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Today's Must Read
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons’ run-ins with the FBI, a cocktail waitress, the Wall Street Journal and most recently his state’s legislature, have gotten the new governor’s tenure off to a “rocky start” The New York Times reports.
It looks like the Republican governor’s involvement in myriad scandals might be catching up with him. A recent Mason-Dixon poll cited by the Times showed Gibbons, who was sworn into office 12 seconds after midnight on New Year’s Eve (because of security concerns related to the execution of Saddam Hussein…), garners support from only 28% of voters.
Lately, Gibbons, under investigation for allegedly taking bribes while a member of the House, has taken heat for causing a state government shutdown. Gibbons threatened to veto the state’s $7 billion budget after the legislature denied his request for half a million dollars for an anti-terrorism hub in Carson City that would duplicate work already being done in Reno and Las Vegas.
In another unpopular move, Gibbons backed a tax program meant to encourage green buildings, but turned out to be so generous that companies could actually turn a profit. He later ended the program (except for four companies), just before telling the local editorial board he could not pronounce the name of his "Indian" energy adviser (she is Turkish).
Besides outlining Gibbons’ ongoing saga of scandal The New York Times also revisited how he defeated State Senator Dina Titus and got into office in the first place:
He took few strong policy positions in that campaign, and instead continually derided Ms. Titus — already an object of suspicion thanks to her Southern accent and tough-edged persona — as tax happy.Among the more memorable campaign remarks made by Mr. Gibbons, a former combat pilot and veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars, was his suggestion that “liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals” ought to be used as human shields in Iraq. It all played well with Mr. Gibbons’s base of voters in rural and Northern Nevada.
Similar tactics worked well for another fighter pilot turned politician, Duke Cunningham. And Cunningham, like Gibbons, enjoyed cozy relationships with defense contractors who he rewarded millions of dollars in classified contracts. You can bet Gibbons hopes the similiarities end here.
Comments (22)
Anonymous wrote on May 30, 2007 10:21 AM:28% approval rating ... he's a Bushie wannabee!
Peter Duffy wrote on May 30, 2007 10:21 AM:Sounds like an ideal running mate for Newt Gingrich.
SparksNV wrote on May 30, 2007 10:28 AM:Gibbons is incompetent, a crook, a liar and a total sleaze. But, so is our Lieutenant Governor.
Dabb wrote on May 30, 2007 10:42 AM:I am not proud to live in Nevada.....We are governed by morons...and sad thing is the majority of the populace could care less...
"...was his suggestion that “liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals” ought to be used as human shields in Iraq."
Now isn't that just special. This man is soooo NOT what the US is about. And he is a governor and former US Congressman? geeez...Nevada surely can do better than this!
jeffgee wrote on May 30, 2007 10:50 AM:Let's see, Bush, Rumsfeld, DukeStir Cunnyham and Gibbons, all were fighter pilots. Paragons of virtue and impeccable judgment. Apparently, operating complex machinery doesn't automatically qualify someone for public service.
Jane wrote on May 30, 2007 10:55 AM:"liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals"
He REALLY hates liberals, doesn't he? So much that he says the word twice. Make him the head of the Department of Redundancy Department
What a Bozo.
jeffgee: Maybe brain damage from exposure to lead in the engine exhaust is real?
Hesiod wrote on May 30, 2007 11:04 AM:Let's get these folks checked.
Sounds like the perfect candidate for a recall.
The recall process in Nevada starts officially on July 1st.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/748805536#body
GSD wrote on May 30, 2007 11:05 AM:No bile left behind with these Republicans on the hustings.
Congrats Nevada, another crooked scumbag on the Republican wall of shame.
Let's see. Alaska is in full Republican meltdown mode. The Ohio Republican machine already collapsed 2006. Kentucky just re-nominated their thoroughly corrupt Governor Fletcher and will soon be headed for defeat. NH Republicans are so bankrupt that donations to them go to the NH Democrats because of a lost lawsuit.
Thank God for the party of virtue.
-GSD
snow wrote on May 30, 2007 11:56 AM:Gibbons only used the "security concerns" as an excuse to be sworn in at midnight. His real reason was revealed three days later when he replaced a Gaming Board selection made by the outgoing governor, claiming that because he took the oath at midnight, the position was his to fill.
Yes, another Republican who uses national security as a cover for political shenanigans.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 30, 2007 11:56 AM:The Gibbons spearheaded the Education First Initiative that was put on the NV ballot and passed. But between 7/03 and 7/04, the Gibbons raised money for the initiative without a formal organizational structure in place and without financial accountability.
As I documented in another TPM MR post (link below), Education First Initiative, Inc., first registered on 7/8/04, mistakenly (intentional or otherwise) classified more than $100k in contributions as an opening balance. See the 990s at the Foundation Center's 990 Finder.
My questions are:
1) How much money did the Gibbons raise for the Education First Initiative between 7/3 and 7/04?
2) What bank account was the money deposited in?
3) What Education First-related expenses were paid by the Gibbons before 7/04?
By 6/04, National Vote Outreach had already submitted enough valid signatures on an Education First Initiative petition as required to the Nevada SOS. In mid-June, the SOS certified the signatures and announced that the initiative would be on the November ballot.
How did National Vote Outreach get paid and when? The 2004 Education First Initiative, Inc. 990 indicates that NVO was paid $138k some time after 7/04 but surely NVO was paid at least a down payment before it collected tens of thousands of signatures for the Gibbons. Where did the money come from?
Smells a bit fishy to me.
Vegas Vic wrote on May 30, 2007 12:25 PM:"Similar tactics worked well for another fighter pilot turned politician, Duke Cunningham..."
I've been referring to The Empty Flight Suit Governor as, "Duke Cunningham LIGHT" for two years now. Gibbons never met a problem he couldn't address by talking about flying his RF-4 over Bagdhad in Desert Storm.
There is an underground traffic in Gibbons jokes, most of which point out what a sleazy buffoon he is.
Meanwhile, Gibbons gives dim-witted, slogan-slinging, corrupt, hypocritical scumbags everywhere a bad name.
CODE: "rule", as in, "These people don't care about governing, they just want to RULE."
Black Flag wrote on May 30, 2007 12:41 PM:Greetings from Reno, the white trash capital of the West! I think it must be something in the water...
Buck wrote on May 30, 2007 12:45 PM:"...“liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals” ought to be used as human shields in Iraq. It all played well with Mr. Gibbons’s base of voters in rural and Northern Nevada."
I sometimes wonder if this country is even worth saving. Doctors will tell you that when a patient with cancer or some other disease reaches a certain point, it's time to throw in the towel. Are we there yet?
What?! wrote on May 30, 2007 1:41 PM:Panstreppon,
Those are all excellent questions and I would encourage you to submit them, in writing, today, to Nevada Secretary of State, Ross Miller. Go. Do it now.
No need for a recall, by the time the Feds are done with Gibbons, he'll be a goner. Here's a question; can our Senate reconvene itself for the impeachment or does the Governor himself have to call for a "special session"?
Krolicki our Lt. Governor...well, he may well be in a deeper hole than Gibbons. A very special group of people are now looking into his business dealings while he was the state treasurer. He too will be gone by this time next year. When does he start HIS legal defense fund?!
What?! wrote on May 30, 2007 1:44 PM:Sorry,
Assembly impeaches, Senate convicts. The question of authority to reconvene remains.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 30, 2007 2:39 PM:What?!@May 30, 2007 01:41 PM - I don't live in Nevada. This is job for Nevada Dems. If they are not up to it or don't think it is worthwhile pursuing, that's the end of the story for me.
Anonymous wrote on May 31, 2007 12:29 AM:"Let's see. Alaska is in full Republican meltdown mode. The Ohio Republican machine already collapsed 2006. Kentucky just re-nominated their thoroughly corrupt Governor Fletcher and will soon be headed for defeat. NH Republicans are so bankrupt that donations to them go to the NH Democrats because of a lost lawsuit.
"Thank God for the party of virtue.
"Posted by: GSD
Date: May 30, 2007 11:05 AM"
Their one virtue is the generosity of having given their virtues away to their opponents.
JNagarya wrote on May 31, 2007 12:33 AM:"Assembly impeaches, Senate convicts. The question of authority to reconvene remains.
"Posted by: What?!
Date: May 30, 2007 01:44 PM"
That question is answered in your state constitution.
What?! wrote on May 31, 2007 2:10 PM:Article 4 NV Const; 1. The sessions of the Legislature shall be biennial, and shall commence on the 1st Monday of February following the election of members of the Assembly, unless the Governor of the State shall, in the interim, convene the Legislature by proclamation.
Article 5 NV Const; Sec: 9. Special sessions of Legislature; business at special session. The Governor may on extraordinary occasions, convene the Legislature by Proclamation and shall state to both houses when organized, the purpose for which they have been convened, and the Legislature shall transact no legislative business, except that for which they were specially convened, or such other legislative business as the Governor may call to the attention of the Legislature while in Session.
Sounds like if Gibbons doesn't convene the Legislature, they can't impeach him until February 2009 at the earliest.
Mrs Panstreppon: National Voter Outreach (NVO)took in $150,850.50 from December 19, 2003 to June 6, 2004. Education First Initiative got their first donation on September 3, 2003, thus the first Reporting Period in January 2004 shows the starting balance of $119,238.27. (source; NV SOS website). I note that Susan Johnson and Richard Arnold's company, NVO, is or has been in legal trouble in Michigan, Missouri and just this month received a grand jury subponea in Oklahoma, all related to fraud related to gathering signatures for initiatives.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 31, 2007 10:15 PM:What?!, We are dealing with two different and distinct entities. One is the Education First PAC. The other is a non-proft corporation, Education First Initiative, Inc. first registered in Nevada on 7/8/04.
I didn't know about the EFI PAC when I made my comment about the Gibbons raising money without accountability between 7/30 and 7/04.
But my original comment about Education First Initiative, Inc. still holds. EFI Inc. and EFI INC. incorrectly classified $100,434 as an "opening balance." Where did that money come from? It did not come from the EFI PAC.
Looking at the first EFI PAC, it appears that NVO was paid as it collected signatures. If that was the case and all of the signatures were collected by June 2004, why did EFI Inc pay NVO another $138,238 after June 2004?
Why was EFI Inc established if contributions and expenses related to the Education First Initiative could be administered through the EFI PAC?
1)To hide the $18,000 or so paid by EFI Inc to Dawn Gibbons' company, Politek?
2)To disugise campaign contributions from Republic Services, Venetian Casino Resort,LLC, etc?
3)To hide work conducted by NVO for something other than the Education First Intiative?
Again, the "opening balance" of $100,434 is incorrect. Was it deliberately misclassified so as to avoid disclosing the names of the donors?
Mrs P wrote on May 31, 2007 10:24 PM:BTW, I'm sure you noticed that Dawn Gibbons' Politek pulled $14k out of the EFI PAC at the same time Politek was being paid by EFI Inc.
Mrs P wrote on June 1, 2007 10:10 AM:When I read Laura McGann's 5/18/07 Gibbons post, I assumed she was referring to EFI Inc when she noted that Dawn Gibbons took in $18k from Educaton First:
"Dawn Gibbons’ biggest client in 2004 was her husband's 2004 re-election campaign, which paid the firm more than $93,000. The year before, she received $18,000 from a nonprofit (Education First) that she and her husband created."
But where did McGann get that info about Dawn Powell being paid $18k in 2003? EFI Inc did not come into existence until 7/8/04. The 2004 EFI Inc 990 only lists "Consultants" being paid $26,192 and not a specific consultant.
Neither Dawn Gibbons nor Profitek was paid anything by EFI PAC until February 2004. Even then, it was not until June 2004 when Politek raised the ante to $2,000 monthly.