No love for Harry Reid on the Tea Party Express
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/01/art.reid.cnn.jpg caption="Kareann Harris of Las Vegas shows her disapproval with Reid."]
Las Vegas, NEVADA (CNN) - As the Tea Party Express rolls out of Las Vegas, there is at least one person who may be glad to see it go: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"There's been kind of an underground gathering of opponents of Harry Reid," said Mark Williams, one of the organizers of the cross country conservative caravan that is making its way towards Washington.
Williams says that dislike of the Nevada Democrat is one of the key factors that is driving people to come out to the five Nevada stops on the tour. With Reid not being up for election until 2010, Williams says people are using the tea parties to come together and vent their frustration with the state's senior senator.
Protesters at a tea party event in Sparks, Nevada drew a rather unflattering caricature of the senator and taped it to the door of a port-a-pottie.
In Winnemucca, Nevada Deborah Johns, another tour organizer, won big applause when she brought up Reid.
"It's time to let Harry Reid know it's time to go back to searchlight," she said, referring to Reid's hometown in Nevada. "When he gets there the lights are going to be out."
In Las Vegas, Kareann Harris came out with a sign that read, "Harry wants Vegas Unemployed" on one side and "Las Vegas Wants Harry Unemployed" on the other.
"Harry Reid is doing nothing for the people here," she said. Harris also took issue with comments President Obama made in February disparaging companies receiving federal bailout money from traveling on corporate junkets to places like Las Vegas.
"You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," Obama said at a town hall then.
The president's comments worried many in Las Vegas, a city with an economy that relies heavily on tourism.
"When Barack Obama spoke against the city of Las Vegas Harry Reid laid down and took it," Harris said. "Harry should have stood up for us."
Barbara Goldman, a retired New York City teacher who now lives in Las Vegas, agreed with Harris.
"I don't like the fact that when Obama told corporations not to come here to do their conventions, [Reid] said nothing."
A registered Republican, Goldman said she voted for Reid in his last election - a decision she now regrets. Her sign was a bit more simple: "Dump Reid"
Meanwhile, Reid's office sent a young staffer, Sean Kennedy, on the road to trail the caravan as it made its way across the Silver State. He has videotaped each event.
Williams made a point of introducing Kennedy at each of the rallies and spoke directly into Kennedy's camera to address the Nevada senator.
"Your going down pal! This is our country, it's not your country, it's not your fiefdom Mr. Reid!" he said at the Winnemucca stop to much approval from the crowd.
Sharron Angle hitched a ride on the tea party express as it made its way to Las Vegas. She served four terms in the Nevada State Assembly and expects to run in next year's Republican Senate primary.
"He says he works hard for us but we have 13.1 percent unemployment right here in Las Vegas. We are down 27 percent in tourism," Angle after addressing the crowd at the Las Vegas stop.
Angle thinks that if she can tap into the passion on display at the tea parties she might have a chance against the top Democrat in the Senate.
"These are just regular folks," Angle said as she surveyed the crowd, "and they're not wanting to join the choir, they're wanting to join the army."
The tea party tour is now headed to Flagstaff, Arizona.
From CNN Politics
- Trump hush money probe goes quiet after chaotic week
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Untitled
- US and Canada reach a deal on decades-old asylum agreement
- Sen. Graham 'admonished' by Senate Ethics Committee for soliciting funds in Capitol
- Before he represented Trump, defense attorney speculated Stormy Daniels saga was true and payment could be seen as an in-kind campaign contribution
These tea party idiots are an extreme minority. Why don't you cover every greenpeace event like this?
Bye Bye Harry.
Start filling out the un-employment papers.
I wish I had time to travel across country to go to "pep" rallies. Unfortunately though I have a job and regardless of what the extremist right would have everyone believe, Democrats aren't a bunch of "free-loaders" . . . . we actually have jobs & pay taxes. We just care more about our fellow Americans than they do!
It's amazing how when people get angry common sense goes out the door. Of course unemployment is going to rise more sharply when your economy is based on tourism during an economic downturn. Less people have disposable income to spend on travel. The less travel, the less tourism, the less tourism the higher the unemployment rate.
Also, as far as Obama telling the bailout companies not to go to Vagas on the taxpayer dime. The same people upset over this would be upset if the companies did go to Vagas, saying it was a waste of taxpayer money.
It appears that these individuals are frustrated with the current economic situation, which does not seem to be getting better. As a result, you are seeing more constituents take on their representatives, and Senator Reid is no exception. My beef is with the entire Congress for letting the Credit card Companies off the hook with their extorting practices toward the middle class. Chase Bank just raised my monthly payment to 160%. I guess it's their way to show their support for the middle class. I am not sure anyone in the goverment can do much because our representatives are somewhat in the pockets of those powerful lobbying firms in Washington, DC.
No one believes those tea baggers! They are just people that have mental problems. Like most Americans and minorities, I don't feel their pain and glad I'm not there. They're not very patriotic people
It doesn't look like these tea parties are attracting many people any more. I think the pendulum may be swinging in the other direction. That's good news for the Democrats and Obama.
People utilizing their constitutional freedoms to assemble and decry policies in Washington they disagree with, Oh the Horror.
They are entitled to their opinion just like you are entitled to yours. You might find people would be more willing to discuss their difference of opinion if you didn't start off your rants by labeling them as idiots, right-wingnuts, etc. From my viewpoint they are taxpaying citizens, the people on whose very backs Washington has built their gravy train!
My oh my, these neanderthal libs sure can get nasty when a conservative tries to exercise their first amendment rights. They want a country like Hugo Chavez runs. Totally unamerican aren't they. They don't seem to understand, working americans are tire of paying for the dope smoking free loaders that the democratic party has created.
nevada is a state that soley relies on tourism. the economy goes in the tank & disposable income shrinks to nothing, what did these people expect? did they expect people to still waste thousands in vegas?
& now these tea-baggers are angry that obama chastised corporate executives for using bailout money distributed by the bush administration for their own enjoyment? how hypocritical is that? many of these idiots opposed the "bailout" that prevented a total economic collapse from the get-go.
Thanks libs for the daily posts against your fellow citizens. Comical and better than The Daily Show and any other media outlet. I've couldn't dream of writing anything so out of touch with reality. Your posts after 2010 will be priceless. Keep it up CNN, this is really getting good.
The Party of Haters would rather decorate porta-potties than come up with actual solutions. What idiots
Harry Reid is in better company...
Robin Williams in his movie called?? his statement about elected officials is that "Politicians are like diapers, they should be changed often and for the same reason". Their comes a point when they no longer serve the people but just look what's in it for them.
From the name-calling and foolish rhetoric here, one can assume that the gullible bloggers who are under-estimating the voice of the American people are out in full force...... The people protesting are obviously concerned about the direction of the country – and have the foresight and discernment to realize that the fast train to a bankrupt nation must be stopped. Thank you protesters, for being concerned enough to speak up!!
Tea party will save the country from the debt mongering party we have in the white house!
LOL all the post here keep blaming Republican's and calling the
protesters names.
All this whining about protester "who is paying them, where were they
when Bush was in office?'
All I read here is a lot of hate directed towards Average Americana
and a President that is no longer in office
Please keep posting it shows how little tolerance the minority have for
opposition and I get a good laugh!!!
And this is news why? DUH!
Obama pays ACORN to go to meetings.
Reid is a criminal. Between his sketchy land dealings and mob involvement (do you mean you really believed he stood against them in Vegas?), he should be locked in a cell.
Tea party express, are you kidding me, tea parties are for litle girls, good to know you republicans think so highly off yourself that you associate yourself with evernts little childen be partaking in. The tea party sounds like the new republican party, to think people are supporting these clowns shold be an indication republicans have nothing better to do with their time.
Harry Reid is a typical democrat.......a useless, worthless, tax and spend political hack whom the good people of Nevada are going to send packing in the next election but he won't be alone....there will be democrats lying all over the political highway of death that Dear Leader Obama is leading them down.
I am a Democrat that was at the Las Vegas Tea Party...For your information, Tea Parties are non-partisan.
LV unemployment is at 13.1 percent. You only qualify to refi if your home has not lost more than 10% in value.
Reid has done nothing to help the state other than his porky rail project no one cares about. He is rude to the very people that elected him. Instead of Town Halls, he holds a phone conference. OR invites Democrats that he thinks might support him. I got an invitation to his EVENT that allowed no questions. Uh...doesn't he work for me?
Maybe that type of tactic works in other states, but not in Nevada.
So I went to the Tea Party.
Finally, 2nd quarter Reid got 469K funding from Nevada and 2.73 Million from out of state donors. I think he might find that buying his seat won't work here either.