Looking on bright side, Reid says he’ll have more time for Nevada

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2002 | 1:41 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried to cope Wednesday with the unpleasant reality that Democrats - and more specifically, Reid - will no longer be calling the shots in the Senate.

Even Reid, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, didn't sound entirely convinced.

While he wasn't on the ballot Tuesday, Reid lost his position as assistant majority leader when the Republicans won control of the Senate.

Senate Democratic leader Tom "Dashcle and I will not set the day-to-day agenda for the Senate," Reid said in a telephone interview from his home in Searchlight. "Arguably, I'll have more time to work on issues for Nevada. I need to look at it as the glass being half full rather than half empty."

He admitted to an especially empty feeling as election returns came in Tuesday night, showing Democrats going down to defeat in New Hampshire, Georgia, Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. The string of losses in close contests assured Republicans that they would regain their majority in the Senate.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday when Reid would relinquish his title. Democrats will be in the minority when the new Congress begins in January. But they could lose their majority as early as next week when Congress returns for a lame-duck session if a newly elected Republican from Missouri is sworn in.

Reid got a large share of the credit when Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans in June 2001. He helped persuade Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont to leave the Republican party and become an independent.

But Reid watched the majority slip away Tuesday. "We didn't do anything to energize our base," Reid said. "We tried, but the issue of the economy and health care did not move people. The people of America were more interested in Sept. 11, the sniper, Iraq, homeland security."

He's been on both ends of close elections, experienced going from the majority to the minority and back again. He prefers winning, of course.

But under the Senate's rules, the Democrats' loss, while diminishing Reid's power, will not leave him helpless. "I will not be muted," he said.

On many issues, 60 votes are needed and Democrats will hold 48 or 49 seats next year, meaning Republicans will have to attract at least eight Democratic votes.

In the Senate, where legislation often passes by consensus, the minority party's leaders still retain some control. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said Reid will remain "very, very powerful, especially in a closely divided Senate."

"He's the main Democrat that Republicans work with to get things done," Ensign said.

Reid also will be forced to give up his chairmanship of the Appropriations subcommittee on energy and water projects, where he has in years past been able to cut the budget for the Yucca Mountain project.