Today Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released a new campaign ad bashing his conservative, Tea Party-endorsed opponent, former Nevada assemblywoman Sharron Angle. In it, Reid’s campaign rips Angle for saying that Social Security is “welfare,” and for claiming to want to eliminate both Social Security and Medicare. (Angle told Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this month that she “want[s] to save Medicare and Social Security.” She added that lawmakers need to “personalize” the two programs so “the government can’t go in and raid it any more.”) The ad concludes with a black-and-white screen that reads, “Sharron Angle: Just too extreme.” Here’s the ad:
This ad, of course, is just the beginning of what’s sure to be a barrage of messaging from Reid’s camp and his Democratic backers. They’re certainly not lacking for dubious statements of Angle’s to harp on; after all, this is the woman who recently claimed that unemployed people receiving government support are “spoiled.” You can bet there’s an ad in the works making light of that gaffe.
For Angle’s part, she has yet to wade into the ad wars, so far releasing only one online commercial and mostly avoiding the press as she builds up her campaign operations. But you can bet she’ll come out swinging soon enough.