This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1399531
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1399531
A wonderful tribute to a great man.
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Harry Reid always remembered where he came from, what he was in power to do and who he worked for. I bless his name for working hard for what I needed as an ordinary citizen to live out my last days in good health and a measure of dignity.
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Lovely and loving words for a man who worked hard for the American people.
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Harry was a beast. The job he and Nancy did pushing the ACA through both chambers was masterful. Harry was also very good at beating Mitch at his own game. He was formidable as both the majority and minority leader.
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What a beautiful tribute. Harry Reid took a lot of guff from those shouting that he needed to do something and then never doing it fast enough when he finally got it done, and yet he got so very much accomplished because he never quit. He won’t get the accolades of the people who stand on the sidelines screaming that something needs to be done, but that’s because he was too busy getting it done. Thank you, Senator. Rest easy. You’ve earned it.
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People are taking Reid’s death very hard. He was universally liked and respected. When the Dems in the Senate get a Manchinema proof majority, end the filibuster and pass DC & PR statehood, voting rights, and gun control, we will have Harry Reid to thank. He, more than any other politician, moved the dinosaur that is the political establishment to reform the Senate to reflect the will of the people, especially as our electorate is rapidly changing and the Republicans have aligned with conservative whites to do everything possible, legal and illegal, to thwart that transition.
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This was a beautiful tribute as well.
Heartfelt, personal words that honored the man that he was.
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But Harry Reid did not settle for business as usual. When Leader McConnell violated Senate norms to preemptively block appointments by America’s first African American President, Harry Reid did not just resign himself to the all-too-common belief that that’s just the way the Senate is. He worked the Democratic Caucus, telephone call after telephone call, meeting after meeting, until he could do something about it. And in November 2013, he got rid of the filibuster for nominations.
As a result, nominations are now confirmed by a majority vote. And before too long, I believe, majority vote will be the rule for everything in the Senate. When the Senate ultimately takes that next step to become more democratic, we will have Harry Reid to thank for it.
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The death of the filibuster in toto would be a fitting tribute to Senator Reid.
McConnell is no fan of majority rule.
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Reid’s work chairing the Nevada gaming commission deserves mention and praise. Standing up to mob bosses like the one who was later portrayed in the film Casino by Robert DeNiro takes a certain kind of gumption particularly after having a bomb placed under your car.
He also had the gaming commission refuse a license to Sinatra because of alleged mob ties but after an investigation cleared him allowed the license. That shows at least a sense of fairness.
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His proudest accomplishment?
Working as a young man to save enough money to buy his mother teeth.
Mitch McConnell isn’t worthy to lick the bottom of Harry Reid’s shoe.
May this gentle mensch’s memory be a blessing.
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Ergo, just like the new voting rights bill is named for John Lewis, the bill for negating, once and for all, the filibuster should be named in honor of Harry Reid.
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The obit from the Nevada paper that Josh posted was fine reading. Learned things about him that I never knew. Admirable things.
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Harry did a lotta good things and didn’t do a lot of “celebrity seeking”. He didn’t kill the filibuser outright but he did what he could with the material and people he had
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I missed him before when he left the Senate. Now I’ll really miss him. He was one of a kind.
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Politics is a field that attracts quite a few people who have a great deal of ego and vanity (among other things). Every now and again, we see someone who wants to get things done for people and has a dedication to learning the intellectual and professional craftsmanship that is required. These are the real people who make the government work, as opposed to using it as a platform for personal aggrandizement.
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McConnell would have still tossed the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations no matter what. The rules can change with each congress.
In 1991 Clarance Thomas was confirmed by a vote of 52-48 so the 60 vote threshold was inoperative.
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I think also what he represents. When he was leader, the brinksmanship was less acute. He was the responsible person when being the responsible person in the room mattered as was respected.
We will mourn his passing, but also mourn the passing of such times that his passing reminds us of.
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I didn’t realize someone was cutting onions.
That got to me. Thanks Obama.
Sincerely, thanks to you and Senator Reid.
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IDK, I quite like the idea of it being Harry’s shoe that kicks McConnell teeth in… even if someone else has to wear it now, and surely there would be tongue contact in such an endeavor…
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