Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid answers questions about his re-election during a news conference at Vdara Wednesday, November 3, 2010.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Published Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 | 8:34 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 | 10:31 a.m.
Sun Coverage
Smooth leadership elections left the same sheriffs heading up both party caucuses in the Senate – but there are still a few new faces in town.
There was no change in the top brass; the 112th Congress will once again feature Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid facing off against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Both will be backed up by their current Whips – for Reid, that’s Dick Durbin of Illinois, and for McConnell, Jon Kyl of Arizona.
But there’s a little bit of shifting below that – at least on the Democrats’ side. While New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer retains his No. 3 post, he’s taking on a slightly expanded role, adding “Chair of the Democratic Policy Committee” to his existing title of Vice Chair of the Conference.
That means Schumer – aided by new deputy Debbie Stabenow of Michigan – will be responsible for a great deal of messaging out of the Senate. Creating an effective public message is an area where several Democrats say their party needs improvement, and fast-tracking positive steps will be critical as the party faces the fact that 23 of its senators will be fighting to keep their seats in 2012 – almost half the caucus.
“We must better integrate our legislative- and message-crafting functions into a central, coordinated nucleus managing policy, press and politics,” Reid wrote in a letter to senators.
The expansion of the role brings the Democrats’ policy work on the hill into closer alignment with the work of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – the only piece of the party puzzle that hasn’t get been given a new chief. Schumer led the election-focused body during the Democrats’ election boom cycles of 2006 and 2008, and the DSCC’s current chair, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, is stepping down to focus on his own re-election campaign in 2012.
With the losses posted in this year’s midterms and a president up for re-election, 2012 is not expected to be an easy cycle to steer the party through. So far, at least three senators who have been offered the position: Schumer, Mark Warner of Virginia, and Michael Bennet of Colorado – both elected in 2008 – have turned it down.
But the most interesting new face may be another class of ’08-er: Mark Begich of Alaska, who took on the party’s No. 5 post as chair of the Steering and Outreach Committee. Patty Murray of Washington remains at No. 4 as Secretary of the Conference.
Begich’s appointment is, by all appearances, a nod to the younger guard, which has been angling for a greater role in next year’s Congress.
They’ve got good reason to want it. More than 40 percent of the Democrats in the Senate are first-termers, most having been elected in the 2006 and 2008 that put Democrats in control of Congress and later, the White House.
Just about half of the Democrats coming up for re-election in 2012 (23, including the two independents who caucus with Democrats, as opposed to Republicans, who only have 10 seats in play) are first-termers as well.
In a Congress that has traditionally favored incumbents, it’s a rare occurrence to have such a pile-on of young senators. The unorthodox configuration throws a new spin into the traditional social fabric of the caucus, where more seasoned senators are used mentoring and grooming the younger generation – and a creates a new faction for Reid to factor into his leadership going forward.
The elections went smoothly and without contest in the Senate – a calm precursor to the ugly infighting that is expected from House Democrats on Wednesday. Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, a leading voice among the dwindling Blue Dog Democrats’ caucus, is planning to make good on a threat to run for the minority party’s top post – as he’d promised to do if sitting Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a bid for the position.
I expect to see a new Harry Reid, I expect just like others, to see Harry focus on the people's business. Harry must remember, that the people forgot what Harry has done for Nevada. The people voted against Harry by voting for Sharron Angle. Much political noise coming from special interest, special interest not "interested" in the State of Nevada's interest.
In two short years, he'll be the Minority Leader.
Hooray for Harry... Let's see if Harry does the "Peoples Business" instead of his and Obama's special business...
Any business is better than what Sharon Angle would have done. She would be up there doing Karl Rove's business. After all she would be indebted to him for the millions and millions of dollars his special interests and secret donors poured into this campaign. Didnt matter though the people of Nevada saw right through that.
If the spirits of the Mob were to see how Reid was re-seated, they would tell themselves, "And they talk about us."
This country is so screwed
OK Harry. It's put up or shut up time. We all need that Sales Tax deduction. If you can't push it through, you're just another loser, like your son. The clock is ticking...
Some Liberals are deflecting Harry's lack of leadership by blaming Sharron Angle for receiving "secret money" from donors.
Where is the secret money???
These same Liberals must have forgotten about the millions of union dollars and: "...the millions and millions of dollars his special interests and secret donors poured into this campaign."
Good---if Democrats are stupid enough to keep Reid and Pelosi the face of their party, then they are asking for another wipe-out in 2012.
Rock on---the Conservative Wave continues and the the American left and their complient media will not see it (again)
Can't wait to see Gelding Harry stare down Marco Rubio.
Plus, Neutered Harry has 21 Dems and 2 Independents that will look at him and laugh.
What the reporters who love Harry will not mention is that he is powerless and the Senate has already turned on him. Do the 21 Dems and 2 Independents have a death wish? I think not.
Reid is a master of the Senate and his colleagues know it. He'll be the keeper at the gate against the teapartiers in the House.
Poor Dingy Harry! He has to go to Washington DC and work with Nancy and Imam Obama. He would rather be home in Searchlight eating his oatmeal in the corner and remembering his good ol' boxing days. Hang in there Dingy! Nevada needs you for 6 more years. God Bless Nevada! Aren't we lucky!
Thank God for Harry Reid! Nevada can ONLY benefit from Senator Reid's reelection!
The other outcome would have been diabolical!
HARRY REID IS THE MAN.
These greedy republicans KNOW that Democrats
are still in charge.
Harry Reid runs the Senate, perioid.
Harry Reid will be kicking republican butt for
many years to come.
After all, greedy republicans destroyed our
economy and don't have a clue of how to fix it.
Why would anyone, with half a brain, listen to
these fools.
President Obama will sail to re-election in 2012.
Good luck Harry, you are going to need it...
Trying to pass the DREAM Act will cost you and every Congressman who supports it their job in 2012...
Good luck Harry, don't let these crazy republicans
do any more damage.
REPUBLICAN GREED HAS NO BOUNDS.
"Good luck Harry, don't let these crazy republicans
do any more damage.
REPUBLICAN GREED HAS NO BOUNDS."
Well said!
Harry Reid must not forget the reason for the loss of the Democrats and prior to that the humiliation of President Bush before he left office; a bad economy. Congress needs to start working together to get our country, especially Nevada, out of this prolonged recession, which to a lot of people would feel like a depression if not for the government extension of unemployment benefits. Basic government policies need to be repaired to make them beneficial for job creation; which means that our President Obama should not be going to India to create say 50,000 jobs, for $10 billion of projected goods to be sold, whereas India has taken millions of jobs in outsourcing that once used to employ Americans. Comedy is funny and now we all laugh, I know I do, at the new show Outsourced or whatever, that comes on T.V. Sometimes we can laugh at our mistakes but that should be a very short time, while the majority of time, especially that of the politicians, should be in trying to repair the self defeating policies of government and industry that have crippled our country. It is at least a good starting point that Reid met with Sandoval; at least this meeting shows some light at the end of the tunnel. I propose that all the elected officials in NV, be they Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, Independents, etc., should get together and get open ideas from we the people, in a publication such as this, so that these ideas, the essence of which will be good, can have a chance to be carried out in making our state and our country better economically.
Harry Reid is resembling Don Quixote more and more every day.
Harry has become obsessed with himself, and believes that Obama's every word to be true, despite the fact that many of Obama's promises are clearly impossible.
Quixote, I mean Harry, appears to others to have lost his mind from believing that he is the most important person in Washington D.C. Harry believes that he is leading a massive army into battle with the Republican dragons. But actually, if Harry would look behind him, he would only see Obama and Pelosi. The rest of Harry's troops have deserted him in an effort to save their political careers.
"he was spurred on by the conviction that the world needed his immediate presence."
I did not know that the teamster now has a parrot???