Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., blasted the Democratic National Committee Thursday for wasting money on television ads designed to pressure centrist Democrats to support President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform.
On Wednesday, the DNC's "Organizing for America" committee — President Barack Obama’s campaign-in-waiting — announced that it would begin running ads against lawmakers Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who has expressed concern about the cost of the legislation.
"I think it’s a waste of money,” Reid told reporters. “Democrats running ads against Democrats?”
The ads were launched to press Democratic senators from Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio, according to The Hill.
The ads do not mention senators by name, nor do they mention either party. But a Democratic senator represents all but one of the states targeted, and two of the states - Arkansas and North Dakota - are only represented by Democrats.
Maine, the only state targeted without a Democratic senator, is represented by two GOP centrists.
Reid was asked Thursday for his reaction to the DNC "targeting some of the Democratic members who had expressed concerns about the president’s healthcare plan.”
Reid said he was not aware of the campaign before opining that he considered Democratic ads against fellow Democrats a waste.
An aide to Reid sought to clarify his remarks to The Hill later on, saying Reid has no problem with the ads in question.
"Senator Reid was led to believe by the question posed to him that the DNC was attacking members of his Caucus," the aide said. "In fact, the DNC is running non-specific call to action ads in states with both Democratic and Republican senators, an effort he has no problem with."
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