Posted on 11/15/2014 10:51:59 AM PST by Clintonfatigued
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid faced the first internal opposition to his grip on power Thursday as at least six Democrats rejected his bid for another leadership term during an emotional meeting following last week’s drubbing in the midterm elections.
Quelling a small but vocal rebellion, Reid (D-Nev.) won reelection to another term atop the caucus, now as minority leader after eight years in the majority. But his victory came only after a 31 / 2-hour meeting that became a forum for political grievances and a rollout of an expanded leadership team meant to balance the caucus’s ideological and regional diversity.
Four straight election victories had produced unwavering support and increasing power for Reid in the Democratic caucus, but the repudiation on Nov. 4 tested his clout.
On Thursday, he listened to his critics complain about the party’s campaign agenda, and some demanded that he steer away from confrontation with Republicans.
Instead of the usual voice vote for leadership positions, the caucus — which will be at least eight seats smaller in the next Congress — forced a roll-call vote. Dissenters wanted to go on the record with their opposition to their leader. The six who said publicly that they opposed him include both of Virginia’s senators: Mark R. Warner, who narrowly won reelection last week, and Timothy M. Kaine, who previously served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Harry Reid was a liability to his party this year. He promised some changes in his leadership style this time.
Harry The Reid’s 15 minutes are up
Absolutely nothing will change. Boehner and McConnell, Reid and Pelosi.
Same old same old on both sides.
I would think someone who loses so big would have to resign in a normal world
Reid and Pelosi are gifts from heaven!
Now I fear he's a huge political liability to the state of Nevada. Here's why:
After last week's election, Nevada isn't a politically 'purple' state anymore but deep dark red. Every state elected office is Republican and both the state assembly and senate are Republican seats by a healthy amount. The Democrats who survived are all political nobodies because we unseated all of their political bigshots in the state house.
Yet still, Harry Reid remains the head of the Democrats in the US Senate and becomes Senate Minority Leader. After so many years of Harry Reid torturing the legislative process in Washington -- shelving hundreds of House bills, playing political kingmaker in races all over the country, and generally acting all around as if he were 'Dr. Evil' -- every Republican in the nation's capitol ought to be gleefully lining up ready to beat the living crap out of anything and everything politically connected to Harry Reid.
I fear the top of that payback list is the state of Nevada, yet we're scarlet red today. Ugh. I just hope that the GOP leadership in Washington DC doesn't see fit to punish the now solidly Republican state of Nevada every chance they get striving to collapse Harry Reid.
He will continue to hold onto power, even after January. I’m thinking he’ll hold daily press briefings - with no other purpose than armchair quarterbacking the conservative leadership; cooperation will be replaced by some daily anti-GOP diatribe at the well of the senate.
Uncle harry will not go quietly into that good night (see Pelosi) as minority leader. His role will be agitation, period.
I think McConnell blew it. Before the Dems voted for Reid, McConnell should have announced that Reid’s return would mean that the Dems endorse his continuing Reid’s treatment of the minority party.
We could have knocked out Reid 4 years ago, but some self appointed TEA party “leaders” decided to endorse Sharon Angle who had no chance of winning in Nevada instead of 2 more conventional Republicans who actually had a good chance of winning head to head against Reid. People can say that Reid won through voter fraud, but why did Reid’s son also lose the statewide race for governor on the same ballot? I would have taken the most liberal Republican in the US Senate over Reid any day, but the other Republicans in the primary were far from being RINOs. I’m tired of self appointed TEA party “leaders” not taking elect-ability into consideration before pushing candidates. Had they not promoted buffoonish candidates like Angle in Nevada and O’Donnel in Delaware in 2010, Republicans could have taken control after the 2010 or 2012 elections.
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