Senate Democrats all in for Harry Reid's leadership, majority or no

Ed and Allahpundit have already covered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s most recent bouts of furiously unhinged, untenable anti-Koch showboating — both on the Senate floor and on the official Senate interwebz — but here’s a quick addendum for you. In case you were wondering whether Reid’s especially apparent inanity of late has any significant portion of Senate Democrats thinking about whether they maybe want to start considering a different, perhaps slightly more coherent leader after the midterms — that would be a “no.” Via Politico:

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A wide cross section of the Senate Democratic Caucus said in interviews that they are willing to back Reid as either majority or minority leader in the next Congress — no matter how controversial the Nevada Democrat has become as part of the furious battle for control of the chamber this fall.

Even if Democrats lose the majority, Reid’s top deputies and potential successors, including Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Patty Murray of Washington, are already committing to get behind the five-term Nevadan if he were to run as minority leader. …

Boosting his standing with colleagues, Reid is on a relentless fundraising drive to help raise money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Democrats’ main super PAC, the Senate Majority PAC. The leader is barnstorming the country from Orlando, Fla., to San Francisco, dialing for dollars and helping raise roughly $2 million for his party committee — all as if his own seat were on the line this fall. …

“Absolutely,” Sen. Mary Landrieu, a vulnerable Louisiana Democrat facing voters this fall, said when asked if she would back Reid as leader no matter the outcome of the November elections. “We all share in success, we all share in the failures; we’re a team. But Harry Reid has tremendous respect of members of our caucus. … I don’t believe that he would be challenged in our party for leadership until he’s ready to step aside.”

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I’m surprised Landrieu didn’t demur from Reid’s hyper-partisan craziness a little more there, as several other vulnerable red-staters did further into Politico’s piece; but then again, I suppose there isn’t much utility in getting into internal debates about a change of leadership at this point anyway. Reid’s doing just fine raising that cash for his cohorts — and speaking of riling up the uber-progressive base for those fundraising purposes, you know he was just tickled by Charles Koch’s Wall Street Journal op-ed:

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) responded to the Koch op-ed Thursday at an event held to build support for a proposed increase in the minimum wage.

I think I must be getting under their skin,” Reid told the crowd, packed mostly with members of labor unions.

“Most people here are familiar with the Koch brothers. If I’ve helped make them a little more infamous or famous, I’m glad I’ve done that. These two men are a pair of shadowy billionaires spending millions of dollars to rig our political system. And who does it help? Them.”

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David Strom 12:30 PM | April 23, 2024
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