red states rule
12-12-2007, 06:30 AM
When it rains - it pours. With falling poll numbers in his home state, it seems Harry 'the war is lost" Reid is not doing very well with his fellow Dems in the Senate with his long list of failures as Senate leader
Harry Reid finds real power elusive
By: Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
Dec 11, 2007 09:40 PM EST
snip
Reid runs a Democratic caucus with four of its members running for president and two (Charles Schumer and Richard J. Durbin) competing for distinction as second in command.
“It’s a matter of leverage you have,” said Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. “You can’t cut a deal if you don’t have sufficient leverage.”
You especially don’t have leverage when you face a shrewd minority leader backed up by the constant and real threat of a presidential veto.
Reid is rightly regarded by his colleagues as a smart and tough brawler.
To understand him today, you have to understand his past. He was raised in virtual poverty, trained as a boxer, studied law and even served as a Capitol Hill cop. This isn’t some well-coiffed politician groomed from an early age for Washington greatness.
He can be impulsive, including in public settings. He is quick to pop off, including declaring earlier this year that the Iraq war was effectively lost. “I wish I hadn’t used the word ‘lost,’” Reid told Politico.
“I’m going to my grave saying I have at least expressed my feelings,” he said. “I am going to be who I am.”
His pugilistic ways are refreshing to many Democratic activists and senators — Reid has become a favorite of many liberal commentators for his in-your-face approach to President Bush — and this has translated into greater fundraising for Senate Democrats.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7326.html
Harry Reid finds real power elusive
By: Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
Dec 11, 2007 09:40 PM EST
snip
Reid runs a Democratic caucus with four of its members running for president and two (Charles Schumer and Richard J. Durbin) competing for distinction as second in command.
“It’s a matter of leverage you have,” said Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. “You can’t cut a deal if you don’t have sufficient leverage.”
You especially don’t have leverage when you face a shrewd minority leader backed up by the constant and real threat of a presidential veto.
Reid is rightly regarded by his colleagues as a smart and tough brawler.
To understand him today, you have to understand his past. He was raised in virtual poverty, trained as a boxer, studied law and even served as a Capitol Hill cop. This isn’t some well-coiffed politician groomed from an early age for Washington greatness.
He can be impulsive, including in public settings. He is quick to pop off, including declaring earlier this year that the Iraq war was effectively lost. “I wish I hadn’t used the word ‘lost,’” Reid told Politico.
“I’m going to my grave saying I have at least expressed my feelings,” he said. “I am going to be who I am.”
His pugilistic ways are refreshing to many Democratic activists and senators — Reid has become a favorite of many liberal commentators for his in-your-face approach to President Bush — and this has translated into greater fundraising for Senate Democrats.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7326.html