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Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the most powerful official who has ever served Nevada in Washington, and he has consistently used his position to help Nevadans and improve the state.
Most notably, Reid has spearheaded the effort to defeat the federal government’s dangerous plan to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Since rising to leadership in the Senate, Reid has raised the state’s profile and made Nevada’s concerns a priority in Washington. Reid is the reason why Nevada’s presidential caucus was put in a place of prominence last year and why President Barack Obama visited often during the campaign. In addition, Reid has directed millions of dollars in federal money to Nevada for a variety of needs, including schools and roads.
The reward for all his good work has been an undercurrent of grumbling in Republican circles, whose members want to defeat Reid in the 2010 election. Much of that shrill opposition has come from out-of-state right-wing groups trying to tarnish Reid’s reputation. So far, all they have done is make noise — the state GOP has yet to find a viable candidate but still insists Reid is “vulnerable.”
We hope that is nothing more than hot air, because Reid is too valuable to the state. Nevadans should know that. In 1982 Republican Chic Hecht defeated Democratic Sen. Howard Cannon, who had risen to a position of power in the Senate. The result was disastrous. In 1987 Hecht, then the state’s senior senator, was helpless to stop the passage of the so-called “Screw Nevada” bill, which designated Yucca Mountain as the nation’s nuclear waste dump.
Nevadans would be foolish to dump Reid, but the senator is taking no chances. The president headlined Reid’s fundraiser Tuesday and the senator has lined up an impressive roster of supporters, including Republican heavyweight Sig Rogich. Reid plans to raise $25 million for his campaign, a clear sign that he is prepared for a tough fight.
Of course, he shouldn’t have to fight — Nevadans should be thankful to have him in the Senate for another six years.
Nevada is on the bottom of getting tax payer money returned to the state.
Nevada is on the bottom of getting money for k-12 education.
In the "stimulus" plan even though Nevada has one of the highest unemployment rates, we are still on the bottom of getting money on per capita basis.
Reid might be one of the most powerful persons in DC.
He sure is not using that power for Nevada.
LOL
"Of course, he shouldn't have to fight -- Nevadans should be thankful to have him in the Senate for another six years."
LOL
Approximatly 150,000 Nevada state citizens collecting unemployment benefits.
Countless more who have run out of unemployment benefits.
Dirty Harry has signed to sponser the Dream Act '09, bill S729. A bill which has allready been defeated in the past. A bill which will allow over 2 million undocumented children, brought into our country by illegal parents, who can be 30 years old now, a path to citizenship. These children especially the ones over 18 yrs of age have no record of how old they were when they came illegally into this country. If this bill passes giving citizenship to these people they can now through the greencard through family member bring in every member of their family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Can we multiply 2 million(this number is only a government estimate because there are no records on illegal aliens)times 10 to 20 relitives(lowball estimate) and we now have 20 to 40 million immigrants entering this country.
Don't you think if Mr. Reid was a responsible Senator and per his oath of office, protect and serve the citizens who put him into his office?Don't you think he would be finding a way to rid our state of these illegals to get our citizens back to work and help them get their lives back together?
I hope Nevada can find a Republican candidate to give Mr. Reid the fight of his life leaving him in a dust of shame and embarrasment. We have got to send a message out to our leaders that if they can't take care of the citizens who put them into office, they do not belong in office.
HARRY REID IS AN EMBARRASMENT TO NEVADA AND TO HUMAN DECENCY:
Reid who is the pinball of crazed Nancy Pelosi is also an embarrasment to human decency. Reid has not the least chance to be re-elected unless the morons who voted for the communist dictator Hussein Obama, a Kenyan native, want to speed up the bankruptcy of the U.S. Whoever wrote that Sun Editorial must be completely out of their mind and should be fired for such a biased weirdo article.
The Obama/Reid hypocrisy has been certified by Obama's visit to Las Vegas yesterday/today: first he condemns companies for planning to visit Las Vegas and over 111,000 visitors cancelled their Las Vegas trip and it has cost Nevada over a quarter billion dollars, ... and then Obama spends millions of taxpayer's money to come to Las Vegas himself to have a good time. It's the usual communist leader mentality: you can't have or do this or that, but I'm the "leader" and I can do whatever I want ... has happened and is happening in every communist regime throughout the world.
If Reid had any pull in Washington, Obama would have never made the vicious comments about Las Vegas in the first place.
As Nevada doesn't really get any tax dollars back from Washington, Nevada should consider secession, because with all that money Nevadans pay to Washington for nothing in return, Nevada could become the most prosperous state/country in the world.
I will vote against Harry Reid no mattter who runs aginst him and even if he spends 50 million dollars trying to get re-elected. If he is such a great senator for Nevada, why does he need to raise so much $ to get re-elected and why are the Democrats expecting a tough fight? All his stupid comments and remarks will now come back to haunt him during the campaign.
It's just sad that people think Harry Reid is the best we can do here in Nevada. It's sad that people think having power means he's on the right side.
The editorial staff of the Sun must be doing some really bad drugs.
I would vote for Palin for Senator before Reid, and she was the ONLY reason I voted "None of the above" instead of for McCain last year. The Sun supports Reid because he is (foolishly) against Yucca Mountain, which is the only issue that really matters to the Sun.
boftx--Bullseye!!
The author is generalizing about Reid's accomplishments and, as is common, puts weight on Reid's "powerful" position.
Again, please remember that during his time, Hitler was the most powerful man in Europe. Power only breeds the desire for more power and that inevitably encourages corruption. Reid is an example of this.
Nothing will stop the widespread corruption in D.C. except term limits. They won't impose term limits on themselves but we have the power to do it at every election. Many people, the author included, simply prefer to remain stuck on ignorance.
Anyone casting a vote for Harry Reid needs to have their sanity questioned. I don't care WHO the nominee against him is I'm Voting for that guy. Reid has become a far left zealot in the Senate gumming up the works when Bush was in power and now he carrys the water for far leftists like Schumer, Boxer, Durbin, Kennedy, and Feingold. So much for being a small boy from searchlight nevada. He lost his ways just like Tom Daschle did. The arguement that we need to vote for Harry because he is so powerful is bullfeathers. Sell your soul because a newspapers tells you its good for the State. Don't forget Harry Reid telling the USA that the WAR was lost just 2 months later the surge was working and to this day still denies it. He is out of touch. VOTE NO to Harry "do-nothing" Reid.
Hey Sarge (SgtRock),
You said, "Nevada is on the bottom of getting tax payer money returned to the state."
Damned if you do and damned if you don't, when the Nevada congressional delegation brings it home they are called pork barrel thieves, when they don't get enough they aren't doing there jobs.
Then you said, "Nevada is on the bottom of getting money for k-12 education."
You can blame the Governor and legislature for this failure not congress.
Reid is the best thing going for Nevada.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may...