Reid braves rival’s turf, in the name of bipartisanship

By Lisa Mascaro

Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - You wouldn't invite a bruised and sweaty prize fighter into a tea parlor to lecture about the art of pulling punches.

So what was the likelihood that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday could effectively lecture students at the University of Louisville, the alma mater of Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell , about the virtues of bipartisanship?

That was the invitation from McConnell that Reid accepted, addressing 300 young scholars in his colleague's home state about the value of political civility in the course of conducting the people's business.

Bipartisanship, Reid explained during a 40-minute presentation, is requisite to conducting business in the Senate.

He and McConnell, Reid said, do their best nonpartisan work off cameras and behind the scenes.

"We do a lot of things publicly because that's what we have to do," he said about the rhetoric more frequently seen.

The remarks left some students confused by what they considered a mixed message.

"Of course it's easy to be friends off the Senate floor as opposed to on the floor," said Daniel Cameron, a political science major. "I don't think there's a lot of bipartisanship work in Congress. It's an ideal they strive for. But Congress is about different ideals, and the senators do a good job of representing them."

Little wonder if students had a hard time reconciling Reid's remarks about politicians needing to get along to do business.

After all, Reid has been furious with Republicans under McConnell's leadership since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Republicans have succeeded in blocking legislation on major issues, most significantly the one that brought Democrats to power: their promise to change course in the war in Iraq.

Democrats have responded by turning policy defeats into political weapons: Television ads against McConnell are trying to chisel away at the Republican leader's support as he heads toward reelection in 2008.

Against that backdrop, Reid showed up as McConnell's guest, and they allowed their partisanship to surface in one-liners.

McConnell introduced Reid as the majority leader he hoped would soon become the leader of the minority.

And Reid let it slip that he had just come from a fundraiser in Southern California - for the committee that is raising millions to defeat McConnell and other Senate Republicans.

Reid then went on to contrast Democrats and Republicans on a point-by-point list of issues, from the size of government to the record on global warming, while sparing any direct reference to McConnell. For example: "I say the war is the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of our country. Others say it's a war of choice and it's the only reasonable alternative."

Reid also spared the audience of his strident criticism of President Bush, saying he likes him as a person - but doesn't rank him up there with the senior Bush, whom he described as a good president.

Bipartisanship has become a sought-after elixir in Washington, an antidote to the deep and bitter infighting that has divided the parties for a generation. If only lawmakers could stretch across the aisle, find middle ground, some think there would be resolution to so many of the problems facing the country - the Iraq war, health care, budget priorities.

But the power of partisanship is addictive and not easy to kick: It rallies the base, raises money and turns out voters.

Historians remind that partisanship is cyclical, and today's battles were launched decades ago when lawmakers frustrated by the slow pace of civil rights reforms under a then unified Congress launched a more aggressive debate.

Republicans widened the divide during the 1994 Newt Gingrich revolution and kept ratcheting it up until they lost power in last November's election - just months after former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay resigned with a speech making no apologies for his partisan ways.

When Democrats took over in January, Reid gathered senators for a closed-door meeting to talk about working together. Comity was the word in Washington for a brief moment.

But Congress remains at odds, unable to smooth over the philosophical divide that in many ways could be out of step with most Americans.

Americans have told pollsters they want immigration reform, an end to the war, health care for children - all bills that are stalling in the divided Congress.

The evening before the speech, Reid walked into one of Louisville's finest venues, the Brown Hotel, for a less formal talk with student scholars. What was he wearing but a donkey tie. He just couldn't help himself.

The little blue-green donkeys were kicking and bucking with ferocity, a subtle provocation of what could come from this visit if there was going to be more candid discussion.

In an aside to a reporter, Reid said there would be more bipartisanship in Washington if not for "Republicans who don't represent mainstream Republicans."

McConnell added that "there are elements of both parties that prefer fighting over compromise and cooperation." But not him or Reid.

"I think good leaders try to look for the things they can cooperate on," McConnell said at the hotel. "That's what I believe Harry and I do.

"The rhetorical excesses that people see?" McConnell added, "That's really not necessarily a reflection of Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell."

Reid has met his match in McConnell, a skilled party leader and master of the arcane rules that run the Senate - words that have often been used to describe Reid himself.

Don Ritchie, associate Senate historian, said the Louisville encounter sounds like what he would expect in the staid Senate, where even though battles rage, senators "still treat each other in a civil manner. They're all part of the same club."

As they left the university Monday, Reid and McConnell were greeted by a handful of protesters with a "Ditch Mitch" bumper sticker and other anti-McConnell signs.

The two most powerful leaders of the Senate ducked into their respective cars, separately offering some parting thoughts.

When asked whether he had affection for McConnell, Reid smiled and said: "I have great respect for Mitch McConnell."

When asked whether he would do what his predecessor did and campaign against Reid in Nevada, McConnell said: "I haven't been invited. Let's see what happens."

So what did Reid's trip accomplish, traveling to the opponents' locker room to discuss bipartisanship in Washington?

"I hope that it helps, it helps the people we work with - the other 98 senators - that we can talk civilly to one another in a public forum," Reid said.

"The way that I look at it, it can't do any harm."