Can Angle Take the Reins From Reid?

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 10, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right. So, with only 53 days left until the midterm elections, the Senate race in Nevada between Sharron Angle and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is shaping up to be a must-see political slugfest. Can she dethrone Prince Harry and sent him into retirement? Well, the latest Rasmussen poll shows, the two candidates are deadlocked at 45 percent. Now, Harry Reid has become a very unpopular figure in his home state in Nevada, in large part due to his support of the health care bill and of course, the struggling economy. But don't worry, he has an answer for all of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, D-N.V., SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I think it would take a real stretch to think that I caused the problems with the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Really, it's not his fault. Where have I heard that before?

Joining me now with reaction is Harry Reid's opponent, Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle is back with us. Thanks for being with us.

SENATE CANDIDATE SHARRON ANGLE, R-N.V.: Thank you Sean, it's great to be with you since the Freedom Fest there in Las Vegas, when you brought the concert to us, you are a great American and you are still, you are still out there honoring our military even with 9/11 coming up, thanks so much, Sean.

HANNITY: Well, it was very successful and I got to tell you, it was a very interesting crowd. I don't think there were three people there with a -- to 11,000 people or whatever the number was in the crowd -- that supported Harry Reid.

First of all, what do you make of the comment? I mean, he's the Senate majority leader, supported the budgets of Barack Obama, the stimulus package, TARP, he supported the health care bill. But of course 14 percent unemployment in Nevada, that's not his fault. What is your reaction?

ANGLE: Well, certainly, he doesn't want to take responsibility. But he was the Senate majority leader when he took over, our unemployment was 4.4 percent now it is 14.3 percent. He says, it is his job to create jobs. And if that's truth, then why are we at 14.3 percent? On the other hand, he agrees with the president and I that it is our job to create a climate for business to create jobs. He hasn't done that well very well either. Because those policies of Obamacare, stimulus and bailouts have just increased our unemployment.

HANNITY: He seems to have unlimited resources. Because there's been a lot of attack ads now against you. And he seems to have a pretty big war chest and the ability to accumulate a lot of money. And it has had some impact, because you came out of the primary with a pretty significant lead and he's been able to catch up a little, now it is a dead heat. Have you been responding or what are your plans to respond for these negative ads against you especially on issues of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, et cetera?

ANGLE: Well, when we came out of the primary, of course, we didn't have any money and so, we had to leave him a void where he was up on the air for almost a month before I could get my message out enough to go up on the air myself. And of course the message was, Harry Reid has 25 million and I need a million people with $25 to go to sharronangle.com. They have -- from all over the country, they're been helping me by going to that Web site sharronangle.com and donating those $25 increments. And when that has happened, it has given us an opportunity now to get up on the air ourselves. And we have some good ads out. People are responding to those advertisements. And now that it is after Labor Day, we expect them to become more and more engaged in the issues. And of course, as you point out, the issue is the economy. Our jobs and our homes.

HANNITY: What is the real unemployment rate in Nevada when we consider the underemployed, those that have given up looking for work? And what impact do you think the president's comments, "Well, you can't be going to Vegas," what impact do you think that had on your state?

ANGLE: The real unemployment rate, we are hearing is about 21 percent, unemployment. And of course the impact was on Las Vegas almost immediately. The minute he said that, many of those conventions, we are the hospitality capital of the United States, and possibly the world. And yet, when he made that comment, it was such a chilling effect that many of those convictions pulled out right away. And of course, we saw the drop in our economy almost immediately. And Harry Reid agreed with the president, that I think was the final slap.

HANNITY: What was the reaction when the president recently came to town? I mean -- is Harry -- look, because it is interesting. Because Harry Reid's son is running for governor, didn't want to use his last name on his website or campaign ads. You know, is Harry Reid still one of the few Democrats that's willing to associate with Barack Obama now?

ANGLE: Well, certainly it doesn't hurt my cause when the president comes, because after saying that once he said it again. He said it twice that coming to Las Vegas was coming on a junket. Harry Reid of course agrees with him. And as far as his son, his son agrees with me that two Reids don't make a right, and that's why he's trying to get as far away from that last name as he can.

HANNITY: What happened to Harry Reid? Harry Reid was not this liberal when he first went to Washington. What do you think happened?

ANGLE: We who have been in the state quite a while really do understand that Harry Reid has always been about Harry Reid. He's a consummate politician. He tests which way the wind is blowing and that's the way he votes. And because of that, if you have no principles, as you know Sean, if there are no principles, then you sacrifice them for making deals, you will get good ole boy politics as usual. And that's what happened to Harry Reid. Disconnected good ole boy.

HANNITY: All right. Sharron Angle, 53 days, it's going to be an exciting race out there, and we'll be very watching closely. Thank you for being with us.

ANGLE: Thank you, Sean.

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