REID All About it: Harry Reid's TOP 10 Leadership Flubs

Republican National Committee ^ | Nov 2, 2005 | RNC Research

[PhiKapMom]

Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Reid All About It: Harry Reid's Top Ten Leadership Flubs

NUMBER ONE: Pulls "Cheap Trick" And Shuts Down U.S. Senate:

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank: "Democrats Did Not Deny It Was A Stunt: A Brazen Effort To Change The Subject From The Supreme Court Confirmation Of Sam Alito ..." (Dana Milbank, "Mad About You," The Washington Post, 11/2/05)

• Milbank: "It Was A Cheap Trick ..." (Dana Milbank, "Mad About You," The Washington Post, 11/2/05)

CNN's Lou Dobbs: "One Minute This Afternoon The U.S. Senate Was Doing The People's Business, The Next, The Senate Was Shut Down In Absolute Secrecy." (CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight," 11/1/05)

• Dobbs: "The Democrats' Strategy Of Shutting Down The Senate Is A Big Political Gamble. It Appears To Be A Blatant Attempt To Win Political Advantage From The Indictment Of Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief Of Staff, Scooter Libby, In The CIA-White House Leak Case." (CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight," 11/1/05)

The Weekly Standards' Fred Barnes: "I Thought This Was A Comedy. ... This Wasn't An Ambush This Was A Meltdown On The Part Of The Democrats." (Fox News' "Special Report," 11/1/05)

NBC's Mike Viqueira: "Well, My Understanding Of What Went On During The Course Of Those Two Hours That The Senate Was Closed Was That There Was No Debate Back And Forth And That The Classified Portion Was Never Actually Evacuated. In Other Words, The Chamber Was Never Swept By Dogs For Security Or Anything Of That Nature." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 11/1/05)

NUMBER TWO: Bows To Liberal Special Interests And Opposes John Roberts:

"The Senate Democratic Leader, Harry Reid Of Nevada, Said ... That He Would Oppose The Confirmation Of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. As Chief Justice, Surprising Both The White House And Fellow Democrats Still Conflicted About How To Vote." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg and David D. Kirkpatrick, "Top Democrat Says He'll Vote No On Roberts," The New York Times, 9/21/05)

• "'He Got The Message Loud And Clear, Didn't He?' Kim Gandy, President Of The National Organization For Women, Said Of Mr. Reid ..." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg and David D. Kirkpatrick, "Top Democrat Says He'll Vote No On Roberts," The New York Times, 9/21/05) 

"[R]eid Moved [To Oppose Roberts] Under Pressure From Liberal Activists, Who Were Demanding The Democratic Leadership Take A Strong Stand Against Roberts." ("Reid Says He Will Vote Against Roberts On Senate Floor," The Frontrunner, 9/21/05)

NUMBER THREE: Calls President Bush A "Loser":

While President Bush Is Traveling Overseas, Reid Tells High School Students "I Think This Guy [President Bush] Is A Loser."  (Erin Neff, "Del Sol High School Appearance: Reid Calls Bush 'A Loser,'" Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/7/05)

• More From Reid's Uncivil Civics Discussion: '"I think President Bush is doing a bad job,' he added to a handful of chuckles. ... 'He's driving this country into bankruptcy,' Reid said, referring to the deficit. 'He's got us in this intractable war in Iraq where we now have about 1,600 American soldiers dead and another 15,000 injured.'" (Erin Neff, "Del Sol High School Appearance: Reid Calls Bush 'A Loser,'" Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/7/05) 

NUMBER FOUR: Establishes Taxpayer-Funded "War Room":

Reid Established "War Room" With As Many As 15 Staffers To Develop Unified Message For Democratic Caucus.  "Reid plans to have as many as 15 staffers to join the communications center. As many as five of them might be new hires, a reflection of the emphasis Reid is placing on developing a unified message."  (Geoff Earle, "Reid Makes It Clear He's No Daschle," The Hill, 12/1/04)

Staff From Various Democratic Leadership Organizations, Including Taxpayer Funded Groups, Folded Into Reid's "War Room."  "The new Democratic leader is reestablishing authority over a variety of Democratic leadership organizations - the Democratic Policy Committee (DPC), the Democratic Steering Committee, and the Democratic Communications Committee - all of which are headed by other Democratic senators. Some staff from these groups could end up being folded into a new Democratic 'war room' being assembled to counter the GOP's political message."  (Geoff Earle, "Reid Makes It Clear He's No Daschle," The Hill, 12/1/04)

Reid's "War Room" Located In Capitol Building. "Jim Manley, press secretary for Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., has been hired as staff director for the center, which will be located in the U.S. Capitol." (Steve Tetreault, "Reid Announces New Office Created," Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/30/04)

NUMBER FIVE: Proudly Refuses To Apologize For Calling President Bush "Liar":

Reid Will Not Apologize For Calling The President A "Liar."  Rolling Stone: "You've called Bush a loser." HARRY REID: "And a liar." Rolling Stone: "You apologized for the loser comment." REID: "But never for the liar, have I?"  (Eric Bates, "The Gunslinger," Rolling Stone, 6/2/05)

• Reid: "... I Apologized For The Loser. I Haven't For The Liar. But, You Know, It Looks Like You, With All Due Respect To You, That Maybe You Could Come Up With Something Else." CNN's Ed Henry: "But Do You Think It's Helpful To Push Forward..." Reid: "I've Answered The Question.  I've Answered The Question." (CNN's "Inside Politics," 6/6/05)

NUMBER SIX: Calls Fed Chair Alan Greenspan "Political Hack":

Reid: "[I]'m Not A Big Greenspan Fan ... I Voted Against Him The Last Two Times. ... I Think [Alan Greenspan's] One Of The Biggest Political Hacks We Have In Washington."  (CNN's "Inside Politics," 3/3/05)

NUMBER SEVEN: Threatens Republicans To "Go Behind The Pool Hall":

"Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Has Challenged Republicans To 'Go Behind The Pool Hall And See Who Wins This One' Chuckling, He Said: 'We Could Do Some Real Harm.'"  (James Kuhnhenn, "Harry Reid A Soft-Spoken Lawmaker With A Punch," Knight Ridder Newspapers, 3/2/05):

NUMBER EIGHT: Violates Confidentiality Of Judicial Nominee Henry Saad's FBI File On Senate Floor:

Reid: "Henry Saad Would Have Been Filibustered Anyway ... All You Need To Do Is Have A Member Go Upstairs And Look At His Confidential Report From The FBI, And I Think We Would All Agree That There Is A Problem There."  (Charles Hurt, "Reid Cites FBI File On Judicial Pick," The Washington Times, 5/13/05)

• "Furthermore, A 'Memorandum Of Understanding' Covering The Use Of FBI Background Reports Limits Access To Committee Members And The Nominee's Home-State Senators. Mr. Reid Would Fall Into Neither Category." (Charles Hurt, "Reid Cites FBI File On Judicial Pick," The Washington Times, 5/13/05)

NUMBER NINE: Makes Hollywood "Playboy-Producer" Top Policy Advisor:

"Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Again Invited Billionaire And Megadonor Stephen Bing To An Exclusive Luncheon Of Senate Democrats Just Off The Chamber Floor Last Week Where The Group Was Plotting Message Strategy For The 2006 Campaign." (Paul Kane, "Bing Is Minority's Odd Man Inside," Roll Call, 10/11/05)

• "Aides Said Another Reason Bing Was Able To Attend These Meetings Is Because Of His Ties To Democracy Corps, Created By Democratic Operatives Stanley Greenberg, James Carville And Bob Shrum. These Aides Said That As A Founder Of The Group Bing Deserved To Be In The Meetings ..." (Paul Kane, "Bing Is Minority's Odd Man Inside," Roll Call, 10/11/05)

Bing Described As "Playboy-Producer-Philanthropist." (Eric Alterman, "The Hollywood Campaign," The Atlantic Monthly, 9/04)

"A Determined Bachelor, [Bing] Lives In A Small Two-Bedroom Home In Bel-Air But Has Bought The Seven Adjoining Houses With The Intention Of Knocking Them Down And Creating Palatial Grounds. He's A Fan Of Strip Clubs, Has Been A High Roller In Las Vegas For Years ..." (Rachel Abramowitz, "A Player In Every Sense?" Los Angeles Times, 7/3/02)

NUMBER TEN: Praises Majority Leader On Senate Floor, Insults Him Behind His Back:

Reid On Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) On The Senate Floor: 

• Reid: "[I] Express My Appreciation To The Distinguished Republican Leader For His [Judicial Nominations] Proposal. I Am Happy To See We Are Working Toward A Solution To This Very Difficult Issue That Now Faces The Senate." (Sen. Harry Reid, Congressional Record, 4/28/05, p. S4464)
  
• Reid: "But It Appears That My Distinguished Friend, The Majority Leader ..." (Sen. Harry Reid, Congressional Record, 5/17/05, p. S5250)
  
• Reid: "I Hope The Distinguished Senator From Tennessee, The Majority Leader, My Friend  ..." (Sen. Harry Reid, Congressional Record, 5/9/05, p. S4614) 

Off The Senate Floor Reid's Office Sends Out Talking Points Calling For Members To Attack Sen. Bill Frist. "A set of Democratic talking points being distributed by the office of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urges Members to link Frist to [Majority Leader Tom] DeLay." (Chris Cillizza, "Democrats Seeking To Tie Frist To DeLay," Roll Call, 5/18/05)

• Reid Attack Memo: "Arrogant With Power, Rewriting The Rules Is What The Republican Party Has Done Best In Recent Years." (Chris Cillizza, "Democrats Seeking To Tie Frist To DeLay," Roll Call, 5/18/05)

[PhiKapMom]

Latest headline on Reid brought to courtesy of the Republican National Committee.

[PhiKapMom]

Keep this handy for use in the 2006 elections when we set out to defeat these obstructionist RATS!

[onyx]

Excellent, PKM.

I'll bookmark this thread and read it thoroughly a little later today.

[Mo1]

Bookmarked ... Thanks!

[PhiKapMom]

While you a reading this, you might as well read the latest from RNC Research In Case You Missed It on an AP article on Sen Ben Nelson of NE. Looks like the chance of a filibuster on the Alito nomination is quickly flying out the window!


Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson Praises Alito

From The Associated Press

By Jesse Holland
November 2, 2005

A centrist Democratic senator complimented Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Wednesday as a moderate jurist who won't "hammer away and chisel away" existing law.

While Sen. Ben Nelson did not endorse President Bush's latest nominee for the high court, he did say he was impressed by what he heard from Alito during his introductory visit.

The Nebraska Democrat, ... told reporters that he got assurances that Alito would not be "judicial activist" or "take an agenda to the bench" if confirmed ...

"He assured me that he wants to go to the bench without a political agenda," said Nelson, ...

Nelson, one ... said that Alito "wants to decide each case as it comes before him." ...

The Group of 14 is to meet Thursday to talk about Alito, who picked up an endorsement Wednesday from Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

"I look forward to enthusiastically supporting his nomination," said Hagel, one of several senators that Alito was scheduled to meet with during the day. ...

Republicans have said that Alito is more than qualified, pointing to his 15 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and his work as a government lawyer and prosecutor.

For Entire Article Please Visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110201324.html

[Grampa Dave]

Bumping the latest on the Senate's biggest liar and most active anti America senator.

[hellinahandcart]

mark

[PhiKapMom]

RNC Research is working overtime -- I love it!

[mosquitobite]

Nelson knows being from Nebraska, he best not filibuster or vote against Alito ;)

[PhiKapMom]

Reid is an absolute nut -- I cannot believe Nevada elected him to office -- he needs to be daschlelized and sent packing.

[PhiKapMom]

That came in my email a short time ago and I burst out laughing -- he has no choice since he is up for reelection.

[308MBR]

Where did this idiot come from? Most of the Nevadans I have met seem quite Republican or at least level headed. Of course I haven't been there since 1997.

They could have Harkin as their leader and not tell the difference!

[deport]

Don't you just love our government at work? The tax payers dollars are being judiciously spent....

[SF Republican]

I thought it was hilarious yesterday when Reid was asked why he had not consulted with Frist as is the custom; Harry truly had no idea what the reporter meant, not a clue.

[Grampa Dave]

Reid and Dean are poster boys for Lunatic Libs re their insane and emotional outbursts.

[Christian4Bush]

bttt

[michaelbfree]

Have to say I agree with him about Greenspan - Greenspan is an idiot...

[CFC__VRWC]

I saw that. It means that at least three of the Gang of 14 (Graham, DeWine and Nelson) are on board Alito's nomination, and that a fourth may be (Specter, though I won't breathe easy until he votes "Aye"). Assuming the other 48 GOP senators vote to go nuclear (the prospects of which improved dramaitically with Reid's hissy fit yesterday, IMO), that means it's "weapons free" if the nuke option comes to pass.

[Dog Gone]

We are lucky he is Minority Leader. He's incompetent.

[Old Seadog]

[blackie]

Liberal moonbat in total meltdown ~ Bump!

[uncbob]

Well I guess Reid won't be getting popcorn from Bush anytime soon but then ya never know

[ConservativeMind]

Muchos gracias!

[jmaroneps37]

reid is just another dumb rat who just doesn't accept that is party will go the way of the Whigs.

The ratmedia cheerleaders for the failing Whigs don't like to talk about these things, but here's a few
of the insurmountable problems they face, as they "retake power".

The end of big labor ATM access means no more union thug troops, no more union money extorted from members.

The loss of voter fraud through HAVA. PhotoIDs = Whig defeats.

The loss of Louisiana after the investigation. Won't go away. Won't be good for Louisiana Whigs. The local evil donkeys will register the refugee rats all over. You don't think for a minute they will let them vote absentee in NOLA do you? And HAVA won't let them vote twice.

The loss of Iraq as an issue. Things getting better by the month. What's good for America here, is automatically bad for the Whig Party.

The loss of plantation escapees jumping the fence. Blacks starting to listen to GOP and liking what they hear.

The loss of control of the Court. No more force feeding liberalism to America.

The lack of any message. An empty message " I'm not Bush." doesn't work.

Spokesmen and women like Dean, Moore, Sheehan etc chase voters away.

Gay "marriage" support. Oh for eleven last cycle with no upturn in sight.

Anti 2nd amendment positions. Gave us West Virginia, helped us keep Arkansas and Tennessee.

Shallow bench: Paul Hackett for instance. Demoralized Whigs state organizations means fewer new faces.

Continued defections.The ratio of Whig to GOP conversions in the last 10 years must be 10 to 1. This is one of the few areas that they consistently beat us in. :-)

Adoration of Partial Birth Abortion. Most Whigs that you see and hear about are devoted to PBA, something that chases decent people away.

For the FIFTH time in the last eight months, a national poll has reported that Hillary Clinton is too liberal to be president. The numbers in these surveys DON'T BUDGE. She has been judged too liberal by 38, 39,39,40 and now 41% of respondents

There is a term in Chess that fits the evil donkey's position very well.
Zugzwang: “Compulsion to move.” A German term referring to a situation in which a player would like to do nothing (pass), since any move will damage his game.

The Whigs KNOW they can't do nothing/say nothing as issues come up, so they are compelled to comment. But the reality is that there aren't any issues they can say anything on and not be wrong either with their insane base or with real Americans.

[devolve]

It is well known that little pipsqueak Harry Reid and his family are "mobbed-up".


Extensive current financial and political partnerships with the mob in casinos, real estate, and a wide variety of businesses in Nevada and California and other states.

Now Nancy Pelosi - those "allegations" that she is from a Mafia family back east.......

[nickcarraway]

Hey, shutting down the Senate is about the only good thing Reid's ever done. If only he would shut it down permamnently...

[Czar]

"It is well known that little pipsqueak Harry Reid and his family are "mobbed-up"."

In other words, a typical Rat political hack...

[kilowhskey]

As a Nevadan I apologise to Freepers everywhere. This man is an embarrassment. It saddens me greatly that he has five years left on his current term.

[devolve]

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for your hard work, and I will keep this in mind for 2006!

[Stand Watch Listen]

Thanks for the heads-up PKM...appreciate it.

[Victoria Delsoul]

These are great quotes, PKM, thanks so much. Reid has become a joke, and he looks the part.

I'm bookmarking this thread.

[potlatch]

[PhiKapMom]

When I got this in my email, I started laughing because it didn't take long for RNC to churn this one out. Reid is an idiot because it looks like he is nothing more than a Ms. Clinton puppet! When something strange like this happens, I always figure she is behind it.

[Bullish]

We couldn't have asked for a better replacement for the small minded, tiny Tom Daschle then the arrogant lowlife Harry Reid.

[PhilDragoo]

[potlatch]

Aah, You've got it perfect there devolve!!