According to GOP USA, “the campaign in Nevada to replace Harry Reid is now in a desperate situation.” As it stands, Sharron Angle has a small edge over Reid, 46 to 43 percent, a lead that has narrowed as a result of attack ads launched by Reid against the Tea Party favorite. Angle appears to be a committed constitutionalist, campaigning on the premise of abolishing the United States Departments of Energy and Education, and privatizing Social Security so that young Americans can be assured that they will receive the benefits into which they are currently paying.
Reid, on the other hand, continues to push for amnesty of illegal immigrants and supports the "progressive" agenda for the United States.
Sharron Angle’s first television ad was highly effective as it emphasized the unemployment rate of Nevada under the leadership of Harry Reid.
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Ominous music plays in the background as black-and-white images appear, reminiscent of visions of the Great Depression. The ad begins, “When Harry Reid became Majority Leader, Nevada’s unemployment was only 4.4%…,” followed by indisputable quotes from AP/CBS News: “Now — Nevada unemployment hits 14%, leads nation.” The video (watch below) continues with similar quotes from the Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSN, Money, etc.
Even while Reid cannot be held directly responsible for the joblessness in Nevada, the Reid/Pelosi/Obama agenda certainly can. Angle is reminding Nevada’s voters that the promises made by Reid and Pelosi that American unemployment would decline if the federal government spent $800 billion it did not have has failed the nation, especially Nevada.
Angle asserts, “I hold him personally responsible for what is happening in our nation.”
In response to Angle’s ad, Reid launched a statewide advertisement against Angle, targeting the conservative for remarking that she would not have saved a major construction project in Las Vegas, one which Reid is credited for saving. The advertisement asserts, “She wouldn’t have lifted a finger.”
Angle has defended her stance against saving the project by contending that Reid’s decision caused the loss of other jobs in Las Vegas.
Reid defensively attacked Angle as a “conservative extremist.” A devout Southern Baptist who prays daily, Angel has referred to herself as a “faith-based politician.” Her opposition to abortion in all cases, including rape and incest, has been the target of some criticism.
Reid has launched a barrage of attack ads against Angle since the June 8 primary. Internet ads created by a group called the “Patriot Majority” appeared almost immediately. Attempting to resemble the Tea Party, the “Patriot Majority,” formed by a former spokesman for Harry Reid and funded by organized labor, denounced Angle as “Nevada’s worst legislator” and a “professional politician” easily manipulated by Wall Street.
Angle’s response, however, is simple. “Why would you believe anything he puts on television? This man has been waterboarding our economy.”
Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post calls these “fake Tea Party attacks” an attempt to “drive as many voters as he can away from Angle and toward alternatives,” specifically, towards the four independent candidates, in order to “siphon off as many conservative and libertarian votes as possible”.
Assessing both Reid’s and Angle’s strategies, Thiessen writes that Reid is trying to paint Angle as a “fringe” politician by her support for the abolition of major buearacratic entities. Unfortunately for Reid, mainstream politicians like Ronald Reagan, John Boehner, Lindsey Graham, John Kyl, and Lamar Alexander have indicated support for the abolition of the departments of Energy and Education. Despite Reid’s attempts at “baiting” Angle, Thiessen notes that Angle has refused to take the bait.
At a Harry Reid rally held in Las Vegas last week, President Obama targeted Angle for referring to the $20 billion victim’s compensation fund for the Gulf oil spill as a “slush fund.” Refusing to recognize Angle, Obama did not utter her name, only referring to Angle as “Harry’s opponent.”
While Angle certainly has precedent on which she can support her assertion, such as the fraudulent use of victim’s funds after Hurricane Katrina and September 11th, Angle’s comment did incite harsh criticism, forcing her to withdraw her remark. Obama seized on this opportunity: “I’m sure she meant slush fund in the nicest possible way.”
Obama declared, “She favors an approach that’s even more extreme than the Republicans we’ve got in Washington. That’s saying something.” For some, however, that is not entirely a bad thing.
In response to Reid’s and Obama’s attack at the rally, Angle labeled Reid as a “desperate man” interested in distorting her conservative record to avoid addressing Nevada’s dire straits. Calling for a repeal of the heathcare bill, the disbanding of federal agencies, tax cuts, Angle believes she has the answers for “an economy that is a disaster.”
Despite the effectiveness and popularity of Angle’s message, however, Reid’s $1 million attack machine obliterates the $50,000 Angle managed to raise in a short amount of time.
Among finances, other problems plaguing Angle’s campaign include a large number of registered Nevada Democrats, and splits in the Nevada Republican Party. According to Fox News, a biannual Nevada event featuring Sharron Angle revealed “conspicuous absences… including Rep. Dean Heller, state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, and Lowden, a former state GOP chair who was long considered the favorite for the Senate nomination.”
Establishment Republicans may very well harbor resentment towards the Tea Party candidate, who espouses more conservative principles than the establishment Republicans.
However, Angle remains confident, referring to her role in the Senate race as “God’s calling.” She explains, “I don’t know what’s coming up tomorrow but I do know that He is there. He saw it and that He has provided a way of escape and a way for me to endure.”
Former advisor to President Bill Clinton, Dick Morris, contends that the Republican victory in November will be significant, including in Nevada, estimating that Republicans will gain a majority in the Senate with either 52 or 54 seats.
“The Republicans will take the Senate and the House…We just need to all mobilize and send our checks where and when they will do the most good.”
Appearing as a guest on the O’Reilly Factor on July 14, O’Reilly questioned Morris on his use of “we.” Morris explains that he was once a conservative Democrat under Bill Clinton, but has since learned that conservative Democrats no longer exist. “If Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are the face of the Democratic Party, I am a Republican,” explains Morris.
If Nevada Democrats share similar sentiments, Angle’s victory in Nevada could be certain.
Photo: Sharron Angle speaks to supporters after winning the Nevada Republican U.S. Senate primary election race on June 8, 2010 in Las Vegas: AP Images
