Once again, Nevada is being spoiled with attention from both political parties. Here is a brief history to illustrate why this is so unusual:
First of all, the first "a" in Nevada is pronounced like the "a" in "has." It is not pronounced "Nuh Vaw Duh." Wars have started because of that. Consider yourselves educated now.
When Nevada became a state on October. 31, 1864, Abraham Lincoln's idea was to use the state's Silver mining to help fund the Union Forces in the waning months of the Civil War. He was also flattered by the naming of Lincoln County, Nevada after him.
(Lincoln County is so desolate you could pee on the road and not worry about being seen.)
Since that time, Nevada has been hard pressed to be heard in national politics. There has been the Sagebrush Rebellion, but that's about it.
Toward the end of Campaign 2000, we started getting some attention from the Republican campaign here in Northern Nevada.
We tend to be ignored because 75% of all the state's voters live in Clark County (Las Vegas). The same thing happened in New Mexico.
This week the number of visits from people associated with either campaign will rise by 3 to 18. John Kerry will be in Las Vegas again- he has promised to come to Northern Nevada, we'll see.
Laura Bush will be at Lake Tahoe, and the President will be in Reno on Thursday.
If I get to see him, that will mean I have seen every president since Ronald Reagan. I even got close enough to shake Clinton's hand in 1992. (I hope he washed them, with what we know about him now-lol)
One thing I think is sad anymore is the difficulty in going to such events. Yesterday when I got tickets for the event, I was asked if I supported the president, etc. The purpose of that of course is to screen out potential troublemakers. They even took my driver license information.
I understand the need for that, but it bothers me. I would love to go see John Kerry speak, I am not one who would disrupt him or shout him down. I think people who do that should go get attention by playing marbles on the freeway.
Whatever happened with civilized disagreements?
I think Kerry is more full of shit than Bush is, but I would just stand there quietly and listen to him and not applaud anything he says.
I recall in 1988 when Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Lloyd Bentsen came to visit Riverside, California. (Near where I lived at the time.)
I was an undecided voter at the time, along with a friend of mine. When we tried to get in, we were stopped and asked if we were Democrats or Republicans. I looked at the guy kind of funny, then he saw my camera and a tape recorder I had, and assumed my friend and I were news reporters and allowed us in.
My point in saying this is it all seems like the candidates only preach to the choir anymore.