The Sagebrush State, 4th Ed: Nevada’s History, Government, and Politics

Preface to 4th Edition

Preface to the Fourth Edition Since the publication of the third edition of The Sagebrush State in 2006, the state of Nevada has undergone incredible and in some cases debilitating changes politically and economically. At the same time, many good changes have occurred as well. In addition to the elections that have taken place since the third edition and the new officeholders who have taken their seats—including two governors—there have been several regular and special sessions of the legislature . In the preface to the third edition, I noted that “the Democrats appear to be quickly losing ground in the Sagebrush State,” given electoral successes by the Republicans in the 1990s and early 2000s. As I write this in early 2013, it is the case that the Republicans seem to be on the ropes,withTea Party,libertarian,and more traditional factions battling for the soul of the party. Harry Reid has organized and guided the Democrats and shepherded not only his own reelection but also the election wins in Nevada for President Barack Obama—twice—and wins for other Democrats down the ticket. In addition, the Republicans who in 2006 held all six constitutional offices were by 2013 down to only two. The state senate remains closely divided, as it has for several years (with Democrats holding a one-seat majority), but the state assembly appears to be permanently in Democratic hands. As most observers know, the state of Nevada was among the hardest hit by the Great Recession of 2007–2011. Unemployment rates and home foreclosures were the highest of any state. When the housing bubble burst, the bottom fell out of the construction industry, and many of these workers left the state to find work elsewhere. With national unemployment high and job security nonexistent in virtually every sector of the economy, tourists either did not have dollars to spend in Nevada or were too cautious to do so. As a result, the economy in the Sagebrush State tanked. Politically, the bad economy led to multiple special sessions of the legislature to balance the budget, conflict over raising taxes and cutting spending, and difficult relations between Governor Jim Gibbons and the legislature. In 2010 Gibbons became the first governor in Nevada to be denied renomination by his party. On a positive note, the legislature passed a domestic-partner bill in 2009, allowing gay, lesbian, and straight couples to register as domestic partners with xi the state, entitling them to all the same rights as married couples (with the exception of employer-provided health insurance). And in 2011, the legislature passed three bills protecting the rights of transgender individuals.Constitutionally , in 2012 the voters amended the state constitution, allowing the legislature to call itself into special session, a power it had never had before. In addition to the economic meltdown in the state,perhaps the biggest change since the third edition has been the newly found political power of the Sagebrush State’s Hispanic population. As that population continues to grow, register to vote, and participate in various ways in numbers unseen before, Hispanics are becoming an important political force and one that officeholders cannot ignore. I am very pleased to provide this updated version of a book that first came out in 1996. I hope the reader will find it to be educational and, if not entertaining, well, then, at least not boring. I am, as always, tremendously grateful to Brian Davie of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for his assistance in tracking down even the most elusive and obscure information. This book is certainly the better for his efforts. And, of course, I must once again thank all of the great folks at the University of Nevada Press for their helpfulness, cheerfulness, and assistance in creating all four editions of this work. xii Preface to the Fourth Edition ...