Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Sharron Angle for Senate

Da Gunny says: Vote for Sharron Angle

http://sharronangle.com/about
Sharron Angle for Senate vote out Harry Reid

*Sharron Angle places the blame for Nevada's devastated economy directly at the feet of Harry Reid. Reid's destructive policies as Majority Leader has caused Nevada to have the highest unemployment in the nation, the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, and home values that have been cut in half.

*Sharron Angle for Senate. Nancy Pelosi, President Obama and Harry Reid have devastated the nation with their failed economic policies of reckless spending and taxpayer-funded bailouts. “With tax-payer funded bailouts for Wall Street fat-cats, a $787 billion stimulus plan that has failed miserably, and a massive increase in our deficit, it’s no wonder Nevada’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed to over 14 percent

*“Once again, Harry Reid’s own words confirm what countless Nevada voter already know – he is completely and utterly shameless, and he will say or do anything to win reelection. The irony is that whether he’s invoking race to win Hispanic votes, suggesting the President’s skin color made him a better candidate, saying tourists visiting Capitol Hill ‘smell,’ or calling the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ‘incompetent,’ few politicians are better known for their inappropriate rhetoric than Harry Reid. Over the years, Reid’s rhetoric has gone beyond embarrassing as he has directly undermined and attacked the efforts of our troops serving in harm’s way. If Harry Reid had his way, Iraq would have been turned over to the terrorists instead of to the successful leadership of General David Petraeus, yet he still refuses to apologize for his partisan grandstanding. Harry Reid ought to be ashamed of himself, but when someone has been in Washington as long as he has, ‘shame’ is no longer a word he’s familiar with.” – Brian Walsh, NRSC Communications Director

BACKGROUND ON REID WHILE WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEVADA…… http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2282
Over the course of his political career, Reid has been implicated in several serious ethics scandals:

In a 1998 real estate deal engineered by Jay Brown (a former casino lawyer and a longtime friend of Reid), the senator purchased two undeveloped residential-property lots on Las Vegas’ rapidly growing outskirts for approximately $400,000. Reid bought one of the parcels on his own, and the second one jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap supported by Reid. In 2001 Reid sold both of his lots for $400,000 to a limited liability corporation created by Jay Brown, but he never disclosed the sale on his annual public ethics report. Nor did he inform Congress that he held any stake in Brown's company. As far as Congress knew, Reid was still the owner of the two lots he had purchased three years earlier.

In 2004 Brown's company, having negotiated with local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, sold the land to other developers in a deal that earned Reid $1.1 million -- a $700,000 profit on his initial investment. Reid falsely reported the transaction to Congress as a personal land sale.

In 2001 Reid paid cash for a $750,000 condominium at the Washington, D.C. Ritz-Carlton where he resides. When he subsequently gave Christmas bonuses (in 2002, 2004, and 2005) to the doorman and other support staff at his building, he used $3,300 in campaign donations rather than his own separate funds -- in contravention of federal election law. Reid’s campaign falsely listed the bonuses as campaign “salary” expenditures for two of the years in question, and as a “contribution” for the other year. When news of Reid’s misappropriation of campaign funds became public in 2006, the senator’s office said the listing as salary had been a “clerical error.” Added Reid: “I am reimbursing the campaign from my own pocket to prevent this issue from being used in the current campaign season to deflect attention from Republican failures.”

In a $286 billion federal transportation bill passed by Congress in 2005, Reid secured $300 million in earmarks for projects in his home state, including $18 million to fund the construction of a bridge spanning the Colorado River. On the Arizona side of that bridge, Reid owned 160 acres of undeveloped land around which many new housing units were being built. Noting that the new bridge would cause the value of Reid’s property to skyrocket, Norman Ornstein, co-author of a book that examines earmarking, said: “It's a really bad idea for lawmakers to earmark projects when they have a financial interest that could in any way be affected by it.” Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, noted: “Unwittingly, the taxpayer may have helped inflate the value” of Reid's land.

Between 2002 and 2006, Reid intervened to gain monumental government concessions on behalf of a powerful Nevada land developer, Harvey Whittemore, who wished to build thousands of homes and numerous golf courses on 43,000 acres of barren land in an area called Coyote Springs, an hour northeast of Las Vegas. This land had a number of federal restrictions on its use: One-fourth of it was off-limits to developers because of federal protections for an “endangered” species of desert tortoise that dwelt there; another one-fourth was government-owned and was subject to a federal power-line right of way; and the territory overall was rife with streams and washes that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had designated as crucial to the health of the desert’s ecosystem, and was therefore generally off-limits to construction.

Thanks to Senator Reid’s intercession, however, the Bureau of Land Management agreed to relocate the tortoises to an adjacent federal preserve, thereby opening that portion of Coyote Springs to developers.

In 2002 Reid inserted some obscure provisions into a land-management bill that relocated the aforementioned power corridor, thereby apparently freeing Whittemore to build on the 10,500-acre parcel he coveted. But the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee balked at the deal, and Reid in turn negotiated an alternate arrangement where Whittemore was permitted to purchase the land at a fair market rate while the government relocated the corridor.

Finally, in 2005 Reid and fellow Nevada Senator John Ensign used their influence with the EPA to eliminate the environmental-impact obstacle.

In return for Reid’s efforts, Whittemore gave tens of thousands of dollars to the senator’s political campaigns and to his leadership fund (which Reid used to help bankroll the campaigns of fellow Democrats). In addition, Whittemore gave $5,000 to each of Reid's two sons, to finance their efforts to win local political offices. The developer also hired one of those sons as his personal lawyer to represent him in his dealings with federal officials.

Between 2001 and 2004, Reid wrote at least four letters pressing the Bush administration to take action on certain issues of importance to Indian tribes that were clients of the lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abramoff, whose staff was in regular contact with Reid’s office, lobbied on behalf of tribes involved in the gambling casino industry; he would later be convicted in federal court for defrauding those tribes. Each time Reid wrote a letter on behalf of the Indian tribes, he collected donations from Abramoff and his lobbying partners and clients around the same time period. All told, these donations totaled nearly $68,000. Also between 2001 and 2004, Reid received more than $50,000 directly from four Indian tribes that were clients of Abramoff.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2282

BACKGROUND ON REID’S RHETORIC OVER THE YEARS……
Reid Suggested General Petraeus Was A Liar. "I first met General Petraeus when I went to Iraq. At that time he was training the Iraqi troops. He told us at that time it was going great, that they'd be able to take over the country themselves. That was three years ago or thereabouts. He's made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual." (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Conference, Senate Radio-TV Gallery, 9/7/07)

Reid Said General Petraeus "Isn't In Touch" With Reality Of Iraq. "Iraq -- I repeat -- the bloodiest three months of the war have just been completed. We're now back up to a thousand attacks a day in Iraq. And for someone, whether it's General Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn't in touch with what's going on in Baghdad, even though he's there and I'm not." (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Conference, The Capitol, 6/14/07)

Reid Called Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff “Incompetent.” “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ‘incompetent’ during an interview . . . . with a group of liberal bloggers…” (John Bresnahan, “Reid Labels Military Leader ‘Incompetent’,” The Politico, 6/14/07)
Reid Said That It Was Good That “Only 36,000 Lost Their Jobs Today.” SEN. HARRY REID: “(From videotape.) Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good.” (Fox News, “Your World,” 3/5/10)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVvLi7E4ZNI
Reid Pushed For Passage Of A Jobs Bill By Saying That More Men Beat Their Wives When They Are Unemployed. SEN. HARRY REID: “I have met with some people while I was home dealing with domestic abuse. It has gotten out of hand. Why? Men don’t have jobs. Women don’t have jobs either. But women aren’t abusive, most of the time. Men, when they’re out of work, tend to become abusive. Our domestic crisis shelters in Nevada are jammed. It’s the way it is all over the country.” (Fox News, “O’Reilly Factor,” 2/24/10)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9wzn6j3Ep4
Reid Was Forced To Apologize For Comments Made During The 2008 Campaign About President Obama’s Race. “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid apologized Saturday following reports he had privately described then-candidate Barack Obama during the presidential campaign as a black candidate who could be successful thanks in part to his ‘light-skinned’ appearance and speaking patterns ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.’ Journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann reported the remarks in their new book ‘Game Change,’ according to an excerpt published by The Atlantic late Friday.” (Mark Preston, “Reid Apologizes For ‘Negro Dialect’ Comment,” CNN, 1/9/10)

•Reid Said That President Obama Was Embraced By America Because He Was “Light-Skinned” With “No Negro Dialect, Unless He Wanted To Have One.” “‘He (Reid) was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama - a “light-skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,” as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama’s race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination,’ they write.” (Mark Preston, “Reid Apologizes For ‘Negro Dialect’ Comment,” CNN, 1/9/10)
In December 2009, Reid Said That The Democrats Were Making Great Progress On Job Creation. HARRY REID: “The American people last year called for change, and change is taking place. The president did spend some time going through the things that we’ve accomplished this year, and they have been significant, based on where he was when he took office. Even before he became president, December, 670,000 jobs were lost; November, more than 700,000; February, more than 700,000. So we’ve made great progress, and we’re going to continue to do so.” (Senator Harry Reid Press Conference, 12/6/09)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2OagfZ4CoM
In December 2009, Reid Compared Republicans Demanding Health Care Reform Be Done Slowly To Those Who Didn’t Want To End Slavery. HARRY REID: “All Republicans could come up with is this -- slow down, stop everything, let’s start over. If you think you heard these same excuses before, you’re right. This country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said, slow down, it’s too early, let’s wait. Things aren’t bad enough.” (Fox News, “Special Report,” 12/7/09)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtlosGoJXA
Reid Said The Death Of Senator Kennedy Was Going To Help The Democrats Pass Health Care. “You just gotta love Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for an astonishing burst of candor the other day in an interview with the Reno Gazette Journal. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy had just barely been laid to rest when the Nevada Democrat blurted out this about the impact of Kennedy’s death on pending health-care legislation: ‘I think it’s going to help us. He hasn’t been around for some time. We’re going to have a new chairman of that committee. It’ll be, I don’t know for sure, but I think Sen. [Chris] Dodd. He has a right to take it. Either him or U.S. Sen. [Tom] Harkin, whichever one wants it can have it.’” (Editorial, “Reid Sinks His Own Case,” The Boston Herald, 9/4/09)

Reid Told An Executive Who Works At The Las Vegas Review Journal, “I Hope You Go Out Of Business.” “On Wednesday, before he addressed a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Reid joined the chamber’s board members for a meet-’n’-greet and a photo. One of the last in line was the Review-Journal’s director of advertising, Bob Brown, a hard-working Nevadan who toils every day on behalf of advertisers. He has nothing to do with news coverage or the opinion pages of the Review-Journal. Yet, as Bob shook hands with our senior U.S. senator in what should have been nothing but a gracious business setting, Reid said: ‘I hope you go out of business.’” (Sherman Frederick, “Enough Is Enough, Harry,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 8/30/09)

In December 2008, When The Capitol Visitor Center Opened Reid Said He Was Glad He Wasn’t Going To Have To Smell The Tourists Anymore. “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid defended himself Wednesday over a joking comment that tourists to the Capitol sometimes smell. Turns out many people weren’t amused. The Nevada Democrat has been attacked on blogs, editorial pages and letters to the editor since his remark last week: ‘In the summertime, because of the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol.’” (Erica Werner, “Reid Tries To Explain ‘Smell The Tourists Comment,” The Associated Press, 12/10/08)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP6qeBPl_HA
In 2008, Harry Reid Told Senator Lieberman, “You Know, Joe, I Can’t Stand John McCain.” “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., defended Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman on Wednesday after the former Democratic vice presidential nominee accepted a speaking slot at next month’s Republican convention in Minnesota. ‘He has a close personal relationship with John McCain. I don’t fully understand why he does,’ said Reid, who said Lieberman called Tuesday from the Republic of Georgia to alert him to the move. ‘I told him last night, “You know, Joe, I can’t stand John McCain.” He said, “I know you feel that way,”‘ Reid said.” (Molly Ball, “Reid Shares Senate Ideas,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 8/21/08)

In April 2007, Harry Reid Said The Iraq War Was Lost. HARRY REID: “Now, I believe, myself, that the secretary of state, secretary of defense, and you have to make your own decision as to what the president knows, that this war is lost.” (Fox News, “Special Report,” 6/30/09)

•Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYZEGot-xU4
In May 2005, Reid Told A Group Of Students In Las Vegas That President Bush Was A “Loser.” “After accusing President Bush of lying about his role in a fight over judicial filibusters, Sen. Harry Reid last week called the president a ‘loser.’ And Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan? He’s a ‘political hack,’ according to the formerly soft-spoken Nevada Democrat. . . . ‘I think this guy is a loser,’ Reid told students in Las Vegas.” (Laurie Kellman, “Senate Democrats’ Soft-Spoken New Leader Reveals Sharp Tongue,” The Associated Press, 5/10/05)

In 2005, Reid Called Alan Greenspan “One Of The Biggest Political Hacks We Have Seen In Washington” Harry Reid: “[I]’m not a big Greenspan fan . . . . I voted against him the last two times. . . . I think [Alan Greenspan’s] one of the biggest political hacks we have in Washington.” (CNN’s “Inside Politics,” 3/3/05)

In 2004, Reid Called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas An “Embarrassment.” NBC’s Tim Russert: “Why couldn’t you accept Clarence Thomas?” Harry Reid: “I think that he has been an embarrassment to the Supreme Court. I think that his opinions are poorly written. I don’t – I just don’t think that he’s done a good job as a Supreme Court justice.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 12/5/04)

Vote for Sharron Angle.
Healthcare
Sharron Angle has proposed the following solutions:

•Repeal and replace Obamacare
•Elimination of coverage mandates
•Expanded client pools
•Tort reform
•Allow citizens to purchase insurance across state lines
•Create tax credited health savings accounts
Energy Policy
America must build upon her vast coal and natural gas resources to expand our domestic oil resources.

We have the potential both on shore and off to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This effort will also provide high paying jobs and expand the economy.

America’s policy should be to enforce the rules and regulations currently on the books with respect to off shore drilling. As a result of the recent oil blowout in the Gulf, there is an understandable temptation to overreact and end off shore drilling, but this is the wrong course to take at a critical time.

The Gulf oil spill occurred because British Petroleum took a high risk approach in its drilling program while cutting corners. By contrast, many other companies also drilling in the Gulf have taken a low-risk approach without incident.

This is an indictment of the Federal Government’s Mineral Management agency that is charged with overseeing offshore drilling and protecting our environment. It is not a reason to end off shore drilling and potentially cost Americans thousands of jobs in an already weakened economy.

Taxation
In the Nevada State Legislature, Sharron Angle was consistently the only vote against unnecessary tax increases and voted against more than 100 attempts to increase taxes and fees.

She sponsored the Angle Property Tax Restraint Initiative (aka Nevada's Prop 13) which placed a hard cap on property tax increases that future Legislatures could not repeal. Sharron Angle was also a co-sponsor of Tax and Spend Control for Nevada, which imposed a constitutional measure to limit government spending.

Sharron Angle has signed the National Taxpayers Pledge to vote against tax and fee increases.

Social Security
We must keep the promise of Social Security by redeeming the "IOU's" that have been written to the Social Security Trust Fund and then putting that money in a lock box that cannot ever be raided again by Washington politicians. The only way we pay for it is by cutting spending.

We should also create personalized accounts for the next generation that cannot be raided.

National Security and Public Protection
Sharron Angle is a staunch supporter of the U.S. military, and will work tirelessly to secure the peace and security of our country.

She supports strong sanctions against rogue nations that export, support or harbor terrorism and believes that we must do whatever necessary to protect America from terrorism.

Active Military and Veterans
Sharron Angle strongly supports improved compensation and care for those serving in the U.S. military, as well as their families and veterans. TRICARE for the military must be protected from attacks that dilute quality of care and increase costs.

Sharron has a record of supporting the military and has received the Certificate of Appreciation from the Southern Chapter of MOAA (Military Officers Association of America).

Border Security/Illegal Immigration
The United States must secure its borders immediately and enforce the laws that are already on the books.

Economic Development and Government Regulation
The fastest way to get the economy moving again is to cut spending, pay back the national debt, and make permanent the Bush Tax Cuts which are due to expire in just a few months. Steps like these would go a long way toward giving the business community the confidence they need to start creating jobs and hiring again.

Private Property
Sharron Angle respects the rights of the individual to own property. She led the effort for the Angle Property Tax Restraint Initiative, which placed a hard cap on property tax increases which future legislatures could not reverse. Sharron also co-sponsored the initiative that protected property owners from the potential abuses of eminent domain.

Right to Bear Arms, Second Amendment
Sharron Angle supports the individual constitutionally protected right of the people to keep and bear arms for security and defense of self, family, property, as well as for other lawful purposes.

Sharron has been endorsed by the Gun Owners of America and has an "A" rating with the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Family Values
Sharron Angle recognizes the traditional family as the foundation of America's society.

Sharron worked to pass the Constitutional Protection of Marriage Act in Nevada, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Sharron Angle has been endorsed by Family PAC Federal and Concerned Women for America.

Protection of Life
Sharron Angle believes all human life is precious, regardless of location, age, infirmity, or degree of dependence.

Sharron has been endorsed by Phyllis Schlafly, Life and Liberty PAC, and Concerned Women for America.

Education
As a teacher and grandmother of ten, there is no one more committed to education than Sharron Angle.

Sharron believes education decisions are best made at the state and local level by parents and teachers who are invested in the lives of the children whom they have been tasked with teaching. Sharron supports putting that money as close to the state and local level as possible.

Campaign Finance Reform
Sharron Angle believes we must close the loopholes in the campaign finance system while requiring immediate disclosure of large contributions, via the internet.

Sharron was first elected in 1992 to the Nye County School Board of Trustees. The family moved back to Reno in 1995 and in 1998 she was elected to the Nevada State Assembly where she faithfully served until 2006 fighting for smaller government, lower taxes, and a better Nevada for future generations. She is proud of her past chairwomanship of We the People Nevada PAC that sponsored the Property Tax Restraint Initiative.

A true protector of the Nevada Constitution, Sharron has fought and won judicial battles to protect Nevadan's constitutional rights. In 2003 while serving as the Minority Whip in the Nevada State Assembly, Sharron challenged the Governor's proposed massive $800 million tax hike. Supported by Nevada's constitutional requirement that all tax increases be approved by a two-thirds super majority, battle lines were drawn between the Republicans in the Assembly and the Governor. Sharron and fourteen other courageous Republicans consistently voted against the tax measure through the end of the regular session of the legislature and on through two special sessions. The Governor then sued the legislature in Angle v Guinn to force a decision by the Nevada Supreme Court. The Court over-ruled the two-thirds requirement which meant the taxes were to be imposed through a simple majority rather than by two-thirds vote. Using her own funds, Sharron hired Dr. John Eastman of the Claremont Institute to defend the Nevada's Constitution against this injury. Angle and Eastman took this case to Federal District Court in Nevada, which ended up referring the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, then finally to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The attention from Angle v Guinn resulted in the members of the Nevada Supreme Court which made that ruling either retired or were replaced through election defeat. Subsequently the new Court reversed the decision in 2007 reinstating the two-thirds requirement in the Constitution. In recognition of her fight to protect the Constitution, Sharron received the prestigious Claremont Institute Ronald Reagan Freedom Medallion for Courageous Client in 2004.

Though this was a personally costly case for Sharron to defend, this is precisely what she believes the founding fathers meant when they said we must "pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to protect our freedom and liberty.

In addition to her proud service in the Nevada legislature, Sharron has been an active member of the Republican Party for many years. She currently serves on the Nevada State Central Committee and has been the chairman of the Washoe County GOP precinct organization effort.

Sharron Angle is also a proud member of the Gun Owners of America, National Right to Life Committee, Concerned Women for America, Nevada Republican Assembly, Washoe County Republican Party, and Fellowship Community Church.
http://sharronangle.com/about

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