A Wily Inside Player, Reid Is Key to Obama Agenda

[babylonsister]

CQ Profile: A Wily Inside Player, Reid Is Key to Obama Agenda
By Chuck McCutcheon, CQ Staff


Nevada’s Harry Reid carries considerable influence as Senate majority leader, but you might not know it from watching him.

He shuns self-promotion and avoids the social circuit; he once passed up a White House state dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II to stay home with his wife. He can be taciturn, even dour on television, and often speaks in such a whisper that, to start off 2008, he revealed a New Year’s resolution: “I’m going to try to talk louder.”

But he more than makes up for any stylistic shortcomings by being the consummate inside player.

Reid called his 2008 autobiography “The Good Fight,” a reference to the combative ex-boxer’s willingness to enter a tussle. As leader of the Senate Democrats in the 111th Congress (2009-10), Reid can expect far fewer scraps with the White House than when it was in Republican hands, plus an expanded base of Democrats that will give him greater leeway to operate. But he isn’t assured of a totally peaceful life.

Reid will be under pressure to push through the Senate the Obama administration’s ambitious agenda to revive the economy and plans for energy, health care and other matters. He will need to corral at least a few Republicans to support those efforts, while keeping the liberal core in his own party satisfied. And he’ll have to deal with a conservative-leaning GOP caucus keen on embarrassing him tactically and defeating him at the polls in 2010.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003002100

[ShortnFiery]

1. Ever since Reid refused to filibuster Alito's confirmation, I've lost all respect for this man.

In his home state of Nevada, his sons seemingly RUN THE PLACE through both cronyism and nepotism. His wife still a lobbyist because REID made sure that the new rules didn't apply to her, i.e., grandfather clause.

Both Reid and Pelosi need to step aside and allow "new blood" to fill these powerful positions.

Yeah, Reid's a real peach. :eyes:

[babylonsister]

4. We're stuck with him, so I'll wait and see if he changes his approach

with a much bigger majority. If anyone thinks either of them will step aside, they're smoking something I wish I had. :smoke:

[avaistheone1]

7. Reid didn't help with FISA either.

Reid and Pa"lousy" behave more like Bush enablers, than leaders and gatekeepers of the Democratic agenda.

[thunder rising]

2. Let's do Harry a favor and get him out of the spotlight. You know, let someone else take the helm

[jwirr]

3. K&R

[camera obscura]

5. Durbin for Senate Majority Leader

c'mon Obama you know you want it...

[Ian David]

6. Oh, now we're fucked, aren't we? n/t

[babylonsister]

10. You are the only one who voiced what I thought I'd

read in this thread. That's interesting to me. Not surprising, interesting. :)

[IndianaGreen]

12. Harry Reid is a LOSER!

How many times have we been let down by this useless POS that makes Tom Daschle look like a knight in shining armor.

[AlinPA]

8. Even with the wider majority, republicans will run over him. He is a weak "leader".

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. The GOP press refers to every weak-kneed Dem as "wily"

[depakid]

11. He's wily alright

[Raineyb]

13. What the hell are they smoking at CQ?

Seriously they must be high.

I've got a list of adjectives to describe Reid and wily is definitely not one of them. Spineless, feckless, ineffectual....

Regards