Compare. Contrast. Disgust. Um, discuss.

The Feb. 23 Clark County Democratic Party Convention

Today's Clark County Republican Party Convention

Like all successful viruses, religion will mutate to survive. Sorry, we mean evolve.

It’s after lunch, but some Republican bigwigs still had some red meat to toss to the crowd.

U.S. Rep Dean Heller, whose rural 2nd Congressional District includes some portions of Clark County, was perhaps most clear about the Republican agenda. “Successful Americans” need to realize that they need Republicans in Washington, D.C., Heller said.

Get it? “Successful Americans,” that is people with money, who have something to fear, presumably from a Democratic agenda that allows regular people access to courts to challenge those self same “successful Americans.” (Hence, Heller attacked trial lawyers.) “Successful Americans” who run big oil companies that get tax breaks at the same time they’re earning record profits. (Hence, Heller attacked the bill to strip tax breaks from those companies.)

There’s a “major difference” between the two political parties, Heller said. There sure is. One party wants to represent those “successful Americans,” while the other party is just shooting to represent Americans, “successful” or not. Or at least that’s what it looks like from our perch.

Heller’s big applause line? Enforce immigration laws. That got a standing ovation.

U.S. Sen. John Ensign got his own standing ovation just for showing up. He repeated something he’s been saying for a long time: “We took back the majority then [in 1994],” Ensign said. “We blew it.”

Republicans came in with ideas, but became more concerned with staying in power than why they came to power in the first place, he said. So true. And so common to both political parties.

Ensign mentioned his job as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is more of an assignment than a prestige post, especially with a record 23 GOP seats to defend this year.

“The odds are against us. That’s right where I like to be,” Ensign said to applause.

Ensign, although speaking to a crowd in which a woman was sporting a “Harry Reid is a traitor” T-shirt, made no mention of his Senate BFF. He did, however, deride “a party that says the war is lost.”

Sorry, senator, but the party never said that. Reid did. So was that a violation of the longstanding non-aggression pact? You be the judge.

Finally, after a pro-John McCain speech from Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, state party Chairwoman Sue Lowden took the stage. She announced she’s invited all the GOP’s presidential contenders to speak to the state convention April 26, including the immensely popular Ron Paul. That got some applause.

To Paul’s supporters, Lowden said: “I welcome you to join our Republican Party.” Hmmm. Does she know that Paul and the people who made him No. 2 in the Jan. 19 caucus already are Republicans? Or does the principled, anti-war Paul belong to a different Republican Party?

The Clark County Republican Party convention kicked off at The Orleans this morning with a remarkable lack of chaos. Convention attendees who actually listen respectfully? After the Democrats’ Clusterfuck Convention Feb. 23, who’d have thought?

Gov. Jim Gibbons took the stage after a standing ovation for brief remarks. Can you guess what red meat he tossed on this barbie?

“I am never going to support a tax increase,” he declared to applause. “To have made that [no tax] promise was the right thing to do. To give it up and back away from it is the wrong thing to do for the people of this great state.”

Oh, yeah, baby. That’s the stuff.

Gibbons admitted the Democrats were ahead in registration, but he boldly predicted that Republicans would make up the deficit. And, he said, the Republicans would re-take the Assembly, where Democrats now lead 27-15.

We are, as always, reluctant to disagree with the governor, but the chances of that happening are roughly the same as Gibbons going back on his no-tax promise.

Which makes us wonder, was Gibbons — attired today in a black mock turtleneck — high or something?

Other highlights thus far include a remarkably partisan speech from U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (”The opposition is deeply divided. We must capitalize on their failure to unify and their failure to lead.”). And delegates moments ago strongly voted down a motion to limit debate on platform planks to 10 minutes per issue. Those Republicans. They loves them some debate!