"nevada"

Heller Invents Excuses For Bailing On Latin Chamber

Recently, Nevada Senator Dean Heller outraged members of the Hispanic community by cancelling an an appearance with the Latin Chamber of Commerce at the last minute. Though he was already en route to the meeting, Heller chose to bail after being informed by an advance staffer that a former member of the Latin Chamber's board who currently works for Shelley Berkley was in attendance, and that another attendee had a camera. The only plausible explanation for Heller's actions is that he is afraid of what Nevada voters will think if they can see for themselves what Heller is saying on the campaign trail. But in an radio interview yesterday, Heller attempted to explain away his actions by lying about the circumstances under which he cancelled his appearance.

AP: State issues can be tricky for presidential field

On October 27, 2011, the Associated Press reported:

Mitt Romney gingerly distanced himself from a labor issue on the Ohio ballot one day. The next, he embraced the initiative "110 percent."

The equivocation not only highlighted his record of shifting positions but also underscored the local political minefields national candidates often confront in their state-by-state path to the presidency.

AP: Going Off-The-Cuff, Romney Does Himself Few Favors

On October 28, 2011, the Associated Press reported:

"Mitt Romney may need a censor. For himself. In the last few weeks in Nevada, the man who owns several homes told the state hit tough by the housing crisis: "Don't try and stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom." At one point in Iowa, earlier this year, the former venture capitalist uttered, "Corporations are people," with the country in the midst of a debate over Wall Street vs. Main Street. At an event in economically suffering Florida, the retiree — who is a multimillionaire many times over — told out-of-work voters, "I'm also unemployed." Over the past year, the Republican presidential candidate has amassed a collection of off-the-cuff comments that expose his vulnerabilities and, taken together, cast him as out-of-touch with Americans who face staggering unemployment, widespread foreclosures and a dire outlook on the economy..."

Huffington Post: Democrats Target Big Oil Profits In Latest Attack On GOP Senate Candidates

On October 27, 2011 The Huffington Post wrote:

 "The Democrats' Senate campaign committee is making good Thursday on its promise to try to tar several GOP contenders with their votes protecting tax breaks for oil companies. A Democratic source said an online campaign will use targeted Google and Facebook ads that coincide with oil companies announcing their latest round of mega profits. The ads, launching in four states, target Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, former Virginia Sen. George Allen, Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake and Montana Rep. Dennis Rehberg, all of whom have opposed ending tax subsidies for oil companies..."

MEMO: Republican Candidates And The Debt Limit

To: Interested Parties From: Rodell Mollineau, President American Bridge Date: 8/5/11 RE: Republican Candidates and the Debt Limit This past week we witnessed the Republicans and their Tea Party allies play a dangerous game of chicken with our nation’s economy. They drove the economy right to the brink threatening to let our nation fail to pay its bills for the first time in history. And while eventually the Republican leaders came to their senses and agreed to raise the debt ceiling, what was truly frightening was how Republican candidates for both President and the Senate ran to the far right advocating either default or the dangerous economic policies, deemed “cut cap and balance,” that would have sent our economy right over the cliff.

Background:

“This would be an unprecedented event in American history. A default would inflict catastrophic, far-reaching damage on our Nation’s economy, significantly reducing growth, and increasing unemployment… Default would not only increase borrowing costs for the Federal government, but also for families, businesses, and local governments – reducing investment and job creation throughout the economy.” [letter from Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, 5/13/11]

NY Times: Trailing G.O.P. With Cameras, Seeking Gaffes

Aaron Fielding quietly stalks his prey — Republicans — with his video camera, patiently waiting for a political moment worthy of YouTube. At 27, he is a full-time “tracker” for American Bridge 21st Century, a new Democratic organization that aims to record every handshake, every utterance by Republican candidates in 2011 and 2012, looking for gotcha moments that could derail political ambitions or provide fodder for television advertisements by liberal groups next year.

Real Clear Politics: Heller has changed abortion stance in Congress

On June 18, 2011, Real Clear Politics reported:

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller's stance on abortion would appear to have changed completely from the congressional candidate who stated five years ago that he supported a woman's right to have an abortion.

Dean Heller On Mortgage Reforms

Heller Voted to Terminate the Home Affordable Modification Program. On March 29, 2011, Heller voted to terminate the Home Affordable Modification Program meant to prevent mortgage foreclosures. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The House voted 252 to 170 to end the Obama administration’s main mortgage foreclosure prevention program, saying the much-criticized initiative has been ineffective and given false hope to hundreds of thousands of homeowners who ultimately lost their homes anyway. The vote […] follows votes this month […] to end three smaller federal programs designed to help homeowners and communities deal with the foreclosure crisis. […] HAMP is the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s efforts to keep struggling homeowners in their houses but has drawn bipartisan criticism for failing to meet its objectives. It was launched with great fanfare in early 2009 with the goal of helping 3 million to 4 million homeowners avoid foreclosure through 2012 by providing cash incentives for lenders to reduce monthly payments. Funded with as much as $30 billion from the $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, HAMP has permanently lowered payments for about 540,000 homeowners through January.” [Roll Call 198, H 839, 03/29/2011; Los Angeles Times, 03/30/11]

170,000 Nevadan Homeowners Are Underwater On Their Mortgages. “The financial firm First American CoreLogic reports that 170,000 mortgage holders in Nevada owe more than 25 percent above their home’s value. In a state with a jobless rate now higher than 10 percent, bankruptcy may be the option of last resort for those cases, experts have said.” [Las Vegas Sun, 5/3/09]

Heller Has Taken Over $358,000 From Real Estate Interests. According to the non-partisan Center For Responsive Politics, Senator Dean Heller has taken at least $358,450,098 in federal campaign contributions from real estate interests throughout his career. [Opensecrets.org accessed 6/24/2011]

Dean Heller On Medicare

Heller Says He Is Proud To Be The Only Member Of Congress Who Would Get To Vote For GOP Medicare Plan Twice. Before Dean Heller was sworn in as a Senator, the Associated Press noted that he would likely have to vote again on the Paul Ryan budget plan. “Once Heller joins the Senate, Reid could call up for a vote the House budget blueprint that the chamber passed last month. The nonbinding plan would cut $6.2 trillion from yearly federal deficits over the coming decade. The plan makes changes to Medicare and Medicaid that some Democrats say would prove unpopular in next year’s elections. ‘I’m not worried about it. I voted for it once. I’m not going to come over here and vote against it,’ Heller said. ‘I’m proud to be the only member of Congress who will get to vote for it twice.’” [Associated Press, 5/3/11 (emphasis added)]

Heller Voted In The House for the Ryan Plan To End Medicare As We Know It And Double Out-Of-Pocket Costs For Seniors. Heller voted for adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 34, the House GOP-proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 authored by Paul Ryan. The GOP budget included proposals to convert the federal share of Medicaid to a block grant to states. It also called for converting Medicare for persons currently younger than 55 into a “premium support system” through which the government would pay private insurance companies directly for each enrollee. The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that “The Ryan budget plan would cut federal spending on Medicaid, which provides health care for the poor, and begin distributing money by block grant to states. The plan would do away with Medicare’s direct payment for health care for seniors, replacing it with a voucher system in which recipients choose private insurers. The Congressional Budget Office found that part of the plan, which would take effect in 2022, could nearly double out-of-pocket costs for seniors.” In an April 7th, 2011 editorial, the Newark Star-Ledger warned that Paul Ryan’s plan would “end Medicare as we know it.” [Vote 277, 4/15/2011; Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 4/16/2011; Newark Star-Ledger Editorial, 4/7/2011]

Heller Voted In The Senate For The Paul Ryan Budget Plan That Includes Privatizing Medicare.  Heller for a motion to proceed on House Concurrent Resolution 34, the House GOP-passed budget for fiscal year 2012 authored by Paul Ryan. [Vote 77, 5/25/2011]