National politicscome to Minden

In the old days, politicians used to follow the rails, going from town to town giving speeches and meeting voters.

Such poky maneuvering would guarantee obscurity for those seeking national office these days. Politicians go where the cameras are.

That's why having two national figures, presidential hopeful Gov. Bill Richardson and presidential maybe Gen. Wesley Clark, in Minden on the same night for the same event seems out of sync with how we think presidential campaigns are run.

In fact, Minden was Richardson's second campaign stop since he announced he was running for president on Jan. 21. The first one was in Reno.

He made it clear that he was beginning his campaign in Northern Nevada in an effort to connect with the Silver State's rural population. Richardson acknowledges he is facing an uphill battle for the Democratic nomination, but said he believes Nevada will be a valuable state to win early.

A good showing in Nevada's Jan. 19, 2008, Democratic caucus could make Richardson a contender in a crowded race. Clearly, Clark might be thinking the same thing, should he decide to run.

Douglas County's large Republican majority is irrelevant to Richardson's primary chances. As counterintuitive as it sounds, Carson Valley is a fine place for someone to kick off a campaign for the Democratic nomination. Just don't expect to win the Valley in the general election.