Reid-Angle Debate Showdown: Immigration The Lead Subject

By Joe Guzzardi

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in the political battle of his life against Republican challenger Sharron Angle, is putting all his eggs in the comprehensive immigration reform amnesty basket.

On Thursday night, Reid and Angle staged their first and only face-to-face debate televised live by C-SPAN.

Reid must overcome numerous obstacles. Under his watch, Nevada has the nation’s highest unemployment rate, more than 14 percent, the highest bankruptcy filing rate and the highest levels of home foreclosures. Further hampering Reid are his poor public speaking skills and, his biggest albatross, his standing as a four-term Democratic incumbent in the Barack Obama administration.

Most political insiders consider Angle as the weakest of the three Republican primary candidates who somehow survived to face Reid. Her goal is overcome the perception conveyed by Reid that she’s an “extremist” and a novice who would never achieve the Congressional influence necessary to move legislation beneficial to Nevada through the political establishment. One of Reid’s campaign ads states “Sharron Angle: ideas so extreme they are dangerous”

Throughout the debate, Reid looked drawn, pale and uncomfortable opposed to Angle’s smiling, relaxed appearance. Angle put Reid on the defensive with her attack against him as one of the Senate’s “richest men” who lives in the Ritz-Carlton.

Throughout the debate, Angle was the aggressor, especially on health care, but not in an offending way. She continuously challenged Reid’s record and said that he had “voted 300 times” to raise taxes while she as a state assemblyman had consistently voted against higher taxes.

Moderator Mitch Fox opened the debate with questions about immigration, an issue that a recent CBS News/Las Vegas Review-Journal poll found that a majority of Nevadans want to limit. Fox asked Reid why he had never addressed border security until this year since his policies have made it easy for aliens to “stream across the border”

Somewhat surprisingly given its unpopularity with voters, Reid stated unequivocally and inflexibly that the answer to “the broken immigration system” is “comprehensive immigration reform,” perceived by most as an amnesty. For years, Congress has been trying to pass comprehensive immigration reform and, because of Americans’ backlash, have been unable to do so.

Angle countered that Nevada has “an illegal alien” problem and that Reid’s policies allow aliens to take advantage of free social services like education and medical care.

Then Angle hit Reid again for his continuous amnesty efforts by first praising Arizona’s S. B. 1070 and then questioning him about why he supports the federal government’s lawsuit to block the state law. Noting that 11 other foreign countries have joined the federal government’s lawsuit against Arizona, Angle said the legal action is “just nuts.” Angle praised Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio and said that America needs more law enforcement officials like him.

With only days left in the race, Reid has called in all the Democratic heavy hitters. Former and current presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stumped for him. The question remains whether in this anti-incumbent mood, Clinton and Obama would hurt or help Reid. The concern within the Reid circle is that he hasn’t been able to put Angle away for good. Instead, Angle is now a national symbol of the Tea Party’s effort to upend politics as usual in Washington.

Since neither Reid nor Angle made any gaffes during the debate, a problem that has plagued them both all summer, the election outcome will most likely boil down to a referendum on Reid.

If that happens, it’s bad news for the incumbent. As is so often the case, voters choose who they feel is the lesser of two evils. Should that happen, Angle will most likely beat Reid.

Joe Guzzardi has written editorial columns—mostly about immigration and related social issues – since 1990. He is a senior writing fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) and his columns have frequently been syndicated in various U.S. newspapers and websites. He can be reached at [email protected].