Nevada’s Latino Governor’s Hard Road

Nevada’s first Latino governor Brian Sandoval has got a hard road ahead of him in a state that’s been suffering from the housing crisis and economic recession particularly strong, according to a report from The Los Angeles Times. Although during the election Sandoval was almost untouchable as far as criticisms go, now it’s on:

It began with his inauguration Jan. 3 as Nevada’s first Latino governor, when he wielded the word “optimism” like President Obama did “hope” and “change.” It ended abruptly last week with the unveiling of a budget plan that would put state services on a starvation diet.

Sandoval has never faced such scrutiny and criticism. Liberals mocked him as the “Benevolent Butcher” and, in a nod to his austere predecessor, “Sandogibbons”…

How Sandoval’s popularity withstands the drubbing will determine how Nevada attacks its fiscal morass. Democrats control the Legislature by a slim margin, and are aghast at the proposed cuts. It could also affect whether Sandoval, a rising GOP star, gains national prominence.

Good luck to him and to Nevada, generally. Texas is also about to go through a budget battle that will probably leave minorities, poor people and the elderly even worse off than they were when the recession started. I’ll say one thing for Sandoval, at least he hasn’t disposed with Nevada’s constitution like his fellow Latino Republican governor, New Mexico’s Susana Martinez.