Angle draws criticism from New Orleans mayor
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/13/art.angle.gi.jpg caption ="Sharron Angle is drawing criticism from New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu."]Washington (CNN) – New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu weighed in on the contentious race for Senate in Nevada on Wednesday, criticizing Republican candidate Sharron Angle for saying in 2005 that she would have voted against funding for Katrina relief efforts because the money was not well accounted for.
"I think that government needs to live within its means," Angle said in a 2005 radio interview. "I would like to go join my voice with Mike Pence and others who, when $62 billion came out to be spent on Katrina relief, he said, 'wait a minute, I'm voting no and the reason is because I want to know where it's going, what it's going to be spent on, and who's going to be spending it.' So I'd like to join my voice there."
The comments were reported Sunday by Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun, and have led to a response from Landrieu, who said Angle "is simply too extreme and dangerous to serve in the United States Senate."
"When I heard Sharron Angle's comments about how she would have opposed helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, I honestly wondered aloud how anyone like this could actually be serious about wanting to serve in the United States Senate," Landrieu said.
Landrieu, a Democrat, comes from a powerful political family that includes sitting Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu.
In the end, every United States senator voted in favor of the $51.8 billion emergency spending bill, while 11 members of the House voted against the measure. Rep. Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican that Angle referred to in the radio interview, ended up voting in favor of the legislation.
The Angle camp, in a statement to CNN, said the issue is one of accountability.
"As always, Sharron would want to know where the tax dollars are going and who is spending it before voting in favor of any spending bill," Angle spokesman Jarrod Agen said in an email.
At the time of her statement, Angle was pursuing a seat in the House of Representatives.
Angle is locked in a tight battle with incumbent Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.
- CNN's Jessica Yellin contributed to this report
Future expat, right on! I always find that an interesting argument to make - "you don't agree with her so you are taking away her 1st amendment rights!"
I agree 100%, disagreeing with a whacko has nothing to do with limiting their 1st Amendment rights - it's simpy us exercising ours!
Mitch,
What's your point.
The people in NO scamed billions of dollars from the tax payers.
If the world didn't know we still spend millions and millions of dollars when we send free help for the past five years rebuilding NO. Yes I said five years.
Tell me another city in the US that has wasted so much time and money rebuilding and not seeing much progress.
If we would have given evry person in NO a million dollars the tax payers would be way ahead of the game but I know most would still have their hands out and in our pockets.
The Tea Party would have left thousands to die because the motto of the Tea Party is "ME, ME, and ME and YOU can die for all I care"
This woman is looking more like the "Evil Twin" to Half Gov. Sarah Palin. She actually makes Palin look like she is smart.
Stifle Angle? Perish the thought! We need to hear more and more from her. Every time she opens her mouth she swings another 1,000 votes to Reid. We need to know the full range of her philosophy of governing in order to make an intelligent decision.
Sharon Angle: the more you hear, the more you fear.
Sara Palin is better than Sharron Angle,the congenital idiot.
If it were you and your state, would your comments be different? It was New Orleans, and Mississippi five years ago, and New York 10 years ago, it could very well be Las Vegas in 2010 or 2011...Karma is a .....
Every time I hear about how the GOP is going to take over I think of candidates like Sharon Angle and feel better.
Its time to tax the rich boys. Its their turn to carry the load.
I take her dumb comments with a grain of salt. She appears to be just a bit unbalanced.
Is she even a little bit curious to what happened to 9 Billion in cash that went missing in Iraq?
The Nevada rethugs had quite a choice in the primary. Sue "Chicken Lady" Lowden or Sharon "Goof Ball" Angle. In Minnesota, the 6th District have just proven that incest is alive and well in the 6th. They keep sending Nutcase Bachmann back to congress.
JES – First of all, the money and the workers came from the US government. The people of NO were working with their hands tied behind their backs at first, due to the LACK of response by the BUSH administration. So don't wax revisionist history on me.
They were relocated, separated from their families, homes, jobs...if you haven't lived through something like this, you have no standing to comment.
About Ms. Angle: she definitely needs to take some recent history lessons as well as a few courses in civics; her ability to clearly see reality is hampered by what looks like medication, to me.
I never saw her stand up about all the wasteful, not even in the budget spending by Bush in Iraq & Afghanistan...how many trillions of dollars was that?
More importantly, how much are the lost lives worth?
Ms. Angel and her ilk are simply doing their best to sabotage our country, our president, and all of us who are struggling in the middleclass.
As long as she and her cohorts are making a salary from OUR tax dollars, nothing will change. The best thing we can do is NOT vote for people like this.
Hey Republicans this is what is taking over your party .....killing your party......along with Miller, Palin and all the Tea Baggers they support....come November if the people of this country continue to hear their extreme ideas and lack of knowledge .....they will ruin all your chances of getting the majority of seats in Washington..........
Sharon Angle's only road to victory is to to somehow convince Nevada's citizens that the Sharon Angle that we knew and laughed at for years, has somehow transformed into a reasonable person. I wonder how many people on the national scene realize that Read was basically praying to go against Angle in the General Election.
She was chosen because her opponents gaffes were making front page headlines, partially thanks to Reads own people, and down south, where the majority of the states voters live, Angle was still an unknown. Northern Nevadan's have refused to put her in office for years, she had become a joke of a candidate, but the National Tea Party movement didn't care. Now they have a candidate that can't open their mouth without lowering their own poling numbers. Come November we'll see just how well the Tea Party works for the Republican party.
I am amazed at the amount of people on hear that do not care where 62 billion dollars are going.....That is the main problem with the government they don't care either....After all it's not their money it's yours....I guess you are all millionaires?
This is woman with so many smarts she refuses to answer questions that aren't pre-screened. Between Angle and Palin, there's not enough brain power complete one gramatically correct sentence.
A lot of sound bites; all hot air and no substance.
Sue...
It's about the utter HYPOCRISY of someone that doesn't want the Federal Government involved in local issues.
"'wait a minute, I'm voting no and the reason is because I want to know where it's going, what it's going to be spent on, and who's going to be
spending it.'"
Give them the money and let them, the LOCAL people that KNOW the situation, best decide on how to spend it. Or do you want the Federal Government telling YOUR area how to spend money if your area were stricken with a disaster?
Should it be accounted for as it is spent? Yes. But to "forecast" exactly what will go where is asinine. needs are constantly re-evaluated and modified AS NEEDED.
I don't see Ms. Angle in the Senate, either! She is too extreme, stupid, and I believe her brain fell out when running away from her Second Ammendment remedies comments!
Sue, where was your concern when 1 trillion dollars went to rebuild Iraq when it was much needed over here?
I really don't understand all the republican hypocrisy about big government. There was absolutely no outrage when Republicans were in charge and the country went into this free fall. Now that the democrats are in charge, you all are so worried.. What the absolute hell is the answer to the hypocrisy... I want the real answer.. Half of America knows what it is, just waiting to see if the other half will ever admit it....
Eric.. She believes in limited government, as long as you believe what she does. She is no different from any other conservative-of-the moment. LIMIT LIMIT LIMIT!!! Stay out of my pocket!! Stay out of my life!!! Oh wait.. You're gay..? BAN BAN BAN!!!! Amend the Constitution!!!! NO NO NO!!! Puh-leaze.
Hello Nevada – are you seriously thinking about voting for the nutjob? And we thought Bush was an idiot and had no compassion for New Orleans because they were just poor black people.
Now we have another Republican who would not reach out and help another group of Americans in the worst disaster in our history. Proves again that Republicans could care less about the American People. All they care about are their rich white corporate buddies and having power to destroy our nation.
This woman is not qualified for ANY public office and I hope all of you in Nevada are seeing this hateful moron for who she is.
If I lived in Vegas...this is the one would vote for........Sharon ....you go get 'em girl!