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Advocates for repealing Nevadas commerce tax have filed a revised petition to reflect the financial impact outlined in a Legislative Counsel Bureau analysis.

CARSON CITY Advocates for repealing Nevadas commerce tax have filed a revised petition to reflect the financial impact outlined in a Legislative Counsel Bureau analysis.

Nevada Controller Ron Knecht and former Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, both Republicans, filed the new petition with the Secretary of States office on Friday. They want voters to overturn the tax passed by the Nevada Legislature in 2015. The tax applies to businesses with annual gross revenues that exceed $4 million.

The fiscal note estimated the financial impact of a repeal at about $161.3 million in Fiscal Year 2019 and $97 million annually in fiscal 2020 and beyond.

Knecht said Tuesday that is the only change in the new petition.

If petitioners can collect 112,544 signatures from registered Nevada voters, a referendum asking to repeal the tax will be on the ballot in the 2018 general election. The deadline to get the signatures is June 19, 2018.

Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval spearheaded passage of the commerce tax as part of a push to better fund and reform public education in Nevada.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter.

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Republican duo revises petition to repeal Nevada commerce tax - Las Vegas Review-Journal

In yesterdays column from Al Hunt in Bloomberg, the veteran political commentator noted that what Democrats needed was not new policies, but a new message. And former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean has an idea on how to craft this: label every person who votes Republican a racist. Yep, thats rightif you vote GOP in 2018, youre a racist because nothing says success like building upon Hillary Clintons deplorable strategy. Dean made these remarks on Joy Reids show on MSNBC on Saturday, saying I think this may be the moment for Trump last weekend. Today, in the 2018 elections, if you vote for a Republican, you're supporting Donald Trump. This has now become a referendum. If you want to vote for a racist in the White House, then you better vote for Republicans. But if you want to vote for Democrats and really have change, that's where I think America is going."

Yeah, Howard, just because theres a D next to your name doesnt mean crap to voters. You have to tell them what you stand for and Hillary Clinton didnt stand for anything except say how awful Donald Trump is for engaging in locker room talk. Yet, the former is what Hunt was referring to, though I have my doubts itll be effective concerning the Lefts embrace of the authoritarian ethos of political correctness and identity politics.

The reason Democrats think this is simple. From polling, Democrats do run the table of a variety of economic issues such as health care and the minimum wage, but the delivery of the message is chopped up. Former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., whos a fixture on MSNBCs Morning Joe, noted how the Democrats new agenda, the Better Deal, falls short, namely because it places pro-jobs, pro-economic growth, and being pro-consumer as things that are in conflict with one another. Hunt wrote Democrats have to just reconnect with voters, probably because they usually run the table on economic issues, such as health care and the minimum wage. Yet, a good way to tune out is when someone says youre a Nazi or a racist for not voting for my side.

At the same time, Hunt notes the importance of the state-level races, along with the idiocy of having left wing litmus tests for candidates:

Democratic leaders also hope the program will fend off the party's left wing and its fondness for litmus tests like the demand that all Democratic candidates embrace a single-payer health care plan. That would be a gift to Republican candidates, who are suffering from their party's failure and duplicity on health care and are eager to change the terms of public debate.

Similarly, former Democratic chairman Howard Dean wants to deny party support to any candidate who's not sufficiently pro-abortion. Others want uniformity on transgender soldiers, higher corporate tax rates, lower defense spending and impeaching Trump. It's a potential political death spiral of policy proposals that won't play well in closely fought battlegrounds that Democrats need to win.

[...]

Being outsmarted by Republicans the past 10 years has had dire consequences for Democrats. Fewer ideas are percolating up from the states. Republican redistricting schemes have cost at least a dozen House seats and hundreds in state legislatures.

State governments also often serve as farm clubs to develop candidates for higher office and national prominence. Before they start quarreling about policy papers, Democrats need to restock their Triple-A teams.

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Howard Dean: If You Vote Republican in 2018, You're A Racist - Townhall

Aug. 21, 2017, 6:13 p.m.

An attempt to oust Chad Mayes as Assembly Republican leader fell short Monday, but another vote is scheduled for next week.

Mayes(R-Yucca Valley) has been facing calls for his ouster after he worked with Democrats to extend California's cap-and-trade program, the state'skey initiative for fighting climate change.

The 25-member Assembly Republican caucus met for two hours Monday, three days after state party officials called on Mayesto step down or be replaced.

But opponents could muster only 10 votes against him three short of the threshold.

The next meetingwill be held Aug. 29.

"The caucus made a decision, and the decision was we are all going to get together next Tuesday and were going to vote," said Mayes, who does not plan to step down.

Before the vote, Mayes told reporters that he viewed the leadership struggle as an important juncture for California Republicans.He said his party, which has suffered from declining power in Sacramento and dwindling voter registration, needs to adapt.

You can either convert folks to believe in the things you believe in, or you can go out and begin to reflect Californians," he said."The party hasnt done a good job of converting folks. In fact, weve done a good job of repelling individuals. And we havent done a good job of reflecting Californians.

But his plans have been resisted by conservative critics.

Local Republicans and my constituents are speaking loud and clear that theyd like to see a change in leadership, and I also believe that a new direction is the best course of action for our party," Assemblyman Randy Voepel(R-Santee) said.

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Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes is still in charge after caucus meeting but another vote is on the way - Los Angeles Times

A call by the student Republican Club at San Diego State University for the Muslim Student Association to denounce the Barcelona terrorist attack triggered a strong backlash including at least one physical threat, according to the GOP student leader.

The Muslim Student Association called it a distasteful letter and thanked people for supporting the group after it was posted.

In the Aug. 17 letter, posted on the organizations Facebook page the day an ISIS terrorist attack in Barcelona left 15 dead, College Republicans of SDSU President Brandon Jones offered condolences to those affected by the attack and wrote that such acts must be disavowed by Muslim leaders on our campus and in our community.

The letter then quoted the Muslim Student Associations mission statement of being dedicated to creating a sense of community and inclusive environment for all students on campus.

Unfortunately, until radical Islamic terrorism is disavowed by the Muslim Student Organization at SDSU, we can not move forward in creating an inclusive environment for all students on campus, Jones wrote.

The letter concluded by asking the president of the organization and its executive officers to publicly condemn the act or resign.

Members of the Muslim Student Association could not be reached, but the organization did refer to the letter on its Facebook page.

The Muslim Student Association of SDSU would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who have expressed their support for us in the past few days, read a message posted Sunday. We have received numerous amounts of positive messages and comments regarding the distasteful letter that was sent to us. Your kind words and willingness to stand against injustice has showed our members and Muslim students from other universities around the country that we are not alone.

The post was followed by a lengthy back and forth among comments, including from Breitbart contributor Ariana Rowlands, who repeatedly asked for the Muslim Student Association to respond to Jones request to condemn the attack. Others wrote that the group should not have to respond.

It blew up like nothing Ive ever seen before, Jones said.

The College Republicans Facebook page showed the original post had more than 230,000 views and 500 responses, mostly against the letter.

It's hard to tell whether you're just trolling Muslim students because you think this type of bullying is fun & edgy, or whether you seriously believe your fellow Muslim students might be supporters of terrorism, one person wrote. The former possibility puts you beneath contempt, while the latter highlights how embarrassingly ignorant you are, so I'm not sure which you'd prefer.

Jones said the letter was written following a telephone board meeting with other College Republican board members, who endorsed it. He put his own phone number on the letter, and said he received one threatening text.

It said, I hope you rot in hell, Jones said. Were coming for you this week, you vile piece of a human being. Watch your back every step you take. SDSU campus will be the war zone against you and inhumane rats.

An anonymous e-mail to the organization also asked Jones to resign from his position and when convenient, kill yourself, he said.

Despite the controversy, Jones said he does not regret posting the letter, which he saw as a reasonable request.

In our opinion, its real simple, he said. There was an act of violence, much like the one that happened in Charlottesville, and we were making a simple request in calling them to join us in condemning it.

Jones was referring to a clash in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month between members of White nationalist and counter-protesters. A counter-protester was killed in the unrest.

Jones said the College Republicans issued a statement condemning the violence and actions of white nationalists at the rally immediately after the incident.

There are nearly 9,200 homeless people in San Diego County. Between 2016 and 2017, downtown San Diego experienced the single largest increase in homeless individuals in the region.

There are nearly 9,200 homeless people in San Diego County. Between 2016 and 2017, downtown San Diego experienced the single largest increase in homeless individuals in the region.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939

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SDSU Republican letter to Muslims gets harsh backlash - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Arthur J. Finkelstein, a longtime GOP pollster and strategist credited with helping elect Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, has died at age 72 of lung cancer, his family says.

Finkelstein, considered less flamboyant but arguably more influential than better known Republican strategists, such as Lee Atwater and Roger Ailes, is widely regarded as the man responsible for turning the word "liberal" into a pejorative to be wielded against Democrats. He was also considered a pioneer in developing political action committees to raise vast sums of money for campaigns.

"Those who matter in politics are familiar with Arthur, but no one beyond that; which is the way Arthur likes it," wrote Craig Shirley at National Review in January. "He's never been the face of a wristwatch, but the gears would not run without him. While other consultants run to the spotlight, Arthur has always run away from it."

He was instrumental in helping to elect or re-elect such figures as Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and New York Gov. George Pataki. He also worked on campaigns for Israeli prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ariel Sharon.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone told The Washington Post in 1996 that Finkelstein "dictated the message strategy" for Republicans, which was to charge "liberal, liberal, liberal."

According to The New York Times, Finkelstein "pioneered sophisticated demographic analyses of primary voters and methodical exit polling, and of using a marketing strategy, called microtargeting, to identify specific groups of potential supporters of a candidate regardless of their party affiliation."

"He would bombard them with appeals to support a candidate through direct mail and phone calls, coupled with television advertisements that mercilessly exploited a rival's vulnerabilities."

The Washington Post writes:

"He was also something of a political conundrum especially after it was revealed in 1996 that his private life as a gay man was in sharp contrast to the views of some of the conservative firebrands he helped elect. Helms, for instance, often railed against the 'homosexual movement,' which he said 'threatens the strength and the survival of the American family.'

"In 1996, New York Times columnist Frank Rich described Mr. Finkelstein as someone who 'sells his talents to lawmakers who would outlaw his family's very existence.'"

In 1994 rival political consultant Philip Freidman described Finkelstein as "the ultimate sort of Dr. Strangelove."

Freidman told The New York Times that Finkelstein "believes you can largely disregard what the politicians are going to say and do, what the newspapers are going to do, and create a simple and clear and often negative message, which, repeated often enough, can bring you to victory."

Link:
Influential Republican Strategist Arthur J. Finkelstein Dies : The Two ... - NPR