Selection of Harry Reid as House Minority Leader Says it All

[TaraMoon]

The Democratic Party's selection of a Right Wing Mormon with a
voting record Zell Miller would approve of as House Minority
Leader says it all. The Democratic Party has crawled into bed
with the GOP and pulled up the blanket.  We need to pull off
the blanket and take a good, hard look at what's going on.

[RaulVB]

1. Senate Minority Leader

And yes, he is a Mormon...

[Mirwib]

11. Being a Mormon in the East may seem strange

In the West, however, there are quite a few of them. Politically, however, I would guess that Reid is a lot more progressive than most members of the Mormon Church. He got the job almost unanimously from Senate Democrats who know his work.

[regnaD kciN]

13. Remember Morris Udall?

He was probably the most liberal presidential candidate back in 1976, when Jimmy Carter was trying to pull the party to the center and Jerry Brown was trying to pull it somewhere into outer space. ;-) Udall was a Mormon.

[Stand and Fight]

14. I grew up in Nevada -- Las Vegas, born and raised.

He's well liked even in Clark County -- where Las Vegas is located -- and he's respected for his political views. Harry Reid is a good guy, middle of the road maybe, but I hardly think that he was a bad choice. They chould have chosen Lieberman! Thank goodness they have some sense!

[Stand and Fight]

15. Sigh...

He could stand to be a little tougher and have a little more fire in his speech. I mean, it did give me pause to think when he stated that he knows how to fight out of the blue...

:eyes:

[Karenca]

2. It sucks that Reid took Daschle's place-It really sucks nt

[peacetalksforall]

3. At times I wonder how much they were paid - how much we were worth.

[peacetalksforall]

4. We need to watch every move...we need to send feedback...we need

to demonstrate, if necessary.

[smartvoter]

5. First pro-life Dem leader since 1989.

WTF???

[latteromden]

6. I didn't like Reid at first, BUT

He seems to have stepped up to the plate, first by saying we need to stop treating the Clintons and their people as saviors, and now by creating a war room - why did we not HAVE one, I would like to know, but at least he IS taking steps forward.

Yes, he is pro-life and pro-death penalty (*cringe* The hypocrisy...), but his voting record?

Pro-healthcare, anti-privitization of Social Security, anti-voucher, pro-immigration, pro-fair trade, pro-gay rights (although not gay marriage), pro-alternative energy & anti-ANWR, pro-education, an advocate of raising the minimum wage, and pro-UN/multilateral approaches.

We, as Democrats, just need to make sure he does what's best for the party.

[latteromden]

7. By the way, if Bush supporters are hypocrites for voting for Bush...

..based on only "moral values" or abortion (as I've heard again and again and again, "Why don't they vote on the IMPORTANT issues, like the economy?"), it's just as hypocritical to oppose an otherwise good leader for our party on the grounds of the same issue: abortion.

[Stand and Fight]

16. Good job!

You hit the nail right on the head in regards to Harry Reid! And I completely agree that we need to keep tabs on them to ensure they are making the best decisions for our party.

[regnaD kciN]

18. Sounds like a better Democrat than a certain Senator from Connecticut...

...who likes to claim to have "Joementum"... :eyes:

[Eric J in MN]

8. Exactly what is his position on abortion? NT

NT

[smartvoter]

9. Pro-life.

[Red State Blues]

12. framing

Please use anti-choice.

I heard Terry Gross on NPR today talking about the religious right attempting to "overturn the ban on voluntary prayer in schools". Come on! You can't give away the store before you even begin the debate.

[JohnnyCougar]

17. He hasn't voted 100% pro-life.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Harry_Reid.htm

He got a 29% by NARAL, which is bad, but it's not rock bottom.

[seemslikeadream]

10. Harry Reid and Barrick Corporation.

....

And while the Bush family steadfastly believes that ex-felons should not have the right to vote for president, they have no objection to ex-cons putting presidents on their payroll. In 1996, despite pleas by U.S. church leaders, Poppy Bush gave several speeches (he charges $100,000 per talk) sponsored by organizations run by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, cult leader, tax cheat—and formerly the guest of the U.S. federal prison system.

Some of the loot for the Republican effort in the 1997-2000 election cycles came from an outfit called Barrick Corporation. The sum, while over $100,000, is comparatively small change for the GOP, yet it seemed quite a gesture for a corporation based in Canada. Technically, the funds came from those associated with the Canadian’s U.S. unit, Barrick Gold Strike.

They could well afford it. In the final days of the Bush (Senior) administration, the Interior Department made an extraordinary but little noticed change in procedures under the 1872 Mining Law, the gold rush-era act that permitted those whiskered small-time prospectors with their tin pans and mules to stake claims on their tiny plots. The department initiated an expedited procedure for mining companies that allowed Barrick to swiftly lay claim to the largest gold find in America. In the terminology of the law, Barrick could “perfect its patent” on the estimated $10 billion in ore—for which Barrick paid the U.S. Treasury a little under $ 10,000. Eureka!

Barrick, of course, had to put up cash for the initial property rights and the cost of digging out the booty (and the cost of donations, in smaller amounts, to support Nevada’s Democratic senator, Harry Reid). Still, the shift in rules paid off big time: According to experts at the Mineral Policy Center of Washington, DC, Barrick saved—and the U.S. taxpayer lost—a cool billion or so.

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