海角大神

Just when you thought the Harry Reid-Sharron Angle US Senate race in Nevada couldn鈥檛 get any weirder ...

Incumbent Democrat Reid, who has all the pizzazz of, say, his Senate GOP counterpart Mitch McConnell, is being painted as a party guy who hangs out with supermodels and lives in luxury at the Ritz in Washington. A sort of Hugh Hefner-style lounge lizard minus the leisure suit.

Sharron Angle, on the other hand, apparently confuses Hispanics with Asians, and she鈥檚 annoyed Canadians with her comment that "our Northern border is where the terrorists came through." So wary of the press is the tea party favorite that she even shushed a Fox News reporter when he tried to ask a question.

Meanwhile, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee has endorsed Democrat Reid. Say what?

OK, so Frank Fahrenkopf is now president of the American Gaming Association. (鈥淕aming鈥� has nothing to do with checkers or Yahtzee. It鈥檚 a euphemism for gambling 鈥� Nevada鈥檚 largest industry.) And for years Reid 鈥� did we mention that he鈥檚 a sobersided Mormon? 鈥� has been the best political friend of casino gambling (in a state where prostitution is still legal in some counties).

So it鈥檚 no surprise when Fahrenkopf says, 鈥淲e just can't take any more assaults on us tax-wise or otherwise.鈥�

"We need someone strong to protect the state and the industry,鈥� Fahrenkopf told the Associated Press. 鈥淣o freshman senator would have clout. To trade the most powerful position in the Senate for a freshman senator doesn't make sense."

But still, the former Republican Party chairman endorsing the guy the GOP would most love to topple?

As they have for weeks, polls show a neck-and-neck race between Reid and Angle. Twelve days before the election, the polls remain within the margin of error.

But there鈥檚 one potentially bad sign for Reid.

Early voting began in Nevada last Saturday, and so far Republicans are voting in disproportionate numbers 鈥� indicating a 鈥渇ired up, ready to go鈥� enthusiasm among the GOP faithful and especially among tea partyers, who are far more likely to vote Republican than Democrat.

Meanwhile, Democrats鈥� advantage in the number of registered voters statewide has dropped from more than 100,000 in 2008 to 60,000, reports Politico.com. And like the rest of the country, independents in Nevada are trending Republican.

Voter turnout thus is crucial for Reid, especially among Latinos, a major portion of his normally-reliable base.

Angle ads featuring dark-skinned men creeping along a chain link fence, portray Reid as 鈥淭he Best Friend an Illegal Alien Ever Had,鈥� which has won her few friends among Latino voters.

But in order to undermine Reid鈥檚 support among Latinos, some working to defeat the four-term incumbent 鈥� specifically, 鈥�Latinos for Reform,鈥� a Virginia-based group headed by a former Republican National Committee official 鈥� are urging Latinos not to vote for anybody as a way of undercutting support for Reid. (Nevada鈥檚 ballot has a 鈥淣one of These Candidates鈥� line.)

The ad criticizes Democrats for not passing immigration reform, but does not mention that Angle rejects such reform in favor of get-tough laws like Arizona鈥檚 and even-tougher law enforcement officials like Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona鈥檚 Maricopa County.

Depending on one鈥檚 point of view, this is either sneaky and underhanded or a brilliant move worthy of Niccol貌 Machiavelli.

President Obama is in Nevada Friday, stumping for Harry Reid. The Obama campaign was well-organized there in 2008. Obama beat John McCain 55-43 percent, even though Nevada had gone Republican four years earlier.

Will the President鈥檚 presence help Reid? Given the shifting political landscape, that鈥檚 hard to say. Also, there鈥檚 the two candidates themselves, each of whom suffers favorability ratings in the low 40s.

Predicts Jennifer Duffy, senior editor of the Cook Political Report: 鈥淪ince both Reid and Angle are prone to creating controversy, almost anything can 鈥� and probably will 鈥� happen in the next 12 days.鈥�