Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 | 4:19 a.m.
Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
WEEKEND EDITION
February 12 - 13, 2005
The republicans are trying to murder Sen. Harry Reid. I hope they find him a reluctant corpse.
I don't suppose it comes as a surprise to anyone that the party of President George W. Bush -- you know, the folks who want to convince the public that their way is not only the right but also the only way -- has sentenced Nevada's senior United States senator to death by character assassination.
What they cannot refute in the marketplace of ideas, they are determined to destroy in the minds of Americans across the country. It has become abundantly clear that Nevada's favorite son and the Minority Leader of the United States Senate -- that would be our Harry -- is actually catching on with the real people of this country who work hard every day, play by the rules, love their families and think that tomorrow will actually be a better day.
Nevada knows what the rest of the country is just learning about Senator Reid -- that he is a loyal, decent, bright, hardworking and responsible citizen of this great country and our great state. And that kind of feeling toward a Democrat in today's world is anathema to the Republican agenda. So, with great care and reckless abandon, the GOP operatives have embarked on a campaign to destroy Harry's reputation for honesty, decency and responsibility.
They think they have to do that because people in America will respond to Harry's honesty and plain-speaking -- that means they will believe him when he says the Bush plans will not work -- and that will not do for a bunch of political hacks trying to push their view of the world on 250 million Americans who don't really have much time to enter the debate about where the truth lies.
It is said that when you destroy a man's good name you destroy the man. The Republicans -- and despite the White House denials to the contrary that it has anything to do with the cowardly character attacks -- have set out to destroy Harry Reid. Plain and simple.
Many years ago a former Nevada resident, Howard Hughes, said that any man could be bought because every man had a price. And, if you find that rare human being whose honesty precluded any monetary arrangement, then you would just have to break him. Obviously, that is the Republicans' preferred method of having their way with Harry. What they don't realize about the man from Searchlight is that he has been attacked by far tougher people with far more to lose and he always wound up on top.
As he said the other day, he has not and will not lose one bit of sleep over the outrageous attacks on his character and reputation. What will happen, I predict, is that Senator Reid will show the bums who are trying to kill his good name that there is plenty of fight in him and that they have decided to mess with the wrong guy.
When the same GOP operatives let loose their cannons against Harry's predecessor, Tom Daschle, it took a huge toll that culminated in his defeat in this last election. It won't do any good to characterize the degree of stupidity of the people of Daschle's home state -- you don't have to be a genius to understand the importance of having a senior leader in the U.S. Senate going to bat for your state's interests everyday -- but it is important to point out that Nevadans are not so hell-bent on political suicide.
Sure we make mistakes. Look at the whopper we made by helping to re-elect President Bush in the face of his silent promise to continue doing all he could to send the nation's nuclear waste nightmare to Yucca Mountain. But, by and large, we know that the federal government is not our friend and that having Harry in the Minority Leader's spot will go a long way in protecting Lake Tahoe, keeping the IRS off the backs of our tip earners, finding the money needed for infrastructure costs the state cannot meet, defending us against the rest of the country whose desire it is to destroy this great tourist thing we've got going, and helping us on a host of other issues that our growing state needs and that only a man in Harry's position can deliver.
Harry Reid was re-elected last year by an overwhelming majority of Nevada voters. That means that Democrats, Republicans, independents, Northerners, Southerners, men and women, liberals and conservatives all pulled together to send Harry back to the Senate to work for us. We did it because we know him and we admire his courage, his honesty and integrity, and his sense of loyalty to his friends, family and fellow citizens in the Silver State.
It is no exaggeration to say that Nevadans put Senator Reid where he is, and so we share some of the burden for the attacks which are coming at him with blinding speed and crushing body blows. And while the attacks may not cause Harry to lose any sleep, they should and must cause all Nevadans to stand up in defiance against the outrageousness of the tactics employed by those who desire only to destroy the integrity and reputation of a very good man.
As loyal as we know Harry to be and as good a friend as he is to people of all political persuasions in this state, it is time for us to show the same loyalty and the same friendship back to him. After all, it is not just Harry who is being attacked, but all Nevadans, because we put him where he is, and what he does, he does in our name. And is there anyone out there who knows Harry Reid who doesn't believe he would be there for us if we were under siege?
So it is time to stand up and be counted. Gov. Kenny Guinn, you are a friend of Harry's and a friend of the president. Call the White House and tell him in the name of decency to call off the dogs. Sig Rogich, you have known and supported Harry Reid practically your whole life. You help elect presidents and you certainly help elect Harry each time. Get on the phone. Tell your friends in the White House that it is not only bad form but also very bad for the image of a man who wants to be seen as a uniter and yet allows his henchmen to divide and conquer like the Huns of old.
And all you guys on the Las Vegas Strip. You know who you are, the ones who threw all that money at George Bush to help him get elected. Let your guy know that Harry is your friend, that he is decent and honorable and that, if nothing else, he is good for your bottom lines. And Sen. John Ensign, you are strangely silent. Is there any doubt where Harry would be if the tables were reversed? Come on, call your colleagues off. Now is the time to return the friendship Harry has shown you.
Come on, Nevada. Don't let the Republicans murder this man's good name. Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of our friend. To do any less is to aid and abet the murderers.
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