. Only one person fits this demanding profile. We should start a “Draft Romney” movement immediately.
A great deal of good discussion here. My immediate concerns are with our incumbent Republican Senator. I would like to see him be a more vocal supporter of the core issues Republicans embrace, step up and engage the Democratic Leadership even at the expense of fracturing the détente he has established with the Sr. Senator from Nevada.
Hey Bernie…Your comments are right on…..Seems like Jon Ralston is saying the same thing today in the LV Sun….Just what we need….advice from him….Hillary carpet bagged her way to NY with 0 repercussion….I would like to see Mitt do the same here…..now back to reality….Sooooo….I support Sue then Heller…. Lt Gov needs to let the percieved heat cool off before he climbs further….How about a long shot name….like Bernie Z…… You have all the tools….The campaigh begins like this…HEY! DO YOU KNOW BERNIE Z?……
George Dugan,
In 2005 when Romney came out in favor of wiretapping Mosques, I wrote him a letter of support and suggested that he run For President. I got back a very nice personal letter on that subject. I found him to be very responsive. I don’t know what the residency requirements are, he would be a very formidable candidate and more important a very competent United States Senator. He would be a dream candidate against Honest Harry Reid.
I think it’s a damn good idea and the kind of thinking we need in the state. Why don’t you drop him a letter and see what his thinking is?
Al
Seems as if Sue has been in her position for a while and we have lost big in that period! May people never heard of her until recently when she finally became vocal after November 4th!
Krolicki would be good until filthy Harry ambushed him. Even if he beats the rap, Nevada is pretty fed up of crooked politicos and he will still have a stigma attached!
Heller is a good man but what will the democrats find out about him and is he strong enough?
What about John Ensign running against Filthy Harry and then the Gov. appointing Bob Beers into Ensign’s Senatorial position!
Or even Bob Beers coming on and beating Filthy Harry. Bob is clean and is viable to everyone except the damn unions and those that can’t see the sun in front of their eyes!
Bob Beers doesn’t stand a chance. Not because he isn’t known, but because of his trying to get guns into schools. I think teachers need to be armed, but that is not a popular position so Beers is out. Ensign running for the position he already holds? Did you get a bailout that we don’t know about? Heller viable, has name recognition, and has done a good job so far. Can he bring in out of state funds? Joe Heck could have been viable, but he lost this last campaign, and is only known in the Vegas area. Krolicki is going to be busy rebuilding his rep. So it looks like Heller could be our best bet. Now about term limitations………
It all depends on what the economy is like in 2010. If the Obama Administration is blamed for continued poor economic conditions then the bar can be lowered and less prominent candidates will have a shot at knocking off Harry Reid. But if the economy has improved and Obama is credited with it than it will be hard for even the most prominent Republican to beat Reid.
Another variable is how Nevada voters will perceive both Harry Reid and Rory Reid running statewide races if Rory Reid is the Democratic nominee for governor. There might be a backlash against one or both for trying to start a family dynasty. It should be interesting.
I think Harry has been in Washington to long, I am ashamed when I see him on the news representing Nev.
There are new adds on cable telling us to call Harry and thank him for all he has done, I would like to call him and tell him to retire, it’s time for someone else.