A couple of days ago I came across this really nice piece on Clark County’s Senator Mike Roberson. We’re extremely lucky to have this guy in Carson City. In fact, I would argue that the entire Senate GOP Caucus – with its nice mix of veterans and folks with fresh passion – was the most effective entity in Carson during the last legislative session, short of the Governor himself. They’re smart, thoughtful, and for the most part do a very good job knowing which fights to pick. They also understood that they needed to stay united in the minority if they wanted to remain relevant.
Roberson in particular is persuasive. Part of this is that he’s usually gracious even in his tenacity, even when I happen to disagree with him on something. This is crucial – unapologetic conservatism will sell even in “blue” districts and states, because the idea that government has limits, should be accountable, and should spend within its means are concepts that are hard to argue with. But even quality products need to be promoted and “sold”.
Incidentally, this is why merely looking at a voting record is an inadequate way to judge a legislator, which is why most of those “report cards” you see at the end of the session should be taken with large grains of salt. The question must broaden to one of, “was this person able to get enough other legislators (in either party) on board with their idea such that they either passed good legislation or blacked bad legislation?”
I sincerely don’t mean to knock folks in past sessions, but these guys have been particularly good. I hope we see more and more of this kind of leadership in the years to come in both chambers, and frankly, nationally.
