How Harry Reid broke the Senate

And therein lies Reid’s lasting, and tragic, legacy. He skillfully wielded the majority leader’s limited powers to make the Senate work while, at the same time, creating the impression that it was bitterly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Reid simultaneously downplayed Democrats’ policy disagreements and highlighted their differences with Republicans. And he ensured some bills still passed by setting the Senate’s agenda, overseeing important negotiations with Republicans, and then structuring subsequent floor debates to make it harder for any senator, liberal or conservative, to alter or defeat the products of those negotiations.

Reid’s skill as a leader allowed him to essentially eliminate genuine deliberation on the Senate floor while ensuring that the Senate still legislated, a balancing act that his successors have struggled to perform.

Reid’s tenure as majority leader set the standard for what senators expect of their leaders. That is, before Reid, senators understood the majority leader’s primary responsibility to be facilitating the participation of interested senators in floor debates and keeping the legislative trains running on time. After Reid, senators understand the majority leader’s primary responsibility to be protecting senators from taking votes they want to avoid, crafting legislative compromises, and structuring the legislative process to ensure that the Senate approves them.