Recall effort should call it quits

Nevada Appeal editorial board

Pardon us if we're a mite skeptical about the excuses being given by the movement to recall Gov. Kenny Guinn.

The group should just admit it doesn't have anywhere close to the number of signatures and shut down the recall campaign. It now has less than a month to gather 128,000 names on the line.

The announcement by Tony Dane, leader of the drive, that the group plans not to file a required campaign expenses and contributions report shreds any credibility it may have left.

The group may well face civil fines from the Nevada Secretary of State's Office if the information isn't forthcoming. How can we take seriously a group trying to oust the governor that's not willing to report publicly who is funding it?

The excuse given by Dane was the "Budweiser thing" - the move by three Stateline casinos to cancel their deal with a Carson City beer distributor over the owner's opposition to the proposed gross-receipts tax. Dane said "several of our people who want to contribute" fear retaliation from casinos with whom they do business.

Well, either they've contributed to the recall movement or they haven't. If they have, their names ought to be public. If they haven't, their names wouldn't be on the contributions list anyway.

Apparently, merely the specter of retaliation from the casino industry is enough to squelch dissent. That means the recall group has bought into the theory the people of Nevada are helpless to control the state's political destiny, something we're not ready to concede.

We should point out the gross-receipts tax favored by both Guinn and major casinos failed to fly in the Legislature. Yes, Guinn won a record tax increase, but the revenue plan finally approved had significant changes from the one he proposed.

By the deadline of Nov. 25, the recall movement will be gone. Its leaders might as well wrap it up now by killing the campaign - and filing its contribution and expense reports.