After any election loss, there is — or should be — a tendency to look at changing leadership. Since the election, it seems like there should be some consideration of who will lead the Democrats in the Senate (and the House, but we didn’t just lose it in the election). I haven’t seen much discussion of who it should be, so maybe the caucus will just keep Reid without much of a fight.
That would be fine, but since it’s as good a time as any in the foreseeable future, I’d like to see at least a good little fight for it. The fact that the Senate has been dysfunctional has largely been due to GOP obstruction. But Reid hasn’t been particularly able in his time in the Senate to get through that obstruction, at least when the Democrats didn’t have large majorities. The ACA and the stimulus were important, and we shouldn’t diminish them. But he wasn’t able to do much with Democrats’ majorities in the last election.
He is also more conservative than a lot of the caucus on some critical issues. The big one is that he’s anti-choice. It’s a problem making the full throttled argument against the GOP on reproductive rights issues when the leader of the Senate caucus isn’t even there on the issue. I’m sure there are some Red State senators who feel the opposite, and that we should look for ever more centrism. It’s a worthwhile argument to have.
My choice would be Patty Murray, because doy it is, but I could see several people who I’d prefer to have in the position instead of him. Do any of y’all have someone you’d like to see, or do you want to stay with him.
I don’t know how effective he might be at corralling the cats, but I’d love to see Al Franken in charge. His intelligence is wasted on the back burner.
I think Al could do it. Good idea.
Yes, why not Al Franken? I would love to see the Al Franken Senate, headed by him, Al Franken.
Someone with a backbone.
The Mom in Tennis Shoes has morphed into Pork Barrel Patty. Now I’m OK with a Senator bringing home some goodies to the home state but Patty has embraced too many defense contractors for my liking. And like so many Dems in safe seats, she is conspicuously absent from issues of income inequality, social justice and a less belligerent foreign policy. Cantwell is just as bad. Yes, please, anyone with a backbone and an ability to think on their feet.
@5 you are spot on. I wish there was a like button for this blog. I would click on it for your succinct statement.
Getting through the lame duck session should be the first concern. Since the Senate is rather clubby it’s likely to hinge on whether Mr Reid wants to remain the leader of the caucus. If not it would seem the party whit Dick Durbin would be the most likely candidate or at least first among potential candidates for the post.
Funniest line of this post…
Sounds like a line from the group Organizing For Obummer! Wrong Answer! When Bush was President Chucky Schumer, 3 White Sheets Byrd, Turban Durbin, and Reid were big time obstructionists. Republicans worked through it!
Since 2013 Harry Reid blocked all those House bills passed because he didn’t want his “pals” on the record for tough votes. So Reid stopped the senate from doing anything. Y’all had the majority from 2007. http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/.....-Advantage
And this is why y’all got your Senate ASSes kicked a week ago. Real American voters woke up and DUMMOCRETIN voters weren’t impressed!
How many budget bills were passed during this time? You see HA DUMMOCRETINS, you all have very short memories, and Puddy doesn’t need a crazed databaze to remember DUMMOCRETIN malfeasance… http://thehill.com/policy/fina.....et-is-done
You see Reid didn’t think he had to pass a budget to irresponsibly spend taxpayer money. That’s the DUMMOCRETIN way. Reid didn’t care about the Congressional Budget Act! It took the DUMMOCRETIN Senate 1423 days to pass a budget!
And par for the course here for an HA DUMMOCRETINS head to claim Republican obstructionism. Otherwise Carl would have to tell the truth!
At little off topic, but does anybody know why Patty Murray isn’t on the Sunday talk shows? She’s be chair of the f**king Budget Committee and the federal budget gets talked about a lot. But Patty’s not on TV. Does she not want to be on TV, or do the guys in charge of booking the guests figure “why call somebody new when we can get McCain instead.”
Well, Tom Foley was Speaker, how did that work for us? No, Murray leading Dems in the Senate does not seem like a good idea at this juncture. In this climate, I see it as an impedance to her chances of being reelected, not as a benefit.
The US Senate is a coven of zionists. This makes a farce of what is left of our democracy. Our choice is either piss or shit. I still have my favorites in this body, but I’ll pass on this.
@11..Go back to polishing your jackboots.
#8 — Have you ever played whist? You sound like a man who plays whist.
@12 “@11..Go back to polishing your jackboots”: Oh Sigh, your remark is so off the mark that I sigh myself. I don’t own jack boots. Nor do I polish them. I do own a pair of soft leather hiking boots (not used to kick the shit out of Palestinians).