Obama Pushes Harry Reid in Fierce Battle Against Sharron Angle

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Campaign 2010

(Credit: AP)

Updated 5:27 p.m. Eastern Time

At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas today, President Obama asked Nevada voters to show up at the polls for embattled Nevada Democratic senator and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is in the midst of an increasingly nasty reelection battle against GOP challenger Sharron Angle.

Noting Reid's past as a boxer - one who wasn't the fastest or hardest-hitting but who knew how to take and throw a punch - Mr. Obama said Reid is willing to fight for his state and the country.

"Harry Reid became a pretty good boxer because he would simply outlast his opponents. He had a stronger will," the president said. "I think that tells you something about the kind of person he is, the kind of senator he is, the kind of Senate Majority Leader he is. He's a fighter, and you should never bet against him. And that's just what we need right now. That's what Nevada needs right now. That's what Nevada needs, is somebody who's going to fight for the people of Nevada and for the American people. "

The Nevada Senate is indeed a fight, one of the most closely-watched in the nation. It pits Reid, a relatively unpopular longtime Democratic senator seen by many as out of touch with his constituents, against Angle, a Tea Party-backed insurgent whose positions and avoidance of mainstream media interviews have raised eyebrows.

Angle has twice accused Reid, who is seeking his fifth term, of trying to "hit the girl" - a reference to her gender that may not sit well with some of her supporters. In just the last 24 hours, she has been criticized by Democrats for calling the $20 billion BP compensation fund a "slush fund" (she later walked back the comment) and for suggesting rape victims forgo abortions and turn lemons into lemonade.

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Democrats have also used Angle's comment that "as your U.S. senator I am not in the business of creating jobs" to hit back against her first ad, which attacks Reid over Nevada's 14 percent unemployment rate.

Indeed, the economy is the focus of the campaign, with both sides trying to cast the opponent as a failure when it comes to jobs. Republicans are using Mr. Obama's visit to cast him and Reid as two peas in a pod on the issue: In a new Republican National Committee television ad, a narrator says, "It took thousands of men to erect Hoover dam and build modern Nevada. But it only took two men to help tear down its economy. Barack Obama and Harry Reid."

Today's visit was Mr. Obama's third to Nevada since taking office, according to CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller - the president did two fundraisers for Reid in May of last year and a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in February.

White House spokesman Bill Burton insisted that the president's speech today was "official" (which means taxpayers would foot the bill) as opposed to political. (In addition to pushing Reid, the president also called on Congress to expand a clean energy tax credit.)

"He just really likes Harry Reid," Burton said by way of explanation.

As CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante reports, Mr. Obama raised almost $1 million for Reid at a campaign event last night; there he said Angle "favors an approach more extreme than the Republicans we got in Washington," adding, "that's saying something."

Interactive Map: CBS News Election 2010 Race Ratings

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by Helldigger July 13, 2010 2:02 PM EDT: Obama, Schumer, Frank, Dodd and the other Democrat flying monkeys created the financial mess that they now blame on the GOP. It is no wonder they assume no responsibility for anything happening in the economy, on the battlefield or in the Gulf.

Blaming Bush and demonizing Conservatives no longer works for Americans who see through the deception.

This is Obama's economy now and it has only gotten worse. It will continue to get worse as long as Reid and Obama are in power.

Support for Reid is support for unemployment.; Reply to this comment


by RobAla July 11, 2010 9:04 AM EDT: Both President Obama and Senator Reid forced this horrible health care bill against the wishes of the majority of Americans.

Americans were asking Washington to help bring down the cost of health care, but instead Washington took this as an opportunity to fatten itself at our expense. This bill will cause premiums to go up dramatically, and the higher taxes will result in our standard of living going down. Recently, the CBO has revised it's projections of cost to show that it will cost the American taxpayers more than $200 billion than first projected. Washington turned a deaf ear to the majority of Americans, and we will have an opportunity to set things straight come November.

Send Reid home in 2010, and send President Obama back to Chicago in 2012.; Reply to this comment


by TJphoto July 11, 2010 9:01 AM EDT: Just the facts please. A vast majority of this deficit was run up by a republican congress at the request of President Bush. That the financial meltdown occurred during 8 years of a republican administration that would not regulate the industry that gave so much money to the party, and a vast majority of people in this forum believe it's President Obama's and Sen. Harry Reid's fault. Please go back to the republican party as they will never lie to you and they will make right again.; Reply to this comment


by macgerson July 10, 2010 12:25 PM EDT: Reid voted for a bill that includes the following provisions
? burdens on access to reproductive care for women
? discrimination in fees based on gender and age
? regressive cost assessments and taxes
? unfunded mandates on states that have been progressive in providing for their residents.
? and for the self employed unemployed and those whose employers don't provide coverage a mandate that we pay thousands of dollars to the insurance cartel.
He deserves to lose.; Reply to this comment


by wdh3007 July 10, 2010 4:04 AM EDT: Reid & Nasty Pelosi are a loss Obummers presidency is illegal since their still is no birth certificate in Hawaii to even prove he is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Oil is still gushing everywhere, troops are still overseas dying everyday, jobs are scarce with unemployment still high and a corrupt Congress that votes themselves a raise. The fraud in chief can keep his change we tried to believe in & don't forget to vote in November all those out who think that they are better than you.; Reply to this comment

by hamsterattack July 10, 2010 12:22 AM EDT

sharron angle: tea party radical
sharron angle: calls EARNED social security 'welfare"

sharon angle: too extreme

Reid will win

Reply to this comment


by Mortar_29 July 10, 2010 1:15 AM EDT: Reid is an extreme socialist nutbag.

By the way, if you receive one cent more than you paid into Social Security, that is welfare!! Actually, it is theft. Theft of someone else's money.


by CPJ44 July 10, 2010 1:57 AM EDT: Have you looked at the polls lately?

If it was a fresh faced Democrat then I would say that Angle could lose but everyone (unless you are a die-hard democrat or Republican) gate the establishment.

Reid has no chance to win!


by thy-only_king July 9, 2010 11:32 PM EDT: Not one true American Patriot would ever vote for Harry Reid.
Reid has done more damage to America than any other, except
maybe Pelosi.; Reply to this comment

by hamsterattack July 9, 2010 11:20 PM EDT

we nevadans won't vore for her. reid is unpopular but she wants to destroy everything we have worked hardfor. she hasn't got a chance.

Reply to this comment


by Mortar_29 July 10, 2010 1:16 AM EDT: What did you work hard for that she is going to destroy?


by papayaaaa July 10, 2010 5:04 AM EDT: I am so glad to hear this from an actual Navadan. Reid is not the greatest but that lady is a loony.

Is it true she is worth fifty million dollars?

by hamsterattack July 9, 2010 10:47 PM EDT

reid is the man. angle is way too radical (she calls social security "welfare" and wants to abolish it. democrats win again

Reply to this comment


by jimbot1957 July 10, 2010 12:59 AM EDT: Check out:
http://reason.com/blog/2008/10/24/saving-social-security-episode

then get back to us!


by Mortar_29 July 10, 2010 1:17 AM EDT: Social Security is unConstitutional AND it is welfare (theft) if a person receives more than what they paid into it.