Angle has run-in with reporter
(CNN) - Republican Sharron Angle has largely avoided interviews with local and national media outlets since capturing her party's Senate nomination two weeks ago, but the newly-minted candidate had a contentious run-in Thursday with a Las Vegas television reporter.
KLAS reporter Nathan Baca asked Angle about a statement on her website that calls for "transitioning out" Social Security and Medicare programs.
"Why do you want to eliminate [Social Security] for younger folks," he asked.
Angle, who had just returned from a visit to Washington, fired back at him.
"You believe the Harry Reid lie," said Angle, who was campaigning at a Las Vegas restaurant. Angle said she does not believe in eliminating Social Security entirely, but instead transferring the money to private accounts that the government "can't raid."
"You're putting words into my mouth from Harry Reid," a frustrated Angle responded when Baca noted that the stock market downturn would have been devastating to seniors if their savings had been privatized.
"I want you to be very clear on this," she said. "I'm here to save Social Security. Harry Reid is here to bankrupt Social Security."
The former state lawmaker, once considered a long shot for the GOP nomination, easily defeated 12 other candidates in the June 8 primary, thanks in part to help from the Tea Party Express, a national Tea Party organization, and the fiscally conservative organization Club for Growth.
She now faces Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, believed to be among the must vulnerable Senate Democrats, in November.
Reid recently launched a campaign commercial, in which the announcer says, "Shockingly, Sharron Angle wants to wipe out Social Security." Angle's campaign called that ad a "deception, designed to divert attention from Harry Reid's own failures."
When the KLAS reporter asked about her stated opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency, Angle then replied, "Where are you getting these questions? The issues are not about the EPA. The issues are homes here in Nevada. He is trying to make this a campaign about me. But, where's Harry? Go ask him. Please go ask Harry about the EPA, and why they have failed."
Angle has criticized the EPA for proposing domestic energy regulations that she has said will be "harmful to most sectors of the domestic energy industry and eventually substantially raise the utility bill of every American."
Baca, who then repeatedly tried to ask Angle an additional question as she exited the restaurant, later said the Angle campaign aide called him "an idiot and another term that can't be repeated."
Campaign spokesman Jerry Stacy told CNN the comments did not come from an Angle aide.
"I reviewed the video," he said. "I do not recognize the person in the video that the reporter was talking to. It was not an employee of the campaign."
A Mason-Dixon poll conducted a week before Angle won the primary showed her and Reid statistically tied.
Just look at the demographics. There's no way Social Security can continue as it has to date because there will not be enough young workers to pay for the older, retired workers – a little plain arithmetic can tell us that. The government has to come up with a new "old age retirement assistance" program because Reid and his democrat buddies have raided the social security lock box and it is empty with no way to fill it up again. Angle has it right.
Angle is of the lunatic fringe and the worst (or best, depending on which side of the aisle you are on) choice to run against Reid. The Tea Partiers have pretty much saved Harry Reid by putting this candidate over the top. I'm beginning to really enjoy the irony of this bunch.
So after reading this why is the reporter the idiot? I dont get where this tea bagger is coming from ! Besides, had Bush managed to get Social privatized no one in the middle class would have a damn cent left! all there money would have gone to wall street. What a bunch of crap here, She , at least i thought she said that in a clip I had seen on TV. as we say here who da dummy now!
Baca caca moment? Or just a preview of coming attractions?
I don't like Angle's political leanings but i am tired of the media playing these "gotcha" games. They only serve as distractions to our ability to dialogue on the real issues.
Yet another incompetent, corporate Republican who is incapable of thinking clearly. Ms. Angle is yet another Republican unworthy and unqualified to lead in Washington–but that never stopped the GOP.
Regarding the EPA and other agencies... had rigorous regulation been in place, we wouldn't have the Republican/corporate disaster which is now in its 60 day.
Go Harry Reid!
I can't believe that people are willing to turn our government back over to the republicans, so quickly, after 10 years of their disastrous control that destroyed our economy and the middle class! Just remember people what Mitch McConnell says often, "voters have a short memory". Democrats had better show up this November or we'll get the tea bag government we deserve.