Random thought of the day on Nevada politics

It occurred to me while talking to a reporter from CBS News about the election that Nevada is potentially anomalous in two races of national import:

1. How in the world in a state with arguably the worst economy in the country is the president even close, much less ahead? Mitt Roimney should be winning by double digits in a state where the unemployment rate is 50 percent higher than the national average and the housing boom turned into a housing implosion? Answer: The Democratic machine and the Hispanic vote

2. How in the world in a state where the Democratic nominee has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for months for fairly serious allegations is she within striking distance of a pretty pristine, likable U.S. senator? Folks, Shelley Berkley's numbers are upside down and yet she may yet win the U.S. Senate race and help Harry Reid, not her biggest fan, remain majority leader. How is this possible? Answer: The Democratic machine, Romney finding Nevada a tough nut to crack and Sen. Dean Heller's confidence that her ethics issue would be enough without pumping up his own bonafides.

To distill: There is no way that Mitt Romney and Dean Heller should lose here, considering the atmospherics. Yet, they might.

God, I love Nevada politics.