My name is Andrew. I'm a political junky and undercover media operative for three Republican presidents.

It all started with Ronald Reagan in 1975 when a radio salesman offered my ad agency exclusive sponsorship of "Ronald Reagan's American Viewpoint," a syndicated commentary feature. I knew that the recently retired California governor could sell some mobile homes and recommended it to a client who promptly wallpapered the region with billboards promoting the show.

The package included transcripts of Reagan's remarks which my client made available free at his office. They did brisk business. I still have them in storage. When Reagan ran for president the second time in 1980, I dug them out looking for some embarrassing contradictions. There were none. The scripts, which Reagan personally penned, were content-free cotton candy.

When Reagan began making noise to challenge President Gerald Ford in 1976, Newsweek Magazine published a report entitled "What Reagan Stands to Lose" featuring his widely circulated and lucrative radio deal illustrated by my outdoor campaign (22 Sept. 1975, page 21).

Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev., later hosted a Reagan dinner at Harrah's sponsored by the Reno Philharmonic Symphony Association. (5 Oct. 1975) The late Founder/Music Director/Conductor Gregory Stone liked Republicans. (Ironically, my good friend the late maestro was Russian.) My client bought a table and ordered billboards circling the hotel.

After Reagan spoke, everyone had the opportunity to meet the future president. As with his radio material, Reagan's speech was well-presented Pablum that gave me indigestion. I just went home.

In 1986, one of my clients had tickets to see Vice-President George HW Bush at Reno High. As I stood in line, two wire service reporters walked by. I asked if they had seen that morning's Wall Street Journal. I informed them that the pre-Murdoch bible of conservatism had trashed Bush the Elder on the front page for his cliché-filled campaign speeches.

The next day, the Reno Gazette-Journal and newspapers nationwide all led with stories about presidential hopeful Bush's stale canned remarks.

Once again, I had engineered a major media coup for a Republican president. One would think my reputation would precede me when it came time for Obama and Hillary to campaign in these parts. Perhaps it did.

I was never invited to any Obama event. Hillary Clinton went one better and disinvited me from a face-to-face in 2016.

Maybe she had seen my "Democrats for Trump" lampoon in this and other papers. Alas, the lady exhibited no sense of humor even after I cheekily predicted the identity of Trump's running mate: Jennifer Lopez, based on her most prominent qualification.

I missed Jimmy Carter at Park Lane Mall in early 1976 but got a second chance when he came to Carson City to campaign for his son, Jack, a 2006 candidate for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent John Ensign. Jimmy and Rosalyn showed up on the capitol grounds but the ex-prez said nary a word to the expectant crowd. I treated him as I had treated Reagan three decades before and left along with my carload of likewise disappointed friends.

I've scored major media for three Republican presidents and never got a word of thanks. Despite my impressive track record, Democrats proved worse.

Save one. Sen. Bernie Sanders was afraid of neither the Barbwire nor the mighty Tribune. I interviewed the great man thrice. He even autographed his Rolling Stone cover for me.

So now you know the checkered past of Nevada's Undercover Republican Presidential PR Man. (Links documenting this sordid story may be accessed via the expanded online edition of this column.)

Mr. President, call me when you hit town today. I have a long-overdue invoice to present.

AWAKE FOR JAKE. Appreciation and adios for late UNR journalism legend and Tribune columnist Jake Highton will appropriately happen on Labor Day weekend; 3:00 p.m. Saturday, September 2 in the UNR library rotunda. (Bureaucrats call it a "knowledge center." Remember the great George Carlin's warning about adding syllables and subtracting meaning?)

Better there than that firetrap theater atop the student union. (Barbwire 12 Dec. 2013)

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

ONLINE EXTRAS —> Updates from last week

MR. EQUALITY AND JUSTICE IS DEAD. Jake Highton died of a heart attack on August 7.

I recently placed Jake in the Barbwire Molly Ivins Memorial Columniator Hall of Flames, an exclusive club with just two entry requirements. Your writing must have serious impact. And you gotta be dead.

"Only six Nevadans stand immoralized therein," I wrote last April 4. "It's time to waive the rules for a lucky seventh, my longtime Sparks Tribune colleague in columny Jake Highton.

"His widely published and prolific writings pale in comparison to his impact on generations of UNR journalism students. Every one I've met or labored alongside remarked upon Jake's awesome influence.

"So welcome aboard, old son. You're Lucky No. 7 while still around to enjoy it. We'll work on the Nevada Press Association HOF right after Don Dondero gets voted in."

Jake now rides eternally with the Magnificent 7. Long may he run.

YOUR DON THANKS YOU. My sincere gratitude goes to readers who called or wrote the Nevada Press Association Board of Directors ahead of the Aug. 4 hall of fame vote. It's my sincere hope that erstwhile Tribune and world-famed photographer Dondero (1920-2003) finally receives long overdue respect. We'll know soon if there will be a larger than usual delegation to the NPA state convention next month in Carson City, Dondero's home town.

I hope so because we have to work for Jake's installation next year. He will nonetheless be honored at the event.

You will find remembrances, selected Highton columns and articles from other publications linked to the expanded online edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/

NVEnergy SECURITY BREACH? After I paid my July power bill, I awaited the usual confirmation. Just before it arrived to an unpublished e-mail address, I got two pieces of spam to that same address.

The subject lines stated "Second Attempt Your July Electric bill is zero" and "Study Reveals The #1 Tiny Device SAVES Electricity Bills In Your Home."

Too close for coincidence. I contacted NVE. Stay tuned.

FIRE METER UPDATES: THE NEVADA FIRE MARSHALL'S INVESTIGATION concluded "don't worry, be happy." I'm still worried and will continue fondling NVE's precious equipment —> If your smart meter feels very hot, not just from sunshine, call 911. In its Sunday 21 Dec. 2014 front page headline major story, the Reno Gazette-Journal published results of the NVEnergy-commissioned "don't worry, be happy" echo study. On 1-27-2015, the RGJ published an analysis based on veteran reporter Anjeanette Damon's review of more than 1,000 pages of documents.

Barbwire bottom line: NVE handles this like auto manufacturers handle defects —> It's cheaper to pay legal settlements after people are injured or killed than to fix the problem.

Don'tcha worry 'bout a thing! If you can't trust your power company, whom can you trust?

Smoking guns: Rooftop solar assassination — NevadaLabor.com Energy War Room

DIDN'T THEY MAKE A MOVIE CALLED "THE INCREDIBLES"? On 2-6-2015, the RGJ reported that the Public Utilities Commission has ordered NVE to hire an independent laboratory to review the material.

UPDATE: The report said all is well. I still recommend feeling up your fire meter on a regular basis.

ANTE INTO THE GAME: Support the new season of Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is. A thousand thanks to those who keep sending show suggestions.

  Stay tuned.

  I encourage you to donate to the cause at Barbwire.TV/ The medium that shapes public opinion needs at least one refuge where it is not filtered through the distorted green eye shades of prissy corporate accountants for whom profit is the only priority; where self-censorship is the journalist's normal work environment and where all sins of omission are tacitly encouraged and forgiven with the wave of a balance sheet.

  This is important. We've got a lot of work to do.

END OF TIMES SURVIVAL KIT. Defend yourself with humorous or humorless but always-peerless predictions for 2017 by subscribing to the Barbwire Confidential News Service. Hush Hush!

Last year's dark foreshadowings unfortunately became reality. I thus suggest inoculation by signing onto the HushHush! list at BallotBoxing.US/

It's cheap as well as enlightening entertainment.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)