Reid sworn in as top Democrat

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 | 11:07 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- When lawmakers were sworn in this morning for the first day of the 109th Congress, Democratic Sen. Harry Reid became Nevada's highest ranking member of Congress ever.

As the new Senate Democratic leader, Reid now faces the new challenge of being a national spokesman and a top leader of the Democratic party, while simultaneously balancing his duties as a Nevada senator.

He takes the party reins in a contentious new session of Congress with issues looming that threaten to widen partisan chasms. The two biggest fights could be over Social Security reform and judicial nominees.

But Reid said he hopes that partisan rancor in Congress has been overblown. He said he has had "many nice conversations" with Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee about the upcoming session.

"People are looking for a fight," Reid said in an interview. But it may not materialize, he said. Reid said that ultimately President Bush controls the level of partisanship in Washington.

"He sets the agenda," Reid said.

Reid said Democrats are united against Bush's proposal to allow workers to invest part of their Social Security money in private accounts.

"Don't mess with the trust fund," Reid said.

Reid's story has been repeated often, frequently by him: A poor miner's son who grew up in tiny Searchlight, and against the odds became a Washington power broker. Reid has said his fondness for Searchlight has grown in recent years, as has his influence in the nation's capital.

Reid, who wrote a history of Searchlight, spent a quiet New Year's Eve at a musical performance at the Searchlight Nugget.

But Reid's schedule has been anything but quiet in the seven weeks since he was unanimously elected leader by the Senate's 43 other Democrats.

Reid in recent days moved into a sprawling elegant new office suite in the U.S. Capitol, formerly occupied by outgoing Democratic leader and Reid friend Sen. Tom Daschle, D-N.D. A massive portrait of Harry Truman is hung in the waiting area of the office. Today staffers were still busily wiring computers and preparing for the new session.

Reid's new Democratic communications "war room" officially opened today on the third floor of the Capitol. Workers today were wiring one wall of the room for a bank of televisions to track the news.

Reid launched the new operation, run by veteran congressional aides Jim Manley and Phil Singer, in an effort to to counter President Bush and congressional Republicans who control the agenda -- and the bully pulpits -- in Washington.

The six-person operation includes a Hispanic media outreach coordinator and a researcher to keep tabs on a number of media, including Internet news and opinion generated by "bloggers," people who track Washington and keep online journals.

"The main goal is to be pro-active in articulating the agenda and lead the charge in getting out Sen. Reid's message -- to set the tone and tenor and not be reactive to the day's news," Manley said.

Manley said the war room intends to issue a daily message -- a press release for Democratic staffers on Capitol Hill and the media who cover Washington.

The office issued its first set of daily "talking points" today, saying that Democrats want to work with Republicans. But, the single page notes, "Unfortunately, early signs indicate Republicans may be preparting for more of the same." It notes that Bush has re-nominated 10 of his "most extreme" judicial nominees and advocated a "crisis in Social Security where none exists."

Reid also has a slate of Nevada issues to sort through, ranging from legislation to create a new business park in Henderson to establishing a heliport for Grand Canyon fly-overs.

Reid once again vowed that he will continue an annual battle to slash federal funding for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

And, as it is every year, Reid has been inundated with hundreds of requests for federal money from Nevada local governments and agencies, including Las Vegas and Clark County. Last year, Reid helped secure money for dozens of projects from boat ramps at Lake Mead to Interstate 215 beltway construction. His staffers are still sifting through the requests.

Reid in recent weeks also has sought counsel from a who's who list of Democrats and consultants, including former President Clinton and former presidential contenders Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Reid has spoken to Daschle a number of times since Election Day and will continue to seek his counsel, he said. Reid had served as Daschle's top assistant as the Democratic whip.

Reid said the best advice came from Clinton: "Be yourself."

Also among Reid's new duties is keeping tabs on the race for chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Reid has spoken with about 10 candidates seeking Reid's blessing in their bid to be the next DNC leader. Sources say Reid was leaning toward Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack before he withdrew his name.

But Reid says he has not decided who he now likes best for the job, and will not endorse anyone before the 447 members of the committee elect a leader in February.