Does anyone else have REAL PROBLEMS with Harry Reid as ML?

[seraph]

WTF is this?? :wtf:


An anti-choice Democrat from NEVADA with a history of playing well with republicans is going to be Minority Leader?

Have we learned nothing?

Is there any way we can influence this horrible decision?

[yardwork]

1. Yes. Write and call and generally bother your senators

(if they are Democrats) and write and call and bother every other Democratic senator.

[seraph]

4. I think we all need to do this.

What happened to Chris Dodd?

[Nite Owl]

2. Is this just talked about

or is this for sure. I just left for a couple of hours and this happens? He'll let *'s judges get in, he won't fight for us.

[WI_DEM]

3. yes, low key and another Daschle

after all he was his second in command. But maybe he will surprise us? but I doubt it.

[BayStateBoy]

5. He's a Milquetoast. Not good for the job n/t

[gavodotcom]

6. I don't know Harry Reid at all. But why is it so hard to understand?

No fucking leadership from swing states.

It can't possibly be so hard.

I've already E-mailed Durbin telling him to fight for it.

[seraph]

19. Yeah, I sent something to all the NE Dem Senators as well. (nt)

[girl gone mad]

24. Do you have Durbin's e-mail handy?

I'd like to write to him, too.

[City Lights]

26. Here it is:

[e-mail]

I'm going to write him in the morning.

[gavodotcom]

29. Here's what I wrote to Obama (feel free to steal anything worthwhile)

I don't have his official E-mail, but [e-mail] gives you back an automated reply, so I think it's 'official' for right now. Feel free to use this to come up with your own ideas, I just thought I'd give you guys a start:

Dear Sen. Obama,

Congratulations on your election! I wish you continued success as Senator and beyond!

I do have one request to ask of you:

Please, please, do not vote Henry Reid senate minority leader, and please convince your colleagues to feel the same.

I personally do not have anything against the man, but we do not need our leadership to come from swing or red states.

Democrats are going to have to stand up for itself in the coming years. We are going to have to re-affirm our principles, which will be under continued attack, and I don't know if a Senator who needs to, dare I say, pander, to his Republican electorate will be able to lead the fight. Our leadership in both houses of Congress must have a Democratic base--in order to make our stand, our senate leaders cannot be hampered by worries about re-election. We can look towards Sen. Daschle as a man who was defeated for precisely this reason, while appearing to be a milquetoast to many in his own party. Unfair characterization or not, it is this exactly the image that the Democratic party must work against if it is to have any credibility.

If the Democratic Party is unwilling or unable to stand up against Republicans, I fear the support of millions of the party's base--people who have worked tirelessly for Kerry, yourself, and down ticket candidates only to come up short in this election--will be lost to what will be perceived as more progressive and representative parties. We need fighters in both the House and Senate, and we need ones without one hand tied behind his or her back. The progressive base of the Democratic Party will not allow concessions on women's or homosexual rights.

I have expressed these same views to Sen. Dick Durbin, who I feel is a strong leader. I have suggested that instead of whip that he instead become leader himself, and I am aware of many who have done the same. But the decision will come from you and your colleagues. Whether or not the decision is to make Sen. Durbin, in particular, leader or not is up to you, but I strongly suggest, for the sake of the party, and consequently the sake of the nation, to select minority leadership positions to those from safely blue constituencies. I'm sure there are other qualified and able potential Senators with the same base of support and ability to stand up to Republicans, and I hope the candidate pool is limited strictly to these individuals.

Thank you very much for your time, and, again, congratulations. I look forward to your service. I am very optimistic that, with your help, we can take our country back.

Sincerely,

[fairfaxvadem]

7. Yeah, this is such a bad idea.

What a bunch of dumbasses if this actually happens. Fortunately, as mentioned in another thread, they won't vote on this until the new session starts, and so, hopefully we can inspire a movement.

No offense to Senator Reid, generally, as I'm sure he is a swell guy.

But let's not go down the Daschle road again.

Wish these Senate Dems would get their frigging heads out of the sand and get a clue. Absolutely no pattern recognition with this crowd.

I want a Minority Leader who will get in Bush's and Frist's faces every chance they get.

I mean, after all, what do we have to lose?

[Robeson]

8. Well, look at it this way...

...if the Dems keep it up like this, all former Dems will be Greens by 2008, and it will be the Greens talking about whether or not a Dem candidate is going to take votes away from them in the national election. Jeeez.

[Crunchy Frog]

11. I'm thinking VERY seriously

of switching my party affiliation to Green. The Dems seem completely incapable of getting a clue. It's almost as if they have a death wish.:grr:

[Robeson]

18. I hear ya...

...in fact, now that Bush has the national government under lock and key, I will be voting and working for Greens or any progressive party on a local level, that looks like it may have a viable chance, in a local election. Its really the only thing we can do to stem the tide at this point. We - and I say this if you are a progressive - have to go on an all out assault to get any Progressive in any local office that we can.

On a national level, I'll continue to vote Dem, simply for the lack of a realistic opposition to Repugs other than the Dems. Thats my mantra: local go progressive, national, hold your nose until some real opposition emerges.

[mazzarro]

27. Most legislative democrats are members of the DLC

The DLC, IMHO, is a surrogate reThug organization within the democratic party dedicated to bringing the rank-and-file in line with the neo-con ideolgy. Hence we are always presented these pathetic leaders that will not fight for us rather will, at the earliest opportunity, seek compromises regardless of the party's principles, they want to sell to us on every issue.

[City Lights]

9. We need someone from a safe blue state.

I'm partial to Durbin.

[mikehiggins]

10. Nope, we have learned nothing

We still go around prattling about pendulums, and how our day will come back again and all the rest of that garbage while Henry Kissinger explained what is really going on years ago.

He said nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, that is, the established order is rarely able to recognise a radical threat as being just that until it is far too late.

BushCo now rules America and it makes no difference who heads the Democratic "resistance" in the Senate. There is no Democratic resistance; all there is is a small number of confused and upset Democrats, many of whom will be put out of office in the next political cycle.

The Democratic Party as we knew it is dead. We need to establish a new Party to carry our hopes and ambitions into the future.

Most disagree with that analysis and think this is just another minor setback to our programs.

Let me know how that one works out for you all, okay?

[yardwork]

13. I thought Monty Python said that thing about the Spanish Inquisition?

[Zorra]

12. Yes. Research him.

Not good.

Reid tries to reverse ruling on mining law
Senator opposes new regulation

RENO -- Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic whip from mining-rich Nevada, is rallying Western lawmakers to try to reverse a rare victory environmentalists scored over mining interests last week in the House.
Reid said he'll oppose the effort by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Democratic allies in Congress to enforce stricter limits on waste sites at hard-rock mines through the administration's new interpretation of the 1872 Mining Law.
"Secretary Babbitt is attempting to circumvent Congress to reform mining law through regulation and I am not prepared to let that happen," Reid said.
snip-----
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said last week she would lead the floor fight to uphold the new waste limits.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Jul-19-Mon-1999/news/11584583.html

Dear friends and supporters of the Western Shoshone Nation,

Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign have introduced Senate Bill 958- the
"Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act" which would distribute $117
million dollars to individual Western Shoshone citizens for 26 million
acres, the Western Shoshone National land base, that is not, and has never
been for sale. Western Shoshone leaders have opposed distribution of the
Indian Claims Commission Award for 21 years charging the fraud by the US
against the Western Shoshone Nation. Reid is attempting to work around
tribal leaders representing the vast majority of Western Shoshone by
targeting individuals with money waving marketing campaign.

http://www.shundahai.org/claims_action_alert_0501.htm

[prairie populist]

14. The administration appears to pushing for the PoxNews

version of an advocate for the Dems.

The Right has pretty boy/pit bull Hannity; the Left gets Colmes, the CryptKeeper.

Recently their Democratic "spokesperson" at times has actually been Dick Morris - WTF? - who is as much of a traitor as Crazy Zell.

Reid is probably a fine person, but he is not going to lead any dogfights for us against the self-proclaimed I-have-a-mandate King George.

The Bushies are simply pushing for a pushover.

[MattBaggins]

15. It's our party isn't it? Why can't we demand Kerry be our leader?

[mazzarro]

31. I don't support Kerry leading the Senate Democrats either

We need someone much more determined to fight for the principles of the party even in the face of apparent insurmountable obstacle(s) and not fold just easily.

[The Magistrate]

16. One Very Great Problem, Sir

The Senate Leader must come from a state carried in a major way by Sen. Kerry. If the leader is chosen from a state lost to us, then the leader's own survival will become a major consideration, and in any case, the leader will soon become the especial target of the enemy.

"Can't nobody here play this game?"

[ObaMania]

17. It doesn't matter

They all are elephants in dunkey's clothing anyway!

They just have the Dem title to give the appearance of a democracy.

[Robeson]

21. Now come on....

...you know you're not supposed to tell the truth! Don't you?

[seraph]

20. JACK REED D-RI for MINORITY LEADER!!!

I think Reed would be a great choice! And RI is a very safe state for Democrats!


Say it with me! DRAFT JACK!

[Abelman]

30. I already wrote MY senators

What's everyone else doing?

[Adams Wulff]

22. If Reid gets it this party is beyond help

still the old boy network where seniority counts more than harsh reality. I know it's a political game, but the rules of the game have changed.

These guys have to get with the program or wallow in irrelevance.
Alone!

[Cleita]

23. If you haven't heard, the Fourth Reich is consolidating it's power.

You might as well sit back and watch. If you have draft age children, send them to countries that will give them asylum. If you are Islamic or even remotely Middle Eastern, get out as soon as you can, unless you are related to the Saudi family. I kid you not. Thanks to the generosity of the NRA, the rest of us can easily get guns and ammo before they cut us off. So I suggest you do it soon.

We are going to be living in interesting times.

[reeree]

25. I'm from Nevada-- and yes.

Reid is generally a pretty great guy. He falls safely in the center, I'd say. He's definitely not my choice for Minority Leader, that's for sure. This the problem with the Senate (which means, by the way, in Latin, "old men")-- they operate too much on tradition and maintaining the status quo. That's a game the fundamentalist Republicans have learned to avoid. They're the ones who are shaking things up, learning to use the system in ways we never thought possible. The irony is just staggering. But yeah, the Dems in the Senate will reward seniority rather than do what's best for the party or the nation. Thanks, guys.

[Cat Atomic]

28. You've got to be fucking kidding me.

If that guy gets it, I'll never vote for a Democrat again.

[keyzersoze13]

32. Kerry for ML

Think about it. No other Democrat has anywhere near the attention that Kerry has right now. Everytime the Repukes pass something, he can go on TV and talk about how bad it is, and paint this alternate reality of what things would be like if the Democrats were in charge. He is certainly stronger than Daschle or Reid ever were, and he can be very eloquent and a ferocious debater.

So, Kerry for Minority Leader and, while we're at it, Dean for DNC chairman.

[Abelman]

33. YES

That is what I'm talking about.

[Crunchy Frog]

34. Is there any way

that we could put together an organized campaign to reverse this decision and have somebody else appointed to that position? Someone who is at least from a safe Blue state?

Will the party listen to its constituents at all, or will they simply ignore us?

I wonder what would happen if we raised a huge, coordinated, highly organized campaign. They listen to corporate lobbyists, why can't they listen to their own voters?