* No, I didn’t watch the Golden Globe awards last night.
* But I was happy to see “Oppenheimer” - co-produced by one of the few conservatives in Hollywood, actor James Woods – win so many categories, including best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best director, and best original score.
* I’d argue that Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle are the two best comedians on the planet today. And Gervais recently floated the idea of him and Chappelle co-hosting the Academy Awards.
* That’s about the ONLY reason I’d ever watch the Oscars again. It would be lit.
* Don’t look now, but some local jurisdictions are starting to bring back mask mandates over media fearmongering about the latest new COVID strain. All I can say is, NEVER AGAIN.
* When it comes to pro-Hamas demonstrations that block traffic, Jeff Carter has the solution…
“First, when they block traffic, arrest every single person there, no exceptions. Put them in jail. Load them into paddy wagons and take them for a ride. Force them to hire an attorney, and post bail. If they can’t post bail, guess where they get to sit. Second, get the tow trucks out there and impound their vehicles. Force them to pay to get their vehicles out of storage.”
* Make it so, Number One.
* In case you missed it, California just green-lighted having taxpayers pick up the tab for free health care, including sex change operations, for illegal aliens. Nevada Democrats would love to do the same here, which is why it’s so important to protect Gov. Lombardo’s veto power.
* We are now just days away from the Iowa caucus. Everyone, except the DeSantis camp, believes Trump will run away with it. Trump has been touting polls showing him ahead by as much as 50%.
* But what if he doesn’t? What if the polls are wrong? What if the race turns out to be close – like in single digits? Or if DeSantis actually pulls off a miracle win?
* After all, he’s the only candidate who visited all 99 counties – a big deal for Iowans – and has landed the most prestigious endorsements of top conservatives in the state, including Gov. Kim Reynolds.
* At that point, all bets would be off for the nomination and Republicans would have a “yuge” fight on their hands. Crazier things have happened in politics.
* Michigan Republicans ousted their party’s chairwoman, Krisina Karamo, “a noted election denier,” over the weekend. Hmmm.
* RedMove.org is hosting a Republican U.S. Senate primary debate on January 18th in Reno. Participants: Tony Grady, Jeff Gunter, Stephanie Phillips, Bill Conrad, Ronda Kennedy & Jim Marchant.
* Noticeably absent: Sam Brown, the race’s leading candidate.
* With last week’s announcement that Republican Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama was foregoing her congressional bid in favor of seeking re-election to protect Gov. Lombardo’s vetoes, the strategic electoral map could change.
* Embattled and indicted Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law had announced for Kasama’s seat, sending panic in GOP circles.
* Assembly Republicans need to flip at least one seat to get out of the super-minority, and it was feared that Law, absent a credible primary opponent, would lose this swing seat. That fear surely factored into Kasama’s decision.
* Lombardo has already endorsed Kasama’s re-election to the seat. But at press time, I hadn’t heard that Law was backing out. He should. Kasama clearly has the best shot at holding this seat.
* As for the CD3 race, Kasama’s exit leaves two Republicans in the race: Drew Johnson and Elizabeth Helgelien. Neither is considered a strong challenger to Democrat incumbent Rep. Susie Lee, who enjoys a significant Democrat registration advantage in the district.
* Don’t be surprised if the “powers that be” now decide that CD3 isn’t the #1 priority and instead switch their resources to CD4, another Democrat-majority district currently being misrepresented by incumbent Democrat Steve Horsford.
* The big difference: The GOP’s likely nominee, former state legislator and former North Las Vegas mayor John Lee, is a proven vote-getter with cross-over appeal and an admirable record of success.
* With Kasama’s withdrawal, don’t be surprised to see the GOP’s focus on flipping at least one congressional seat in Nevada shift from CD3 to CD4.
* In fact, depending on which candidate emerges from the GOP primary – Fleming Larsen or Mark Robertson – CD1 against Democrat incumbent Rep. Dina Titus might even look more attractive than CD3.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Trump is ineligible for Nevada’s primary ballot because Trump’s campaign didn’t fill out an application to place him on Nevada’s primary ballot. As hilarious as it would have been if this was the product of a paperwork snafu committed by an incompetently run campaign, Trump’s absence from Nevada’s primary ballot was wholly intentional. They merely followed the directions provided to them by a truly incompetently run organization — the Nevada GOP, which decided the same primary election process that’s been used to select every other non-presidential Republican candidate, including our current governor, in the state for decades is still not good enough for presidential candidates in 2024. In case anyone didn’t get the memo, the state party warned presidential campaigns that if it saw their candidates’ names on the primary ballot, those candidates would be ineligible to participate in and receive delegates from the caucus.” – Columnist David Colborne
“Given the way current GOP leadership has been unofficially campaigning for the former president (Trump) — including chairman Michael McDonald urging voters to caucus for Trump — a lower participation rate might well be the entire point. There’s been no shortage of individuals alleging the caucus has been designed to give Trump an advantage. And it’s easy to see why: The alternative explanation would be that party leadership is merely unimaginably incompetent for having not anticipated the confusion, discord and discontent its decision to move forward with a caucus would incite.” – Columnist Michael Schaus
“In Nevada, many Republicans long ago suspended their sense of disbelief and continue to live in a world in which — all facts to the contrary — they were mysteriously robbed of victory in the 2020 presidential election due to widespread voter fraud. Just to make sure the truth behind the trickery isn’t exposed, Trump’s trusty assistant, GOP Chairman Michael McDonald is keeping him in the spotlight with his very own special caucus Feb. 8 two days after the legally scheduled Republican primary. The cheap chicanery has caused Trump’s critics in the party to suspect the obvious, that the caucus is tailor-made for him. Nevada’s GOP delegates are practically in Trump’s pocket.” – Columnist John L. Smith
“What’s worse is the lack of caucus locations in obvious locations. None in Laughlin, Searchlight, or Mesquite. We have to drive 1.5hrs each way to caucus at NIGHT. Laughlin and Searchlight have to go to Henderson. Mesquite has to drive to North Las Vegas. And Mesquite is a pretty big place!” – Muth’s Truths reader
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com. You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.