Obama for Reid: 'Good to be in Vegas'

by Mark Silva

"It is good to be back in Vegas.''

Neil Diamond?

No, Barack Obama - uttering the words that a certain city wanted to hear, if not an apology, an affirmation.

"I was telling people, I am back in Caesar's,'' the president said last night, at a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) at Caesar's Palace. "That was the hotel where we stayed at when we were campaigning here in Nevada.

"I thought I had a pretty nice room,'' Obama told the crowd last night in a key state that he carried last year. "But now that I'm president, they upgraded me. I got the upgrade. And it's a really nice room now. Man.''

The president "didn't meet with the unhappy governor,'' our correspondent, Mark Z. Barabak reports. "He didn't hit the slots or cruise the Strip. Still, locals were counting on President Obama to assume the role of Las Vegas' promoter in chief, touting the virtues of Sin City in an effort to ease the hard feelings he caused months ago with a slap at corporate excess.''

They didn't quite get that.

All the anxiety stemmed from the president's remarks earlier in the year, when he criticized the lavish use of federal bailout funds by high-rolling executives. "You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," Obama said in Indiana.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman had demanded an apology, worried about the impact of the remark on Nevada's No. 1 industry - no, not prostitution. Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons renewed the state's protest, passing up an airport greeting of the arriving president - "I am not interested in a handshake and a hello from President Obama," Gibbons said Monday. "I am interested in an apology and plan to undo the damage the president did.''

But the mayor was there for the arrival.(pictured in the warm embrace with Obama above in a photo by Charles Dharapak of the AP). Goodman received a telephone call from White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, "who reportedly assured his fellow Democrat that the president would make amends,' Barabak reports."Once that happens, everything is great," said Jace Radke, a spokesman for Goodman.

Obama, for his part, was enjoying the stage: "How about Bette Midler? Right?'' he asked of the entertainment. "Sheryl Crow... Rachael Yamagata... Rita Rudner and Clint Holmes. Give it up for our outstanding performers.''

But this visit was all about Reid, not Vegas. The majority leader is amassing a $25 million campaign chest to fend off any challengers in a state where recent polling has pegged his own support at about 35 percent.

For Obama, who recited the achievements of his first few months in office, reelecting Reid next year is a matter of keeping his team together. "All in all, we're making progress on the important issues of the day -- the issues that are going to matter not just for this generation but for the next generation,'' the president said. But "I can't bring the change I promised all by myself....''

"The last few years, Harry has done an extraordinary job as the leader of the U.S. Senate,'' Obama told the crowd at a fundraiser aiming at $2 million for the leader.

"That's not easy, by the way,'' the president said. "One of the last majority leaders wrote a book, titled it "Herding Cats." And that's what dealing with the Senate is all about. It is not easy. But Harry is somebody who has consistently fought on those issues that matter not just to Democrats but to middle-class families all across America: good jobs, affordable health care, clean energy, world-class schools.

"This is a man who still makes his decisions and chooses battles based on the values that he was raised with in Searchlight, Nevada,'' Obama said. "And that's why we need to keep Harry Reid exactly where he belongs: as the leader of the U.S. Senate, as somebody who carries the voices and the values of Searchlight and Nevada -- all the small towns across America that have been forgotten for so long. He gives voice to forgotten people in Washington, D.C.

"Now, being back here with all of you in Nevada tonight reminds me of why I like getting out of Washington every so often,'' Obama said. "Because it brings back a lot of memories of all those days that I spent here on the campaign trail. And I want to start tonight by saying thank you, because I know that I'm here because of so many people like you -- people all across the country who made calls and knocked on doors and registered voters and dug deep and gave what they could, because you were hungry for new leadership and new ideas and a new kind of politics. And working with Harry Reid, that's what I'm delivering right now.

"You believed that after an era of selfishness and greed, we can reclaim a sense of responsibility -- from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington. You believed that instead of huge inequalities, we can restore a sense of fairness to our economy -- building a new foundation for lasting growth and prosperity. You believed that in a time of war and turmoil, we can stand strong against our enemies -- and stand firmly for our ideals and show a new face of American leadership to the world.

"That's the change you believed in, that's the trust you placed in me, and that's something I'll never forget.

"But we all know that winning the election was just the beginning of our work. That victory alone wasn't the change that we sought. It was just the opportunity to make change. And I don't know about you, but I think it's fair to say that over these past four months, we've done a pretty good job of seizing that opportunity.

"To jumpstart job creation, get our economy moving again, we helped with -- we passed with the help of Harry Reid and both houses of Congress the most ambitious economic recovery package in our nation's history; gave tax cuts to 95 percent of working families; put people back to work modernizing our health care system, rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, investing in renewable energy that will help boost our economy and preserve our planet.

"We launched plans to stabilize our housing market, unfreeze our credit markets, and ensure the survival of our auto industry in this new century. We passed a budget that will cut our deficit in half while making investments to spur long-term growth. We lifted the ban on federal funding for stem cell research. We expanded the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover 11 million children in need.

"We passed a national service bill to create hundreds of thousands of opportunities for people to serve in their communities. We passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- the first bill I signed into law -- because we should have equal pay for equal work. And just last week we passed a series of reforms that won't just change policies in Washington. They'll change the way business is done in Washington.

"Last Tuesday, we brought auto executives, labor unions, environmental groups, Democrats and Republicans together to set a national fuel-efficiency standard for our cars and trucks for the first time in history -- (applause) -- weaning ourselves off of Middle Eastern oil, but also saving our planet in the process.

"On Wednesday, I signed bipartisan legislation to help homeowners and crack down on predatory lenders who seek to take advantage of them. On Friday, I signed two laws, one that will protect consumers from unfair rate hikes and abusive fees levied by credit card companies -- another that will eliminate waste in our defense budget and save taxpayers billions of dollars. And today I nominated a brilliant individual to serve on the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor...

"All in all, we're making progress on the important issues of the day -- the issues that are going to matter not just for this generation but for the next generation,'' he said. "I'm pleased with how far we've come, but I'm not satisfied. I'm confident in the future, but I'm not content -- not when there are workers out there still out of a job and families who still can't pay their bills. Not when there are too many Americans who can't afford health care and so many of our kids being left behind. Not when we're not leading the world in developing the new energy sources of the 21st century. We have come a long way. We can see the light on the horizon, but we've got a much longer journey ahead.

"And that's why all of you are here tonight. That's why you're digging deep. That's why I know you're going to make those phone calls and knock on those doors and get to the polls again next November so that we make sure that Harry Reid continues his devoted service to this great state.

"And that's why I'm here tonight, because I can't bring the change I promised all by myself. I can't rebuild an economy by myself. I can't reform our health care system and education systems and preserve our environment and keep our nation safe all alone. That's not how it works.

"I need partners in Congress -- leaders who are determined to make a difference for the folks they represent...

"We're living through extraordinary times. We didn't ask for the challenges that we face. But we are determined to answer the call to meet those challenges, to cast aside the old arguments and overcome the stubborn divisions and move forward as one people and one nation. It won't be easy, Nevada. There will be setbacks, Las Vegas. It will take time but I promise you, I promise you, I'll always tell you the truth about the challenges we face. I'll always tell you the truth about the steps we're taking to meet them. I will continue to measure my progress by the progress that the American people see in their own lives.

"And so if you stand with me, if you stand with Harry Reid, I know that years from now we will look back on this time, at this moment, and say, that's when the American people came together to reclaim their future -- -- to write the next great chapter of the American story.''