Failed Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle — who fell short in her bid to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) — is making headlines again, this time for having said “sometimes dictators have good ideas.”
Jon Ralston at the Las Vegas Sun reports that Angle made the comments at a private meet and greet late in the campaign season.
She was reportedly referring to former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet and privatizing Social Security, an example she had used during her campaign. Her staff was nervous that the quote would go public. But no media were present at the event, which is likely why the line has been kept under wraps until now.
During her campaign, Angle flip-flopped many times on her position on privatizing social security.
Other Angle campaign gems include her telling Reid to “man up,” refusing to answer questions from the press until she was elected senator (which she was not), and “shushing” a reporter.
Thanks for the memories, Sharron.
David Taintor
David Taintor is the Front Page Editor at TPM, where he contributes to TPM's Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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