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StumbleStrategist Donna Brazile rallies black support for Harry Reid after Obama remarks
Democrats hope to move past controversy that’s followed senator
Leila Navidi / Las Vegas Sun
Donna Brazile, the Democratic National Committee’s Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation, hugs Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly as State Sen. Steven Horsford looks on during an event to kick off African-Americans for Harry Reid at the Culinary Training Center in Las Vegas Thursday, January 14, 2010.
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 | 4:15 p.m.
Sun Coverage
After being dogged for a week by racially tinged comments he made about President Barack Obama, Sen. Harry Reid and his campaign brought one of the Democratic Party's leading black strategists to Nevada Thursday to rally African-American support and put an end to a controversy that Republicans have used to call for the Senate majority leader's ouster.
Donna Brazile, former campaign manager for Al Gore's presidential campaign and a prominent political analyst on CNN, told about 400 black supporters at the Culinary Training Academy in North Las Vegas this afternoon that she was proud to back Reid because of his long history of civil rights work, his legislative record and his pivotal role in shepherding Obama's agenda through Congress.
"Harry Reid is a part of our family -- not just the Democratic family or the black family but the American family," she said. "I am proud to be an African American for Harry Reid."
Last weekend, news broke that during the 2008 presidential election Reid had told the authors of a new book, "Game Change," that Obama was a good candidate because he was "light-skinned" with "no Negro dialect." Reid apologized to Obama, who accepted and called the matter closed. He also received the support of local and national black leaders.
Reid's campaign noted that Thursday's event was one in a line of constituency group launches that had been planned months ago, but the timing, on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, surely helps repair any damage to the senator's reputation among a bloc of voters he will need to win a tough re-election fight in November.
Brazile was backed by a panel of spiritual and elected leaders, including state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford and longtime civil rights leader Bob Bailey. Each implored the crowd to judge Reid by his record, not his rhetoric, and to vote for his re-election.
"We know racism," Brazile told the crowd. "We have been through tough times but we also know our friends and we know how to measure them and we know how to grade them and he's earned his high marks. In the bank of justice, he has a full account. Some people don't even have an account."
She continued: "He opened that account decades ago, long before it was fashionable to back this and support that. He opened his account because of his faith. And he believes that God made us all equal."
Brazile called on the crowd to defend Reid in the black community and challenge media and political distortions of his remarks.
"Let people know where you stand, in the barber shops and beauty salons," she said. "They are going to say things about Harry Reid out of school and out of character because that's the nature of the politics. Stand up for a fighter, a warrior, a good and decent honest man, a man who doesn't look at the color of our skin, but the content of our character."
She said Reid was critical to helping Obama realize King's dream of equality.
"We can't close the book just because his opponents would like to divide and distract us," Brazile said. "We will close the book when we finish writing this chapter that says we are one America. ... We will get there with Harry Reid.
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The look on Horsford's face is priceless. Is he wondering if Brazile is really a man?
You got to just love the LVSun. They have declared the whole "negrogate" fiasco with Harry Reid over and done with except when they can run stories about people in SUPPORT of Reid. The only thing this story proves is the hypocrisy of black Democrats. If a Republican had uttered the word "negro" that alone would have been the end of his political career and Democrats would have feigned all kinds of phony "outrage" and accused the whole Republican party of living in the past and longing for the return of Jim Crow laws.
The blacks only use the charge of rascist on those who that they want to intimidate for political purposes, otherwise they dont care.
If they was any doubt now there is now none.
The Democrats own the blacks lock, stock and barrel.
The Democrats have done very little for blacks for a very long time.
The black community has tons of problems that the Democrats do not care to fix.
For instance, nearly half of murder victims are black.
Also, nearly half of black women under 18 have an STD.
Black under-employment is around 25% to 30%.
Many inner-city black schools are nightmares.
It seems that they are now on a different planation...the Democratic Party planation where black leaders are paid off with jobs, money and contracts and the black community have to suffer from one day to the next.
School vouchers could start the black community on the road to recovery. It will never happen. The black leaders have to serve their masters, including the teachers unions.
Now they have be told to suck up and support Reid.
Oh sure, and the party of "every WHITE MAN for himself" (and sexist FOX anchorwoman sexy Palin) will surely help out the socially disadvantaged.
This is just the beginning. Gried is going to parade a herd of "outsiders" in here to tell us how to run our state and who to elect just like his millions is mostly outside money.
Gried has become not only a Nevada problem; he is a national problem. It's up to us here to fix it or live with the results.
You can read more about "Mr. Cleanface" here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1...
FWIW:
The Angels of Anaheim hold "rallies" when trailing too.
; p
The problem with racial remarks is if one Negro calls another Negro a negro it's okay. If a white person calls a Negro a Negro it isn't okay unless the white man is Harry Reid. Confusing isn't it? The black race has been a problem for centuries and I don't see any change in the near future.
The right to publicly express our heritage preferences shall not be infringed upon?
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Mr. Cleanface has now become Mr. Botoxface. I wonder if he also has a penchant for Viagra?
Harry Reid is the worst Majority Leader in U.S. history.
Reid/Obama politics will crush Nevada Home Equity. Obama claims he wants to tax banks to recoup taxpayer bailout money, but currently is supporting economic polices that could destroy banks financially, costing taxpayers $billions. For example the Democrat Health Care Bill Forces Health Insurance costs on Americans that will disqualify millions of home buyer mortgage applicants needed to support stable home selling prices; that threatens to lower property values that support $trillions in bank held mortgages. Democrat Rep. Barney Frank is again advocating loans to unqualified home buyers, foreseeable to cause foreclosures, depressing property values. Dropping home selling prices are now causing local governments to collect less property tax, forcing layoffs of government employees. CA and other States are raising income taxes to make up lost taxes. Leftists in the Obama Gov. are relentlessly pushing new Taxes that will injure businesses and obstruct Americans qualifying to buy homes.
If Harry Reid was really a supporter of Obama's presidency as his supporters claim it's only because he (along with other Democrats) cynically thought he/they could use Obama's race as a club to wield against Republicans. This explains Joe Bidens reference to Obama being a "clean" black man as opposed to racial rabble-rousers like Jackson and Sharpton who turn whites off, even liberal whites. And the Democrat party's racial club-wielding is precisely what has happened since Obama was elected. We have seen on numerous occasions how disagreeing with this president will get you accused of "racism" by these cynical liberal race-baiting hypocrites. Of course Brazile, who has a history of using her own racially loaded language, i.e. "white boys" directed at Republicans cares not one bit about Harry Reid, he's just another white boy to her afterall. But, he's a useful idiot white boy to her like Al Gore was. And she thinks by standing by him, he will be even more useful to her and her agenda. All the more reason to put this guy out to pasture.
I used to be a Harry Reid surporter...with his bribes and kickbacks to put in the obama nation health care plan, now I'm all for the Republican. Dirty Harry doesn't care about retired people no matter what he says. He's in the Union's pocket and willing to do anything (ethical or unethical) to get this thing passed. He's not willing to do some REAL health care reform, just sign here PLEASE! He needs to wake up and listen to the people...or he's OUT.
Donna Brazile is a very smart woman and it is disappointing to see her carry the water for President Obama...disappointing to other Black Americans. Sen. Horsford...who is he? Only a newcomer. This is a joke to see this "paid" parade of supporters.
... It's ALWAYS fun to READ crap from ALL-thee-RePUGNANTcan haters on the Sun posts!!! As a LONG-time-FRIEND of Sen. Reid's during my cub reporter days at-thee-R/J ('73-'76), I can ALSO add he's-a-GOOD friend to our LGBT community NATIONWIDE! So, here from thee Bflo./Niagara region, we say: Keep GIVING the RePUKES, NeoCONS, NAZI's, White-Trash, etc. HELL!!! ESPECIALLY in S. Nevada!!!
Reid is such a "good friend" to the LGBT community that he released a letter to the public where he said he was 100% for the Nevada Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage and he also voted for DOMA.
Shanfrina.......you must be really clueless and I think your skills as a "reporter" could not have been that great.
What a great event, go Harry Reid!
shanfrina? sounds like laundry soap. maybe a light fluffy souffle.
That was a great event? I can't wait till the pasty little nutter is back to the mean streets of searchlight picking up where he left off.
One of the reason's why I will be voteing as a independent for now own is just like some of you people say the dems dont really care about blacks,and the rep have turned there party into the party for the white racists people, like your spoke person rush limbaugh truth is I hate both party's all they do is fight over who can screw over the american people the most...
Recycle Harry Reid! Buy this sticker -- I did!
http://www.keep2theright.com/images/recy...
What a joke! All government does is separate individuals and tells each group that they are special because of the their race, religion, sex, color, and national origin. I know that classes of people are protected in the work place under title 7 but I think that this should be applied to politics.
Will we ever judge people on merit or does that only remain a dream?
And not one basketball in sight.
shanfrina sounds like a raciest to me. No wonder she likes Harry so much...
Like most high-level democrats; Reid is a closet bigot and only sides with those that help his career and political agenda. When are democrats with morals going to step up to the plate and get rid of this bafoon?!?
RPM, I wouldn't call Reid a bigot but he certainly doesn't view people as people. He just sees dollar signs and potential voters or enemies.