First, Reid’s allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him. The data will be made available to editorial boards, cable programs and the blogosphere — including votes on minimum wage, community-oriented policing, education funding and HIV/AIDS programs.
Separately, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to issue a new statement Monday, defending Reid and brushing back Republicans…
“There are some Republicans who are trying to use this for political advantage,” said a source close to the Reid camp. “If Senators [Jon] Kyl, [John] Cornyn and others want to have an open and honest debate about race — and if they want to discuss their records on issues of importance to the African-American community — we welcome that dialogue. But we are not going to stand idly by while hypocritical Republicans take swipes at Senator Reid, distorting his record of achievement and their own record of failure.”
Top Democrats tell POLITICO that they have no doubt that that Reid, a former amateur boxer, will keep fighting and survive in his leadership job. Indeed, Reid’s racial flub is already turning out differently than the one made by Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) in 2002. When Lott made a nostalgic remark about the segregationist Dixiecrat presidential run of Strom Thurmond, his Republican allies quickly abandoned him. Democrats are sticking by Reid so far.
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