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Harry Reid: Speak Wobbly and Carry No Stick.

Submitted by mark karlin on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 10:12am.

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

By Mark Karlin

I've written in the past how the Republicans and Democrats pick their leaders in the Senate for diametrically opposed reasons: the GOP wants an authoritarian taskmaster who gets Senators to vote with the party position; and the Dems pick a leader (in this case, Harry Reid) who will let then run around like cats in heat, voting any which way they want.

Part of this has to do with one of the most basic differences between Republicans and Democrats: the GOP respects hierarchy and following the leader (think military mindset), and the Democrats love to be off leash and independent.

So when the Dems look for a Majority or Minority Senate Leader, they look to someone who isn't going to lean on them too heavily, and that's how we got Harry Reid -- who seems to have a new opinion and prediction every day -- as Majority Leader for the Dems.  Before him was the equally feckless Tom Daschle, who always would tell the press that he never knew if had the votes for any legislation because "his" Senators vote the way they see it.

One of the key similarities between Reid and Daschle -- which I've noted before -- is that they are both from red states (although Nevada is trending blue because of urbanization, particularly around Las Vegas), which means that, ironically, the Dems and the Republicans both have leaders in the Senate from red states.

Remember Trent Lott as the GOP Senate Leader? Uh, was he from a blue state? Of course not.  Are you getting the picture?

The comparable Democratic leader to Trent Lott would be Chuck Schumer or Dick Durbin, perhaps.  They are both from blue states and Durbin, in particular, leans to the progressive wing of the Party.

But the Dems in the Senate elect someone who will let them go their own merry way, for the most part, on votes, and from red states, because that means leaders such as Reid and Daschle are always looking over their shoulders on how their positions will play in a red state. This is not good for passing bold Democratic legislation. 

Daschle, of course, lost re-election while he was the Democratic leader to John Thune.  The Republicans did their usual attack dog number on Daschle, so it really didn't matter that he tended to try to be the mythical "centrist," not to mention the water he carried for a lot of "K" Street lobbyists, including his wife.

Harry Reid, by all accounts, is a nice, comparatively incorruptible guy.  As far as Senators go, he's relatively modest and down to earth.

But one thing he ain't is a party line enforcer.

And that's just the way the Democratic Senators want it, to the detriment of the future of America.

Don't believe any rumors about Reid promising to sink the Stupak Amendment or including a stronger Public Option in the joint reconciliation bill with the House.

Harry swings like the wind, buffeted by forces from all sides that he has no inherent ability to keep in line.

It's like having a chef who lets the cooks put whatever they want in a recipe and doesn't discipline them to follow the recipe.

Harry just wants the friendship and admiration of his colleagues; but if they don't fear him a little, nothing bold gets done.

And we've seen that over and over again.

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

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Democrats only work for the rich

Submitted by leadfoot on Wed, 11/18/2009 - 4:31pm.

The Democrats need to come up with something better than "those guys are worse" if they want my vote. Tell me what the Democrats stand for. They're not anti-war. They're not pro-gay marriage. They're not pro-legalization of marijuana. They're against  universal health-care (I mean single-payer, not force people to buy health insurance at rates determined by the insurance companies based on how much of your money they want). They're not committed to the environment. It's a rump party that codifies the Republican agenda regardless of who is in office. The party doesn't listen to the people, only big business. I hate the Republicans even more but I cannot continue voting against my own interests to keep these corrupt fat cats in office when every promise they make is a lie.

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reid and daschle shared tough reelection too

Submitted by elm31215 on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 7:59pm.

and don't forget that Senator Reid is facing a tough reelection campaign (just like Senator Daschle did). 

and this probably means the senator will be putting his reelection ahead of the party's needs on many issues. 
 
and as you noted Mark, these guys have come from "red states", so moderating their stance for reelection purposes means moving into red turf, not purple. 
 
and voila, the party is weakened - if not leaderless.  it's been a great GOP strategy targeting the democratic party leader....  and a strong argument for finding Reid's replacement (whether he is re-elected or not) from amongst the more progressive wing of the party
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While Visiting My 84 Yr Old Mother Today, We Saw Harry on TV...

Submitted by lapdogs on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 2:01pm.

When I told her that Reid was once a boxer, she looked at me with that astonishing look and quickly came back with "That guy couldn't punch himself out of a paper bag!  How the hell could he be a boxer?"

I rest my case on the "Leadership" the democrats keep on picking.  Whose the weakest one or the one that leans to the Republican side of issues and lets pick that person for our leader in The Senate.

Liberal Media? What Liberal Media?

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More of the same

Submitted by Alan8 on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 1:32pm.

You're right about the majority leader.  But I don't think personality quirks account for the Democrats' consistent pro-corporate agenda.  It's the many millions of dollars that corporations contribute to the Democrats that determines their behavior.

The Democratic Party receives the majority of their funding from corporate sources.  They've sold out the American people consistently over the last few decades.  Despite this, liberals keep giving them another chance.

Well, now they've taken on the health-care crisis and their solution is to:

1. Force people to buy overpriced insurance from the corporations that are gouging us,

2. Prevent people from switching from their corporate insurance to a public "option".  (Some "option"!)

3. Impose a de facto ban on abortion, except for the affluent.

When are you liberals going to realize you're being conned by the Democratic Party, and that they'll never give ordinary citizens an even break?  They take liberals' votes for granted as they do the bidding of their corporate paymasters.  They always have, because you liberals continue to vote for them.

We can fight back by voting for the Green Party, which doesn't accept ANY corporate money, and represents citizens' interests.

Yes, when you vote Green, your candidate will probably lose (at first). But it's an ELECTION not a HORSE RACE!

Your losing vote will send a message to the corporate parties WHY they're losing your vote. Your losing vote will encourage others to vote Green. Finally, your losing vote will enable the Green Party to receive matching Federal funds if they get a mere 5% of the vote.

Pretty good for a "losing" vote. Better than you'd do with a losing ticket at the race track.

VOTE GREEN AND START TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK FROM THE CORPORATIONS!

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Zero Green representatives in DC. LaRouche is more popular!

Submitted by Kevin Schmidt S... on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 7:54pm.

A vote for GREEN is a vote for RED!

All Democrats ARE NOT the same, as the loser Green supporter would have you wrongly believe.

We voted out the Neocon-Fascist Republicans over the past two election cycles.

Now it's time to vote out the Blue Dog DINO-Fascists in next year's Democratic Primaries.

Vote for and donate money only to Progressive Democrats. Do not contribute any money to the DCCC or the DNC, or to the moldy greens.

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