Sharron Angle Campaign Blasts "Idiot" Reporter

Republican Nevada Senate nominee Sharron Angle has largely avoided reporters since winning the chance to face off against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the general election - earning her a flurry of bad press for refusing to answer questions.

Angle appears to be concerned about what might be called a Rand Paul effect - a critical focus on her positions in the wake of a primary victory that thrusts a candidate onto the national stage. She traveled to Washington this week to meet with Republicans but would not answer questions from national reporters, opting instead to do a small number of interviews with conservative media outlets.

Reid's campaign, in an effort to make the campaign a referendum on the challenger, is already working to define Angle as an extremist, running an ad spotlighting her desire to phase out or privatize Social Security and Medicare. Angle has also taken heat for pushing for the elimination of the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency and discussing "Second Amendment remedies" if Congress doesn't change course.

When Angle returned from Washington and held an event to greet supporters yesterday in Las Vegas, she was approached by reporter Nathan Baca of CBS affiliate 8 News Now.

When Baca, citing Angle's website, asked why she wants "to eliminate (Social Security) for younger folks, because your plan calls for transitioning out," she accused him of believing "the Harry Reid lie" and said she wants to shift the program to personalized Social Security accounts that the government can't touch.

Then things started to get pretty tense.

Baca said the 2008 stock market crash would have meant millions of seniors having their savings wiped out under Angle's plan; she replied that he is "putting words into my mouth from Harry Reid" and that she is trying to save Social Security.

When he asked why she wants to eliminate the EPA despite the Gulf oil leak, she said, "Where are you getting these questions? The issues are not about the EPA... The issues are homes here in Nevada... He is trying to make this a campaign about me. But, where's Harry? Go ask Harry... Please go ask Harry about the EPA, and why they have failed."

She went on to say the EPA has "failed to do what they needed to do in the Gulf."

Angle then ignored a question about her website once advocating U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and refused to look at Baca as he asked her repeatedly about her "Second Amendment remedies" comment as she walked in the parking lot after the event. The video is above.

According to Baca, Angle's campaign responded to the exchange by calling him "an idiot" as well as another term that can't be repeated on television.

[Reno Nv]

Harry Reid has thrown a devastating attack ad on the air against Republican nominee Sharron Angle which started running right after she won the GOP primary. The ad falsely accuses her of wanting to ?phase out? Social Security and Medicare. If this attack is allowed to stand unanswered, it will do what seemed impossible a few months ago ? re-elect Reid.

The truth is that Angle wants to assure that the feds ? led by Senators like Reid ? cannot raid the Social Security fund as they now do every year to pay for their deficit spending. She wants to assign Social Security accounts to each individual and prohibit the government from invading their accounts. She also favors increased efforts to ?personalize? Social Security for those not yet receiving benefits so that they can make their own investments with their own Social Security tax money.

On Medicare, she wants to implement incentives for cost savings like individual accounts where the retiree can keep the funds he or she does not spend on medical care.

[Reno Nv]

Sharron has the same right as the Dems to pick her interviews. There wouldn't have been a stock market crash if Reid and Co. had been upholding the Constitution. , Clinton signed_ Gramm Leach Bliley Act of 1999 that repealed the Glass Steagall Act of 1933. History. Learn it The ones that are responsible for the Housing bust are the Dems, with their Community Reinvestment Act. And they have robbed Social Security to the tune of 2.5 trillion Dollars. But Reid's retirement (that we pay for) is just fine, crash or no crash. Sharron wants that fixed.

[moveonreid]

Apparently I can't spell "wacko" or "analysis". Sorry for my grammatical slip-ups. Please still consider the ideas presented in my previous comment.

[moveonreid]

Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it takes in this year, according to The New York Times. Privatizing it isn't such a wacho idea, nor is getting rid of a governmental department or two. For anyalis of Sharron Angle's views on these and other issues, please see: http://moveonreid.wordpress.com.

[Renegade98]

Well if she will only talk to the conservative press, then we know we will never get any kind of facts or accuracy from this flake. If she can get elected to the Senate this way, too bad America.

[kfgflynn]

Can you say "projection"?

This is a bad Sarah Palin summer rerun: See the GOP keep the fanatical, pea-brain candidate in tightly-controlled PR events, to make it look like she's out amongst her people. Watch her "people" keep her moving before she opens her mouth to respond to a genuine, legitimate, non-scripted question from an AN ACTUAL reporter. See how, when finally cornered and faced with no way to evade explaining her record, she responds with an attack against the source, as being un-American &/or an idiot.

Actually, this would make for a great sit-com. It'd be quite funny if it weren't real.

I know Harry Reid is not much to get excited over. But I hope Nevadans will see through this spin-machine. Sad to believe this is the best they can come up with. But, coming from California, I'm in no position to judge.

[papayaaaa]

What bothers me about Sharron Angle is that she is putting herself up as a spokesperson for average people. Look lady get used to it!!!!! You chose to go into this dirty profession in which you and your ilk get attacked by overzealous media types. Oh poor you........!

Correct me if I am wrong. I did try to verify this on the internet and I couldn't find it but didn't I hear she worth fifty million dollars? And didn't I hear that she and her kind want us to give up our social security for some kind of stock market gambit to pay for our retirement?

Someone worth fifty million who never has to worry whether she can pay rent or physicians services or hospitalization advocating untenable, fallacious solutions to ruin MY social security? This is what bothers me about this lady!!!!!!! And the other one who is a casino executive making a *&^% of a lot more money then you or I telling me to take a chicken to the DR? This is what bothers me. And what is this about the 2nd amendment solution? What exactly does this mean lady? Are you advocating war? Are you advocating getting rid of your democratic opponent by shooting him? This is what bothers me.

Lets call it what it is. What is going on here is some of you out there hate Obama and would do anything to bring him down, you fools would rather see this bizarre, idiot of a lady win. You lady are a hate monger!!!!!!!

The only reason anyone is listening to this nut job is she has money to pay for her nonsense. THE IDIOT IS YOU LADY!!!!

Dear people of Nevada.,
I don't live there. However, Lets hope you are smart enough to NOT VOTE THIS NUT CAKES LADY INTO OFFICE! Otherwise, me and everybody else with a brain will wonder if they put something in your water.

I am not a big fan of Harry Reid and I almost feel sorry for you that you have not much of a choice concerning who to vote for but this lady is a lunatic. Please, don't let her loose on the rest of the nation.

[guyandchar]

I am amazed that CBS would hire "reporters" who intend to bias news stories. The questions that were asked were deliberately inflammatory. I am okay with free speech but I really am tired of so-called reporters with an agenda to swing elections -- left or right.

[getthept]

Excuse me, but have you always been an idiot or is this a recent development? The reporters questions were not biased, they were based on what Ms. Angle's web site says and on comments she has made in the past.

You are probably one of the people who believes that our current president was born in Kenya and that the press doesn't ask him enough questions to prove that he was born in Hawaii.

I'm grateful that I grew up with reporters like Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley instead of talking heads who specialize in infotainment and avoid asking the hard questions of candidate's positions so that I may be fully informed and can vote accordingly. I know revisionist history is popular in Texas, but in the world of the internet a candidate's previous positions are on display and should be explained in detail.

The reporter was doing his job and Ms. Angle showed that she is as prepared for a senate position as Ms. Palin was to be vice president. Which means that she isn't.

[SnakeMannn]

I was sdtanding right there. His whole approach and the slant he did that you do not see in his edited piece is totally biased and 8 news now is all over Harry's website. Don't say they are not biased 100% for him and 100% against Sharron Angle!!! Yes some News and even some News casters are not apparently biased and do offer open debate, but this station and especially Nathan Baca are totally 100% in Harry Reid's Camp!!!

[kgentry2]

The Report submitted by Mr. Baca was a complete fabrication. I was at this event as an employee of a local radio station. My responsibility was to ensure that anyone scheduled to be a part of the Radio show received proper instructions and appeared on time to the scheduled interviews. Sharron Angle arrived to the event an hour early; this required that I stay close to her as she spoke with hundreds of everyday folks who attended the event. I overheard each of her conversations with reporters. Mr. Baca was hostile and unprofessional from the moment he entered the room. He antagonized the candidate and used aggressive tactics to obtain sound bites. I watched what happened in person and then what Mr. Baca edited for air in the local newscast. After 25 years in broadcasting, much in television, I know you can take comments and questions out of context to make a report appear the way you desire. For example, Mr. Baca harassed Mrs. Angle with a list of loaded questions; I estimate perhaps 30 in total. He cornered her and delayed her until she had to try and get away, eventually; Mrs. Angle was due on stage for her radio interview. Mr. Baca continued to question her and stand in her path to the stage. She was eventually forced to push past him. In his news report he then edited the encounter and stated that she would only answer a few of his questions.
At the conclusion of her radio interview, Mrs. Angle exited the stage only to have Mr. Baca show up and continue to Bully her. He chased her out of the building as she was trying to politely dismiss him. He would not relent. She had given this one CBS reporter MUCH more time then any of the other half dozen reporters that showed up to the event. I followed her directly to her car; neither she nor her staff spoke a word to Mr. Baca at this point. Not one cross word, not one indignation was spoken. She and her staff left quietly. Mr. Baca dropped his mic and made some colorful remarks about the candidate. Again, in the report he turn the situation around and in my opinion completely fabricated the content and context of the moment. Mr. Baca clearly had a motive in covering candidate Sharron Angle. If he were working for me, I would not allow him to cover this race or perhaps any story that requires an honest, unbiased approach. Mr. Baca has done a disservice to his station and to the public here in Nevada, which he serves.
Cover the story and represent the truth when you report on it. Is that really too much to ask a quality news organization? While I don't profess support for any candidate, I wish to have the record set straight; Mr. Baca report was untrue and misleading in many ways. He as well as KLAS should apologize for this supposed "News Story" and work to provided honest news coverage of this year?s election.

[RedTory]

If Mr Baca was harassing the person that you were minding, with around 30 questions as well as off-mic remarks, then where is a record of your version these events recorded by yourself or anyone else present, and why hasn't it been uploaded to some place like YouTube?

Don't you have a phone that can shoot video, grampa?

[SnakeMannn]

I really cannot believe Harry Reid has infiltrated the News and Mr. Baca is his Lap Dog!!! I thought Reporters were supposed to be NON Biased in their reporting and REPORT THE NEWS and not be all tabloid and Paparazzi stalkers. Nathan, why don't you report on how Harry Reid when he started his last 6 years in Office 5 1/2 years ago, Unemployment in Nevada was 3% and now it's OVER 14%!!!??? Why don't you stalk Harry and ask him why he has repeatedly said bad things about Las Vegas and Nevada? Why don't you stalk Obama and ask him the same things? Why don't you ask Obama how much it is costing AMERICANS for him to fly here on Airforce 1 July 8th and basically SHUT DOWN Las Vegas while he is here Campaigning for Harry Reid? We the PEOPLE of AMERICA are paying for this! Not Harry's Campaign. Planes will be circling around our air space not being allowed to land wasting fuel on an astronomical level while they cannot land. His coming here does NOTHING for Nevada and only costs American's more money!!!
So, you asked about Social Security. Had elder people had their own accounts, they would still have their OWN MONEY! The Government takes all the money everyone of us pays into the system and RAPES it and STEALS it for them to spend! Harry Reid does this NOW!!! Why are you blaming this on Sharron? She hasn't done all the bad things Harry Reid is doing to America and only wants to FIX what he is doing WRONG!!! How about doing YOUR JOB and REPORTING the TRUTH!!! I am surprised your nose isn't browner from being stuck up Harry's butt! I've seriously lost all respect for you! You should be on KOZ or the Huffington Post and not a Major Network!!! We the People and the members of the Tea Party are not the Crazies here. READ THE CONSTITUTION! We are only trying to stop the corruption and fix all the problems! Do your job and see who the bad people really are!!! YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!

Victor the SnakeMannn
www.mypresidentisnuts.com
www.mysoapbox.info