Senate leader Harry Reid refuses to bow out; Destined for Ash Heap of History

January 10, 2010

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Senate leader Harry Reid refuses to bow out; Destined for Ash Heap of History

Courtesy of Mish

Senate Majority Leader Reid works in his office in Washington

Those looking for good news on a cold winter weekend can find it in Nevada where Senate majority leader Harry Reid vows to run for re-election and is getting trounced in the polls.

Please consider Reid hits new low in poll.

More than half of Nevadans are unhappy with Sen. Harry Reid, according to a new poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Reid told the Review-Journal Friday he wouldn’t consider stepping aside as did Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, whose announcement this week prompted rumors that the Senate majority leader might think about ending his political career now that he’s the most vulnerable incumbent.

"I am absolutely running for re-election," said Reid, 70, in a statement. "These are difficult times for Nevada and as the majority leader of the Senate I have been able to take action to address those challenges. But I know there is more work to do to turn our state’s economy around and create jobs and I am committed to seeing it through."

According to the survey 52 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Reid, 33 percent had a favorable view and another 15 percent said they’re neutral.

As for Reid’s chances of re-election, Coker [the pollster] said the senator’s negatives are so bad that he will have a tough time making a comeback and earning more than 40 percent of the vote come November.

Coker noted that Reid’s fate is tied to the fate of the Democrats and President Barack Obama, which could be bad news since the Oval Office resident’s popularity has been plunging. Obama’s favorable rating dropped to 34 percent in the latest Mason-Dixon poll compared to 44 percent last month and 55 percent in May. His unfavorables climbed from 30 percent in May to 46 percent now.

"I think it all ties together because Reid is Washington and Obama is Washington," Coker said in an interview. "Right now, you’ve got a three-headed Democratic monster between (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi, Reid and Obama. And Pelosi has never been popular nationally. And Reid has become progressively or steadily less popular."

Coker, the Mason-Dixon pollster, said he believes Reid has ”caught Daschle disease," a reference to the former South Dakota senator and Democratic leader who lost re-election in 2004.

"Now that he’s taken over as Senate majority leader, he has to be the spokesman for the (Democratic) cause, and that’s a little left of where Nevadans are,” Coker said. "If anything, he’s gone further to the left rather than pull Democrats to the center.”

Good Riddance To Reid, Dodd

Reid is headed to the ash-heap of history, where he belongs. Now, if we could just get rid of Pelosi along with Dodd.

In case you missed it, Senator Dodd Will Not Seek Re-election.

Good riddance. Dodd’s best achievement since his election in 1980 is stepping aside now.

A nice gridlock where Obama can do no more damage would be a good thing. All it takes is a few senate seats and a gain of 30+ seats in the House. It would be better yet if Republicans could take control of the house as that would all but guarantee gridlock.

It’s a sad state of affairs when the best we can realistically hope for is gridlock. Until both parties get some fiscal religion however, that is likely the best we can do.

But never give up hope. Please seek out, support, and vote for candidates that have strong fiscal and monetary ideas, who also vow to end the military madness in the Mideast. One, by one, by one, we need to clean house. Dodd is a start.

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