Ron Paul recently addressing the Clark County GOP

The resolution says this is because the RNC is supporting Mitt Romney as the “presumptive nominee” even though other candidates are “still actively campaigning”.

Here is the resolution passed last night by a vote of 184-182:

RNC Rule 11a Resolution – Final

I guess these folks did not get the memo that Ron Paul has ceased to actively campaign.

Led by RNC committeewoman-elect Diana Orrock (reminder: both the national committeewoman and man were deposed at the state meeting in Sparks two weekends ago), CCRP also voted to condemn a United Nations initiative called Agenda 21.

I am sure the U.N. General Assembly will be very upset to learn that Clark County GOP opposes their plans for world economic development

Crossroads Generation this morning announced a $50,000 buy of online ads targeted to young swing voters in eight key states: CO, FL, IA, NC, NH, NV, OH, VA.

Start-­‐up grants to the IE totaling $750,000 are being contributed by the CRNC, RSLC, and American Crossroads.

Crossroads Generation says it will focus on building a major online presence for outreach and mobilization. This includes the launch of a new website and video (www.CrossroadsGeneration.com), Twitter feed (@CrossroadsGen), and Facebook presence (www.Facebook.com/CrossroadsGeneration) to engage young people online.

The group will also tap into the CRNC’s membership of more than 250,000 college students on over 1,800 campuses nationwide. The CRNC plans to send 60 full-­time field staff to a dozen swing states this fall.

Derek Flowers, formerly National Victory Director of the Republican National Committee in 2010, will serve as the organization’s executive director. Kristen Soltis, a survey researcher with award-­winning expertise on young voters and politics, will serve as communications advisor.

This adorable baby was sporting a Ron Paul sticker and seemed unphased by the shouting that ensued at Saturday's convention meeting

Heated questions about the presence of guests and whether they were voting.

An angry motion to remove the convention chairman.

And that was just for starters.

More than 1,600 county delegates are gathered at the Nevada Republican Party (NRP) convention in Sparks, NV in a meeting that has fluctuated between contentiousness and calm.

Among other things, Nevada’s two sitting Republican National Commmitee persons, both Romney supporters, were unseated b by wide margins yesterday.

We wrote a story on Nevada News Bureau with all the particulars.

From his office today:

Amodei statement on Department of Labor farm chores rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) issued the following statement regarding the Department of Labor’s proposed rule for children working on family farms, which would prohibit them from the “storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials.” The new regulations would also reject safety training and certification taught by such American institutions as 4-H and Future Farmers of America in order to replace it with a 90-hour federal government training course.

Congressman Amodei:

“I’m sure the Nevada members of 4-H and FFA are very impressed with President Obama’s understanding of farming and ranching in our state. I’m astounded at the tone deafness of the administration in attempting to brush aside a collective 200 years of agricultural experience and tradition.”

The Labor Department has lately been working on new regulations governing agricultural work by minors.

Among other things, the new rules would update the list of farm jobs that children under age 16 could not be hired to do by non-family farms. Among the prohibited tasks are pesticide handling, timber operations, and work in and around manure pits and storage bins. Farm workers under age 16 would also no longer be able to cultivate, harvest, or cure tobacco.

Agricultural work accounts for 75 percent of the job-related fatalities for workers under age 16, according to Labor Department statistics.

Under fire from numerous lawmakers from farm-states, the Department of Labor has published a fact sheet about its proposed regulations.

Nevada Opera Theatre Soloists!

Silent Auction!!

And my favorite:  Best Hat competition!!!

Nice to see some creativity at one of these things.

I am referring to the very serious allegations against reporter and Face to Face producer Dana Gentry by Jeff Guinn and Aspen Financial Services. The things of which Gentry stands accused, were they to be proven, would be career-ending. Her accusers therefore ought to be required to produce credible evidence of their allegations before Ms. Gentry is required by the courts to provide any information.

The burden of evidence and information in this case should not be on Gentry. She is a reporter protected by Nevada’s news shield laws and has no obligation to provide information just because it is demanded of her by some unhappy, suspicious or vindictive person.

If Aspen-Guinn had any evidence of wrongdoing, or had a witness claiming to have knowledge of wrongdoing, they should have submitted that evidence or a supporting affidavit to the District Court in a private hearing as suggested by the District Court judge who rejected their plea.

Aspen-Guinn’s choice to instead move their circus act up to the high court in Carson City is appalling. The Supreme Court ought to reject this attempt at further smearing Gentry’s name through a transparent attempt at a change of venue and instruct Aspen-Guinn to go back and convince the District Court judge they have evidence that warrants reconsideration.

Here are the pertinent filings with the state Supreme Court:

Aspen-Guinn Petition for Writ

Gentry Answer to Aspen-Guinn

Colorado – Obama up 13 points

Wisconsin – Obama up 12 points

Michigan – Obama up 11 points

Ohio – Obama up 9 points

Nevada – Obama up 7 points

Pennsylvania – Obama up 6 points

Missouri – Romney up 5 points

Arizona – Romney up 5 points

Florida – Obama up 4 points

Virginia – Obama up 4 points

New Hampshire – Obama up 4 points

Iowa – Obama up 3 points

North Carolina – Obama up 2 points

If the election were held today:

Obama – 347 electoral votes

Romney – 191 electoral votes

Even if we were to give Romney every state that Obama leads by less than 5 points:

Obama – 280 electoral votes

Romney – 258 electoral votes

When I hear Republicans say, “There is no way President Obama gets re-elected,” I marvel at the power of wishful thinking. Of course he can win. And he very well may.

The petition language was challenged by the Nevada Resort Association in a legal brief that cited several concerns, including the use of the term “unrestricted” instead of “nonrestricted” to identify the casinos in question, and the use of the term “gross revenue” instead of “gross gaming revenue.”

(Note for out of state readers:  Restricted licenses cover taverns/bars and convenience/grocery/liquor stores that offer small-scale slots-only gaming. A nonrestricted gaming license is granted to casinos operating more than 15 slot machines and/or table games, sports books, live keno and poker rooms.)

Attorney Maggie McLetchie, representing the pro-tax peeps, argued that Russell could easily rewrite the description of effect — i.e. change the prefix “un” to “non” and add the word “gross” — thus allowing the signature gathering process to begin again without further nonsen– er, legal challenges from the NRA.

Russell said he did not believe he had the authority to rewrite the description, even though McLetchie pointed out that Nevada judges have in the past rewritten descriptions of effect on other initiative petitions (hello, Judge Jim Wilson). But hey, to each his own. It’s not like there should be consistent judicial standards in these cases or anything.

The gaming tax hike peeps can at least be glad that Russell did not instruct them to adopt the Nevada Resort Association’s proposed description that would emphasize “a 31.6 percent tax increase” on the casinos, a fun fact reported by Jon Ralston earlier this week.

The initiative would set a new tax rate of 9 percent on net casino gambling revenue above $250,000 per month. Currently, net casino gambling revenue in excess of $134,000 per month is taxed at a 6.75 percent rate.

So Russell has ruled and Las Vegas businessman and the effort’s money man Monte Miller will file a new proposal and begin the signature gathering effort again. Miller, through a group called Nevadans for a Fair 9% Gambling Revenue Tax (NF9GRT) — say that five times fast — had only so far gathered about 500 signatures according to the Las Vegas Sun.

The group has until November to collect 72,352 valid signatures in order to send the proposal to the Legislature in 2013.

As pointed out in a Nevada News Bureau story today, if the proposal gets to Carson City and the Legislature does not enact it within 40 days, it would go to voters in 2014 and then take effect in 2015 if approved. The Legislature could also opt to put a competing proposal on the ballot for voters to consider.

Interesting note:  The Nevada Legislature would ordinarily have to get a two-thirds vote to approve any tax hike, BUT a competing tax proposal could be placed on the ballot by a simple majority vote. (So, Democrats…there’s your way around that hated 2/3rds rule for tax hikes.)

If two competing measures on the ballot received more than 50 percent of the vote, the one receiving the largest number of votes would take effect.

Anjeanette Damon has the scoop on the small ad buy in Reno and Las Vegas.

Energy will be one of the issues on which voters are bombarded on the airwaves from now ’til November.

But who is to blame for rising gas prices, really? And what can be done about it?

Currently, 75-80% of the cost of gasoline is driven by petroleum prices while the other 20-25% lies in refining and distribution. The latter can be influenced by U.S. policy to some degree. The former cannot, at least not much (and hardly at all in the short term) because the influencing factors are things outside our control such as OPEC supply decisions, tensions in the Middle East and seasonal variants.

Policy leverage may be possible in the long run as U.S. demand declines and supply increases, but our influence lies more on the demand side (23 percent of world total consumption) than the supply side (9 percent of world production). Policies that reduce demand (like pushing alternative fuels or the construction and use of mass transportation) or increase supply (drill, baby, drill) or some dual front (“all of the above”) effort are where we must head if we really want to influence oil prices in the long run.

Disagreements about these things tend to be more about degree than any all-or-nothing stance (except by the extremists on both ends, but who listens to them?)

Where policy makers seem to differ the most in the national argument on energy is re: the environmental consequences of energy production and use. Energy exploration and production generates high-paying employment but also generates environmental costs that are not always obvious in the price system.

Conservatives say the economic advantages of more/faster/better fossil fuel energy far outweigh concerns about carbon emissions or occasional oil spills, and anyhow India and China are building new coal-fired energy plants every 5 minutes so it’s futile to fight that battle even if one believed in it.

Liberals and greenies say it’s a moral imperative to wean the nation off carbon, even if it costs us all a little (or a lot) more.

And never the twain shall meet. Or so it seems right now. The energy ad wars shall wage on, in Nevada and nationally, and the best narrative will win in November while voters will no doubt continue to lose at the gas pump no matter who is president.

Their already tired talking point?

Their support for the bill means Heck and his GOP pals put the wealthy ahead of protecting Medicare.

“Did you know Congressman Joe Heck voted twice to essentially end Medicare to give tax breaks to millionaires?” the ad asks.

No, no we didn’t. But thanks for enlightening us, Dems. Nevadans will look forward to more breathless hyperbole on proposed Medicare reform in the months to come.

Or shall we just call it a lie, like Politifact did?