Reid taking punches from the left, too

Some liberals don’t think he’s been strong enough on health care reform

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Harry Reid

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Politics: The Early Line

Washington — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has not been getting much love from the left lately.

Some of his liberal friends have been so unenthused over his performance on health care reform one anonymous group was toying with supporting a Republican against him in his reelection campaign next year.

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann wants to stage a one-day free health clinic in Nevada to nudge Reid toward a stronger commitment to a public option in the health care bill.

And a new group, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, secured thousands of signatures overnight, thanks to a shout-out on “The Rachel Maddow Show,” calling on Reid to yank the committee chairmanships from any Democratic senator who votes to block a public-option health care bill from having an up-or-down vote in the Senate.

“If there was ever a time we needed to see strong and stronger leadership from him, it’s now,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

From where he sits in Reno, Bob Fulkerson, director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, has just a few words of advice for the out-of-towners: This isn’t San Francisco.

Fulkerson is all for free clinics. And he sees some value in pressuring the Senate committee chairmen not to block the vote.

But when groups start saying they would support Reid’s yet unnamed Republican opponent in 2010 in a state that is struggling to hold on to its new blue hue, he feels the need to intervene.

“These groups are kind of like the Tea Baggers of the left,” Fulkerson said. “They’ve never been to Nevada. They don’t understand what’s happening here on the ground. For them to threaten Reid’s ouster is completely irresponsible and outrageous.”

Local progressives may have their own gripes with the majority leader. But when other liberals try to take the top Democrat down, they said, they’ve got his back.

A Las Vegas columnist snarked recently that while there are 100 “Republicans for Reid” lined up for the 2010 election, he doubted a liberal could “muster even a quarter of that number.”

In no time “Progressives for Reid” was launched and within two weeks had collected 200 names.

It’s no secret Reid is not the most popular politician in libertarian-leaning Nevada. But what pundits have marveled over is that the senator’s favorability rating among Democrats is running at an unhealthy 32 percent, according to a recent poll.

Reid is working to shore up support from his home base while steering his politically diverse caucus of senators in Washington toward a cohesive vote on health care reform.

Just because Reid says he is for the public option won’t make it so.

Oddly, the attacks on him could help to reinforce to his reluctant senators that most Americans tell pollsters they want the public option, despite fierce opposition from Republicans and the insurance industry.

Reid’s office offered this take on the Olbermann campaign:

“Having grown up in a family that couldn’t afford health care in a town with no doctor, Sen. Reid is familiar with the challenges Olbermann described … If this effort helps people in need, while sending a message to opponents of health care reform, then that’s a good thing.”

Fulkerson, a fifth-generation Nevadan, doubts Reid will be moved much by the threats or the petitions.

“I just don’t see Senator Reid buckling to that kind of stuff,” he said.

“I think particularly people from outside the state of Nevada have to realize this is not San Francisco. He’s not Nancy Pelosi,” Fulkerson said. “He he comes from a traditionally very conservative state, and in spite of that, on this issue, he’s proven liberal, and we need to appreciate that.”

Discussion: 12 comments so far…

By Future

10/11/09 at 4:41 a.m.

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"These groups are kind of like the Tea Baggers of the left"

Too Big to Fail Senator Harry Reid in addition to producing inept bill that do not work can not even lead.

Harry Reid has put Chris Dodd in a chairmanship that Dodd clearly is unable to run.

Reid, Dodd and Pelosi will decide healthcare behind closed doors and they will give us what ever they want
By neiman1

10/11/09 at 5:46 a.m.

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Progressive is a strange name for those in favor of government control of everything.
By keo10

10/11/09 at 7:21 a.m.

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Harry Reid had his time in Washington and did a lousy job for our country. It is time for this man to be voted out of office along with his "socialist" ideas while we still have freedom of choice!
By dwms

10/11/09 at 7:44 a.m.

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Under Sen Reid's watch, St of NV has medical and wrongful death class actions. Sen. Reid's legacy will bankrupt our state for years to come. YOUR RIGHT!
By BarryS

10/11/09 at 8:01 a.m.

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Reid should just not get in the way of real reform. Nevada isn't exactly the place to emulate. After all, our poor regulation and cronyism has lead to such "innovations" as the colonoscopy scandal, essentially no competition in insurance due to merger mania, bankrupt hospitals that cannot "afford" to give lifesaving kidney dialysis or chemotherapy, lack of doctors. At least a national public plan would cause some reform here.After all, federal money always helps those states that are ranked 49 or 50.
By atdleft

10/11/09 at 8:45 a.m.

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Hopefully, the pressure from my friends on the left will at least remind Reid that most of us in Nevada are NOT teabaggers, birthers, and all around far right crazies. A solid majority of Nevadans want a strong public option, so Harry Reid just needs to listen to the sane majority and forget about the extremist wackos who will "succeed" in ousting him next year just like they did in 2004, 1998, and 1992.
By mred

10/11/09 at 11:12 a.m.

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The managers of all the Nevada talk stations are neo-nuts or Nazis and censor out moderate and progressive views. This skews the politics to the right.

We need the fairness doctrine and local control so that Rush Limpbowl won't dominate the radio waves.
By LarryVegas

10/11/09 at 12:13 p.m.

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I noticed one little fault in mred's statement...

It's not the managers or the Nevada talk stations who control what programs are on the air..

IT'S THE LISTENERS WHO CONTROL THE AIR WAVES!!!

This drives the far left completely up the wall and why they squeal for a "fairness doctrine" to take over control of the radio waves.

It's all about control for these guys...

Control the banking...
Control the housing...
Control automobile manufacturing...
Control energy...
Control the news media

CONTROL THE VOTERS!!!
By larry5

10/11/09 at 7:18 p.m.

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"We need the fairness doctrine and local control so that Rush Limpbowl won't dominate the radio waves."

Translation: Most people are smart enough to see through the destructive liberal agenda so while we're in power we need to control what is said through legislation.

Again, I must advocate an IQ test as a prerequisite to voting.
By tellinthetruth

10/12/09 at 8:34 p.m.

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I did my part to help Harry get elected the first time. He was telling the same old worn out story about his one outhouse town then. Harry, they all have lap tops and cell phones now!!!!! Your as worn out as your stories!! I changed parties because Harry was and still is deaf. He'll answer your question with the answer he wants you to hear about what he thinks, which usually has nothing to do with your question or concern, and he has proven to be a very reliable hypocrite!
By Sun-Downer

10/13/09 at 2:49 a.m.

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I have a few words for Bob Fulkerson:
Move to San Francisco.
By glenng

10/13/09 at 6:10 a.m.

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If we can't afford healthcare for all, then give it to the young! Time for we boomers to get out of the way.
http://www.glenngilchrist.com/?p=25