I've been lamenting Republicans' haphazard and sclerotic response to Harry Reid's Obamacare smears, wondering with frustration why the party hadn't produced any instant YouTube ads or mobilized to draw attention to the comments. Last night I received word from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) -- the group devoted to relegating Reid to minority status -- that they were working on it. They've since shared their production exclusively with Townhall:
If you're wondering why the ad doesn't actually feature Reid's remarks, Senate rules severely restrict campaign committees' ability to use floor footage in ads. This strikes me as a bizarre and anachronistic regulation, but the rules are the rules. Unless, of course, you break them to accumulate more political power, which is how Reid rolls. In any case, there's no such restriction here, so allow me to again present the Senate Majority Leader in his own words:
The NRSC spot takes Reid to task by highlighting individuals whose stories directly rebut the Nevada Senator's initial assertion that every single "horror story" is "untrue." He's since dialed that back a bit, stating that merely the "vast majority" of certain accounts are "deceptive." RNC Chairman Reince Priebus seized on a piece I wrote at Hot Air, which runs though a number of powerful stories that Reid snottily dismissed in the above floor speech. Priebus did not mince words:
DIRTY ROTTEN LIAR ... HARRY REID @guypbenson: Harry Reid, liar: http://t.co/fpjr35Odzg
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) February 28, 2014
Remarkably, the Washington Post's fact checker has only seen fit to assess a "two Pinocchios" (basically half-true) penalty to Reid. Glenn Kessler helpfully chooses to only review Reid's revised smear, which narrowed the scope of his lie to the "vast majority" of Americans for Prosperity ads. He scolds Reid for "harsh rhetoric," but declines to play "gotcha" by addressing Reid's original comment that tarred every negative story as false. The Washington Post did not fact check Reid's assessment that the conservative Koch brothers are "un-American" and have "no conscience." Meanwhile, Ed Morrissey points out that cancellation pain is real and growing. Here's one Obamacare victim who's furious over being defamed as a liar by the second most powerful Democrat in America:
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