Harry Reid must be having a very difficult week. He has learned from a recently released poll that his chances of being reelected is growing very slim.
Now he faces criticism for a statement he made abou then-presidential candidate Barack Obama during the 2008 elections.
The comments are being reported in a book that will be hitting the bookshelves soon titled "Game Change," written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The authors report that Senator Reid made a private comment during the 2008 campaign that
Despite his racist remarks, Harry Reid doesn't plan to step down at all or withdraw from running for reelection:Now he faces criticism for a statement he made abou then-presidential candidate Barack Obama during the 2008 elections.
The comments are being reported in a book that will be hitting the bookshelves soon titled "Game Change," written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The authors report that Senator Reid made a private comment during the 2008 campaign that
"the country was ready for a light-skinned African-American president with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." (Source.)Responding quickly to this bombshell revelation, Harry Reid quickly apologized:
"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans, for my improper comments."Obama has accepted Harry Reid's apology but that isn't enough for some Republicans who are calling for the Senate Majority Leader to step down from his position just as Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott did in 2002 for making a statement about a statement about racial segregation at a 100th birthday party for then-Sen. Strom Thurmond.
A spokesman for Mr. Reid said the senator wouldn't resign his leadership post. "He has no intention of stepping down," Jim Manley said. "Unlike others who advocate moving our nation backwards and viewing this moment for political gain, he's working...to move our country forward."Harry Reid may survive this political firestorm, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will survive the 2010 election.
UPDATE (1/13/10): Harry Reid's poll numbers have dropped 7 percentage points since he made his comments about Obama went public.
UPDATE #2 (1/13/10): Harry Reid's son, Rory Reid, is attempting to become governor of Nevada but his father may be dragging him down in the polls too.
1 comment:
I am the first one to insist we are too racially hyper-sensitive, but still, it is endlessly amusing to see him impaled on one of his own swords.
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