LAS VEGAS - The woman hoping to defeat U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Republican U.S. Senate nominee Sharron Angle appeared on conservative host Alan Stock's radio program. During her radio interview, Angle defended her stance on many issues. She also took several questions from callers. One of the callers asked if she would have intervened on behalf of MGM Resorts' CityCenter complex the way Senator Reid did. In 2009, CityCenter experienced financial struggles during its construction. The project's bankruptcy appeared imminent. Reid called several banks on MGM Resorts' behalf, and the project averted bankruptcy.
Sharron Angle told the caller, however, she would not have stepped in to save CityCenter.
When the interview was over, Angle's campaign spokesman told three mainstream news reporters they could ask one question each. "I've got two minutes," Angle said. "Please make an appointment with Jerry, and I'll be glad to talk with you." "What is your plan to create jobs here in Nevada," 8 News NOW Reporter Jonathan Martinez asked.
"What we need to do to create jobs is always create that confidence for people who do create the jobs, which are businesses," Angle replied. "They are the ones that need to know that the government is going in the right direction. The way we do that is pay down the deficit, cut back on the spending and take back our economy."
Angle also expanded on her comments regarding CityCenter. "It's kind of like shifting the chairs on the Titanic," she said. "You only shift jobs from one place to another, when we know that when we put those jobs at City Center, it was jobs that were taken away or business that was taken away from other areas. So, really it actually injured the economy of other businesses."
Senator Reid's camp reacted swiftly to Angle's comments. "In his eyes, he didn't have a choice but to pick up the phone and to call the banks and to protect those jobs," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said. "That's what people expect from their elected leaders. When there are difficult times, you pick up the phone and do something. She said that she wouldn't have lifted a finger to help these people."
A representative with MGM Resorts, meanwhile, said in a statement, "Ms. Angle's statement is ridiculous on its face. Senator Reid's support of our significant private investment in Las Vegas came during our company's darkest hour. He saved, not only 10,000 construction jobs and 12,000 permanent private sector jobs at CityCenter, but the jobs of 50,000 employees at our other resorts that would have been jeopardized had our company followed CityCenter into bankruptcy."
