Reid, Ensign square off in second debate

Sen. Harry Reid wanted to know why the man trying to unseat him, Congressman John Ensign, would allow nuclear waste to be stored in Nevada.

Ensign wanted to know why Reid voted for tax increases.

And so the heated race for Senate got even more heated when Reid, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger, Ensign, debated a second time Sunday night. It was broadcast live on KLVX-TV Channel 10 and simulcast nationwide on C-SPAN.

"A vote for you is a vote for Yucca Mountain," Reid said to Ensign.

Reid claims nuclear waste will be shipped to Nevada if he loses re-election to Ensign.

"What we have to do is get away from the political bickering," Ensign said. "We both want to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada."

Reid countered that by saying Ensign is "someone who doesn't really believe in it."

Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is the only site being studied by the Department of Energy as a permanent national nuclear-waste dump. The Clinton administration has been fighting efforts by Congress to temporarily store nuclear waste at the Nevada Test Site.

Reid and Ensign answered questions posed by three local reporters and readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Later in the debate, the opponents got to ask each other questions, prompting both candidates to attack each other's ideas and voting records.

Reid attacked Ensign for making a comment that "Social Security is a bad idea."

"It's not a terrible idea. It's great idea. I think (it) could be stronger, but let's not do damage to Social Security by saying it's a bad idea," Reid said.

Ensign said what he meant when he made the comment was that Social Security could be a much better system.

"We used to be better at taking care of our families. Social Security is a good system, but it could be so much better."

Ensign criticized Reid for voting for tax increases, which Reid said were done during the terms of Presidents Reagan and Bush when there was a huge deficit.

Ensign also asked Reid why he voted to give himself a pay raise and voted against a pay raise for military personnel. Ensign talked about the same issue during the pair's first debate on Sept. 26 in a retirement community in northwest Las Vegas.

"We have 12,000 of our U.S. troops on food stamps," Ensign said.

Reid countered that the pay raise for senators was procedural in nature.

The senator also attacked Ensign for voting to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental programs.

"Is that why you call environmentalists socialists?" Reid asked.

Ensign used his response to tout the recently-passed lands bill, which will give Nevada a cut of money from federal land sales in the Las Vegas Valley and provide local officials a larger role in how government property is disposed.

Ensign sponsored the bill in the House and Reid is a cosponsor of the Senate version, along with Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.

Throughout the debate, Reid used his experience to his advantage, giving examples of what he has done for Nevada and even reeling off his day-to-day accomplishments last week.

Ensign spent a lot of time talking about his ideas on a better education system, putting prisoners to work and getting rid of big government.

About 200 supporters for both sides hoisted signs outside the television studio and chanted loudly during the debate.

A recent poll by the Review-Journal and KTNV-TV Channel 13 shows Reid and Ensign in a dead heat.

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