Fundraiser draws protesters hoping to unseat Reid

Conservative group calls bailout, deficit spending ‘offensive’

Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Sun

Conservative protesters hold up signs in front of Caesars Palace Tuesday targeting U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who was in town with President Obama for a fundraiser benefiting Reid’s reelection campaign.

By Jeff Pope (contact)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | 9:32 p.m.

Reid protest

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Obama, Reid at Caesars

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Remarks from Sen. Harry Reid

Locals protesting President Barack Obama and Sen. Harry Reid were mixed in among tourists on the sidewalk outside Caesars Palace on Tuesday.

Hundreds more, showing no overt political interests, lined the entrance to the Las Vegas Strip resort hoping to catch a glimpse of the president during his visit for a Reid fundraiser.

The protest was organized by the conservative political action committee Our Country Deserves Better.

The organization used the fundraiser as a backdrop to launch its campaign to oust Reid in the 2010 election.

“In his role of Senate majority leader, Reid’s had to push through things and line up the votes and twist some arms on things that we find offensive in terms of the bailouts, the deficit spending that’s exploded and some of the tax increases to pay for it,” said Joe Wierzbicki, the PAC coordinator.

The PAC has spent more than $100,000 on advertising to defeat Reid so far and expects to spend more than $1 million in Nevada by Election Day, Wierzbicki said.

A Republican front-runner has yet to emerge but the PAC supports former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle as she considers running against the four-term Reid.

A few protesters got in a shouting match with a man walking through the crowd but the protest was mostly calm.

Organizers said they expected between 50 and 150 people to attend the protest. One in attendance was Victor Thomas, of Boulder City, who is a 28-year veteran of the Air Force.

He said he believes Reid lost the support of many veterans when he said “the war is lost” in April 2007. Reid also said the war could be won, “diplomatically, politically and economically,” but Thomas said that wasn’t the right message to send to troops.

“If you want to stab a young GI in the back all you got to do is have somebody high up in government, like Senator Reid, say the war is lost,” he said. “In other words, we’ve lost faith in the mission, but he’s still there ready to die for his country.”

Some protesters carried signs and chanted that Obama should apologize for his comment he made four months ago telling companies that received bailouts not to visit Las Vegas on the taxpayer’s dime.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman earlier had said he expected to meet the president and discuss the remark.

Gov. Jim Gibbons also asked for face time to discuss the issue but was told by Obama’s staff he could only meet briefly with the president at the airport. Gibbons said the offer was unsatisfactory and turned it down.

Paul Winn of Las Vegas said Obama’s remarks hurt local business and the president should apologize to Gibbons, not just Goodman.

“He’ll do it to Oscar because he’s a Democrat but he won’t do it to Gibbons because the governor is a Republican,” he said.

Wendy Ellis of Las Vegas criticized the government’s handling of the economy, saying the bailout shouldn’t have been given out.

“The government is not supposed to be involved with business, with the market. That’s fascism,” she said. “Let the industry go bankrupt. New people will come in with better ideas and you will have a successful business.”

A trio of Obama supporters started an impromptu counter-protest near the larger group.

Kenith Dean and Parris Lane of Las Vegas and Tammie Vinson, visiting from Louisville, Ky., learned of Obama’s visit earlier in the day and said they wanted to support him. They said he’s done as much as he can in just a few months in office.

“People are not giving him time. It takes time to heal those wounds,” Vinson said. “The country didn’t get sick overnight. It won’t get well overnight.”

Lane added: “We love our president. It feels good to say that.”

Discussion: 8 comments so far…

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

By afveteran

May 26, 2009

9:50 p.m.

Suggest removal

Why does Harry need more money in his reelection treasure chest? Nobody in Nevada has that kind of money on hand to run against him.
By jw456

May 26, 2009

10:16 p.m.

Suggest removal

Just sent Harry a contribution--he's doing a great job.
By westvegas

May 27, 2009

10:13 a.m.

Suggest removal

Those protesters are discraceful. Where were they when Bush/Cheney were starting wars and trampling on the constitution?
By revrowland

May 27, 2009

10:57 a.m.

Suggest removal

I am continually amazed how when regular people, not professional protesters get involved to voice their outrage that there is 'shock' from the left. Where were they when code pink was desecrating our soldier's memories and acorn was intimidating lenders into making impossible loans?

The teaparties were only the beginning as those in middle America have begun to find their voice, expect to hear it more.

Just sent Joe a contribution - He's doing an awesome job!
By Bertsos

May 27, 2009

1:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

This oust Reid PAC is a california based outfit..........just what Nevada needs a California based PAC telling Nevada how to vote.

I'm voting for Reid......end of story!
By Bertsos

May 27, 2009

1:12 p.m.

Suggest removal

revrowland --

Where were you when GWB and his cronies were lying to the US to wage a fabricated war?

Where were you when GWB was spending $10 billion a month on his fabricated war, all off the books and not part of his budget?

Where were you when GWB tore the constitution to shreds and crapped on the US?

You probably have no answer, just like the rest of the GOP........no answers, no ideas and no clues.
By CronkyVoddy

May 27, 2009

7:49 p.m.

Suggest removal

Harry has not done a great job, but he is certainly a better choice than anything the Republicans could come up with. Maybe the Dems will give us a fresh choice.

To Revrowland - crawl back under your rock with the other trolls. Grownups, who have intelligence and experience are in charge of the country now.
By NVCitizen

May 28, 2009

6:31 a.m.

Suggest removal

Just WHO do these neo-con right wingers want to propose as a replacement for Harry Reid? Hey, Jimbo Gibbons will be looking for a new job next year! Why not nominate HIM?
If we lose Reid in the Senate, we also lose the gravitas we have gained by having him as Senate Majority Leader.
It seems that the Republicans have some sort of newsletter that they send out monthly telling their constituants what they need to believe in and stand for:
*WE don't believe that gays should get married;
*WE don't believe that gays should adopt;
*WE don't believe in abortion (unless, of course WE need one, then it's OK);
*WE don't believe in stem-cell research (unless, of course, the results will benefit one of us);
*WE believe that only the richest among us should get tax breaks;
*WE believe EVERY word that comes out of the mouths of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck and, Our Goddess, Ann Coulter.
PEOPLE: stop being such sheep to the Right Wing! Try, just try, to have an original thought that is OUTSIDE the box!