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THE CLAIM: Republicans say that Senator Reid has "built nothing."
THE FACTS: FALSE. In reality, Senator Reid has brought home hundreds of millions of dollars to Nevada that helped build roads, schools, hospitals, and other vital public works projects that have created jobs, and made Nevada a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
- Sen. Reid has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to create good paying clean energy jobs, such as the transmission line that is being built between northern and southern Nevada. [Review-Journal, 1/12/20]
- Thanks to Sen. Reid, Nevada has received millions of dollars for a variety of needs, including schools and roads. [Las Vegas Sun, Editorial, 5/27/09]
- MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren credits Senator Reid as saving City Center and allowing the project to continue building. City Center currently employs 12,000 people. Jobs that would not have been created, if it weren't for Senator Reid. [Reid Campaign Ad, 10/15/09]
- Reid delivered $10 million dollars to build an arsenic treatment plant in Fallon that will create jobs, and save lives." [Gannett News, 9/28/01; Review-Journal, 11/13/01]
- A new Southern Nevada Veterans hospital is being built because Senator Reid secured $540 million dollars for the project. [Review-Journal, 9/7/07; FY 2008 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill; Review-Journal, 11/19/05; FY 2006 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill]
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THE CLAIM: Republicans' first attack ad on health insurance reform.
THE FACTS: FALSE. There's virtually no truth to Republicans' attack ad, which is riddled with falsehoods and outright lies.
- Republicans falsely claim that health insurance reform "will raise taxes, put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor, weaken Medicare, kill jobs, and push us further into debt." Since none of this is true, they were heavily criticized.
- FactCheck.org Called Republicans' Ad "A Practically Fact-Free Attack on Reid." [FactCheck.org, 3/5/10]
- Jon Ralston Gave Republicans' Ad A "D," Saying, "This Ad Is Really Hard to Take Seriously." [Face-To-Face, 3/5/10]
- Republicans' ad was also mocked for its absurdity on the Rachel Maddow show, and Pollster.com [MSNBC, The Rachel Maddow Show, 3/5/10], [Pollster.com, Mark Blumenthal, 3/5/10]
- Don't forget, Republicans' earlier campaign ad attacked someone who isn't even alive to defend himself. " [Las Vegas Sun, 2/16/10]
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THE CLAIM: Harry Reid didn't stand up for Nevada tourism when President Obama said tourists shouldn't travel to Las Vegas.
THE FACTS: FALSE. No one came to Nevada's defense more quickly, or more effectively than Sen. Reid.
- After President Obama referred to Vegas in his Indiana speech, Sen. Reid immediately called the White House to express his concern. Reid succeeded in getting the White House to promise there would be no discrimination towards Nevada, and within 48 hours, Reid announced the President was coming to Vegas. [Review-Journal, 2/12/09], [Las Vegas Sun, 5/27/09], [Slash Politics, 2/2/10]
- After President Obama singled out Las Vegas a second time, Reid responded forcefully and immediately – asking him to "lay off" – and received a personal clarification from the President that stated "There is no place better to have fun than Vegas, one of our country's great destinations." [Reid Release, 2/2/10], [Las Vegas Sun, 2/2/10]
- In addition to President Obama, Sen. Reid has brought numerous administration officials to Vegas, including Vice President Biden, and seven cabinet secretaries. [Review-Journal, 10/16/09], [Department of Interior Release, 6/29/09; Department of Interior Release, 9/4/09], [HUD Release, 7/1/09], [Las Vegas Business Press, 7/13/09], [Reid Press Release, 4/23/09; In Business Las Vegas, 11/6/09], [Reid Release, 7/2/09], [Review-Journal, 8/11/09]
- President Bush, not President Obama started the policy that had government agencies discriminating against Vegas and Reno as destinations, and Reid was responsible for getting that policy overturned. Senator Reid also received personal assurances from a dozen government agencies that they would not discriminate against Nevada. [Review-Journal, 7/28/09], [KVVU, 7/23/09], [Review-Journal, 9/15/09], [Review-Journal, 9/15/09]
- Reid went further and introduced legislation that would make it illegal for government officials to discriminate against Vegas or Reno, and he led passage of the Travel Promotion Act, a law that will boost Nevada tourism and create thousands of jobs. [Reno Gazette-Journal, Inside Nevada Politics, 7/29/09], Review-Journal, 2/24/10]
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THE CLAIM: Nevada didn't get its fair share of dollars from the Recovery Act.
THE FACTS: FALSE. Not only did Nevada get its fair share from the Recovery Act, in many cases it got more than other states.
- Nevada matched or out-performed other states in 25 funding categories. [Flash, 2/20/09]
- Republicans who criticize Nevada's $1.6 billion take from the Recovery Act are purposefully telling only half the story. That number represents only the initial amount of funding.
- Thanks to Sen. Reid, it's now clear that Nevada will receive nearly $3 billion from the Recovery Act, with additional housing, geothermal, and other monies secured. [recovery.gov]
- Thanks to Sen. Reid, Nevada received the LARGEST percentage increase in Medicaid funding of ANY state. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/1/09]
- Nevada received $93 million in geothermal funding, which was nearly one-third of the TOTAL funding divided among the other 49 states. This will create roughly 1,100 new jobs right here in our state. [Review-Journal, 10/29/09]
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THE CLAIM: The Recovery Act didn't create jobs, made things worse.
THE FACTS: FALSE. While we are not yet out of the woods, the Recovery Act countered the very worst of what was the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression and started us on the road to recovery.
- Before the Recovery Act was passed, our nation lost 741,000 jobs in January of 2009 and the economy had shrunk by 6.4% during the previous fiscal quarter.
- One year after the Recovery Act was signed into law, job losses had shrunk to 20,000 jobs in January 2010 and the economy grew by 5.7% in the previous quarter, the fastest it had grown since 2003. That's a nearly 12% shift in positive economic growth since the Recovery Act has been in effect, and a dramatic slowing of job losses.
- Roughly 20,000 jobs have already been created or saved in Nevada thanks to the Recovery Act. [Center for Budget and Policy and Priorities, 1/29/10]
- More than 1/3 of the Recovery Act consisted of tax cuts and other assistance for families and businesses, including one of the broadest tax cuts in American history, which put $500 million back into the hands of more than 1 million Nevada families. This kept 58,000 Nevadans from falling below the poverty line in 2009. [New York Times, Economic Stimulus] [Las Vegas Sun, 12/23/09], [White House Report, 4/22/08]
- Thanks to Senator Reid personally inserting a debt cancellation provision into the recovery act, 31,000 jobs were protected at Harrah's. [Las Vegas Sun, 10/23/09]
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THE CLAIM: Nevada only gets 65 cents for every dollar it pays in taxes. This must mean Sen. Reid is ineffective.
THE FACTS: FALSE. Not only is that number false, but Senator Reid does more to bring federal funding back to Nevada than anyone else.
- In 2008 Nevada got 97 cents back for every dollar it paid in. (IRS, State Tax Statistics; US Census Bureau, Quick Facts - Nevada)
- The Republicans who make this attack aren't being honest with Nevadans, and what's more, they know it. [Review-Journal, 8/17/09]
- Because of his unparalleled clout as Majority Leader, Senator Reid consistently brings back more money than the entire rest of the Congressional delegation combined. (Ralston's Flash, 2/18/2010)
- It has been well-documented that most problems Nevada has securing federal funding come because of matching fund formulas, and are actually the result of ineffective leadership in Carson City. (Las Vegas Sun, 3/10/2010)
- Any Republicans concerned about Nevada's funding should account for what they bring back to the state; Senator Reid is by far Nevada's most effective advocate in these tough economic times. (Ralston's Flash, 2/18/2010)
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THE CLAIM: The new health care law weakens Medicare.
THE FACTS: FALSE. One of the best parts of health care reform is that it strengthens and extends the solvency of Medicare. Not a single guaranteed benefit is cut.
- Guaranteed Medicare benefits will NOT be touched. [AARP, 3/25/10]
- Annual checkups are now FREE, as is preventive care like mammograms and colonoscopies. [HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- The AARP Praised the Senate Health Care Bill For Strengthening And Improving Medicare For Seniors [AARP Press Release, 12/24/09]
- Thanks to health care reform, the "Donut Hole" is going to be closed. [AARP Press Release, 12/24/09]
- Prescription drug prices will go down for seniors in the donut hole starting this year. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/2/10]
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THE CLAIM: Karl Rove's henchmen have a new ad up attacking Senator Reid. They say the Recovery Act failed and they make false accusations about Senator Reid's record.
THE FACTS: FALSE. The Recovery Act has created or saved tens of thousands of jobs in Nevada, and unlike Sharron Angle who calls Nevadans on unemployment "spoiled"; no one is working harder than Harry Reid to get Nevada's economy back on track.
- The Economic Recovery Act has created or saved 27,000 jobs in Nevada, has kept roughly 58,000 Nevada families from sliding into poverty, and provided more than one million Nevada families with a tax break. [Las Vegas Sun, 4/16/10], [New York Times, Economic Stimulus], [White House Report, 4/22/08]
- Harry Reid led the efforts to prop up Nevada's struggling housing market by extending and expanding the Homebuyer Tax Credit, which more than 25,000 Nevadans took advantage of, receiving more than $186 million in tax credits. Reid received bipartisan praise for making this happen. [Washington Post, "Capitol Briefing," 11/4/09], [Congressional Record, 11/4/09], [Reid Press Release, 4/23/10]
- Harry Reid has fought hard to help Nevada families who are underwater in their mortgages and struggling to stay in their homes. Recently he pressured Bank of America to do more for Nevada homeowners, which resulted in 3 new homeowner resources centers opening in Nevada, a team of loan specialists who will work directly w/ Senator Reid's staff to help Nevadans, and a Nevada specific hotline for those who have mortgages with the bank. [KTNV, 5/14/10]
- Sharron Angle wouldn't have lifted a finger to save 22,000 jobs at CityCenter, and she went as far as attacking Reid's efforts to protect Nevada jobs, calling it "bullying." [Sharron Angle press release, 12/18/09]
- Fighting against Harry Reid's efforts to help Nevadans through these tough times, Sharron Angle has called Nevadans who are temporarily on unemployment "spoiled" and claims that extending this crucial safety net for out of work Nevadans is a "terrible thing." [KRNV, 5/25/2010], [Heidi Harris in the Morning, 6/2/2010]
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THE CLAIM: Republicans are claiming Sen. Reid was wrong when he said Ford benefitted from the auto-industry rescue fund.
THE FACTS: FALSE. The CEO of Ford agrees w/ Sen. Reid and has stated that without the steps that were taken to stabilize the auto industry, Ford would not have survived, costing countless jobs across the country.
- According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, the collapse of one of its competitors' would have crippled Ford "within days, if not hours." [Prepared Remarks of Ford CEO Alan Mulally Before Senate Banking Committee, 11/18/08]
- Ford's CEO also said the collapse of any one auto company would have a "devastating ripple effect across the entire U.S. economy." [Prepared Remarks of Ford CEO Alan Mulally Before Senate Banking Committee, 11/18/08]
- While Ford didn't take rescue fund money, they did request a $9 billion dollar loan as a safety net, citing its importance as "critical to the auto industry." [Prepared Remarks of Ford CEO Alan Mulally Before Senate Banking Committee, 11/18/08]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle claims Sen. Reid is pushing the largest tax increase in history.
THE FACTS: FALSE. In reality, Harry Reid has cut billions of dollars in taxes for people who actually need it, and favors making the middle class tax cuts permanent.
- Thanks in large part to policies passed by Sen. Reid; Americans are paying less in taxes today than they have since 1950. [USA Today, 5/12/10]
- Reid passed billions of dollars in tax cuts as part of the 2008 economic stabilization passage; these included job-creating tax breaks for renewable energy production, research and development, and disaster victims. [New York Times, 10/30/08; US Conference of Mayors, 10/13/08]
- The Recovery Act also provided $282 in tax relief to seniors, disabled workers, disabled veterans, unemployed workers, college students, parents, homebuyers, small businesses, families hit by the AMT, and 1 million Nevadans under the "Making Work Pay" tax cut. [Democratic Policy Committee, 2/11/09], [White House Report, 4/22/08], [New York Times, 7/20/10]
- Last year Senator Reid passed a budget that included $760 billion in tax cuts, including extending the Bush tax cuts for families making less than a quarter million a year, and a permanent sales tax deduction for Nevada families. [Knight Ridder, 4/28/09; Conrad Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
- Sen. Reid also extended and expanded the Homebuyer Tax Credit, passed a jobs bill w/ $15 billion in small business tax relief, passed the largest middle class tax cut for healthcare in history, and 30,000 Nevada small business will get a tax cut under health insurance reform. [In Business Las Vegas, 11/13/09], [Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Press Release, 2/24/10] [White House Report, Healthreform.gov]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle, Lame-duck Gov. Jim Gibbons and the Republican National Committee are blaming Harry Reid for NV missing out on the latest round of Race to the Top funds.
THE FACTS: Jim Gibbons is the reason Nevada didn't receive Race to the Top funding. No one has done more for education in NV than Harry Reid, and if it were up to Sharron Angle, NV wouldn't get a dime for education.
- Despite pressure from Sen. Reid and numerous Nevada educators, Jim Gibbons didn't even bother to apply for funding during the initial application process. [Review-Journal, 12/2/09, Nevada Appeal, 12/18/09]
- If it was up to Sharron Angle, Nevada wouldn't have even tried to get the money, and the Department of Education wouldn't exist. [Las Vegas Sun, 6/1/10]
- Sen. Reid delivered more than $445 million in education funding for NV through the Recovery Act. Had Sharron Angle had her way, Nevada would have received 0 dollars. [Recovery.gov, State Funding Totals By Agency]
- In the last two years alone, Sen. Reid has delivered more than $4 million dollars for Nevada schools. If Angle had her way, Nevada would again have received 0 dollars. [Politico, 7/25/10]
- As many as 3,600 Nevada Education jobs, including 1,400 in Clark County Alone have been created or saved thanks to the Recovery Act that Reid passed, and Angle opposed. [Review-Journal, 11/3/09; Nevada Faculty Alliance, 1/6/10]
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THE CLAIM: To deflect attention from her agenda to let Wall Street and big businesses off the hook for crashing Nevada's housing and economy, Sharron Angle is desperately trying to blame Harry Reid for the decline in Nevada's real estate values
THE FACTS: False and Hypocritical. While serving in Nevada's Assembly, Sharron Angle repeatedly voted against the very measures that could have helped prevent the foreclosure crisis. Now as a candidate she wants to let Wall Street and Big Businesses off the hook, saying they are under too much scrutiny. Meanwhile, no one has done more than Harry Reid to address Nevada's housing crisis.
- Reid delivered close to $200 million to Nevada this past year to help residents stay in their homes. [Las Vegas Sun, 2/19/10; Las Vegas Sun, 9/29/10]
- Reid publicly and privately held Bank of America's feet to the fire for not doing enough to help Nevada homeowners. This resulted in the opening of three new homeowner resource centers, additional staff that will work in tandem w/ Sen. Reid's office, & a new hotline to address the concerns of homeowners. [KTNV, 5/14/10]
- Sen. Reid opened his office up to struggling homeowners who were getting the runaround from their lenders. His staff worked with hundreds of Nevada families to help get them back on their feet. [Review-Journal, 10/18/09]
- Sharron Angle wants to make sure the people responsible for the crisis get a free pass. She's gone on record opposing Wall Street reform or any kind of oversight of the big banks. She actually believes there's "too much regulation" of the very people who caused this crisis, and wants to let them do whatever they want. Sen. Reid led the passage of Wall Street reform that holds the big banks accountable and will prevent a crisis like this from happening again. [Las Vegas Sun,4/28/2010, [Las Vegas Sun, 4/18/2010]
- In the state assembly, Angle actually voted AGAINST tougher regulation of the mortgage industry on numerous occasions. [AB 64, 4/30/99; Associated Press, 5/1/99; Associated Press, 5/31/99, [AB 490, 5/31/03; Reno Gazette-Journal, 8/22/03; Associated Press, 6/4/03]
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THE CLAIM: In a desperate attempt to distract from her plan to kill the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sharron Angle is going after Sen. Reid's long record of standing up for our military and veterans.
THE FACTS: Good luck. Whether it's providing for the health and dignity of Nevada's veterans, or ensuring the safety of our troops during time of war, no one has delivered for the military like Senator Reid.
- Both General David Petreaus who said "There was no military solution" and the Reno Gazette Journal agreed w/ Reid's 2007 assessment of the Iraq war. [Gazette-Journal, Editorial, 4/23/07, New York Times, 3/9/07]
- Sen. Reid because Reid has consistently stood with our troops, ensuring pay raises, making it easier for them to vote, and delivering a USO lounge to McCarran Airport. This earned Reid the endorsement of Former Nellis Air Force Base Commander Col. Dave Belote. [Vote 1, 1/22/08; Vote 201,9/17/08; Vote 327, 10/22/09; Washington Post, 10/26/09, Review-Journal, 1/28/10, Washington Post, 10/26/09, Reid campaign release]
- Sen. Reid has also kept our troops safe, fighting for adequate time between deployments, the necessary protective gear, and ensuring they have the funding, and troop reinforcements they need in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Remarks by Senator Reid, 9/19/07, Vote 376, 10/2/03; CQ Today, 10/2/03, The Hill, 5/22/09; Vote 202, 5/22/09]
- Sen. Reid has a long record of delivering for veterans, including his efforts to secure $540 million for a new VA hospital in southern Nevada, and $1.4 billion for Veterans Affairs in the Recovery Act. [Review-Journal, 9/7/07; FY 2008 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Review-Journal, 11/19/05; FY 2006 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Department of Veterans Affairs Website; Reid Release, 2/22/10; Reid Release, 3/20/09]
- On the other hand, Sharron Angle's idea of fighting for our military and veterans is killing the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving thousands of Nevada veterans out in the cold. [Washington Post, 6/14/10]
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THE CLAIM: After a long career of opposing Social Security, Sharron Angle's new ad says she wants to save Social Security.
THE FACTS: Laughably false. Along with promising to not create jobs, Sharron Angle has made killing Social Security a top priority, repeatedly advocating the program's demise.
- Sharron Angle says we need to "phase Medicare and Social Security out." In other words, kill Social Security. [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]
- Sharron Angle says Social Security is "difficult to justify" and likens it to "Welfare."[KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10]
- Sharron Angle has made her feelings about killing Social Security clear, stating 'Getting Out Of Medicare and Social Security Is Not Up For Grabs.' [Talking Points Memo, 6/14/10, KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10]
- Even top Republicans like Tim Pawlenty, Richard Lugar, Orrin Hatch and Olympia Snowe (among many others) disagree with Angle's extreme position. [Good Morning America, 6/11/10, The Hill, 6/15/10, Politico, 6/16/10]
- Independent fact-checkers agree that Harry Reid's TV ad exposing Angle's dangerous plan to kill Social Security and Medicare was accurate. [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 6/14/10, Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/20/10, FactCheck.org, 6/18/10]
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THE CLAIM: As Sharron Angle's campaign crumbles, her DC handlers have released a new ad lacking a single citation that makes unsubstantiated claims attacking Sen. Reid's record on immigration.
THE FACTS: False, and desperate. In reality, Sen. Reid has a long-standing commitment, and strong record of success, in taking aggressive measures to secure our borders.
- Senator Reid secured hundreds of millions of dollars to secure our border – including $600 million in August alone. [CNN, Political Ticker, 8/12/10]
- In 2007, Sen. Reid led the Senate in passing nearly $7 billion in Border Funding for guards, fencing, and UAVs. [PL 110-161, 12/26/07; Lieberman Press Release, 12/19/07]
- There are currently more U.S. boots on the ground securing the U.S. Mexico border than any time in history since 1916.[Politifact, 7/1/10]
- Sen. Reid has never voted to give a single "special tax break" or Social Security benefits to a single person here illegally & Angle (who wants to kill Social Security) makes no effort whatsoever to back up these false charges.
- Senator Reid introduced a bill affirmatively declaring that "illegal immigrants should not receive Social Security benefits and that this prohibition should be strictly enforced." [S Res 551, Introduced 8/3/06]
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THE CLAIM: In response to the Reid campaign's new ad detailing Sharron Angle's extreme plan to end the current Veteran's Administration, Angle's camp actually claims she has never called for ending or privatizing the VA.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle has not only called for privatizing the VA, but she has consistently declined the chance to walk back her extreme position that would ultimately hurt Nevada's vets and jeopardize their access to quality care.
- Sharron Angle is on the record suggesting that we should privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs. [Washington Post, Plum Line, 6/14/10]
- Sharron Angle said that under "A privatized system," benefits like prescription drugs should not necessarily be covered, even by the VA. [KNPR, 5/19/10]
- Angle has had more than three months to walk back this extreme position and clarify that she doesn't want to privatize the VA, but hasn't, even when given the chance on FOX NEWS. [Friends of Sharron Angle YouTube Page, 9/17/10, Full Account of last three months from NSDP site, HERE]
- Angle's position on the VA is consistent with her desire to kill Social Security and Medicare.[Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 6/14/10, Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/20/10, FactCheck.org, 6/18/10, Las Vegas Sun, 9/28/10]
- It was Senate Republicans, not Harry Reid who decided not to fund our military today. Senator Reid is the one who scheduled the vote, and he will bring it up again this Congress.
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THE CLAIM: "Upset about losing your job? Harry Reid thinks you're a 'selfish little child'"
THE FACTS: Reid was explaining how he can relate to Nevadans struggling in today's economy, because he grew up in a family that struggled.
- Reid wasn't criticizing people who are struggling in the economy and frustrated about it. He was explaining that he understood the frustration of Nevadans who are struggling in these tough economic times and are frustrated because of it. [CBS News, 10/8/10]
- Harry Reid grew up poor in Searchlight – his father was a hard-rock miner who didn't always get paid for the work he did and his mother took in wash from the brothels to supplement the family income. [Las Vegas Review-Journal, The First 100 Persons That Shaped Southern Nevada,Harry Reid; Huffington Post, Harry Reid, The Good Fight, 4/30/08]
- Harry Reid never forgot what it was like to struggle, which is why he works so hard to help Nevadans get back to work in these tough times. [AOL News, Harry Reid Op/Ed, 10/7/10]
- Sharron Angle, on the other hand, says it's not her job to fight for jobs for Nevada, wouldn't have lifted a finger to help save 22,000 jobs at CityCenter and wouldn't have saved 1,400 education jobs because Nevada has too many teachers and those jobs aren't important. [Elko County Forum, 05/11/10; KXNT, 7/7/10; Fox Business News, 8/9/10 ; The Roger Hedgecock Show, 8/9/10]
- Angle's attack is particularly hypocritical, since she actually called people struggling to get by on unemployment insurance "spoiled" and said they "want to be dependent on the government." [KRNV, 5/25/10; KDWN, Heidi Harris in the Morning, 6/2/10]
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THE CLAIM: Angle's DC handlers love to attack Harry Reid for his statement that domestic violence increases during times of extended unemployment.
THE FACTS: Victims violence advocates and statistics agree that during times of extended unemployment, domestic violence tends to increase. Coming from Sharron Angle, who voted to make it easier for abusers to come to Nevada and find their victims, this may be her most hollow attack yet.
- Advocates and statistics agree that while a bad economy may not necessarily cause domestic violence, it surely exacerbates an already bad situation. [Las Vegas Sun, 2/23/10]
- Even the United Nations has addressed the problem of increased abuse during times of economic hardship. [Las Vegas Sun, 7/19/10]
- If anyone understands the seriousness of violence in the home, it's Senator Reid, who as a young man fought his father to stop him from hitting his mother. [Reid, "The Good Fight, pp. 29, 52-53]
- Reid has been a leader, both nationally and in Nevada in the fight against domestic violence, securing tens of millions of dollars to combat it.[States News Service, 9/11/91; States News Service, 9/10/92; AP, 8/26/94; St. Petersburg Times, 7/11/91; Vote 384, HR 3355, 11/19/93; S 15, 102nd Congress; S 803, 102nd Congress]
- Angle, in a move condemned by law enforcement, voted to prevent Nevada law enforcement professionals from enforcing out-of-state orders of protection for domestic violence victims.[Senate Judiciary Committee minutes, 4/27/01; AB 581, Introduced 3/26/01, Assembly Final Passage Vote 4/19/01, Reid Campaign Event,8/30/10]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle's DC handlers like to proclaim that Senator Reid doesn't live in Searchlight, Nevada.
THE FACTS: Harry Reid was born, raised, and to this day still lives in Searchlight, Nevada. It's where he's registered to vote, pays property taxes, and chooses to live, even though it's more than an hour outside of Las Vegas.
- Harry Reid is registered to vote in Searchlight, because that's where he lives when he's not working for Nevada in the Senate. His home is down the street from where he grew up, and looks out on some of the mines where his father worked. [Clark County Board of Elections, The New Yorker, 8/8/05]
- Reid has heavily invested in his Searchlight home, installing solar panels, and a 51 foot wind turbine. [Review-Journal, 3/20/10]
- Longtime residents of Searchlight acknowledge and understand Reid's connection to the town is strong and they were offended when the Tea Party held an anti-Reid protest there because Harry Reid is "family." [Review-Journal, 3/22/10, Review-Journal, 3/22/10]
- Even Reid's family members have difficulty understanding the pull that Searchlight still has on him. Searchlight is, and always will be, home to Harry Reid. [Review-Journal, 9/30/10]
- Finally, even the Review Journal acknowledges that Harry Reid is "The Senator from Searchlight." [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 100 Persons Who Shaped Southern Nevada, Harry Reid]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle has been running misleading attack ads despite nonpartisan fact checkers thoroughly debunking them.
THE FACTS: TRUE. Unable to run ads around her promise to not create jobs and constant calls to return to the same failed economic policies that got America into this mess, Angle and billionaire-funded front-groups have taken to airing misleading attack ads that have been proven false – not to mention ridiculed both locally and nationally.
- The Reno Gazette Journal says "You can't pin state's job losses on Reid." [Reno gazette-journal, 6/27/10]
- Factcheck.org has already called out Angle making "questionable" claims on foreclosures and unemployment. [factcheck.org 7/26/10]
- Factcheck.org called angle's ad blaming Reid for dropping home prices "a real stretch." [factcheck.org, 8/5/10]
- KOLO called Angle's claim that Reid was responsible for dropping home prices "false;" economist said only an "economic illiterate" would link Reid's position as majority leader with the housing collapse. [KOLO, 8/11/10]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle called the Gulf compensation and cleanup fund a Slush Fund and argued that the way to prevent further spills is to reduce oversight of big oil.
IT'S TRUE: After the tragedy of the BP oil spill, Sharron Angle callously called money to compensate small businesses, fishermen and shrimpers in the Gulf a "slush fund." She said the spill wasn't a real issue and claimed the only way forward is to ensure there's even less oversight of big oil.
- Angle called the BP victim compensation fund a "slush fund." [Alan Stock in the Afternoon, 7/7/10]
- After the BP oil spill Sharron Angle said risk didn't matter, drilling is always worth it. [Las Vegas Review Journal, 5/7/10]
- Shockingly, Angle said that the solution to the oil spill was for there to be LESS regulation of big oil companies. [Nevada Newsmakers, 5/26/10,]
- Angle even said that the oil spill "wasn't a real issue." [Face To Face Debate, 5/19/10]
- Meanwhile, as the country copes with the worst environmental disaster in history, Angle wants to eliminate the Department of Energy and the EPA. [Nevada News and Views, 3/22/10]
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THE CLAIM: Angle and her DC handlers love to attack Senator Reid for his statement that domestic violence increases during times of extended unemployment.
THE FACTS: Victims advocates and statistics agree that during times of extended unemployment, domestic violence tends to increase. And while Sharron Angle voted to make it easier for abusers to come to Nevada and find their victims, Senator Reid has been working steadfastly to combat the rise of domestic violence.
- Advocates and statistics agree that while a bad economy may not necessarily cause domestic violence, it surely exacerbates an already bad situation. [Las Vegas Sun, 2/23/10] Even the United Nations has addressed the problem of increased abuse during times of economic hardship. [Las Vegas Sun, 7/19/10]
- If anyone understands the seriousness of violence in the home, it's Senator Reid, who as a young man fought his father to stop him from hitting his mother. [Reid, "The Good Fight, pp. 29, 52-53]
- Reid has been a leader, both nationally and in Nevada in the fight against domestic violence, securing tens of millions of dollars to combat it. [States News Service, 9/11/91; States News Service, 9/10/92; AP, 8/26/94; St. Petersburg Times, 7/11/91; Vote 384, HR 3355, 11/19/93; S 15, 102nd Congress; S 803, 102nd Congress]
- Angle, in a move condemned by law enforcement, voted to prevent Nevada law enforcement professionals from enforcing out-of-state orders of protection for domestic violence victims. [Senate Judiciary Committee minutes, 4/27/01; AB 581, Introduced 3/26/01, Assembly Final Passage Vote 4/19/01, Reid Campaign Event, 8/30/10]
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THE CLAIM: In an effort to distract from her extreme agenda, Sharron Angle is trying scare Nevadans into thinking Senator Reid wants to give benefits to illegal immigrants.
THE FACTS: FALSE. Despite Senator Reid's record delivering billions for personnel, UAVs, National Guardsmen and fencing to help secure the US-Mexico board, Sharron Angle persists in making these accusations because she thinks they will distract voters from her extreme and dangerous agenda. Her fear-mongering immigration ads have been debunked by numerous independent fact-checkers as "false," and "misleading."
- The Las Vehas Sun's Anjeannette Damon Gives Angle's Immigration Attacks An "F." [KRNV News, 9/16/2010]
- CNN Called Angle's Immigration Ad A "Cherry-Picked Mix Of Facts And Omissions." [CNN AC360 Blog, 9/17/2010]
- Jon Ralston & KOLO's Ed Pearce Says Angle Attack On Special Tax Breaks For Illegals Is False [KOLO TV, 9/23/2010] Face to Face, 10/5/2010]
- Factcheck.org, CNN & Politifact all agree that Reid did NOT give tax breaks or Social Security to illegal immigrants. [Politifact.com, 9/17/010, CNN AC360 Blog, 9/17/2010]
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THE CLAIM: After a long career of opposing Social Security and Medicare, Sharron Angle now says she wants to save Social Security, and denies wanting to kill Medicare.
THE FACTS: Laughably false. Along with promising to not create jobs, Sharron Angle has made killing Social Security and Medicare a top priority, repeatedly advocating the demise of both programs.
- Sharron Angle says we need to "phase Medicare and Social Security out." In other words, kill Social Security. [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]
- Sharron Angle has made her feelings about killing Social Security clear, stating 'Getting Out Of Medicare and Social Security Is Not Up For Grab, " and that Social Security is "difficult to justify" and likens it to "Welfare." [Talking Points Memo, 6/14/10, KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10]
- Killing these vital programs is a long-standing belief of Angle's. In 1993 she wrote a letter to Senator Reid in 1993 angrily demanding he do just that. [Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10)]
- Even top Republicans like Tim Pawlenty, Richard Lugar, Orrin Hatch and Olympia Snowe (among many others) disagree with Angle's extreme position. [Good Morning America, 6/11/10, The Hill, 6/15/10, Politico, 6/16/10]
- Independent fact-checkers agree that Harry Reid's TV ad exposing Angle's dangerous plan to kill Social Security and Medicare was accurate. [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 6/14/10, Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/20/10, FactCheck.org, 6/18/10]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle has campaigned to put big insurance companies in the driver's seat for Americans' health care choices. She's consistently opposed requiring providing life-saving insurance coverage – even for cancer screenings, mammograms, and autism treatments.
IT'S TRUE: Angle has voted against, and attacked, legislation that would force insurance companies to do the right thing. She also openly mocked autism with air quotes and implied that it wasn't a real disorder. She has called for the repeal of all health insurance reforms – campaigning to let insurance companies drop kids with pre-existing conditions, refuse to cover preventative care visits to prevent more serious illnesses, and charge women more than men for the same exact services.
- While mocking autism, Angle was ridiculing Assembly Bill 162, which passed in 2009 with overwhelming bipartisan support. [Associated Press, 5/23/09; AB 162, 2009]
- Angle was one of just two votes in the assembly to vote against requiring insurance companies to cover colon cancer screenings. [SB 183, 5/16/03]
- Angle has repeatedly bragged about pushing a bill in the legislature to remove all health insurance coverage requirements – allowing insurance companies to refuse to cover anything they didn't want to cover, including colon cancer screenings and mammograms. [Anger is Brewing Senate Debate, 4/23/10; Angle Interview with the Review-Journal Editorial Board, 7/24/10]
- Angle wants to repeal health insurance reform, which reins in some of the most egregious heath insurance industry abuses. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/22/10; CNN, 3/26/10; HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- Repealing health insurance reform will even allow insurance companies to continue charging women more for coverage simply on the basis of their gender. [HeathReform.gov, How Health Insurance Reform Will Help Women]
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THE CLAIM: Repealing health insurance reform would be a disaster for Nevada patients and seniors.
IT'S TRUE: Repealing health insurance reform means more than half a million Nevadans will go without health care and more than 680,000 children could be denied coverage by insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions. Health insurance reforms take power away from big insurance companies and lower costs, improve quality, and increase access.
- Health insurance reform ends the practice of discrimination against "pre-existing conditions" and other egregious industry practices. It also grants uninsured Nevadans with pre-existing conditions immediate access to health insurance. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/22/10; HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- More than 681,000 Nevada children will be protected from insurance companies who want to deny them coverage because of a pre-existing condition. 518,000 Nevadans without health insurance will have access to affordable coverage, and so will 132,000 Nevadans who get their coverage from the individual market. Nevada's 328,000 Medicare beneficiaries will see the prescription drug donut hole close and receive additional Medicare benefits like free preventive care and annual checkups. [Democratic Policy Committee, The Benefits of Health Insurance Reform]
- Health insurance reform provides billions of dollars in tax relief to make health insurance more affordable, including tax credits that will help more than 30,000 Nevada small businesses provide coverage to their employees. [HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- Health insurance reform strengthens and extends the solvency of Medicare by ensuring all benefits continue, closing the donut hole for seniors in Medicare, and providing free preventive care. Just ask the AARP. [AARP, 3/25/10, AARP Press Release, 12/24/09]
- By advocating repeal, Sharron Angle is standing with big insurance companies that discriminate against Nevadans with preexisting conditions, raise insurance costs, raise prescription drug costs, and weaken Medicare.
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THE CLAIM: In an attempt to distract from her pledge not to create jobs, Sharron Angle is making the ridiculous claim that Senator Reid celebrated the loss of 36,000 American jobs in February 2010.
THE FACTS: FALSE. Sharron Angle is deliberately taking Senator Reid's statement out of context to avoid discussing his track record fighting to create jobs and turn the economy around.
- Senator Reid was making the point that while there was much work to be done, the American economy lost only half as many jobs as economists had expected according to Dow Jones Newswires.
- Sharron Angle has no credibility on job creation - saying not only that it's not the job of a US Senator to create jobs, but that she wouldn't have lifted a finger to save CityCenter. But despite her opposition, Senator Reid stepped in to keep the nation's largest construction project on track and 22,000 Nevadans in their jobs.
- Senator Reid has a track record creating clean energy jobs in Nevada. He secured $600 million in Economic Recovery Act funding for job-creating Nevada clean energy projects, extended solar energy tax credits that the Solar Energy Industries Association says will create 41,000 Nevada jobs and brought clean energy companies to Nevada like the new wind turbine plant in the Las Vegas Valley projected to create 1,000 jobs.
- Despite Sharron Angle's strident opposition, Senator Reid secured nearly $450 million in Economic Recovery Act funding to save 3,500 education jobs and delivered nearly $83 million in Emergency funding keep 1,400 education jobs off the chopping block during the month of August.
- Senator Reid passed the Travel Promotion Act, which will create 6,000 Nevada jobs.
- Senator Reid passed the HIRE Act, which helped Nevada small businesses hire 70,000 unemployed Nevadans.
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THE CLAIM: Despite repeatedly stating that a US Senator's job isn't to create jobs or bring new industries to Nevada, and saying she wouldn't have lifted a finger to save the 22,000 Nevada jobs at CityCenter, Sharron Angle hypocritically and falsely attacks Senator Reid claiming he isn't creating jobs.
THE FACTS: While there is still work to be done, Senator Reid is leveraging his position as Majority Leader to create jobs and turn the economy around – something Sharron Angle says she wouldn't do.
- Sharron Angle says it's not the job of a US Senator to create jobs or bring new industry to the state. She also says she wouldn't have lifted a finger to save CityCenter. But despite her opposition, Senator Reid stepped in to keep the nation's largest construction project on track and 22,000 Nevadans in their jobs.
- Senator Reid passed the Economic Recovery Act to bring more than $3 billion to Nevada, which saved or created 29,000 jobs in Nevada alone.
- Senator Reid has a track record creating clean energy jobs in Nevada. He secured $600 million in Economic Recovery Act funding for job-creating Nevada clean energy projects, extended solar energy tax credits that the Solar Energy Industries Association says will create 41,000 Nevada jobs and brought clean energy companies to Nevada like the new wind turbine plant in the Las Vegas Valley projected to create 1,000 jobs.
- Despite Sharron Angle's strident opposition, Senator Reid secured nearly $450 million in Economic Recovery Act funding to save 3,500 education jobs and delivered nearly $83 million in Emergency funding keep 1,400 education jobs off the chopping block during the month of August.
- Senator Reid passed the Travel Promotion Act, which will create 6,000 Nevada jobs.
- Senator Reid passed the HIRE Act, which helped Nevada small businesses hire 70,000 unemployed Nevadans.
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THE CLAIM: Despite running almost only negative ads herself, Sharron Angle is hypocritically claiming that Senator Reid is running a negative campaign.
THE FACTS: Senator Reid is the only candidate to run a positive ad; and there have been several. It says a lot about Sharron Angle that she considers ads repeating her own words to be negative.
- The Reid campaign has run twelve positive or biographical TV ads. Sharron Angle has run all negative ads.
- The ads Sharron Angle keeps complaining about are simply re-airing her own words - such as when she says she wants to phase out Social Security, privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs, allow insurance companies to deny coverage for colonoscopies, eliminate unemployment insurance, call for second amendment remedies if Congress keeps going the way it is, say she wouldn't have stepped in to save CityCenter and claim it's not her job to create jobs.
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle claims Sen. Reid is pushing the largest tax increase in history.
IT'S TRUE: FALSE. In reality, Harry Reid cut taxes for 95% of Nevadans and favors making the middle class tax cuts permanent.
- Thanks in large part to policies passed by Sen. Reid; Nevadans are paying less in taxes today than they have since 1950. [USA Today, 5/12/10]
- Reid passed billions of dollars in tax cuts as part of the 2008 economic stabilization passage; these included job-creating tax breaks for renewable energy production, research and development, and disaster victims. [New York Times, 10/30/08; US Conference of Mayors, 10/13/08]
- The Recovery Act also provided $282 in tax relief to seniors, disabled workers, disabled veterans, unemployed workers, college students, parents, homebuyers, small businesses, families hit by the AMT, and 1 million Nevadans under the "Making Work Pay" tax cut. [Democratic Policy Committee, 2/11/09], [White House Report, 4/22/08], [New York Times, 7/20/10]
- Last year Senator Reid passed a budget that included $760 billion in tax cuts, including extending the Bush tax cuts for families making less than a quarter million a year, and a permanent sales tax deduction for Nevada families. [Knight Ridder, 4/28/09; Conrad Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
- Sen. Reid also extended and expanded the Homebuyer Tax Credit, passed a jobs bill w/ $15 billion in small business tax relief, passed the largest middle class tax cut for healthcare in history, and 30,000 Nevada small business will get a tax cut under health insurance reform. [In Business Las Vegas, 11/13/09], [Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Press Release, 2/24/10] [White House Report, Healthreform.gov]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle claims new health insurance reform law will run up the deficit, despite clear non-partisan evidence to the contrary.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle is lying because she knows Nevadans want someone who will fight for them, not Big Insurance companies. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the new health insurance reform law will reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion over 20 years, but Sharron Angle still wants to repeal it. Repealing the law would raise taxes on small businesses, re-open the "doughnut hole," and allow insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
- The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimate of the health reform law says it will cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion over 20 years and cover 95% of Americans. [Washington Post, 3/18/10, CBS News, 3/21/10, Huffington Post, 3/18/10]
- Sharron Angle openly advocates repealing the health reform law. [Sharron Angle Campaign Website, Issues Page]
- Repealing health insurance reform will allow insurance companies to continue their practice of discrimination against "pre-existing conditions" and other egregious industry practices. It would also deny uninsured Nevadans with pre-existing conditions access to coverage. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/22/10; HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- Repealing health insurance reform could raise taxes on more than 30,000 Nevada small businesses. [HealthReform.gov, Nevada]
- Repealing health insurance reform will re-open the Medicare doughnut hole and deny seniors key benefit improvements like free preventive care and annual checkups. [AARP, 3/25/10, AARP Press Release, 12/24/09]
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THE CLAIM: Sharon Angle wants the US to leave the United Nations and kick the UN Headquarters out of the country.
THE FACTS: Sharon Angle thinks the UN is not only unconstitutional, but that UN "thuggery" is a threat to American sovereignty – just like the Sharia laws that are taking over Dearborn, MI and Frankford, TX. Leading Senate Republicans disagree with Angle's extreme plan, but she continues to make wild statements about international relations.
- Angle thinks the UN is unconstitutional. [Elko County Forum 5/11/2010]
- Angle claims we need to protect ourselves from UN "thuggery." [Elko County Forum 5/11/2010]
- Angle wants to remove the UN headquarters from NYC. [Elko County Forum 5/11/2010]
- Senior Republicans like Dick Lugar disagree with Angle's extreme views on dropping out of the UN. [Politico, 6/16/10]
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THE CLAIM: Senator Reid wrongly called Pres. George W. Bush a liar.
THE FACTS: Senator Reid was standing up for Nevadans when he took President Bush to task for lying to them about Yucca Mountain and putting politics ahead of science.
- President Bush promised during the 2000 campaign that he would rely on "sound science" when he made his decision. [Review-Journal, Steve Sebelius Column, 2/24/02]
- In 2002, President Bush went back on that promise, signing off on the project despite 293 outstanding safety questions about the dump. [Review-Journal, Steve Sebelius Column, 2/24/02]
- Sen. Reid was right when he called out President Bush for lying to Nevadans and going back on his promise. [Reno Gazette-Journal, Jon Ralston Column, 2/18/02]
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THE CLAIM: Reid wants to raise taxes, rolling back the Bush tax cuts.
THE FACTS: Harry Reid favors making the middle class tax cuts permanent and already cut taxes for 98% of Nevadans, cut taxes eight times for small businesses including a tax cut if they hire workers Sharron Angle thinks are "spoiled."
- Harry Reid led the Senate in passing tax cuts for 98 percent of Nevadans, passed the HIRE Act and Small Business Jobs bill cut taxes for businesses to create jobs, extended the provision that allows Nevadans to deduct sales tax they pay from their federal tax returns and cut taxes for people who are putting their kids through school, bought a car or purchased a home.
- Middle-class tax cuts can be stimulative, being more likely to be spent, raising demand and thus employment. Whereas extending the high-income tax cuts would provide very little job creation in 2011. [Bloomberg News, 9/13/10]
- Angle's embrace of the Bush tax cuts is completely inconsistent with her anti-deficit mantra. After all, the estimated ten-year increase in the deficit due to the extension of the top-2% tax cuts is $700 billion. Yet tax cuts for the rich do next to nothing to end the recession and increase economic growth. [Associated Press, 9/21/10; Bloomberg News, 9/13/10]
- And despite Republican rhetoric, small businesses would not be affected by rolling back tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, either because they are set up so that the Bush tax cuts simply do not affect them, or because their income is too low to be affected by the increases in the top tax rates. [Washington Post, William G. Gale, 8/1/10]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle says clean energy is designer energy.
The Facts: Thousands of new clean energy jobs are headed to Nevada thanks to Senator Reid, while Sharron Angle, who dismisses this new industry as "designer energy," wouldn't fight for those jobs.
- Sharron Angle doesn't understand clean energy, and calls solar, wind, geothermal energy "designer energy resources." [Angle Campaign Event, 9/1/09]
- Thanks to Senator Reid, a US-Chinese partnership is bringing their wind turbine plant to the Las Vegas valley, which will create 1,000 jobs once complete. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/11/10]
- Reid worked with residents and local officials to bring a power plant that used natural gas and solar instead of coal to mesquite, & passed tax credits that will create as many as 41,000 jobs in Nevada. [Review-Journal, 3/22/10, Solar Energy Industries Association, Press Release, 9/15/08; Solar Energy Industries Association, Press Release, 10/3/08]
- Reid delivered $165 million to create jobs in Nevada's geothermal industry. [Gazette-Journal, 4/16/09]
- Reid, NV energy and LS power announced transmission line project to connect rural populations to renewable energy sources and to connect Nevada's northern and southern power operations. [Review-Journal, 1/12/10]
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THE CLAIM: Medicaid rates could go up significantly, hurting Nevada, because of the new health care reform law.
THE FACTS: Because of Senator Reid, Nevada got the largest percentage increase in FMAP funding. Rather than hurting Nevada, health insurance reform helps Nevada by providing more low-income Nevadans with access to health insurance. Sharon Angle is trying to distract from her campaign promises to let insurance companies drop people with pre-existing conditions, refuse to cover mammograms and colon cancer screenings, and charge women more than men for the same exact services.
- No one has fought harder and delivered more to help ease Nevada's burden than Harry Reid. Under the Recovery Act, Reid was able to make sure Nevada received the largest increase in Medicaid funding of any state, and in August Reid passed legislation to bring $79 million in additional Medicaid funds to the state – funding that Sharron Angle would have voted against. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/1/09; Review-Journal, 8/4/10]
- From 2014 until 2017, Nevada will receive full funding for new Medicaid enrollees under health insurance reform, and 90% of the funding until at least 2020. [New York Times, 3/26/10]
- Reid's work has brought hundreds of millions of dollars to help the state provide health insurance to low-income Nevadans in spite of the fact that Carson's "stingy" Medicaid program leaves untold millions of dollars on the tale in federal matching funds. [Las Vegas Sun, 3/10/10]
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THE CLAIM: Harry Reid has raided $2.5 trillion from the Social Security trust fund to pay for all his big spending and his other pet projects.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle has made it perfectly clear over and over – at least until her handlers told her to stop – that she wants to do away with Social Security. And now she's attacking Harry Reid, who stood up to President Bush and the Republicans when they wanted to gamble on the stock market with seniors' Social Security, to distract Nevadans from her extreme agenda.
- It was Angle who said, "We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out." [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]
- Angle thinks Social Security and Medicare are "entitlement programs" that "make government our God." She's wanted to dismantle those "wasteful social entitlement programs" since the 1990s. [TruNews, 4/21/10; Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10]
- Angle even called Social Security "difficult to justify" and "a broken system without much to recommend it." [KNPR, 5/19/10; Associated Press, 8/14/10]
- Angle also said, "The idea of privatizing and getting out of Medicare and Social Security is not up for grabs." [Talking Points Memo, 6/14/10]
- Meanwhile, it was Harry Reid who led Senate Democrats in opposing President Bush's risky plan to partially privatize Social Security.
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle called Nevada's unemployed "spoiled" multiple times and believes that as Senator her job wouldn't be to create jobs.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle has long believed that unemployment insurance is a "terrible thing" and even went so far as to call unemployed Nevadans "spoiled." This is no surprise from a candidate who says she's "not in the business of creating jobs" as a Senator, wouldn't have lifted a finger to save 22,000 jobs at CityCenter and would have let 1,400 teachers and school workers lose their jobs this summer.
- Sharron Angle called out-of-work Nevadans struggling to get by on unemployment insurance "spoiled." [KRNV, 5/25/2010]
- Sharron Angle has said that extending unemployment insurance is "a terrible thing" and that unemployment insurance makes people "want to be dependent on the government." [Heidi Harris in the Morning, 6/2/2010]
- And yet, Angle doesn't believe she should try to create jobs for the "spoiled" unemployed, claiming "as your U.S. Senator I am not in the business of creating jobs." [Elko County Forum, 05/11/10, Angle Campaign Event, 5/14/10]
- Sharron Angle wouldn't have lifted a finger to help save 22,000 jobs at CityCenter. [KXNT, 7/7/10]
- Angle wouldn't have saved 1,400 education jobs because apparently Nevada has too many teachers and those jobs aren't important. [Fox Business News, 8/9/10; The Roger Hedgecock Show, 8/9/10]
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THE CLAIM: Senator Reid voted to use taxpayer money to give Viagra to convicted sex offenders.
THE FACT: In a desperate attempt to distract voters from her extreme agenda, Sharron Angle is accusing Senator Reid of something that non-partisan fact checkers have called "shocking" and "misleading."
- Factcheck.org said Angle's claim was shocking and misleading and that "That sensational claim hasn't gotten any more true since the first time we addressed it, shortly after the health care bill was passed." [Factcheck.org 10/8/2010]
- Politifact said of Angle's claim, "That isn't the case." In fact, Reid voted against an amendment that would have stopped using taxpayer dollars for that purpose not on the merits of the bill, but to move health insurance reform legislation forward. And he didn't bring up the amendment – rather it was proposed by a senator trying to derail the overall bill. [Politifact.com, 10/8/2010]
- KOLO said Angle's ridiculous Viagra claim was "FALSE." [KOLO, 10/12/10]
- Jon Ralston even gave Angle's Ad a "D." [Face to Face, 10/12/10]
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THE CLAIM: In a desperate attempt to distract from her plan to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sharron Angle is attacking Senator Reid by mischaracterizing his comments about a military solution in Iraq.
THE FACTS: Senator Reid's point was clear: he was agreeing with General David Petraeus' assessment that the Iraq war could not be won by military force alone and that political and economic solutions were also needed as part of a two-part strategy – which President Bush refused to pursue.
Unlike Sharron Angle who wants to privatize the VA and eliminate Social Security, Senator Reid has been endorsed by the VFW for his long track record delivering for those who served in uniform, such as securing $540 million for a brand new VA Hospital in southern Nevada and passing the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights.- In fact, Reid has been endorsed by the VFW because of his consistent record for our troops – including his work ensuring pay raises, making it easier for them to vote, and delivering a USO lounge to McCarran Airport.
- This also earned Reid the endorsement of Former Nellis Air Force Base Commander Col. Dave Belote. [Vote 1, 1/22/08; Vote 201,9/17/08; Vote 327, 10/22/09; Washington Post, 10/26/09, Review-Journal, 1/28/10, Washington Post, 10/26/09, Reid campaign release]
- Both General David Petreaus, who said "There was no military solution" and the Reno Gazette Journal agreed with Reid's 2007 assessment of the Iraq war. [Gazette-Journal, Editorial, 4/23/07, New York Times, 3/9/07]
- Sen. Reid has also kept our troops safe, fighting for adequate time between deployments, the necessary protective gear, and ensuring they have the funding, and troop reinforcements they need in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Remarks by Senator Reid, 9/19/07, Vote 376, 10/2/03; CQ Today, 10/2/03, The Hill, 5/22/09; Vote 202, 5/22/09]
- Sen. Reid has a long record of delivering for veterans, including his efforts to secure $540 million for a new VA hospital in southern Nevada, and $1.4 billion for Veterans Affairs in the Recovery Act. [Review-Journal, 9/7/07; FY 2008 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Review-Journal, 11/19/05; FY 2006 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Department of Veterans Affairs Website; Reid Release, 2/22/10; Reid Release, 3/20/09]
- On the other hand, Sharron Angle's idea of fighting for our military and veterans is killing the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving thousands of Nevada veterans out in the cold. [Washington Post, 6/14/10]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle wants to turn Nevada into the nation's nuclear dumping ground by bringing Yucca Mountain back from the dead.
THE FACTS: Angle wants to bring nuclear waste into Nevada, endangering tourism and the safety of all Nevadans. Senator Reid put an end to Yucca Mountain.
- Nevada has absolutely nothing to gain by letting the nation dump its nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain; could kill tourism, Nevada's largest industry. [Las Vegas Sun, Brian Greenspun Column, 2/15/09]
- No amount of compensation makes up for the dangers of shipping tons of nuclear waste into the state. [Las Vegas Sun, Editorial, 1/2/09 (emphasis added)]
- 4. Reprocessing wouldn't even work in Nevada; in fact, NV might be the worst state in the whole country for reprocessing, even Republican John Ensign agrees with this. [Review-Journal, Breslow Letter, 2/14/10, KXNT, Alan Stock Show, 08/30/10]
- Harry Reid is the person most responsible for killing Yucca Mountain, and his position as Majority Leader made that possible. [Las Vegas Sun, 8/30/09]
1. Angle wants to bring the nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain for reprocessing. She even said Nevadans "shouldn't think of ourselves as a nuclear wasteland, we should think of ourselves as a recycle land." [Reno Gazette-Journal, 10/2/02]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle wants to eliminate the Department of Education – she's said it live on the radio, in campaign literature, and on her GOP primary website.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle's dangerous agenda would have a chilling effect on Nevada's children, cutting off more than $500 million in student aid for NV families and stripping schools of more than $220 million.
- Angle has made it clear that eliminating the department of education is a top priority. [KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10, The Angle Examiner, 6/10/2010, Sharron Angle Website, accessed 6/15/10]
- Under Angle's extreme plan, Nevada students would have lost tens of millions in college aid, including almost $80 million in Pell grants. [Department of Education Funding state by state tables 2011]
- Under Angle's extreme plan Nevada students would have lost more than $415 million in college loans and schools would miss out on $227 million in funding. [Department of Education Funding state by state tables 2011]
- Under Angle's extreme plan Nevada would have lost $75 million in special education funding. [Department of Education Funding state by state tables 2011]
- Clark County alone would lose nearly 100 Teach for America teachers. [Teach For America website]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle wouldn't fight to create jobs as a U.S. Senator because she doesn't believe that's the job of a Senator.
THE FACTS: Angle is on the record stating that she "isn't in the business of creating jobs." And whether it's 22,000 jobs at CityCenter, 1,400 education jobs, or thousands of clean energy jobs, Angle isn't going to fight for a single one.
- Angle doesn't think it's the job of a U.S. Senator to create jobs. [Chalice Jackson Show, 6/23/10, Elko County Forum, 05/11/10]
- Angle wouldn't have lifted a finger to save 22 thousand jobs at CityCenter. [Las Vegas Sun, 7/9/10]
- Angle opposed the $83 million Reid delivers to save 1,400 Nevada education jobs. [Fox Business News, 8/9/10]
- Angle refuses to say whether she would have voted for tax relief to save 2,000 jobs at McCarran Airport at Terminal 3. [Review-Journal, The Political Eye, 1/13/10; Associated Press, 1/12/10]
- Angle and her handlers not only refuse to disavow her stance on job creation, they've doubled down on it. [FactCheck.org, 7/14/10 (emphasis added)]
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THE CLAIM: In an effort to distract from her extreme agenda, Sharron Angle is trying scare Nevadans into thinking Senator Reid wants amnesty for those in our country illegally.
THE FACTS: Despite Senator Reid's record delivering billions for personnel, UAVs, National Guardsmen and fencing to help secure the US-Mexico border, Sharron Angle persists in making this false accusation because she thinks it will distract voters from her extreme and dangerous agenda. The DREAM Act has been endorsed by the Department of Defense and many conservative Republican Senators including Kansas Senator Sam Brownback. Newspapers have editorialized specifically that the DREAM Act is NOT amnesty.
- The Dream Act IS NOT amnesty for people who willfully broke the law. [Los Angeles Times, Editorial, 9/20/10]
- The Department of Defense supports the Dream Act. [Wall Street Journal, 9/18/10]
- The Dream Act does not give special tuition rates to people here illegally. it allows young people who obtain legal status to attend college and receive in-state tuition if and only if the state they live in allows it. [American Association of State Colleges and Universities, August 2007]
- The Dream Act has enjoyed support from some of the senate's most conservative members, including John McCain. [S 774, Introduced 3/6/07]
- The US Conference of Catholic Bishops supports the Dream Act. [US Conference of Catholic Bishops, 4/6/09]
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THE CLAIM: Despite being on the record repeatedly in favor of a privatized Department of Veterans Affairs, Angle continues to claim she has never called for ending or privatizing the VA.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle has not only called for privatizing the VA, but she has consistently declined the chance to explain why she took this extreme position that would ultimately hurt Nevada's vets and jeopardize their access to quality care. Senator Reid has been endorsed by the VFW for his consistent record for veterans and our troops – securing $540 million for a brand new VA Hospital in southern Nevada and passing the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights.
- Sharron Angle is on the record suggesting that we should privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs, then denying she ever said it. [Washington Post, Plum Line, 6/14/10]
- Sharron Angle said that under a "privatized system," benefits like prescription drugs should not necessarily be covered, even by the VA. [KNPR, 5/19/10]
- Angle's position on the VA is consistent with her desire to kill Social Security and Medicare. [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 6/14/10, Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/20/10, FactCheck.org, 6/18/10, Las Vegas Sun, 9/28/10]
- Meanwhile, Senator Reid is endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC, in recognition of his work on behalf of troops and veterans.
- Sen. Reid has a long record of delivering for veterans, including his efforts to secure $540 million for a new VA hospital in southern Nevada, and $1.4 billion for Veterans Affairs in the Recovery Act. [Review-Journal, 9/7/07; FY 2008 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Review-Journal, 11/19/05; FY 2006 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Bill; Department of Veterans Affairs Website; Reid Release, 2/22/10; Reid Release, 3/20/09]
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THE CLAIM: Sharron Angle says the stimulus has failed and ignores the truth to claim that Senator Reid has failed to deliver for Nevada.
THE FACTS: Sharron Angle might not like to admit it, but thanks to Harry Reid, the Recovery Act has created and saved jobs around the state and helped keep Nevada from hurting even more during these tough economic times. The Recovery Act also cut taxes for families and businesses throughout Nevada and has invested close to $570 million in clean energy jobs around the state. Meanwhile, Sharron Angle doesn't think it's her job to create jobs, thinks out-of-work Nevadans on unemployment are "spoiled," wouldn't have saved 22,000 jobs at CityCenter and wouldn't have saved 1,400 education jobs this summer.
- Harry Reid created or saved 29,000 Nevada jobs through the Recovery Act. [White House Report, 7/14/10]
- Harry Reid passed close to $300 billion in tax relief through the Recovery Act. Those tax cuts helped big and small businesses create and save jobs and provided badly-needed relief to seniors, working families, families sending kids to college, new homebuyers and so many others. [New York Times, Economic Stimulus]
- Because of Harry Reid, the Recovery Act has already invested close to $570 million in job-creating clean energy projects around Nevada. [Press Release, 9/15/10]
- Sharron Angle wouldn't have lifted a finger to save 22,000 jobs at CityCenter, and she went so far as to attack Reid's efforts to protect Nevada jobs, calling it "bullying." [Sharron Angle press release, 12/18/09]
- Fighting against Harry Reid's efforts to help Nevadans through these tough times, Sharron Angle has called Nevadans who are temporarily on unemployment "spoiled" and claims that extending this crucial safety net for out of work Nevadans is a "terrible thing." [KRNV, 5/25/2010; Heidi Harris in the Morning, 6/2/2010]
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