Reid getting trounced -- by his own unpopularity

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Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada is in a virtual tie with his Republican challenger, Sharron Angle, according to most polls. But those surveys show him being trounced by another opponent -- his own unpopularity.

The number of voters who have an unfavorable view of Reid exceeds 50 percent. That is a near-fatal number in run-of-the-mill politics.

That doesn't mean Reid is out of the race, however. Angle has never been tested in a statewide campaign, and she is viewed unfavorably by far more voters than view her favorably.

Still, it's bad for Reid. Not only do more than half the voters dislike him, but a majority of those voters can be said to disdain him. And none is likely to change his or her mind before Nov. 2.

The intensity of this resentment shows up not just in polls but also on roadside signs, bumper stickers and even cowboy poetry.

Reid's advisers counter that those who like the majority leader are just as unwavering in their admiration of him and commitment to his re-election.

What is fueling this animosity? Certainly the economy, with its accompanying record unemployment, is part of it.

Taking on the mantle of the Democratic Party as majority leader also has hurt. A charting of Reid's negatives distinctly aligns with his rise in leadership.

Reid's supporters say that in this regard Reid is a victim of his success -- success that has benefited Nevada. Virtually no politician in today's sharply partisan environment has risen to national stature without seeing his approval rating suffer.

The senator's negatives began to spike shortly after he took over as minority leader after the 2004 election. They spiked again, this time to more than 50 percent, when he assumed the majority-leader mantle after the 2006 election.

But the dislike appears to go beyond the typical antagonism toward incumbents.

"I actually voted for Reid the first time he ran for Senate," said Brook Enos of Gardnerville, who has lived in Nevada for 30 years. "I met him in a gun shop in Yerington. He said he would fight for Second Amendment rights, for grass-roots people. But it went downhill from there."

In fact, Reid has been and continues to be a staunch supporter of gun rights, even as a Democratic leader. He has also split with his party on issues such as abortion (he opposes it) and mining regulation (the less, the better).

Still, Enos has come to see Reid as "a liar" and a "socialist."

Republican consultant Robert Uithoven said the dislike for Reid is focused most intensely on the policies, not on the man.

"Reid is unpopular for the same reason chocolate soda is unpopular," he said. "People just don't like it."

Indeed, internal polls bear that out. Nevadans, who pride themselves on independence and lack of partisanship, aren't happy with the health-care bill, the stimulus and the spending to stabilize the financial industry.

One of Reid's closest advisers, R&R Partners CEO Billy Vassiliadis, said Reid's image began to suffer when, as the leader of the Democratic Party, he led the opposition to President George W. Bush and became the lightning rod for GOP attacks.

"He went through attack after attack after attack," Vassiliadis said. "His role, sort of by his nature being the loyal opposition, was to go out there and engage with President Bush and others. Then folks started to view him basically as the guy you either love or hate."

Then the recession hit. A bad economy pummels incumbents the hardest.

Echoing the Reid campaign's central theme, Vassiliadis said the economic conditions make it crucial for Nevada to have the Senate majority leader to call on.

It frustrates him to hear voters say Reid is no longer interested in the state.

"He's a national figure, so they say, 'That's not my guy anymore,' " Vassiliadis said. "Well, yeah, that is your guy. Your guy built your railroad tracks in Reno. ... He's spent a ton of time doing Nevada stuff.

"But our fight is back there (in Washington). He's where we need him to be."

And even though more than half of voters don't like him, Reid doesn't necessarily need 50 percent of the vote to win this election. With a number of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot, as well as the "none of these candidates" option, Reid could squeak to victory with 40-something percent of the vote.

In the meantime, his strategy has been to destroy his opponent.

Although voters may hold Reid accountable for the economy, he is having some success convincing them that Angle, with her laissez-faire philosophy, would stand by and watch the economy crumble.

He's spending millions of dollars on television to do it. As a result, Angle's negatives have been climbing steadily.

"Times are tough," Reid spokesman Kelly Steele said. "Sen. Reid gets that, which is why he is working every day to create jobs, keep people in their homes and get our economy moving again."

When Congress returns from its break Sept. 13, Steele said, Reid will move a jobs bill to cut taxes on small businesses in an attempt to spur hiring.

"(It's) a bill Sharron Angle opposes," he said.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

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