Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) On Approval Ratings, Talk Radio

MIS-REID-ING AMERICA

Harry Blames Bush For His Own Terrible Poll Ratings






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With less than two years to go in President Bush's second and final term, Democrats have grown so accustomed to blaming him for anything and everything that it must by now be instinctive and automatic.

But even within their own so- called "progressive" ranks, isn't there a limit to just how much can be pinned on the leader they so deeply despise?

During an interview with libtalker Bill Press yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) took Bush- bashing into a new realm, actually blaming the president for his own rock- bottom approval ratings!

Take a look for yourself:

(Ed Schultz Show, Bill Press filling in, 23 August 2007, 14:00, segment one)

PRESS: Senator, I’m sure you were disheartened to see yesterday the Gallup organization came out with a new poll that showed that currently today the Congress holds an approval rating among the American people of an all-time low of 18%. Uh, how do you deal with that?

REID: Of course I’m disappointed in that, but if you go back to before they started doing polling, Will Rogers made a living criticizing Congress. Congress has always been criticized and as well it should be; the American people express their frustration through how Congress is doing. But if you go back historically, you’ll always find that when you have a president that is so terribly unpopular, it also affects Congress. Ah we have been able to break through this, we’ve been able to pass minimum wage for the first time in ten years, pass ethics and lobbying reform which is so long overdue, we passed the balanced budget, we have been able to get disaster relief for farmers and ranchers, we’ve been able to fund children’s health ‘till the first of October, we’ve accomplished a lot. But we have to accomplish a lot more, of course I’m disappointed, I wish our poll numbers were a lot higher, but I understand the realities of the situation.

PRESS: And the reality also, Senator, is that the Republicans have put up a sixty-vote obstacle on most issues, and they have enough votes that they can stop you from getting to sixty.

REID: Bill, they have set the record for filibusters, by more than, if you go back and look at any time in history, you will never find more filibusters than the Republicans have initiated, which has made it very difficult for us to get things done. And I think the reason we were able to get a few things done right before we had our summer recess is because the Republicans have come to the realization that their game isn’t working, the American people, you can tell with all the polls going on around the country with senatorial candidates, the Republicans are taking a terrible beating and unless they change dramatically in the next few months, come a year from this November there’s gonna be no longer a 51-49 majority in the Senate, there will be a significantly higher (Democrat majority)…

(Reid goes on to suggest that Dems may pick up nine Senate seats next year, due to GOP obstructionism)

Senator, how can Bush be to blame for how Americans see Democrats? That's downright kooky! In fact, that may take first prize for the craziest political statement of 2007.

In addition, even if the president is somehow dragging down your party as well, what explains the fact that his approval rating stands at 33%, while yours is a mere 18%?

Also note how instead of challenging Reid on what he must have known was an absurd statement, Press actually tried to cover for him by blaming the GOP's supposed obstructionism for harming congressional Democrats.

Last November, Democrats regained control of Congress based partly on dissatisfaction with Bush and his performance. Now that the public sees Dems as a bigger problem than Bush, attempting to blame the president is a great way to see those historic poll numbers fall even further.

UPDATE: Ian provides the audio clip.


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