Reid: Angle’s comments are “absolutely beyond the pale”

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010 | 4:19 p.m.

That’s what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said during a telephonic town hall this afternoon that I was lucky enough to be randomly called to eavesdrop on – a venue he used to launch repeated broadsides at Angle on a variety of subjects, the first time I have heard the senator take her on publicly.

Reid was referring to Angle’s comments about “domestic enemies” – she eagerly agreed with a rightie talker who said such enemies are within the walls of Capitol Hill – and her renowned comments about “Second Amendment remedies.”

Reid conflated the two comments at the end of the town hall, suggesting that Angle essentially was suggesting that people “use guns” on members of Congress. I don’t think she actually meant that, but to be fair here, she did use that kind of incendiary rhetoric quite carelessly during the primary. “It’s absolutely beyond the pale,” Reid told listeners.

Other interesting stuff from the town hall, which Reid invited callers to join by announcing, “This is Senator Harry Reid from Searchlight” (Insert Ritz-Carleton joke here for the NRSC.):

----On health care reform: Reid stuck to his claim that “the more people learn about it,” the more they like it…. Why did we do health care reform? We had to. We had no choice….It would bankrupt us (if we didn’t).”

Although critics say “we can’t afford it,” it reduces the debt by $1.3 trillion.”

Cue the NRSC on this one, too.

----On unemployment benefits: Reid took an opportunity to deliver scathing attacks on both Angle (for opposing the extensions) and Bank of America, which he said “has been the worst of the worst. Here Bank of America has been awful….I did everything her to embarrass the bank…..They fired the president….They’ve improved….not great but they’ve improved.”

He also accused Angle of “insults to the Garys of the world,” a reference to a jobless caller. He resurrected the controversy over Angle’s use of the word “spoiled” when talking about the unemployed.

----On veterans: He expressed sympathy for a Vietnam veteran who had to go through the VA bureaucracy, then pivoted and said he wanted to say “a word about my opponent. She wants to privatize the veterans’ administration. Think about it!”

----On Angle’s positions: At one point, the event moderator asked callers to vote on which of Angle’s positions was most extreme. We were urged to press 1 for doing away with Medicare and Social Security, 2 for her wanting to abolish the Department of Education, 3 for privatizing the VA and 4 “bringing nuclear waste to Nevada.”

For the record, I did not vote.

----On education: Reid used a question about the state being snubbed for Race to the Top funds to criticize how Nevada funds education – “Education has not gotten a fair shot in recent years in Nevada.” He then launched into criticism of Angle for her plan for “the elimination of the Department of Education….that would be the wrong thing to do.”

I have been puzzled at Team Reid playing up this issue but they must have polling that shows it is huge, especially since they devoted an ad to it this week.

---On his campaign strategy: Reid all but acknowledged his “Vote for none of the above” strategy when participants were asked to push 1 if they support Reid, 2 for Angle and 3 for another candidate. Red immediately jumped in and explained to us “the reason that question is asked is that there are nine people on the ballot” as well as “none of the above.”

I thought I could detect glee in his voice.

---On Social Security: Reid called it “the best social program the world has ever known. He said he “can’t imagine” anyone wanting to “do away with it.”

I can’t imagine who he was talking about.

---The full monty: At one point, Reid went on a multiple-issue riff on Angle, saying, “It’s not appropriate what she says….but a lot of people agree with her. He then listed the four things the poll question asked about and lamented that she “put $550,000 on TV last week,” proof people are sending her money because they agree with her. He would later say she wants to “get rid of government programs” and “go back to the 1920s.”

----On the GOP: Reid said, “I understand history pretty well…never in the history of the country have we had a party betting on failure.”

Unless, of course, you count the Democrats in 2008.