Two Minute Warning: Nevada Harry Reid Fights for Comeback
Supporters in front of Federal Court in Las Vegas Nevada, moments before Senator Harry Reid appeared on stage to say he will support immigration reform
Guardian of ethics, passage of an icon. Nevada Senator Harry Reid could lose his bid for a fifth term in the US Senate. If so, he will be the first Senate Majority Leader to be handed his walking papers in 58 years.
Don’t under estimate this straight talker from a poor mining family. Pit toilets and a father who committed suicide were bumps in the road which molded Reid's gruff personality when younger. Reid is used to the two minute warning, having played football as a young buck in Searchlight, Nevada. He was an amateur boxer, a talent he needed as head of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Today, Reid is boxing-out the two minute warning of his political career. Either candidate can win, but polls have Angle with a slim lead.
In 1978, Jack Gordon offered then Gaming Commissioner Harry Reid a bribe. Gordon was connected with James "Little Jimmy" Ida, a member of the Genovese crime family. Gordon wanted commission approval of a game that would make him $100 million dollars. He was willing to pay for Reid’s support. Reid called the FBI.
“You tried to bribe me!” Reid yelled as the one time boxer clutched Gordon by the neck. FBI agents, waiting nearby, broke Reid’s grip and arrested Gordon. Later, a bomb was found underneath Reid's car. Reid earned the confidence of his colleagues and was appointed head of the Ethics Committee.
Reid has stood by his guns on controversial issues since becoming Nevada Senator in 1986. He believes in abortion only when the pregnancy results from incest, rape or when the mother is at risk. He also believes “Marriage should be between a man and a woman". Both positions anger progressives whom he represents.
The issue upon which Reid’s re-election turns, however, may be Reid’s leadership on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) proposed by Senator Luis Gutierrez. On Saturday, April 10th, 2010, Reid announced to a cheering crowd in Las Vegas he would support the reform,
Civil Rights Activists applaud Reid's announcement
The law is a border protection bill, starting with Section 101, BORDER SECURITY, DETENTION, AND ENFORCEMENT. It adds hundreds of border patrol agents, it beefs up the nation’s sea-ports, and it instills tough penalties on employers who hire undocumented workers. Most of all, CIR forces undocumented workers to identify themselves, with possible criminal penalties if they don’t.
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