What message if Reid loses to Tea Party candidate?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
In the wake of the Tea Party's primary successes, suddenly the game has changed.
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The marquee match-up going into November is in Nevada, where the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, Harry Reid, is trailing Republican Sharron Angle - who's backed by many in the Tea Party.
A new poll of likely voters in Nevada shows Angle and Reid tied, but with Angle leading among the crucial Independent voters by seven points.
Sharron Angle says controversial stuff - like calls to "phase out" Social Security and Medicare; and eliminate the IRS and the Department of Education.
Doesn't matter... just like in Delaware it didn't matter that Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell has a history of financial problems and has used her views on abstinence to rule out masturbation.
One of the reasons Harry Reid is in big trouble is he was President Obama's water carrier on such controversial legislation as the health care plan. Most people didn't want it - but thanks to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi we got it anyway.
If there's a single race anywhere in the country that will set the Tea Party up for a legitimate place on the stage in the drama that will be the presidential race of 2012... it's the defeat of the Senate Majority Leader. How will the Democrats explain it if Reid loses?
Midterm elections traditionally are a bit of a yawn, but you may want to get your tickets early for this year's because my hunch is it will quickly turn into standing room only.
Here’s my question to you: What message would it send if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid loses to a Tea Party candidate?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 6pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Message to incumbents if Reid trails by double digits in Nevada?
An opponent of Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) protests outside a campaign event in Fernley, Nevada. Reid is lagging in polls following passage of the controversial health care bill that Pres. Obama signed into law. Reid is bidding for a fifth Senate term. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Incumbents may want to take note:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trailing the Republican front-runner in Nevada by double digits.
The Mason-Dixon poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Republican Sue Lowden getting 47 percent of the vote... compared to 37 percent for Reid. The poll also includes a slate of third-party and other candidates, who get very little backing.
Reid has been in trouble in his home state for awhile now. His campaign had always argued that the presence of third party candidates distorted the real picture. Reid claimed when the election was held these minor party candidates would split the vote and he would still win.
But this poll suggests adding the minor candidates into the mix doesn't really "bleed support" away from the Republican. Experts suggest voters rarely choose third-party candidates in closer races with high stakes... because they don't want to throw away their vote.
Reid's people still sound confident that the senator can win a fifth term - what else are they gonna say. Another recent poll shows the senate majority leader with an unfavorable rating of 56 percent in Nevada. The people in his own state can't stand him.
And it's not just Reid who might be in trouble. People are increasingly angry about their government and are likely to take it out on incumbents come November. Let's hope they do.
Here’s my question to you: What message does it send to incumbents if Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid is trailing by double digits in his home state?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Is Sen. Harry Reid's political career over?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
His days in politics may be numbered.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - hugely unpopular at home in Nevada - is being skewered on the national stage for controversial comments he made about then candidate-Obama.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/11/art.harry.reid.jpg caption="Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."]
In the new book "Game Change" - Reid is quoted as saying Obama could succeed as a black candidate in part because of his light-skinned appearance... and speaking without a "Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
Reid has since gone on an apology tour - saying he's sorry to anyone who would listen: the president, plus several top African-American political figures... including members of congress, the head of the NAACP, civil rights leaders, etc.
President Obama accepted the apology "without question"... and top Democrats are defending Reid. No doubt they'd like the whole thing to just go away so the country can focus on issues like health care - instead of the party's own issues.
But several Republicans are calling on Reid to step down from his leadership position in the senate. They're comparing his comments to ones that cost former Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott his LEADERSHIP job.
Meanwhile - Reid is facing an uphill battle just to keep his job as senator. A new poll shows only one-third of Nevada voters have a favorable opinion of him... 52-percent have a negative view of the four-term senator. And - that poll was taken before these comments surfaced.
Reid says he deeply regrets his "poor choice of words"... points to the work he's done for blacks... and insists he has no plans to step down.
Here’s my question to you: Is Sen. Harry Reid's political career over?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Would Obama be better off with congressional leaders other than Reid & Pelosi?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at a news conference in which the Democratic leaders discussed the first 100 days of the Obama Administration and their legislative accomplishments. (PHOTO CREDIT: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama has had a lot of success early in his term. But it could be even better.
Democrats control the House, and if Al Franken becomes the 60th Democratic senator, they will have a fillibuster-proof majority there. But as usual, when it comes to the Democrats, all is not well. And the problem starts with the leadership in Congress.
A new CNN/Opinion Research corporation poll shows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with only a 39 percent approval rating - 48 percent think she's doing a terrible job.
And Pelosi is not doing herself any favors by the way she's handled the torture debate. There's reason to believe Pelosi knew about waterboarding as early as 2002 but she refuses to admit it. Instead she accuses the CIA of lying to Congress.
A Mason Dixon poll taken in Nevada for the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's approval rating is even worse: A meager 38 percent - about half of the state's voters have a negative view of Reid. In fact, there's a question whether he'll even be re-elected. 45 percent of those polled say they'll definitely vote for another candidate in 2010.
Here’s my question to you: Would President Obama be better off with congressional leaders other than Harry Reid & Nancy Pelosi?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Sen. Burris: Why did Reid and Durbin cave in?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's official: Roland Burris will be sworn in and officially seated in the United States Senate later this week. He fills the seat vacated by President-elect Obama.
Why did Reid change his mind?
This comes after a circus of events that started with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich allegedly trying to sell the seat. Then he refused, and does to this day, to resign from his post. Last week, Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois legislature. But in a brazen show of arrogance, and perhaps as a way of calling Harry Reid's bluff, Blagojevich went right ahead and appointed Roland Burris. As promised, the Senate refused to seat him.
When Burris was named, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others quickly said they would reject anyone appointed by Governor Blagojevich.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, number two in the Senate, initially said the fate of the vacant seat should wait until Blagojevich is removed from office.
And there was no shortage of lawmakers issuing statements or rushing in front of cameras to speak their minds. But look what can happen in a week. Burris met behind closed doors with Reid. Democratic Senators suddenly changed their tune and now they will welcome Burris with open arms as their new colleague.
Here’s my question to you: Why did Senators Harry Reid and Dick Durbin cave in and agree to seat Roland Burris as President-elect Obama's Senate replacement?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Does Harry Reid Work for Pres.-elect Obama?
"I don't work for Barack Obama. I work with him," Reid said.
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told The Hill newspaper that the Democrats on Capitol Hill will not be a rubber stamp for President-elect Obama's policies, the way the Republicans have been for President Bush. Reid said, "I don't work for Barack Obama. I work with him."
Reid's been on a bit of a roll this week. He started Sunday with his ongoing mantra about President Bush's failures and called him the worst President ever.
On Tuesday, he turned away Roland Burris at the Senate door, which was not a surprise since he vowed to refuse to accept anyone appointed by scandal ridden Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. But he may not have a choice. Reid met with Burris yesterday and seems to have warmed up to the possibility of seating him if the lawyers can work things out. If that happens, Harry Reid will look sillier than he already does.
Reid was also shooting from the lip on the still disputed Minnesota Senate race. He said, quote, "Norm Coleman will never ever serve again in the Senate" Really? What if a court decides otherwise?
Yesterday he told his fellow Senators to cancel their travel plans for this weekend and vowed a weekend vote on only the second day of the legislative session. What a busy fellow.
Here’s my question to you: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he doesn't work for Barack Obama. Is he right?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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