Reid Rebuffs Idea Of Senate Majority Leader Clinton

Sen. Harry Reid on Monday brushed off the notion that he has any plans to cede his Majority Leader title once Hillary Clinton returns to the Senate full-time.

Asked by The Huffington Post about reports that Clinton may be eyeing Reid's spot if (as seems likely) her presidential run is unsuccessful, the Nevada senator at first offered some humble niceties.

"I do this job the best I can, with the full support of my senators," he said during a small breakfast with reporters. "I feel very comfortable with where I've gotten."

But Reid, the former amateur boxer, couldn't help finishing with a gentle jab.

"Keep in mind also, a senator coming back who's run for president is not a very unique one," Reid said to laughter. "Senator John Kerry ran, he's back. Chris Dodd ran, he's back. Joe Biden ran, he's back."

Those senators have been plenty busy since returning from the campaign trail, Reid added, and "Senator Clinton has some very fine committee assignments."

Comments

[ccrnjr]

If with all her resources, Hillary could NOT secure the democratic nomination, then how great is she really? If she had divorced Bill Clinton when he was cheating with Gennifer Flowers and still the governor of Arkansas, would she still be able to win the Senate seat from New York on her first try for elected office? I keep hearing how tough she is, yada, yada, yada. Well, if she is so tough, why didn't she take her Yale Law degree and all her "experience" and tell Bill to kiss her backside after he humiliated her yet again with Monica? The gall of Bill telling us how wonderful she is. If she is soooo wonderful, then why does Bill humiliate her again and again. The good times we had during the Clinton administration had more to do with business executives like Bill Gates and the rest of us hard working Americans of all races....not politicians like Bill Clinton. If she couldn't take down an relative unknown like Obama with all her money, clout, name recognition and dirty campaigning, then she is no match for a galvanized republican base in November.

[McPander]

BRAVO.
You speak the truth young Skywalker.
I loved the interview with Tyra "The wife is the last to know", concerning Monica. Gee, how smart is she? Oh, the Rightwing conspiracy or was it the elitist economist or was it the chauvinist press.
She is so morally corrupt she stayed with Bill to become president.

[campgranata]

'would she still be able to win the Senate seat from New York on her first try for elected office?'

Of course not. Yet it is the PITY people felt for her over Lewinsky that improved her numbers, the PARDONS that Bill offered that brought in the Jews and PR voters and the PROSTATE cancer of the only republican who could have beat her which propelled her into the senate. Her achievements in the senate show how little experience she has and has shown that 'the smartest woman in the world' is merely well educated and barely educable. This obsessed sociopath would put up with anything to be the first woman president of the USA and with out Bill Clinton would be working in a third rate law firm.

[IslandGyal]

And the "informed" American electorate, nearly sent her there. That's what's amazing to me.

[Stoyver]

The good times during the Clinton Admninstration were financed by the inflating Dot Com bubble. Bill handed that smelly turd off to Bush just in time. Of course Bush, officiated over a continuance of the pyramid scheme that morphed into the Housing Bubble. Now with the housing bubble rapidly deflating, we see a huge petroleum bubble forming and so on. Eventually we are going to have to take our lumps!

[obamagramma]

Clinton needs to be ejected from the party & burned at the stake. Just my opinion.

[CranialRectalLoopback]

Your vile remarks represent the same old politics as usual. You speak as if you were a Gandhi or King follower who practiced non-violent protest violently. Your words are not the words of a true Obama supporter. And to think I had the audacity to hope that Obama supporters would practice what Obama preaches.

[ibsteve2u]

Must be nice, to have the perspicacity to render judgement upon all Obama supporters based upon the words of one...and through that judgement, imply judgement of Obama, too.

Or perhaps the latter portion of both my comment and yours was your goal from the beginning?

[McPander]

Old politics, oh you mean the ones that the Clinton's are renowned for. Open mouth and insert foot please.
Hmm CranialRectalLoopback. Doesn't that mean you have your head in your A@#?

[mesuki]

Take it easy ! can't you tell when people are just blowing off steam?..geez!.... after all the drama Hillary has put this country through with her stupid campaign,I think we've earned the right to say whatever we want here.....she has managed to make even nice people hate her.

[FZliveson]

Hey CrainialRectalLoopback...you better wonder how seriously anyone is going to take anything you say with a screen name like that.

A "True Obama Supporter" will speak the truth and not rattle off slogans out of the little Black Book called; "Quotations from Barack."

You, however sound very very much like someone who would follow Hillary and Chelsea anywhere they went, dreaming of the opportunity to kiss one of their hands, or asses, if you were a good puppydog and rolled over on command.

[McPander]

Burning at the stake is for witches. I do not agree with your comments. A Catholic priest needs to be called in and an Exorcism needs to be preformed to finally rid us of the Clinton's.

[campgranata]

If burning at the stake is for witches, what's your point?

[thirteen13]

How could you tell if the Catholic priest is a child molester or not.

[MariaBuch]

I have no problem throwing Harry Reid under the bus to get this process moving. If Hillary would accept it, he should step aside. What has he done for the Democrats?

[campgranata]

a good question yet what has MRS Clinton done for anyone but herself. If they could persuade Senator Reid to step aside there are many, probably all, who would be better in the position than MRS Clinton, unless of course she could have Bill Clinton as co-leader. Much as I dislike the morals or lack of in Bill Clinton he was a gifted politician: She is his wife.

[aristippe]

I don't want hillary for President, I DO WANT HER FOR SENATE MAJORITY. She's got brass balls. She could whip congress into shape.

[scrawf]

And Reid is a terrible Majority Leader. He has been outmaneuvered time after time by the Republicans. He is a lousy public speaker, too. We need a more effective replacement, whether it is Hillary or someone else.

[rzan]

You see, this is the problem with many Hillary supporters. They cannot accept her as a woman running for the presidency. They have to attach male genitalia to her to make her acceptable. (What an awful visual). If you were to veiw her as a woman, without the testicles, you probably would not vote for her. This is very sad and very sexist. Can you not just view her as a strong woman without having to humiliate her?

[campgranata]

I don't think stubbornness is strength and she causes her own bad press by pandering, lying, and trying to dupe the poor out of donations so she won't have to pay her own debt. When one reports this behavior it is called truth. And anyway, she obviously can't be humiliated, shamed, or censored for she is a sociopath. If you are unfamiliar with the features of the disorder I would be happy to list them for you.

[John51]

Your point is exactly why Hillary is not a good candidate for the first woman presidency. If we want someone with balls then we may as well nominate the real thing, a man. Hillary has allowed herself to be identified in this manner , and in my mind, is not representing most independent woman I know.

[campgranata]

and what do BRASS Balls produce? NOTHING

[strifeknot]

Brass sperm?

[FZliveson]

She has a brass anal sphincter, a lead heart and an over-inflated ego. If she REALLY had Brass Balls, she would have HUMBLY and JOYFULLY stepped down while asking her colleagues in the Democratic party what she could do to help with the upcoming election. We need uniters and negotiators and people who are not afraid of public opinion to run this nation, not monarchists

[McPander]

I don't pretend to be an expert but it would seem that there has been a leader of the party for the last 16 years. That would be Bill Clinton. He has been behind the scenes controlling the party for the past 8 years.
He is responsible for all the weak leaders. Who was the head of the DNC for the 2004 elections? Gee it was Terry McAuliffe what a coincidence.
Its not very complicated. The weakness in the democratic party over the past 8 years has been due to the Clinton's desire to win the election in 2008 and take them back to the White House.
Did Mr. Clinton campaign as strongly for Al Gore as he has for his wife? no
Did Mr. Clinton campaign as strongly for John Kerry as he has for his wife? no
The plan has always been to have HRC serve 6 years in the senate then run for the white house. Everybody knows that.
Would that have been possible if Al Gore had been elected? no. Chances are he would have served 8 years and the his vice president would have had the shoe in for the nomination.
Would that had happened if John Kerry had won the white house? no.
There is a man behind the curtain in the Democratic Party and its Bill Clinton. Just look at who was on the campaign for John Kerry. All Clinton plants.
So i thank God for Howard Dean.
Think about it.

[on2them]

Spot on! You have nailed the whole sordid affair in a few sentences! Thank you!

[scrawf]

But Clinton is not responsible for Reid. And Reid is just....bad at the job.

[McPander]

I don't think you really understand how politics work. If you don't think that he hasn't had a say in all of the strategy and direction of the party then you are lost.
How long have you known that HRC would run for president?
Who are the pundents in the MSM for the Democratic Party?
Why did HRC run for the Senate in New York?
If you where running for Congress in the past 8 years, who would you want to campaign for you?
Sometimes you have to step back and look at all the pieces to see a puzzle.

[abby4ever]

I am listening to Larry King, I get it the morning after the night it is aired. John Edwards is on there, sitting on the fence as usual, at least so far and if I understand his words correctly.

[CocteausTwin]

"Keep in mind also, a senator coming back who's run for president is not a very unique one," Reid said to laughter. "Senator John Kerry ran, he's back. Chris Dodd ran, he's back. Joe Biden ran, he's back."

One of the smartest thing I have heard him utter all year.

[abby4ever]

i agree. And I, like some others on this thread, don't much like the idea of Hillary having to be compensated for her loss, given a consolation prize or something. If there is even the hint of her being willing to drop out, for a price, that's a kind of blackmail---and it should be soundly rebuffed. The best way to do that is to promise her nothing.

[CocteausTwin]

The only prize she should get is an elegant invitation to leave the party.

[Mogamboguru]

Another trial balloon busted.

[abby4ever]

This is spot on, Mogambo.

[CocteausTwin]

Another hot air trial balloon I believe.

[BadChristian]

"There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.
There is no greater guilt than discontentment.
And there is no greater disaster than greed. "
=Lao Tzu

[woofblister]

If it can be accomplished with an absolute minimum of feather-ruffling, and with nothing but the most colleagial respect and decorum observed at all times, and certainly only if it is convenient for all concerned without distressing anyone very much, Harry Reid might wish to perhaps begin to pretend to think about possibly removing Tailgunner Joe Lieberman from the plum committee assignments he still enjoys from his tenure as a democrat. That would be nice.

[Beowoof]

Good angle, fellow woof.

[Mogamboguru]

Yep.

[CocteausTwin]

In agreement here.

I cannot tell you that I won't be using your name in future conversations -- your moniker got a huge laugh from me!

[Nonamnesiac]

Since Paul Wellstone expired prematurely, there has not been a single US Democratic Senator with any real courage to replace Reid. Hillary would at best just be more of the same. Probably Russ Feingold or Barbara Boxer would be closest to a Senate Majority Leader who might make the Democrats a truly effective force for progressive change in the Senate, Boxer more so than Feingold. Feingold has been good on many issues, but has caved in many times also. Failing to filibuster the nomination of torturer, lawless Mukasey for Attorney General comes to mind with respect to both Feingold and Boxer, but there are other instances of collaboration on Feingold's part too.

[jpetaluma]

I like Russ Feingold most of the time. But he is inconsistent. I remember calling his office just before the vote to confirm John Ashcroft as AG. I begged his staff to tell him not to do it. I wasn't very convincing. Ashcroft was such an evil man. It killed me that Feingold voted to confirm him.

[aristippe]

Wrong. . . She would push healthcare like nobody's business

[Nonamnesiac]

She doesn't have that good a record. She blew it on health care when the Dems controlled the White House and both Houses of Congress. She blew the nomination for President even though she was inevitable -- was fighting several lesser known candidates (including Obama) and several uninteresting experienced old White guys with the vaunted Clinton machine behind her and access to the huge resources and political connections having that Clinton machine behind her meant. She'd be more likely to get through the Constitutional Amendment against flag burning she supports than getting through health care.

She needs some time with a shrink to deal with her lying problem, but if the Dems win as big as people are saying they will (and I don't believe they will) -- huge majorities in both Houses and the White House -- the last thing they need is someone as incompetent as she is to take over the Senate.

She has Kerryitis -- she loses where losing is nearly impossible.

[tiredofhillary]

Hillary would go a lot farther in her quest if she was doing all of this for the people...... not her own blind ambition. When people can look at you and listen to all of your wonderful words, but come away with the thought that you're not sincere, you have a BIG problem.

[havisham]

Why don't we ever hear about the "blind ambition" of male candidates? or males in general? And if you're looking for someone who wants to help "the people" you better look elsewhere than the final two democratic primary candidates. We gave that up when Edwards dropped out.

[FZliveson]

Havisham: good question. I think people expect men to be ruthlessly competitive. And people expect women to be more on the sensitive, relationship-building side. And, Hillary takes empire building to a new level. She pretends to care, but has it painted all over her face and in her ton of voice that she couldn't care less about most of the things she jabbers about. This is especially true when she talks out of both sides of her mouth, constantly contradicting herself. And, if she was as competent as she was ambitious, there would not be such a flap. However she is no great talent. She has trouble enrolling people and, were it not for her Hubbly Bubbly Husband, she would be a double-assed lawyer chasing plane crashes

[RichLiberal]

Politics is hard ball. Politicians like Reid and Pelosi will be hearing from the Clinton supporters and there are more than a few of us from sea to shining sea:

http://www.diversityj.com/ElectoralVoteStates.html

Behavior like Reid, Kennedy, and Pelosi may very well be spelling the end of the Democratic Party as we know it. There are a lot of Senators and Congressmen who have no interest in putting up with this BS and they will have plenty of voter support at restructuring the Congress.

[tiredofhillary]

What is this? HRC couldn't win the nomination so she is owed something? I'm not a big fan of Ried, but I agree with him on this one. Just as the other senators who returned after running for pres, she should return to the senate and have a seat.

I'm a little tired of all this talk of her getting this or that. She ran......she lost.......nice try. But we don't owe her anything.

[campgranata]

Actually she still owes her vendors, which given the amount of money the Clintons possess is shameful. pay your bills deadbeats.

[floydmcc66]

Oh shut up!

This is not some turf war. I would like to see some of these outstanding issue finally resolved during the next four to eight years. I would also like it very much for my fellow citizens stay engaged and active in politics. Not just for these elections but for future ones too. If you people are so ignorant that you can't see the opportunities in front of us, then you should just SHUT UP!

Politics MUST change. You're still spitting out old political bile. I bet you can taste it in the back of your throat. You're just too caught up in your disappointment to care.

Maybe you should just vote for McCain and leave us Democrats alone.

[abby4ever]

I second floy's suggestion. Shut up. You just make yourself look bitter---sour grape-ish--- when you say these things

[CocteausTwin]

Thanks for crystallizing my thoughts eloquently.

[havisham]

If you don't agree with us....then shut up? That's not political change--that's a politics we've seen before...it's called fascism. From wikipedia (pay attention to the final clause especially):

Fascism is a government, faction or political philosophy that raises nationalism, and frequently race, above the individual and is characterized by a centralized autocratic state governed by a dictatorial head, stringent organization of the economy and society, and aggressive repression of opposition.

[wolfi101]

I always hear comments from Clintons supporters, that the real evil and divisiveness comes from Obama's side...

But Obama's people have never threatened the party leadership [ like with Pelosi ] or to tear party apart, if they don't get their own way.

[Nimajoon31]

I can't stand Reid!!! Such a weaking.

Every time Shrub does something awful, Reid gives some weak statement: This is another example of the president being out of touch...

Pelosi and him leading the dems is shameful...

[EvSmith]

Harry Reid is a stronger figure in the Senate than Sen.Clinton. If you understand Washington and you understand the make-up of the Senate than it is noticeable that Harry Reid is good at what he does. What exactly he is doing though seems to widely vary. I have little idea what his long term policy interests are, He is far more skilled than Sen. Clinton has shown she could be at actually moving legislation, through sometimes bizarre deal brokering and trade offs. Sometimes weak ones, or very bad ones, very bad( FISA/ telecoms ( it figures)).
Only a very skilled senator could be a potential challenger to Sen. Reid, Chris Dodd or John Kerry. They both have the political ambition. I'm not certain about Biden, or others, maybe Sen. Tom Harkin as earlier mentioned.
I do know that right now, the senate leadership is DLC and that is important. I don't think Harry Reid is going anywhere, but if he does than the DLC and their lobby will likely push someone like Sen. Feinstein or Sen. Shumer, or even $hillary.

[OsamaBushLadin]

Yes, Reid is good at what he does and what he does is polish Bush's and republician's sphinters on command. Nancy (Super Tongue) Pelosi is pretty good at it too.