Harry Reid calls on opponents to denounce ‘sleaze’ ad

By Lisa Mascaro

Monday, March 15, 2010 | 1:06 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The brains behind the "Willie Horton" ads that helped to derail Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign teamed up with an advocate of the "birther" movement to announce the first in a series of new TV ads against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's re-election.

Republican strategist Floyd Brown is in Las Vegas today to unveil the new ad he produced for two conservative political action committees, the Republican Majority Campaign and The Legacy PAC, as first reported today by Mother Jones. Republican Majority Campaign chairman Gary Kreep is an advocate of the debunked "birther" theory, which incorrectly claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

The ad begins running today on KTNV in Las Vegas.

Reid's campaign called on his Republicans opponents to denounce the ad as "sleaze."

The ad attempts to link Reid's support of MGM's CityCenter project to MGM Mirage's Dubai business partner, Sheik Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which the ad claims used "slave labor" to construct buildings in Dubai.

Reid has won backing for his re-election from MGM Mirage Chairman Jim Murren, who appeared in one of Reid's own TV ads praising the senator's leadership in helping the company to complete construction of the massive CityCenter project on the Strip. MGM is the state's largest private employer.

CityCenter has brought 12,000 jobs to economically distressed Las Vegas since its opening late last year. Las Vegas' unemployment rate is above 13 percent.

“If these guys knew anything about Nevada they would realize how outrageous it is for them to run ads regarding the state's largest employer at a time when Nevada is suffering such high unemployment," said Reid campaign manager Brandon Hall.

"I have no doubts that the 12,000 people who are now working at City Center, and the 10,000 construction workers who helped build it, are glad they had the majority leader in their corner helping to protect their jobs," Hall said. “After making such outrageous charges against Sen. Reid and MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren, it’s no wonder that Republicans and conservatives throughout the country have repeatedly repudiated these ad makers’ shameful campaign tactics."