Harry Reid should respond before ads derail his campaign
Now, these are the commercials that should give Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid nightmares.
This week "Willie Horton" ad producer Floyd Brown and his firebrand conservative allies introduced television commercials that attempted to attach Reid to MGM Mirage's Dubai-based partners, who have been accused of using slave labor back in the United Arab Emirates. Frankly, the commercials missed their mark.
But forget the shaky sheik. Trust me. You'll remember the desperate workingmen.
The "Ninety Thousand Jobs" spots cut by Mark Fierro on behalf of the American Magline Group threatens to give Reid's campaign fits. The television commercials attempt to, ahem, encourage Reid to support American Magline's Las Vegas-to-Anaheim maglev project.
Although the spots don't mention Reid by name, they imply he's on the wrong track.
Why are they so potentially devastating?
The spots don't feature actors, crackpots or ominous snapshots in sepia tone. They star card-carrying members of Ironworkers Local 433, a hall with a 50 percent unemployment rate and no jobs on the horizon.
Those are Harry Reid voters. They are endorsing the maglev jobs he has rejected in favor of DesertXpress.
"We want everyone in Southern Nevada to understand how dire the situation is for the working men and women, and to understand that the only thing that stands in the way of them going back to work is some decisions in Washington that are favoring the train to nowhere," company spokesman Fierro says.
Last year, Reid announced he was endorsing the steel-rail, Las Vegas-to-Victorville route offered by juice-heavy DesertXpress. The practical argument was DesertXpress was more capable of completing its project while American Magline was still trying to win over skeptics.
Fierro must know those are fighting words.
A call seeking comment from Reid's office was first returned by Sig Rogich, a partner and spokesman for DesertXpress and the head of Republicans for Reid.
"It's almost a cruel thing to do to let those workers believe they would have a job instantly because of promises these folks have made," says Rogich, adding that not only will DesertXpress work with the unions, but the maglev project lacks financing and environmental approval. "It's almost scandalous to say that they could break ground this year because that's just not true."
Reid spokesman Jon Summers adds, "The difference is that DesertXpress is ready to break ground this year. Senator Reid doesn't have any preference over the technology that's used, whether it's maglev or high-speed rail. He just wants to have something done. He's tired of just talking about it, and unfortunately that's all we've gotten from maglev."
If Reid is concerned about repercussions from the decision, he sure isn't showing it. Just this week he announced the diversion of $45 million intended to start up the maglev to a Department of Transportation road project. The message: maglev is history, so why pretend?
Fierro responds that portions of the project can break ground within 90 days if funding were available.
Is Magline selling a fantasy that simply lacked sufficient technological, financial and political backing?
Going around Reid to the public is risky and shows Magline's frustration and desperation. But the images of unemployed union workers pleading their case are devastating to Reid in an election year and call for a savvy response from the senator's campaign.
"If Harry Reid were to embrace this train, he would be unstoppable," Fierro says.
Not much chance of that now, I'm guessing.
If Reid's GOP primary opponents were wise, they would slip Magline some cash to keep the ads on the air. If Reid's people are conscious, they'll take this seriously and ask their friends at DesertXpress to mount a formidable reply in the media.
Or, they can sit back and watch the train issue roll right over their favorite senator.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.
