Apparently he’s proud of being a shameless hack.
America won’t see single-payer health care in our lifetimes, we should raise the minimum wage and a PresidentHillary Clinton might face less opposition than has Barack Obama, according to Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid.
Not only that, but Reid — known for his partisan broadsides and frequent attacks on Republican lawmakers he accuses of obstruction — acknowledged that part of his job is to find ways for warring political parties to compromise.
Those were among the remarks made by Reid at the Review-Journal’s monthly Hashtags & Headlines, where Reid made news mostly for calling armed protesters who have flocked to the Cliven Bundy ranch in rural Clark County “domestic terrorists.” But in a wide-ranging discussion with me that followed a lengthy Reid filibuster, the senator touched on a wide variety of topics.
Some highlights:
• Reminded of an interview on VegasPBS in August — in which he said America would “yes, absolutely yes” have a single-payer health-care system someday — Reid said it won’t happen anytime soon. “Probably not in our lifetimes, buddy,” Reid told me when I asked about the timeline. He said the idea was discussed when debate began on the president’s Affordable Care Act, “but it never really got off the ground.” […]
• Reid refused to back away from his criticism of the Koch brothers, oil billionaires who have funded a sprawling network of political groups, including Americans for Prosperity and groups focusing on veterans and seniors. “They’re trying to buy America,” Reid said. “I think having America for sale is not good.” […]
But a New York Times story published last month about the strategy puts a decidedly different spin on it. “Democrats say the strategy of spotlighting the Koch brothers’ activities is politically shrewd,” the story says. “The majority leader [Reid] was particularly struck by a presentation during a recent Senate Democratic retreat, which emphasized that one of the best ways to draw an effective contrast is to pick a villain, one of his aides said. And by scolding the Koch brothers, Mr. Reid is trying to draw them out, both to raise their public profile, and also to help rally the Democratic base. The approach stems, in part, from Democratic-funded research showing that many voters believe the political system is rigged in favor of the super rich.”
After I read that passage, Reid replied simply, “So?”
I pressed: “This is a political strategy, isn’t it, as well as a fundraising strategy? The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been raising money like gangbusters after you’ve been talking about the Koch brothers and as you said, you’ve given America the villain that they need to identify with as you struggle with your Democrats to overcome the objections to Obamacare and try to remain the majority.”
Again, Reid’s reply: “So?”