Reid Urges Bush to Disavow GOP Criticism

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Monday urged President Bush (news - web sites) to stop the Republican National Committee (news - web sites) from calling him an obstructionist and criticizing his Senate record, a tactic the GOP used to help defeat Reid's predecessor.

Bush repeatedly has said he wants work with Democrats, most recently during his State of the Union speech last week, Reid noted in a speech on the Senate floor.
"Why didn't he stand and tell the American people last Wednesday that one of the first items of business we were going to do in Washington is send out a hit piece on the Democratic leader?" Reid said.

The Republican committee plans to send a 13-page document to more than a million people — including in Reid's home state of Nevada — analyzing and criticizing his votes and stances before he officially took over as Senate Democratic leader in January.
...
The RNC "is the president's organization," Reid said. "He can't say one thing to the American people and then ... send out scurrilous letters saying that I'm a bad guy. In great detail. I mean, is President George Bush (news - web sites) a man of his word?"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050207/ap_on_go_co/reid_gop_criticism

[roguevalley]

1. I think we need to take Ken Melman out of the picture by focusing

on HIS background. If that is how this is done, someone needs to get on the voice box and beat the drum about Ken Melman.

[rox63]

18. Maybe we should start

by outing Mehlman's boyfriend. What a hypocrite!

[adigal]

38. Mehlman gives me the serious creeps

and my radar is NEVER wrong. That man has some skeletons in his closet.

[Kimber Scott]

2. Quit whining and fight back, dammit. George Bush isn't going to do

anything for you, or any other Democrat.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. this isn't whining. It's fighting back by calling out the hypocrisy

of the "uniter" who is in fact a divider.
They are using the same EXACT playbook they used on Daschle.
Reid is having none of it. More power to him.

[Kimber Scott]

16. "Georgie make it stop," doesn't sound all that aggressive to me. Sorry.

[Just Me]

23. He sure looked like he was spitting fire to me!

*LOL* He was pissed!!!

:bounce:

Oh, my. The Democrats are finally confronting reality and they are now forced to engage in a fight for not only themselves but the whole country.

God Bless them & help them (be wiser and craftier than the evil human predators).

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. Seems to me like he is fighting back

By pointing out Bush's hypocrisy.

[Redleg]

35. It sounds like Reid is fighting back.

Whining is what Rethuglicans call it when a Democrat stands up for himself/herself.

I guess Reid could challenge Boosh to a duel. Would that be sufficient?

[Liberal Veteran]

3. Hope springs eternal....

Get over the idea that these republithugs are reasonable and fight tooth and nail.

[ananda]

4. word?

Bush a man of his word? Never so far... why should he change now?

Sue

[mediaman007]

37. You're right! They are going after Reid anyway. The Democrats might as

well not cooperate. Look at Daschle. He was reasonable and the poured tons of money and people at him in South Dakota. Reason is useless. Power carries weight. If we don't use what little power we have left, they will walk all over us.

Look at Ted Kennedy. I think he gets it.

They count on us being reasonable, Rove would never be,

[paineinthearse]

5. I've been regularly posting the RNC press releases

Perhaps we need a RNC press release forum to collect these "gems" in one place for posterity.

[Scout1071]

6. Damn. I think I'm beginning to like Reid.

[Nite Owl]

7. He should stand up proud and

say thank you. He is supposed to be an obstructionist to stop the whatever he can.

[msgadget]

8. Where's HIS letter?

The one that lists in plain language and third grade graphs how the GOP is dismantling the country. If he needs help composing it, DU is ready to serve.

[Rose Siding]

12. RNC spokesman says dems are the party of "no"

Harry should EMBRACE that- a letter would be great: We say NO to torture. NO to dismantling social security. NO to poverty. NO to tax cuts for the wealthy, etc.

[stray cat]

13. We say yes to the people and no to those who would destroy them.

[Cocoa]

15. here

they even use your very accurate word "dismantle"

http://www.democrats.org/

<snip>

Here's what the Bush plan will mean for your retirement:

If you retire in 2022, Bush will cut your benefits by almost 10 percent.

If you retire in 2042, Bush will cut your benefits by more than 25 percent.

In 2075, our children and grandchildren will face a staggering cut of 46 percent to their benefits.

And this is just the first step of the Republican Party's plan to dismantle the entire Social Security system that has kept generations of America's seniors out of poverty. Soon Bush will launch a $40 million TV ad blitz to convince Americans that our grandkids will be left out in the cold if Social Security is not privatized.

more...

[msgadget]

17. That's good for one issue

but, the president is trying to ruin his credibility by culling his record and Reid must do the SAME to him.

All of the lies, misperceptions and dodges of this administration are THERE for the clipping and who better than Reid to have access to them?

Do they need a donation for postage? Someone to help put the thing together?? I can only hope they've got one in the mail already. If not, Reid has but to ask and help will pour in. Telling people what they're doing doesn't help and sticking exclusively to Social Security is short-sighted.

[Cocoa]

29. take action

actually, I think sticking to the issue is better than going after personalities, especially when the issue is as important as Social Security.

http://www.democrats.org/action/200501050001.html

Take Action

Stop Bush's Social Security Benefit Cuts

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to explain why George Bush's plan to cut promised Social Security benefits is wrong.

Write a Letter to the Editor

To look up your local newspapers, please enter your ZIP code below:

ZIP Code:

[msgadget]

32. I agree, the issues should be individually addressed

but the other side is drawing attention from anything Reid might say by doing a mailing of his voting record. Similarly, their own records need to be dissected by the same voters who receive the Reid dissection in addition to the truth about Social Security.

[LizW]

11. The sleepers awaken

This is good, but it's as if Harry Reid just arrived in Washington and is shocked at the tactics of the GOP. This is who these people are. This is who this president is. Why is anyone acting surprised and outraged? We've known these people are evil for a long time.

Harry Reid needs to get on Bush's case the same way the RNC is on his. Send out letters showing Bush for the liar he is. Send out letters showing how Bush is rewarding his rich cronies and paying for it on the backs of the most poor and vulnerable people in the country. Buy television advertising telling the same thing, and if the Bush-controlled networks refuse to run them, send out letters telling people that and ask why the public airwaves are controlled by Bush and the GOP. Use clips from the SOTU and show Bush for the hypocrit he is. Point out how Bush poses as a Christian and hurts children and the sick and disabled. The ammunition is all there.

Playing nice with these people gets us nowhere.

[msgadget]

21. EXACTLY

:kick:

[Just Me]

28. Their noble principles don't work with these radical predators.

I can't get too upset with them because, if I am truly honest,...I did not fully see what was coming,...not really. I suspected the possibility that this ugly disease could infect this country, but believed that it could be contained.

I can't be angry with those who underestimated the real evil associated with this regime.

However, I can find the strength to fight the predators-in-charge!!!

[msgadget]

33. What are you going to do to fight them?

[Gloria]

14. GWB is NOT a man of his word. He is a liar and Democrats should

start impugning the characters of all the thugs running the show.
I saw "The American President" again yesterday and when he took on the conservative head on...well, it was ballsy and powerful.

Damn it, let's go after THEM!

[retread]

19. "[...] is President Bush a man of his word?" Ahahahahah stop please

my side is hurting Ahahahahahahaha.

[Tamyrlin79]

20. "I mean, is President George Bush a man of his word?"

HA!

If Reid is still seriously asking this question, he is clearly not paying attention.

[tkmorris]

24. Or for pity's sake

OF COURSE Reid knows Bush isn't a man of his word. He is putting this out for public consumption, to make THEM begin to understand what he already knows.

[QC]

44. Irony, my friend. n/t

[Trish1168]

22. Some how this must be backfiring.

I've seen this dynamic in the work place. When people don't know who the bully is and there's just a lot of squabbling between two people (in this case, parties)...you don't know who's side to take or if both sides are wrong. The person who is making more of a fuss is still given the benefit of doubt, and due to their zeal and passion, they are often believed over the innocent party (I mean victim).

But over time....when its one person (or party) who has picked on several others...often with the same MO....people catch on.

That sort of negativity has a way of backfiring, and then before long, regular people recognize the bully as the a-hole he or she is.

In this case, its the republicans who are the a-holes. I don't think that Nevadan's will buy into this crap.

I know its hard for Senator Reid, but I hope he stands his ground.

My sister, who lives in Nevada and is a lifelong republican...she voted for Kerry. Believe me, people catch on.

[VirginiaDem]

25. Polarity/extremism is a wedge issue--this is exactly what we should

be doing more of. This is how we rephrase the black and white v. nuance issue of the campaign into a winner. Stubborn v. open-minded. It's what we should have done when they did this to Daschle--counter the Republican demonization with the truth about the senator and tie it to polarizing/extremist Republican policies.

[KT2000]

26. Good for Reid!

Shine the light on their activities - cockroaches hate the light.

[BadGimp]

27. It's a WAR Harry!

You can't just fight back, you need to go on the offensive.

If not, prepare for your demise.

WASS

[Democat]

30. Reid needs to attack back twice as hard

Crying about it won't help. Ask John Kerry.

[ynksnewyork2]

31. Politics are politics

You've got to have a thick skin. Anyway, Harry Reid must not have been watching TV last week. None less than Scarborough, Buchanan, David Shuster, Dennis Miller and Ron Reagan Jr all made fun of Harry Reid !! I expected some of them but when David Schuster and Ron Reagan Jr make fun of you, it's pretty bad. It was brutal.

[0007]

34. Go Harry Reid go

and I wish the trolls on this board would STFU and show some class by supporting their strenght, the DU.

[zara]

36. Good Move--Make Bush's Word--and his Hypocrisy--the Issue

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

39. "Why didn't he stand and tell the American people

last Wednesday that one of the first items of business we were going to do in Washington is send out a hit piece on the Democratic leader?" Reid said.


A bigger megaphone would do this quote wonders.

[Gyre]

40. Waaaaah. Those republicans are hurtin my feelings! Wahhhh!

"Please, your majesty. Make them stop!" 97lb weakling alert! Reid can bite my crank.

Gyre

[leesa]

41. Oh this is so pathetic!

[VegasWolf]

42. I agree, and "pathetic" only begins to describe it. n/t

[Califooyah Operative]

43. i saw it.

he was pissed. I've never seen him that emotional before.

[Laurab]

45. Sounds to me like he's fighting back, too

Right away, as he should. I do agree the dems could and maybe should do the same type of attacks on the repuke leaders but damn - there are SO many of them - where to start?

Ok, so Reid hears about this, and immediately issues this statement. Who knows what he'll do next? Doesn't sound like he's backing down at all, more like he's just beginning.

WHY are people attacking him? Once again, you're attacking the wrong side.

[nolabels]

47. Reid is playing defensive in complaints about their tactics

They decided to make Reid the issue and he swallowed the bait. The democrats are in very good position to attack everything about republicans. The problem is the corporate sellouts that work in the senate are too worried about their image.

These sellouts are brainwashed in the Republican-lite scenario in thinking to be successful they must become like the people in power. That is pathetic and Reid don't sound like no leader to me.

Oh please don't paste me up as an obstructionist :cry:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

46. Thanks all. He is definitely fighting back.

I really wish Kerry had picked him for VP.