Sharron Angle gets started on the general-election campaign today by attempting to defuse Harry Reid’s strategy of attacking his Republican challenger as out of the mainstream. It’s clever; at one point, the spot shows an “actual Reid attack ad,” as if these will be some sort of endangered species. That’s what Angle hopes in this web-only ad — to make Reid’s mudslinging an issue it itself, as well as to call him an empty suit devoid of actual ideas:

It’s not a bad start, but Angle’s going to have to get this into 30 seconds and onto television for it to do any good. Reid’s got $17 million or so in the bank and can make as many attack ads as he likes. Unless Angle can make those tactics an issue, Reid has the ability to define Angle before she can define herself. Of course, Reid has become so unpopular that his mudslinging will probably not be enough to get above the 42% ceiling he’s had all year in his polling. Whether he likes it or not, Reid’s the issue in this campaign, not Angle, and unless she’s from Mars, Reid’s not going to be able to sling enough mud to make a difference. And even if she was from Mars, it might seem an improvement over the current incumbent.