Obama: 'Never bet against' Harry Reid

Barack Obama does a pretty good Harry Reid impression.

The 6-foot-1 president leans over, lowers his voice to a whispery rasp.

"Well, I'm Harry Reid," Obama said Friday, telling a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, audience about the first time the 70-year-old senator told him he used to be a boxer.

"Barack, I wasn't the fastest. I wasn't the hardest hitting. But I knew how to take a punch."

Obama smiles and shakes his head, just like he did when he told the same story during a spirited campaign rally for Reid at CityCenter's Aria hotel-casino the night before.

Unspoken is the message the president's anecdote conveys: Reid might not look like much of a fighter, or much of a campaigner, but his toughness has helped him survive until now. And the way Obama delivers it, by imitating Reid, sends another signal: If you would vote for me, vote for him.

"He's a fighter and you should never bet against him," Obama said of Reid.

The message is important because the president is not on the November ballot. And to win, the unpopular Reid needs all the help he can get from core Democratic supporters who turned out in force in Nevada and nationwide to ensure Obama won the White House in 2008, say political analysts.

"This is Obama's job -- he has to campaign" for Reid and others in tight races, said Ken Fernandez, a political science professor at UNLV. "Reid needs him to bring attention to what he has done in Nevada. But it's more effective in a presidential election year than it is during a mid-term election."

Obama needs Reid, as well, to carry the Democrat s' agenda.

On Friday, Obama announced he would ask Congress to extend a tax credit for clean energy projects at a federal cost of $5 billion. He said that could trigger creation of up to 40,000 jobs around the country, including some in Nevada where the dismal economy is the top campaign issue.

So far, the government has extended $2.3 billion in such help to companies that must provide 70 percent of private funding for the projects to receive a tax credit for the remaining 30 percent.

Amonix, a California-based company, got $5.9 million to build a solar manufacturing facility in Las Vegas, which is expected to create 278 jobs -- a development Reid touted in the spring.

While Reid as the Senate majority leader has tied his re-election hopes to Obama, the Republicans and his GOP opponent Sharron Angle are doing the exact same thing -- but to argue against sending the four-term senator back to Washington to continue what they see as failed Democratic policies.

"As two of the most powerful politicians in Washington, this Democratic duo has schemed and forced their liberal agenda onto the people of Nevada, leading to 14 percent unemployment in the state, the highest in the nation," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said.

Steele's statement came as the RNC released a new TV ad running in Las Vegas called "Two of a Kind," that blames Reid and Obama for record high jobless rates as well as a $1.5 trillion budget deficit and a record $13 trillion national debt. Angle's first general election TV ad also hits Reid on the economy.

Angle's campaign on Friday questioned why Obama was visiting Las Vegas for the overnight trip that was part official and part political at a time that the BP oil spill disaster continues in the Gulf and as the U.S. government sues the state of Arizona for a law that cracks down on illegal immigrants.

"Why was the president in Nevada at all?" Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy asked in a statement. "Shouldn't he be more concerned about suing Arizona, a state that's actually trying to do something about immigration, unlike his administration? Or the cleanup of the oil spill in the Gulf that happened because his Mineral Management Agency got too cozy with BP?

"Instead he's flying out from Washington on the taxpayer dime trying to bail out 'Rubber-Stamp Harry Reid' and talking down to Nevadans about their economy getting better and what a great job Reid is doing. It's insulting to the people of Nevada. They know better."

The Angle campaign, which is now starting to counter some of Reid's daily attacks, also released what it called the "Reid/Obama record" that criticizes the results of the $800 billion-plus stimulus act.

The list noted that since the stimulus passed last year, the nation's unemployment rate has risen from 8.2 percent to 9.5 percent and 2.3 million Americans have lost jobs, including more than 64,000 in Nevada and 39,000 in Las Vegas as the state suffers a record high 14 percent unemployment rate.

The White House, however, said in a document released during Obama's visit that an estimated 27,000 jobs were "created or saved" by the Recovery Act, or stimulus, through March 2010. And more than $3 billion in funding has been made available to Nevada with $2.2 billion spent so far.

Reid, in a short speech at UNLV before he introduced Obama, defended the Democrats' efforts to rebuild an economy that he and the president said crashed thanks to the Bush administration. But he also said he knew that people were frustrated the recovery is taking so long.

"It's an underestimation to say Nevada is being tested like never before," Reid said, adding that he is confident the state's economy will come back. "We've got a lot of fight left in us."

He and Nevada will need that battle born mentality.

Although Reid ran in the Democratic primary with little opposition, he won only 75 percent of the vote on June 8 with "none" of these candidates finishing second at nearly 11 percent of the vote. And college-age voters who had supported Obama in record numbers two years ago didn't turn out, with only 2.25 percent of registered 18- to-25-year-old voters showing up at the ballot box.

Obama's visit -- his third for Reid in the past year -- was largely designed to both fire up the Democratic base and to reach out to those disappointed supporters who think there hasn't been enough "hope and change" as the former Illinois senator had promised when he ran for president.

Democrats who had voted for Obama and longtime Reid loyalists, including union members, were invited to the Thursday evening rally at the Aria, filling a ballroom with 3,000 people.

Friday's UNLV event also was by invitation only, with representatives of clean energy companies, small business owners, consumer groups, environmental advocates and community leaders filling most of the 600 seats in the student union room, although the university also invited some guests.

Even among that friendly crowd, some people expressed doubts about the direction the Democratic leaders were taking the country, mostly because of economic angst.

Nakia Jackson-Hale, 36, voted for Obama but expressed skepticism after listening to his speech at UNLV, where she works.

"I think that it's very encouraging," she said. "However, when he says that the economy is getting better, it's kind of hard to believe when my husband was laid off three weeks ago."

UNLV graduate Chelsea Milko, 25, also said she's a strong Obama backer and voted for him. But she's not so sure about the Senate majority leader, saying, "I've always been on the fence about Reid."

"I just think he's out of touch with Nevada," Milko said, voicing a common worry that Reid has been trying to dispel. "I feel he's a little too distant and caught up in that game in Washington."

In the end, however, Milko said she would likely vote for Reid come Nov. 2 because she feels he's a "valuable player" of the Democratic team for Obama -- another idea Reid is trying to re-enforce.

What about Angle, the Tea Party favorite who is running on a platform of reducing the size of the federal government and its spending in favor of returning more power and money to the states?

"I could never vote for Sharron Angle," Milko said. "I'm afraid she would get rid of the Peace Corps. She wants to get rid of some federal agencies and you just don't know what might be next."

Milko said she has joined the Peace Corps and is soon heading to Uganda.

Review-Journal reporter Carri Geer Thevenot contributed to this story. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.

Trending topics:

• Barack Obama
• Democrat
• Harry Reid
• Laura Myers
• Republican
• Senate
• Sharron Angle
• UNLV

Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. rollum Jul. 12, 2010 | 6:12 p.m. Report Abuse

   After the great job Obama did for our state and all the jobs we lost because Obama told people not to waste their money here, he has the nerve to come back and try to tell us how to vote.
   
   Obama and Reid have done nothing to stop the recession. It has just gotten a lot worse under Obama and Reid!
   
   For those who complain about Bush, remember that Reid and Obama were both in congress during that time. What were they doing then? Obama was voting present; was Harry Reid sleeping?

2. Deep.Thoughts Jul. 12, 2010 | 12:02 p.m. Report Abuse

   A vote for Reid IS a vote for Obama, Fix our country and vote them out!

3. renostarman Jul. 12, 2010 | 8:47 a.m. Report Abuse

   hey liberals tell the truth: Here's the difference between right -wing zealots as yourself and more liberal people of thought- You think of you're political views as though they were a religion. You think you are right and you have FAITH that you are right. I on the other hand weigh facts and evidence to try to ascertain the truth. I have voted for every Democratic candidate since McGovern. I would never vote for Clinton again-he was proved immoral, and I would never vote for Carter again who proved to by inept as a president. But you conservatives in light of 8 years of facts hitting you in the face would march lock-step into a booth and vote for Bush again. Those of you old enough would vote for Nixon again! The truth -the evidence -the facts -just don't matter to you-because you have faith-You sir would make any Mullah or Ayatollah proud with your unswerving devotion! I urge all of you who are still thinking about which way to vote, wondering if we should return control back over to conservatives, to read these posts and all the comments after any Reid or Angle stories. Read the comments and ask yourselves which side sounds more reasoned, more thoughtful, more caring about the U.S. and Nevada.

4. renostarman Jul. 12, 2010 | 2:26 a.m. Report Abuse

   and liberalstellthetruth-thanks for pointing people to Youtube-while they are there they might look at Angle. And some of the Bush lies.

5. renostarman Jul. 11, 2010 | 3:45 p.m. Report Abuse

   This is from RAINN: The nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization:In 2004-2005, 64,080 women were raped.8 According to medical reports, the incidence of pregnancy for one-time unprotected sexual intercourse is 5%. By applying the pregnancy rate to 64,080 women, RAINN estimates that there were 3,204 pregnancies as a result of rape during that period. THATS A LOT OF LEMONADE!! Thanks for the great choice you baggers have given us this year!

6. daniel.lehigh Jul. 11, 2010 | 8:35 a.m. Report Abuse

   Oh yes Mr. President with Harry as your point man,all your policies are doing GREST JOB FOR nv. and our country.You and Harry stink,you must be a muslim the way you act and think,throw in communist also.The health care plan will bankrupt us ,evan though you cut medicare 500 billion for the seniors but your right we have a lot of illegals we have to care for.

7. renostarman Jul. 11, 2010 | 7:34 a.m. Report Abuse

   Well of course the commies are still here Franklin-they're behind the fluoride. We all you a big thank you for being the ever vigilante solider! We are very afraid now. The commie Marxist administration just spent a couple of trillion to preserve the capitalist banks, but you've got me convinced.

8. Franklin Jul. 11, 2010 | 2:29 a.m. Report Abuse

   From the CPUSA website+++++++++The main report to the 29th National Convention of Communist Party, USA, May 21-23, 2010 in New York City. Addresses the strategic and tactical tasks of the moment.++++++++++++Unless they have disbanded in the last couple of months it would indeed appear that the CPUSA is alive and well in the U.S. today. If this was the only communist organization in the U.S. it may not be that much of a threat but since there are dozens and dozens of Marxists, Leninists, Progressives, Communists, etc. and all very active and aggressive groups gaining an ever more presence in the national scene (Van Jones, Donald Berwick the new health czar, Andy workers of the world unite Stern, etc., etc., etc.) with supporters, donors and political connections to this administration. Deny it all you want the proof is there. If people are unable to see the connections of the fundemental transformation of our nation from a capitalistic society to a government/socialist one they are exteremly naive or just plain stupid. The people aiding in this travesty are through and through Marxists and should just admit it and wear their red start proudly.

9. renostarman Jul. 11, 2010 | 1:56 a.m. Report Abuse

   And for those of you conservative's, that are still as paranoid about communism, as franklin-from the same wiki page that-franklin sites- "the CPUSA does continue to exist as an organization despite its lack of influence, today under the leadership of Sam Webb. Webb asserts a current figure of around 15,000 in party membership, which has been disputed as an overestimate.[3]". You've got more than enough ammo your bunker to handle that don't Ya? And haven't you got "off Message"? Beck will be disappointed in you- It's Nazi's and Muslim's and Illegal Immigrants, that we have to fear-oh ya and blacks and gays and the feminist's and liberals and democrats and and socialists and and the unions and the teachers; I personally have a great fear, to the point of nightmares, worrying about the Future Farmers of America coming to make me do my chores again. Which makes as much sense as worrying about the commies coming for us. Lions and tigers and Black helicopters Oh My!

10. kill whitey Jul. 11, 2010 | 12:05 a.m. Report Abuse

    Harry Reid was envolved in the shooting at costco. Im trying to prove Obama was involved also. I have evidence they gave him his gun when they were here.

Read All Comments