While Nevada Republicans work to regain legislative seats later this year, political observer Jon Ralston questions some of their recent moves, including an invitation to conservative firebrand Allen West to a Lincoln Day dinner next week.
That follows the Washoe County Republican Party's invitation to conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza for their Lincoln Day dinner.
D'Souza has been criticized for his comments on Tweeter about students from Parkland, Florida, following the school shooting there that left 17 people dead.
Ralston described D'Souza as a "well-known troll" who has "absolutely no credibility even among conservatives anymore." Ralston said D'Souza is looking for attention and sensationalism.
"This is the best the Republican Party can do?" Ralston asked, "And now they have the crazy former Congressman Allen West coming to the Clark County dinner on March 3 and he thinks that everyone is a Muslim conspirator."
But the speakers chosen by the Republican Party contrast with many of the beliefs of Governor Brian Sandoval.
Ralston said that while the most loyal party members for both parties have dogma that they adhere to, some of the Republican Party base's ideas have skewed to the fringe.
"It's gotten beyond it to this fringe kind of stuff," he said, "Like sanctuary cities are threatening our very existence... that Sandoval just does not believe in... and that most establishment Republicans don't believe in but this pandering to this fringe element is going on in the Republican Party here to have as their three featured speakers Dinesh D'Souze, Joe Arpaio and Allen West. It just shows you where they are at this point in history."
The people looking to replace Gov. Sandoval when his term ends are getting more and more attention as the Election 2018 cycle heats up. However, one of those candidates is running for office in a cocoon, Ralston said.
"There is what I refer to as the Laxalt cocoon going on," he said, "Adam Laxalt, who has barely been in the state for a cup of coffee... is now running for governor and his folks are only letting him be in very controlled or truncated interviews, in other words, one or two minutes or they will go over to the newspaper owned by his patron Sheldon Adelson and do very, very friendly interviews."
Ralston says the Republican candidate for governor won't do an in-depth interview because he doesn't know the issues in an in-depth way.
"I just don't think he knows the issues very well," he said. Ralston went on to challenge Laxalt to prove him wrong and do an in-depth interview.
The national conversation has returned to gun control measures and gun rights in the wake of that shooting in Florida. Ralston believes there could be a chance that Nevada could change its gun laws, depending on who is in power in Carson City.
He said if the Democrats control the Assembly, the Senate and the Governor's office there is a chance, but if Adam Laxalt is elected it is unlikely he would sign a bill.
"He is a very, very strong supporter of the NRA I doubt any gun control legislation is going to get past Governor Adam Laxalt's veto pen," he said.
Jon Ralston, founder/publisher, Nevada Independent
