I just finished complaining to the AZ Rep Editors about their Harry Reid

[saracat]

coverage. The minority Leader comes to our state and his press conference is not only buried in the "community" section of the paper but is turned into A supportive column about Jon Kyl. Harry Reid isn't even mentioned in the headline! I was at this press conference and it was also broadcast on CNN. Apparently the reporter attended another conference in his own mind! The Rep's version is below. Sad to say , in Arizona, Harry Reid's visit didn't even qualify as "news" to our major paper! BTW, the reporter who wrote this was also vicious to Theresa Kerry when she was here and I had the privilege of watching her rip him apart. He is one rude little weasel, and I mentioned that his manner ought to be corrected as well!

Pederson attacks Kyl reform record

Pat Flannery
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 11, 2006 12:00 AM

The race between Republican Sen. Jon Kyl and Democratic challenger Jim Pederson turned personal Tuesday during a dust-up over lobbying reform.

Appearing at a campaign event with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., Pederson singled out several Kyl Senate votes since 1995 against lobbying-reform amendments as evidence that Kyl is too close to special interests. The charge came amid growing efforts by Democrats to blame congressional Republicans for the unfolding scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

"The main issue we have against Senator Kyl is that he has consistently voted against any kind of reform that is related to lobbying," Pederson said. "He wants no restrictions on lobbyists, he wants no restrictions on lobbyist (campaign) contributions or communications."
Angered by the charge, Kyl fired back by calling Pederson "disingenuous" and citing occasions in which he had focused efforts on congressional ethics. Kyl noted his fight while on the House Ethics Committee in 1992 to disclose the names of lawmakers involved in the House banking scandal and also his efforts to help Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gain passage of a "very contentious" ban on lobbyist gifts in 1995.
"The guy (Pederson) starts his campaign off with a lie, which I resent," Kyl said.
The comments came after Reid joined Pederson at a Phoenix news conference and fund-raiser during a five-city swing through GOP-leaning Western states where Democrats think they have a chance of winning in 2006 or in the 2008 presidential race. Kyl's seat is one of several targeted by Democrats as they mount a long-shot bid to win the Senate majority.
Reid's message is one being touted by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and other top Democrats: that Republicans in Washington are responsible for the lobbying scandal and government-corruption investigations that are taking a toll on public confidence.
But Reid immediately was peppered with questions from reporters about his own campaign and leadership committee accepting funds from some of Abramoff's clients. The Center for Responsible Politics, a Washington watchdog group that tracks campaign finances, calculated that Reid and his Searchlight Leadership Fund received $30,500 from three Indian tribes represented by Abramoff.
Reid said Tuesday that the money was from tribes he had been helping "for many years" and that only Republicans received money directly from Abramoff.
"I never met Jack Abramoff, I never received any money from Jack Abramoff," Reid said. "I have done absolutely nothing wrong. This is a Republican scandal."
Pederson, meanwhile, highlighted the fact that Kyl in January 1995 voted to table several motions that would have beefed up lobbyist-disclosure laws and barred lobbyists from raising money for lawmakers or giving them gifts. He also said Kyl's campaigns had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the finance, insurance, oil and pharmaceutical industries and that Kyl had opposed McCain's campaign-finance reform efforts.
Kyl retorted that Reid himself had voted to table one of the so-called lobbyist-reform amendments as well as a 2005 amendment that would have tightened restrictions on campaign donations from lobbyists seeking government contracts.
Kyl said the 1995 amendments were tabled because they came during the first few days of the session and lawmakers needed time to debate the issue. By midyear, he said, he garnered kudos for helping McCain craft a compromise gift ban that sharply limited the value of gifts or meals that lawmakers could accept.
Kyl said he remains opposed to sharp restrictions on campaign donations because it is an infringement of free political speech. He said he would support efforts to "tighten up the laws" on gifts and lobbyist activities but noted that "most of the lobbying is an exercise in people's right to petition government."