Suggestions for a new Senate Majority leader -- in place of Harry Reid

[brentspeak]

If - IF - the Democrats retain the majority in the Senate, it's imperative that they have a new and actually effective Majority leader representing them when the new session commences in January 2008. Harry Reid is in completely over his head; the Republicans have too many tricks up their sleeve, and he is not savvy or creative enough to counter them. The ridiculous Cornyn resolution should never have come up for a vote in the first place -- and Reid, as the Majority leader, had the ability to quash the resolution.

An effective Majority leader could work wonders for the Senate Democrats, preventing the Republicans from running the legislative show as the Minority party. A lot of gnashing-of-teeth that we see here on DU could be avoided with a Majority leader who actually knows how to stymie the GOP and get things done.

So

a) I urge people to call their Democratic senators, and ask them to, when the new session comes around, replace Reid as Senate Majority leader.

b) Which Democratic senator should be the new Majority leader?

[SaveElmer]

1. Count me out...

Sen. Reid is doing the absolute best ANYONE could do in the situation he finds himself in...

[brentspeak]

6. If he's doing the best anyone could do in this situation

WHY did he let Cornyn's stupid resolution come to a vote???

[cali]

2. Is this a new game? Fantasy Senate?

Ok, I'll play: How about Dick Durbin?

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. ROTFLMAO!

"Fantasy Senate" :rofl: That was fuuuuuunny!

[rusty quoin]

3. Barbara Boxer

[cureautismnow]

42. Second.

Boxer is a fighter. We desperately need more like her.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

4. Feingold/Boxer/Clinton

Still praying that Hillary can campaign for that job, after losing the primaries to Al.

[mark414]

5. so because the Republicans continue with their dirty tricks...

we need to punish Democrats?

[brentspeak]

10. Who said anything about "punishing"?

I want to AVOID more punishment. It doesn't "punish" Democrats to get a more effective Majority leader.

[AuntPatsy]

11. Of course, someone must take the fall and God forbid we the people

as majority leaders in that 72 percent of we the citizens of this country wish to demand we leave Iraq, I guess we are having a hard time getting them to hear our outrage.

[MrCoffee]

18. hang on...As Majority Leader, Reid could put an end to 99% of the dirty tricks

why he refuses to is a complete mystery to me. Either he's never heard of the Senate Rules or he is complicit. It's not punishing Democrats by questioning the questionable leadership of the majority, especially on something as fundamental as Senate procedure.

If Reid can't or won't use the rules to benefit the majority, it's time to think about a change.

[monmouth]

7. I think Uncle Ted Kennedy is a pretty savvy, take no sh*t kinda guy.... n/t

[ecstatic]

8. I wish Dean would run nt

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Joe Lieberman

I bet he'd love to come back into the fold if he is offered Senate Majority Leader.

[Selatius]

17. I somehow doubt he'd help Democrats end the war.

It doesn't seem to make sense to reward someone who doesn't agree with what people want by giving him more power.

[EstimatedProphet]

23. I bet he would if he were given the Senate leadership

[Selatius]

29. Not to ruffle your feathers, but I wouldn't take your bet at all.

Somebody else could get it. There's 49 other Democrats in the Senate besides Lieberman.

[EstimatedProphet]

32. But with Lieberman, we'd get 50

And as Senate leader, he would always vote with us.

[brentspeak]

34. If it had anything to do with Iraq, Lieberman would always vote against us

That's why the Connecticut Democrats voted Lamont over Lieberman: because Lieberman wouldn't budge from his pro-war stance.

[EstimatedProphet]

35. Maybe if we made it clear that we'd replace him if he supported the war, he'd be more cooperative

[Selatius]

40. Joe being 50 wouldn't matter. The Repubs are likely to lose a shit load of seats in 2008.

The biggest thing against the Repubs is Iraq. If the Repubs are going to lose as big as I think they will, we can ignore Joe.

[EstimatedProphet]

41. So, you think we'll pick up a bunch of seats?

So, we'll have a majority that we can work with?

[Selatius]

43. The Repubs have like 10 seats on the line in 2008.

Even if we only win three or four, that would render Joe's swing vote irrelevant. Joe couldn't threaten to kill legislation he doesn't like anymore by denying Reid a majority. Forget him. Leahy would be a stronger majority leader anyway.

[EstimatedProphet]

47. Then by your own admission, the Dem "majority" in the Senate is ineffectual at best

So why the hell are you griping about Reid as if he were able to magically turn the situation around? He's doing what he can - which right now is just about only making statements.

You want Reid to act as if he has an 80 seat majority. He doesn't. It's not his fault that he doesn't. Dumping Reid after we get a solid majority just because he doesn't have one right now makes just about as much sense as putting Joe Lieberman in as Senate leader. Evaluate what he can do and does do after he is able to do something other than make press statements.

[Selatius]

49. Well, the problem is I never really suggested dumping Reid or suggested an alternative.

I was responding to your hypothetical about Lieberman by throwing Leahy's name off the top of my head if you were going to go with an alternative. Remember that I originally said that if you're going to replace Reid, you might want to pick someone else. That was my advice. That's not the same as me personally saying Reid should be replaced. You were the one who responded to the OP's offer by offering an alternative leader with Joe Lieberman's name, not me.

Reid is fine where he is; he simply needs some more seats and a few Republicans to peel off after that point to break filibusters. I admitted nothing beyond what I just said. This was a miscommunication. I mean, of all possible alternatives, why did it have to be Joe Lieberman, of all people???

[EstimatedProphet]

51. Well, on that I agree

Reid is fine where he is, and I think it is unrealistic to talk about throwing him out because we only have 50 seats in the Senate. I was trying to be sarcastic by offerring Lieberman as a possible replacement. I really didn't think people would take me seriously. During the course of the discussion I got my posters crossed. Sorry.

[marmar]

12. Durbin, Feingold, Boxer or Sherrod Brown....

n/t

[Bucky]

14. Jim Webb! He rocks! Also Leahy's been pretty hot on the Bushies' tails lately.

I assume any Democrat would find these two senators' anti-Bush credentials impeccable.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

45. Bullshit. Webb condemned me and lots of other DUers today. He voted aye to condemn Moveon. nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. Durbin, Boxer, Feingold, Kennedy or Sheldon WHITEHOUSE!!!!!

:bounce:

[Mojambo]

16. I like Boxer for that post. n/t

[Fovea]

19. Yes on replacing Reid

Dick Durbin, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry... but who ever it is has to go on testosterone supplements, even if it is Barb Boxer.

[partylessinOhio]

20. Count me in - he has to go.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy should replace Reid but I don't know if he would accept the position.

[Robbien]

21. I've thought about this alot and wished for a replacement

but how likely is this going to happen? And if it does happen, how likely will the replacement be a non DLC/BlueDog?

I do not like Reid.

But other than a wish list, in reality is there going to be any other leader appointed by this Congress who will at least perhaps, maybe, sometime recognize that there is a tree hugging progressive bunch of do-gooders hogging the majority of the Democratic base?

[liberalnurse]

22. Sherrod Brown!

He was Chair today and was 100% with Senator Boxer.


http://brown.senate.gov/

[cali]

24. Nope. Love Brown, love Whitehouse

but they haven't been in the Senate long enough to know how to do the job. It takes years to learn the arcane ways of the Senate. His unfamiliarity with those arcane ways, is one reason Frist was seen as such an ineffective ML.

[OzarkDem]

39. Brown was in the House for many years

He knows how the Senate works, very well.

[Disturbed]

28. There is quite a list of persons that would be more effective.

Durbin, Kerry, Feingold, T. Kennedy, Boxer or Sherrod Brown.

[OzarkDem]

38. Sherrod!

or Boxer.

[me b zola]

25. Feingold

Hands down.

[bluethruandthru]

26. Feingold!

[xchrom]

27. ok -- to play Fantasy Senate -- you have to pick a leader who can

actually do the job.

who has the skills to outmanuever the republick party when it comes to it.

not pick the most popular.

i agree -- reid is losing to mcconnell -- there is no doubt about that.

[Bucky]

31. No, it's also a PR job. If it was 1907, Teddy would be the pick.

But he won't play well in the TV age. Feingold or Kerry are more crusaders than drum majors. I think Leahy or Webb would be stronger. Of course they're on everyone's shit list cause they don't think it's smart to call serving military officers "Betray us".

[xchrom]

33. if they can't stick up for their base -- how effective can they be?

i think levin probably knows the rules well enough to be truly effective.

i'm sure teddy does -- and you know that could work to make him more familiar to the rest of the country again.

he does well on talk shows.

[Bucky]

37. I'm the base too. I found the use of the phrase "Betrayus" offensive.

Worse than that, I found it horrible marketing.

[xchrom]

44. petraeus lied -- how can the phrase be offensive?

he took on a political role and legitemately opened himself up for mockery.

have any of the republick party apologised for what was done to john kerry or max cleland -- or how about all the awful things said about HRC during the clinton years -- or newt gingrich's comments about the democratic party being resposible for the drowning of those children by that susan woman -- and on and on.

if you don't want to play hardball -- then maybe politics -- even as an armchair participant isn't for you?

because as far as i'm concerned you and that attitude furthers the cause that bush displayed so artfully during his press conference.

and as far as it being horrible marketing -- we're still talking about it -- we're talking the petraeus lies and the failure of the iraq war.

the ad succeeds.

you're not taking the high road -- in fact you take a harmful role in this matter.

[VP505]

53. It wasn't a

phrase, it was a question.

[Warren DeMontague]

30. Top 3 in my book: Boxer, Feingold, Durbin.

I can usually count on those guys to do the right thing.

[Bitwit1234]

36. Webb speaks his mind and does what he is supposed to do

try to get bills passed that benefit this country. We don't need a wimp in charge we need one that will fight for what is right.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

46. Feingold. Reasoning?

Feingold voted against both the Boxer and Cornyn Amendment today. I believe he did so because he thought such Amendments were full of crap. Those Amendments never should have made it to the floor, which is the Leaders decision.

[Le Taz Hot]

48. Boxer,

but she doesn't follow orders from the corporate-sponsored Democratic power brokers so it would be someone more, say, maliable. Look at the MoveOn censure "Yay" votes yesterday, there are many from which to choose.

[backscatter712]

50. Patrick Leahy.

I have a lot of respect for him. He does choose his battles, and I don't always agree with the ones he chooses, but he has been very effective heading the Judiciary Committee - just slowly building his case, gathering evidence, tightening the screws, calling out the bastards when they aren't playing by the rules. He knows how to be tough, which is something Reid is piss-poor at doing.

Say what you will, but Rove and Gonzo made hasty departures, didn't they?

Leahy knows how to play the game. He knows the dirty tricks much better than Reid does, and he knows how to counter them, pick the fights he can win, and build momentum to do the right thing.

[calimary]

52. He caved on the MoveOn issue.

I'm sorry, I'm forced to be a hard-ass on this.

The ONLY person fit to lead in the Senate at this point is BARBARA BOXER.