Harry Reid

The Nevada Senate Race : Will Nevada Reject Harry Reid For Sue Lowden?

Ronald 1 Comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who has been in the Senate for 24 years, may not be a charismatic figure, but he is very much underestimated inside and outside the state.

It is hard to imagine Nevada giving up the great advantage it has with Reid being the Majority Leader. He has always done well by the state, and when one looks at his leading opponent, Sue Lowden, who has been the state’s Republican chairperson, it seems that the voters would have to be crazy to reject Reid!

Sue Lowden has made a fool of herself in suggesting that citizens should go back to what she calls the “barter system”, whereby in the “olden days”, patients paid doctors by giving them “chickens” or offering to paint their home!

When observers first heard and saw Sue Lowden say this in a television interview, they had to pause and wonder if they were imagining what she said! This makes one wonder about the woman’s sanity and fitness for office!

Lowder still faces a primary against another Republican, but if this is an example of what the GOP can come up with, and with the other Nevada Senator, John Ensign, a Republican, under fire for having a sexual affair with a staff member, and then trying to pay off the husband with funds supplied by his parents, it seems hard to believe that Nevada will want to turn their back on Harry Reid, who comes across as effective, if not exciting as a personality.

If Nevada rejects Harry Reid and loses his influence and clout, then it will be a sign that they deserve whatever the results will be!

The Senate Majority Leadership Battle

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has been under constant attack, and faces a tough reelection contest in his home state this fall.

Already, with that fact in mind, the Senate Majority Whip, Dick Durbin of Illinois, often seen as the heir apparent if Reid loses his seat, is readying for a fight against the former chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Chuck Schumer of New York.

While both Durbin and Schumer are tough politicians, as anyone reaching their level must be to survive, Schumer is seen as much more aggressive and having an edge because of the fact that so many new Democratic senators were elected when he was the campaign committee chairman, and he expects their loyalty when and if a battle erupts over who should succeed Reid.

Schumer would certainly be more combative than Durbin, but that includes the ability to be more controversial and unpopular because of his constant need for attention. In a New York Jewish way, he would be as hard nosed a leader as Lyndon Johnson, and might very well be more effective than either Durbin or Reid.

But it seems to the author that President Obama might prefer Durbin as more diplomatic and more a conciliator, which could be major pluses for the Illinois Senator.

Of course, if Reid wins reelection, this is all academic as it is highly unlikely that he would be challenged for the leadership, and were he to be, he probably would win the struggle.

Of course, if by a complete collapse, the Senate goes Republican, then this whole matter is resolved in an unpleasant way!

The Character Assassination Of Democratic Congressional Leaders: Unwarranted!

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These days, it is hellish to be a politician, but particularly to be a leader in Congress.

I am referring to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Both have their personal idiosyncrasies, and both have personal financial assets in the millions of dollars. Both have views and beliefs that annoy millions of Americans, particularly conservatives and Republicans.

Having said that, the same could be said to be the description of Republican leaders, except that it is liberals who object to their views and beliefs.

The point that is being made here is that both Democratic leaders are truly committed to back Barack Obama’s agenda, as one would expect. Both have worked very hard, and have had to deal with the reality of a total of 535 egos clashing on Capitol Hill, including their own, plus the power of lobbyists.

We hear constant bitter attacks, but if one looks at the record, one sees things very differently.

Nancy Pelosi has presided over a total of 290 plus bills that have successfully wended their way through the House of Representatives, due to her strong leadership skills. This includes all of the major agenda items of President Obama, including but not limited to health care reform. Whether one agrees or not with all of these bills, one can say that the Democrats have brought about a mountain of legislation that marks them as one of the most active of all Congresses in history, at least in the lower chamber. But the fact that the Speaker is female has become an added incentive for bitter attacks on her.

But of course, the Senate has stood in the way because of the filibuster threat, and the fact that Harry Reid, as decent a man as he is, is no Lyndon Johnson or even Bob Dole. Reid is trying to figure how to overcome GOP opposition with 59 Democrats, and follow through on what the House has done. The conservative and GOP opposition has been unrelenting, as well as talk radio and Fox News Channel. They will stop at nothing to destroy the Obama agenda and prevent the Senate from completing the extensive, far reaching work of the House of Representatives.

Now, on top of everything, Harry Reid has a personal crisis with the auto accident injuries of his dear wife and daughter, and is shuttling back and forth from his duties to the hospital. He is faced with a tremendous burden, along with the need to deal with a tough re-election contest, with very poor public opinion polls.

Neither Nancy Pelosi nor Harry Reid are truly appreciated in the nation at large for their sacrifices and efforts. One sometimes wonders why any person of their talents and abilities, who may have wealth as they both do, does not decide that the constant attacks by political and ideological opponents and the news media, and the constant public disdain they face by masses of Americans who have no real clue as to what they do, and how they sacrifice their time and efforts under great adversity, is not worth it, and decide to give it up and leave it to others.

There is an old saying: When alive, you are a “dirty politician”; only when dead, are you seen as a “statesman”. Despite the bitter attacks and character assassination, I think it is likely over time that both Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will get their due in history.

But realize the treatment given these and other leaders, and politicians in general, many of whom REALLY care about the citizens they serve, will lead to many, as seen already, giving up, and leaving future leadership to mediocrities, who are only interested in their own self advancement and self aggrandizement!

Bill O’Reilly’s Sense Of Humor: Sick And Despicable!

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Fox News Channel talk show host Bill O’Reilly has a sick sense of humor, and that is being charitable!

O’Reilly has suggested that it might be a good idea to “kidnap” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

He also joked that maybe it would be good to “waterboard” Nancy Pelosi, making light of this horrible torture tactic utiilized by the Bush Administration, and still endorsed by conservative talk show hosts and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

O’Reilly is not being funny in reality; he is being outrageous and obscene, and needs to cease and desist in such rhetoric. But then again, has any conservative talk show host,or spokesperson, including O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Michelle Malkin, etc EVER apologized or changed their behavior? NO, as their purpose is to divide, promote hate and dissension, and enrich themselves while manipulating their gullible audiences! 🙁

A Few Republicans Being Fair Minded On Harry Reid Controversy

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It is good to see at least a few Republicans being fair minded about the Harry Reid controversy, refusing to call for his resignation as Senate Majority Leader.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and fellow Nevadan John Ensign all are calling for their party to lay off the topic, as it is not their place to tell the Democrats or Nevada what to do.

The same cannot be said for Republican National Chairman Michael Steele and Texas Senator John Cornyn, who are ridiculously comparing what Reid said to what Trent Lott said about Strom Thurmond in 2002. As stated in an earlier entry, to compare the two situations is totally ridiculous!

But also, President George W. Bush did not back Lott in 2002, and helped assist his resignation, while Barack Obama has fully backed Reid and called for an end to the attention to the comments the Majority Leader made.

As Obama said, Reid has his heart and record in the right place, having a consistently strong civil rights record in his years in the Senate, while Trent Lott was just the opposite in so many ways.

So as Obama said, it is time to move on and focus on health care, the energy issue, and the economy–issues important to the American people.

Comparing Harry Reid To Trent Lott Totally Ridiculous!

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Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid is under fire for a comment he made during the 2008 campaign about Barack Obama: that he could win because he was a “light skinned black” who did not use “the Negro dialect” unless he chose to do so. What a stupid, insensitive, disgraceful comment!

However, Reid apologized to President Obama, and the President immediately accepted the apology, as he is not a person who holds grudges, as for example when he encouraged a committee chairmanship for Senator Joe Lieberman last year despite his support of Obama’s election opponent, Senator John McCain. Obama is a man of dignity and class, and does not act petty and vindictive, as so many politicians and other public figures have the propensity to do!

But the Republicans are calling on Reid to resign his leadership, as they compare him to their own Senate Majority Leader in 2002, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, who resigned after touting the career of retiring South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, by saying that if only we had elected Thurmond President on a third party line in 1948, then we would not have had all the troubles Lott said we have had in recent times.

The difference is so great that to compare Reid’s comment to Lott’s comment is ridiculous to the extreme! Thurmond was indeed a long time segregationist and racial supremacist, who ran as a “Dixiecrat” on the States Rights Party line in 1948, and utilized racist language as he did for most of his career, until a decade after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he finally started to de-emphasize the issue and even hire African Americans to his Senate staff. Even with that gesture, Thurmond was one of the most despicable racists in the Senate’s history!

In addition to that, Trent Lott himself was an obvious racist, as he often spoke before white supremacy groups, although he claimed he did not know of that fact. He was extremely insensitive on race matters all through his time in the Senate, and his championing of Thurmond in the manner he did in 2002 was extremely outrageous, and even President George W. Bush was critical of the tone and manner of Lott’s statements, so he appropriately resigned.

So when the GOP brings up Lott and compares him to Reid, it is really an issue of hypocrisy, not of righteousness. But then again, the Republican party has been on the wrong side of civil rights for a long time, and are certainly NOT the party of Abraham Lincoln, Charles Sumner, and Thaddeus Stevens in the era of the Civil War. In today’s world, the Republicans ARE the “Confederates” who support states rights and secession, as for instance, Governor Rick Perry of Texas!

So Harry Reid is no Trent Lott, clearly and absolutely!

A Testimonial To Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has been bitterly attacked and criticized by many as ineffective, lacking in charisma, not aggressive enough, and as a bland speaker.

The problem is that he has been compared to the master Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, the greatest leader in the history of the Senate. That is indeed a tough act to follow or to match.

I have often felt that Senator Reid was not the right person to lead the Democrats, and certainly, he does not come off very well on television in his appearance or his rhetoric.

Having said that, I think it is now time to applaud Senator Reid for his behind the scenes work keeping the Democratic coalition in the Senate together, dealing with the many prima donnas in the Senate, and managing to get all of them to unite to pass the legislation on health care, which will be seen in the future as the most significant social legislation in 45 years, and one of the most important pieces of legislative work in the entire story of American history.

Reid is a modest man, but even his own colleagues paid him tribute this morning, including Max Baucus, Christopher Dodd, Tom Harkin, Dick Durbin, and Chuck Schumer. This victory for the Democrats and the American people is due in no small measure to his tenacity; his courage; and his quiet, behind the scenes, patient dealings with difficult personalities in order to accomplish the greater goal of expanding health care to millions of people who had no chance before this to what every American should be entitled–decent health care!