Mother and daughter find lots of company at Reid-Obama rally

Surrounded by 3,000 enthused and energized fans of President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Deidre Alvarado realized something. She liked both men, and she was not as alone in her support as she thought.

With polls showing both Democrats dipping in popularity and under fire from liberals and conservatives, Alvarado and her mother, Carol Rucinski, were starting to wonder whether they were alone in actually liking both men and their positions.

"We are die-hard Obama fans and Reid fans," Alvarado said while waiting for the Aria ballroom to clear after Thursday's rally. When they picked up their tickets for the rally, Alvarado, 46, and Rucinski, 68, became first-time political volunteers, signing up to help re-elect Reid.

"I was glad to see both Harry Reid and President Obama were energizing people here," Alvarado said. "It made me feel good.

"For the first time, I realized I was not alone, seeing other people who liked them too."

For these two, it's all about jobs and health insurance.

Alvarado, a former singer and dancer with "The Perfect Choice," now has a part-time job at the Viva Elvis box office at Aria. A 19-year resident of Las Vegas, she credits her having a job to Reid's call to bankers to get them to talk to MGM Resorts International officials about a loan.

Reid's GOP challenger Sharron Angle said she would not have made such calls. She said the free market should decide which projects survive.

"I'm appalled," Alvarado said. "How stupid can you be?"

Rucinski's devotion to Obama and Reid is based on the health care bill. Both her adult daughters have pre-existing conditions that let insurance companies deny them coverage.

Under the bill Obama and Reid passed, only by twisting arms and offering sweetheart deals, her daughters will not be rejected based on those conditions.

Alvarado is also happy because MGM Resorts International recently offered a new benefit to its part-time, on-call and full-time temporary employees not covered by a union contract. They can enroll in a CIGNA HealthCare plan. It doesn't include major medical but includes doctors' office visits, prescription programs and emergency care. So it helps.

Alvarado and Rucinski will make the calls, stuff the envelopes and do what they can to re-elect Reid.

Many people express loathing for the charismatically challenged Reid. Even some supporters say they'll vote for him but won't work for him. Democrats as well as Republicans say they can't stand Reid and plan to vote for Angle.

But this mom and daughter found energy in that ballroom. The cheers pouring out for the health care bill left the false impression it was universally popular.

"Harry Reid and I, we've got pollsters. They let us know when things aren't going to be popular," Obama told the cheering crowd. "Our job is to focus not on the next election but on the next generation."

Actually, he is focusing on the next election. This marks the third time the president has come to Las Vegas to raise money for Reid's election -- raising about $2.8 million so far. If Obama can energize voters such as Deidre Alvarado and Carol Rucinski to work for Reid, that's the real success of Obama's trips for Reid.

The money buys the negative ads, but these women actually want to vote for Reid. They're not the hold-your-nose-and-vote-for-Harry group. They're not the ones who fear the loss of power in Washington if Reid loses. They are enthused about him and will try to convince others.

These are the folks standing in the back of the ballroom who want Reid to win because they're the true believers in what Reid and Obama are doing. They're not alone.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.