Guy W. Farmer: Sen. Reid understands the Nevada electorate

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid understands Nevada's right-of-center electorate, and that's why he split with President Obama last week to oppose construction of a huge Islamic mosque and cultural center just two blocks from the hallowed 9/11 Ground Zero site in New York City's lower Manhattan district. On most issues Reid marches in lockstep with Obama, but not on this one.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of religion," a Reid spokesman said in a widely circulated e-mail. "Sen. Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built someplace else."

Me too, because you don't have to be a political insider to know that most Nevadans agree with the solid majority of Americans who oppose the Ground Zero mosque. The Muslims may have a constitutional right to build their mosque, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Locked in a tight Senate race with ultra-conservative Republican challenger Sharron Angle, Reid recognized that he's in big trouble by opting to join Angle in opposing the mosque. Angle said the project "ignored the wishes of the American people ... at the expense of the victims of 9/11 and their families."

President Obama injected himself into the controversy at a recent White House "iftar" dinner marking the beginning of Ramadan. "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said. "That includes the right to build a place of worship ... on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local law and ordinances."

The president waffled the next day, however, by saying that, "I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there," a classic example of political double-speak from the former constitutional law professor.

One of Obama's main problems, and a principle reason for his plummeting popularity ratings, is that he's overexposed in the 24-hour media. He's on TV all the time commenting on a wide variety of issues ranging from crucial to trivial. Another of his current problems is that he's out of step with public opinion on several major policy issues including the War on Terrorism, the Ground Zero mosque, the Arizona immigration law, and offshore oil drilling.

Democrats are in danger of losing both houses of Congress in November, some Democrats are shying away from Obama on the campaign trail, and the president is under attack from the left-wing kook fringe of his party. All of this is bad news for Reid and his fellow Democrats. Stay tuned.

• Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, is a longtime observer of national and local politics.