In a private meeting that took place last week, Nevada’s Republican senatorial candidate Sharron Angle was recorded urging third-party candidate Scott Ashjian to drop out of the race, as well as condemning the Republican Party for its failure to adhere to its original principles.
The meeting was held between Angle, Scott Ashjian, another Tea Party-backed candidate who is running against Angle, and Tea Party of Nevada Chairman Sid James. Ashjian recorded the entire 38-minute meeting, reportedly saying that he made the decision to do so in case the meeting was later misrepresented by the media.
The meeting was likely prompted by recent poll figures showing Reid and Angle locked in a tight race. A September 29 Rasmussen Reports poll shows Angle one-point behind Reid, 48 to 47 percent.
Recognizing that the presence of a third-party candidate could be the deciding factor in the race, she met with Ashjian to address the issue. In a conversation that was meant to be private, Angle told Ashjian, I believe you can do some real harm, not to Harry Reid but to me. I’m not sure you can win and I’m not sure I can win if you’re hurting my chance and that’s the part that scares me.
According to CBS News, Recent polls show Ashjian siphoning off a small fraction of the vote, presumably from conservatives who would otherwise support Angle.
She went on to say, The only thing that’s different between you and I is I guess I was pragmatic enough to know … that third parties can’t get traction. Just show me what the rules are and I’ll work with it…. The rules are there are Democrats and Republicans … so I moved myself up with the Republican ranks. They have no choice. I’m the only game in town.
Angle also took the opportunity to lash out against the Republican Party. She was recorded saying, The Republicans have lost their standards, they’ve lost their principles. Really that’s why the machine in the Republican Party is fighting against me. They have never really gone along with lower taxes and less government.
Aware that she now possesses the endorsement of the Republican Party, Angle declared that the decision was made by the GOP merely out of desperation rather than true loyalty to the principles proposed by Angle. The machinery has endorsed me, they have no choice… it’s me or Reid.
Angle also proclaimed that the endorsement of the Republican Party has been relatively intrusive, ultimately stating that she wants the party to simply leave me alone.
According to Salon, Angle still sounds like the real deal a True Conservative who resents the establishment. She mocks Washington Republicans for ‘moaning and groaning and weeping and gnashing teeth over Sue Lowden.’ She casually invokes the Bible.
Harry Reid’s campaign responded to Angle’s attempts to have Ashjian exit the race, calling it an act of supreme hypocrisy … attempting to cut a deal with Ashjian to get him off the ballot, and openly trashing the very same national Republicans that are supporting her candidacy.
Of course Reid’s response seems to indicate his forgetfulness of his own party’s misdeeds.
Earlier this year, Democrat Joe Sestak came out and admitted that he was offered a political position by former President Bill Clinton as a bribe to drop out of the race against the White House-endorsed candidate, Arlen Spector an act that, unlike what Angle did, is illegal.
Later, Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff made similar allegations against the White House, asserting that he was offered the choice of three positions in the White House to forgo a primary challenge to Michael Bennet. This illegal offer was also devised by Bill Clinton, though it was executed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina.
Angle’s spokesperson defended Angle’s recorded comments, asserting that they simply mirrored the sentiments of Nevada’s working families, and Americans as a whole. They are angry with Harry Reid, they are angry with Washington, DC, and they want blunt plainspoken leaders who are willing to shake things up.
During the same recorded meeting, Angle listed a variety of GOP insurgents that she feels are authentic, true conservative candidates: Joe Miller of Alaska, Ken Buck of Colorado, and Christine O’Donnell of Delaware. She skeptically mentions Florida’s GOP candidate Marco Rubio, but indicates, That’s a stretch for me.
Photo of Sharron Angle: AP Images
