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New speaker names chairs

UPDATE II: I have confirmed Hickey turned down Ways and Means, told Hansen it would not be smart to have a northern chair of the money committee. Hickey had offered Hansen a place in leadership months ago, I'm reliably told, but then decided to make his move during the meeting, prodded by Michele Fiore and Jim Wheeler. Although some may speculate Hickey may quit after being shunted aside, I'm told that's not true. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, apologies to Bette: Buckle up.... ----

Waves have consequences: Ira Hansen elected speaker

UPDATED, NOON, 11/8: I got some intel from some GOP insiders, who filled me in on exactly what happened during Friday's marathon session:

2015 Mischief Blog, one in a series: Redistricting

This will be a running blog on what kind of strange stuff could happen in the brave, new and red world of Carson City, where the 22-11-1 math means the Republicans can pretty much do what they want. First speculation: Redistricting.

UNLV confirms it chilled academic freedom to please gaming masters

UNLV is runnin’ from its credibility even faster after the margin tax failed by canceling a request for the Brookings Institution to review a university study on the initiative that the institution’s major gaming patrons did not like. That aborted Brookings review has now been exposed for the ruse that it is and confirmed UNLV’s status as a second-tier (generous) center of academic thought.

The GOP paints the capital town red, and I am cautiously optimistic (really)

Confessions of an oracle

Don't you hate pundits who make predictions and then never acknowledge where they were right and, even better for second-guessers, where they were wrong? Not this pundit.

State Senate Democrats in disarray

State Senate Democrats, relegated to the minority in 2015, met Wednesday but could not find consensus on a new leader, sources say. The outgoing majority leader, Mo Denis, still wants the job. But so do Aaron Ford and Kelvin Atkinson. And none have a majority. At least not yet, so they postponed the vote. "There's no rush," Tick Segerblom told me. Ford is seen as the most moderate, but apparently has the backing of progressive Pat Spearman. Denis is obviously the nice-guy candidate (again), but the Democrats finished last in 2014, so that doesn't help.

The Sandoval Sweep is unprecedented

When was the last time the Republicans held all constitutional offices and both houses of the Legislature? Never, say the great folks at the Legislative Counsel Bureau. Take a look, thanks to what the LCB's research library culled from the Political History of Nevada 2006: Elections After Which All Nevada Constitutional Offices and Both Houses of the Nevada Legislature Were Held by the Same Party

Senate GOP announces leadership, committee assignments

The release:   Senate Republican Caucus Elects Leadership and Announces Committee Chair Positions for the 2015 Legislative Session   (Las Vegas - NV) – The Senate Republican Caucus today announced the election of Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, as caucus leader for the 2015 Legislative Session.  

My post-wave thoughts

I shared some thoughts with my newsletter subscribers this morning, so here they are (you should subscribe because this is a one-time only thing!) with some new thoughts below: