Harry Reid’s big disconnect with Nevadans

Sen. Harry Reid's campaign tour of Nevada ended with a collective shoulder shrug from most of the state.

One woman passed the bus in Carson City and flipped the bus the bird. Others periodically mocked the senior senator from Nevada by calling his campaign swing the "Harry Reid's Throw Nevada Under The Bus Tour".

But most of Nevada yawned. Or at least that's how it seemed to me in reading various reports.

You'd think a guy of his longevity and current stature would evoke more of an endearing response, even from Nevadans who disagree with him on health care "reform", and other national matters.

But he doesn't.

If it weren't for his corps of union soldiers squaring up on protesters and then ginning up a chant or two at the stops on this bus tour, there'd be no energy on a campaign tour I am sure Sen. Reid thought should have been a victory lap for him.

It is this disconnect that is so hard to figure in this race.

Here's the latest salvo from the Republican Party against Sen. Reid. It makes some righteous points. But the most important point is not anything Republicans can say about Harry ... It's the disconnect between this powerful elected official and his people.

Remarkable.

 From: "Walsh, Brian" [bwalsh@nrsc.org]
  Sent: 04/13/2010 02:11 PM AST
  Subject: Questions for Harry Reid on Health Spending Bill

Good afternoon –
 
As Congress reconvenes in Washington after the two-week recess, I wanted to ensure that you saw the two stories below outlining some of the results of the Democrats’ health spending bill, which Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) so enthusiastically championed.
 
First, as Republicans noted during the health care debate, the Los Angeles Times reports that the Democrats’ bill will do nothing to stop premium increases on working families. This follows a recent Associated Press report that health care premiums could rise by approximately 17 percent for young adults. The LA Times writes today:
 
Public outrage over double-digit rate hikes for health insurance may have helped push President Obama's healthcare overhaul across the finish line, but the new law does not give regulators the power to block similar increases in the future. And now, with some major companies already moving to boost premiums and others poised to follow suit, millions of Americans may feel an unexpected jolt in the pocketbook. Although Democrats promised greater consumer protection, the overhaul does not give the federal government broad regulatory power to prevent increases. Many state governments -- which traditionally had responsibility for regulating insurance companies -- also do not have such authority. And several that do are now being sued by insurance companies.
 
In addition, the New York Times reports that the health care bill may have significant and unintended consequences on coverage for Members of Congress and their staffs, leading the Times to ask the important question: “If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?”
 
In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members. For example, it says, the law may “remove members of Congress and Congressional staff” from their current coverage, in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, before any alternatives are available. The confusion raises the inevitable question: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?
 
Finally, in a bizarre statement on the Senate floor yesterday, Reid said that he had not heard any negative feedback on his health care vote when he was in Nevada last week and in fact he said, "Everywhere I went in Nevada, the two big cities of Reno and Las Vegas, Elko, Carson City, Stagecoach to my hometown of Searchlight, Nevadans young and old, people came up to me and said, 'Thank you.'"
 
Considering these reports and Reid’s fervent support for this bill, I hope you will consider raising a few simple questions for Nevada’s embattled Senator:
 
1)    When you voted for this bill, were you aware that it would not only do little or nothing to lower health care premiums for Silver State families, but it might actually lead to higher health care costs for many Nevadans?
 
2)    Were you aware when you voted for this bill that it could have significant consequences on the health care coverage for your staff?  If so, what specifically might these consequences be? And if not, why did you vote for a bill without understanding how it might affect the people who work for you, let alone influence the lives of millions of other Americans?
 
3)    The Las Vegas Sun quoted a Nevada rancher named Nancy Park on Sunday who told you to your face: “I respectfully disagree with what you’re doing for Nevada.”  The Associated Press also quoted a Nevada retiree named Bob Diffenderfer, who refused to shake your hand and said that you’re “trying to make Nevada a dust bowl.” This is just a sampling of the negative press coverage from your bus tour – were these the voters who you referred to on the Senate floor Monday when you claimed that you did not hear any negative feedback? Or did you completely ignore these voters, who are angry with your partisan agenda in Washington?
 
# # #
 
 
Brian Walsh
Communications Director
National Republican Senatorial Committee
(202) 675-6066 - direct