Everything about Harry Reid totally explained
Harry Mason Reid (born
December 2,
1939) is the
senior United States Senator from
Nevada and a member of the
Democratic Party, as well as the
U.S. Senate Majority Leader for the
110th Congress.
Reid has been leader of the Senate Democrats since 2005, serving as Minority Leader from 2005 until the Democrats won control of the Senate in the
2006 congressional elections. He is the first member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the
Mormons, to serve as a
Senate Majority Leader.
Background and family life
Reid was born in the small mining town of
Searchlight,
Nevada, the son of Inez Orena (
née Jaynes) and Harry Vincent Reid. Reid attended
Basic High School in
Henderson,
Nevada. Mike O'Callaghan, future Governor of Nevada and Reid's history teacher, coached Reid in boxing at the Henderson Boys' Club.
Reid received his
A.S. from
Southern Utah State College in 1959 and in 1961 earned his
B.S. from
Utah State University. He moved to
Washington, D.C. and worked as an officer for the
U.S. Capitol Police while attending
George Washington University for his
law degree. Reid graduated in 1964 and returned to Nevada to work as a
lawyer before entering politics. Reid and his wife have five children, one of whom,
Rory Reid, is an elected Commissioner for
Clark County,
Nevada, and another who recently ran for municipal office in
Cottonwood Heights,
Utah.
Reid is a first generation member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reid and his wife, who was born to Jewish parents, converted to Mormonism while Reid was a college student. He stated in an interview with
Brigham Young University's
Daily Universe that "I think it's much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican." He went on to say that the Democrats' emphasis on helping others, as opposed to what he considers Republican dogma to the contrary, is the reason he's a Democrat. He delivered a speech at BYU to about 4,000 students on
October 9 2007 in which he affirmed that Democratic values mirror Mormon values. He later asserted that some "right-wing" Church leaders, including former president
Ezra Taft Benson, helped lead some LDS Church members down the "wrong path."
Nevada political career
Reid was elected to the
Nevada State Assembly in 1967. He left after being elected
lieutenant governor in 1970, the same year his mentor O'Callaghan was elected governor. He served in that office until 1974, when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by
Alan Bible. He lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor
Paul Laxalt.
Reid then served as
chairman of the
Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, a post that subjected him to death threats. Reid's wife once found a bomb attached to one of their cars. A character in the film
Casino played by
Dick Smothers is based, in part, on Reid. In 1999, he voted against an amendment explicitly expressing support for
Roe v. Wade.
Reid has voted several times to ban what physicians call the "
intact dilation and evacuation" procedure and what
abortion opponents call the "
partial-birth abortion" procedure. In 2003, he supported alternate language than the act that eventually passed that would have banned all
late-term abortions, while allowing exceptions for the
life and health of the mother. Several polls have stated that a majority of Americans support banning "partial birth abortion" when the pollsters describe it as such. Reid also voted in favor of the
Unborn Victims of Violence Act, in favor of
parental notification in the case of minors undergoing out-of-state abortions, and in favor of maintaining the ban on abortions and supplying
birth control for
US military personnel.
Pregnancy prevention and clinic safety
In 1994, Reid voted for the
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act prohibiting the use of intimidation or physical force to prevent or discourage people from gaining access to a
reproductive health care facility. He was the co-sponsor of an amendment to the bill which allows anyone to exercise freedom to worship at a health care facility. It allows reproductive health care professionals to gain access to a clinic without being physically threatened and, at the same time, allows religious organizations to pray outside of abortion clinics.
Reid introduced legislation in 2006 co-sponsored by
Hillary Clinton that would fund abortion prevention efforts such as giving women broader access to contraception. In a press release about their "Prevention First Amendment," Clinton and Reid stated that for every dollar spent on pregnancy prevention, three are saved by pregnancy and birth-related expenses borne by Medicaid. The bill received Republican opposition and failed.
Reid voted in favor of an amendment that would over-turn the
Mexico City Policy. The policy bans U.S. aid to overseas health organizations that give men and women
birth control, provide information about abortion procedures, or that perform abortion procedures as part of a "
family planning policy". Opponents of the policy argue that the ban keeps funds from going to
non-governmental organizations distributing condoms and
USAID-donated birth control and has resulted in an increase in unwanted pregnancies, and thus an increase in the rate of abortion. Opponents also argue that the ban promotes restrictions on
free speech as well as restrictions on accurate medical information. Supporters of the policy have argued, using the example of the
Philippines, that the ban prevents overseas health organizations from using US government funds to disobey the abortion and birth control laws of
their own countries. Supporters also argue that the policy prevents the health agencies from promoting abortion at the expense of other
birth control methods. The amendment overturning the Mexico City Policy passed the Senate by a 53-41 vote. President Bush has vowed to veto any legislation eliminating the policy.
Reid received a 100% rating from
NARAL in 2001 and voted with the interests of the
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
68% of the time from 1995 to 2004. In 2003 and 2004, he received 29% and 20% ratings, respectively, from
NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 2005 to 2006, "Reid supported the interests of the
National Right to Life Committee 50 percent."
Planned Parenthood gave him a 57% rating in 2006.
Supreme Court nominations
In 2005, Reid voted against
Supreme Court of the United States nominee
John Roberts, in part because of pressure from his constituents. About 64% of Reid's constituents in Nevada identify themselves as "
pro-choice." Reid voted against nominee
Samuel Alito. Reid argued against the pursuit of a
filibuster of Alito because the Republican majority leader at the time,
Bill Frist, had threatened to institute what he and other Republicans called the "
Constitutional option" and what Democrats called the "
nuclear option". If implemented, the option would have eliminated the filibuster and made a simple majority -- rather than a three-fifths majority -- enough to move forward any federal judicial confirmations.
The Bush Administration and Supreme Court
Reid made headlines in May 2005 when he said of George W. Bush, "The man's
father is a wonderful human being. I think this guy is a loser." Reid later apologized for these comments. Reid also called
Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas an "embarrassment" and referred to
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as a "political hack."
Civil rights
Reid has said "I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman" and voted for the
Defense of Marriage Act. Reid voted against the
Federal Marriage Amendment and against "prohibiting same-sex basic training." He has also voted for "prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation" and for "adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes". Reid later boasted to Democratic activists that "We killed the Patriot Act." Reid clarified his statement later that day, saying that he only intended to add more safeguards to the act. Political columnists]
Rich Lowry,
Deroy Murdock, and
Ann Coulterlater criticized his statement.
Nonpartisan media analysis website
FactCheck.org later stated that "obviously, he chose his words poorly" and "Reid's words are grossly misleading". Reid said on
Fox News Sunday that he considered the act's defeat worth celebrating. He remarked that "I'm opposed to evil terrorists as most Americans are. But we still believe in this little thing called the
Constitution."
In spring 2006, Reid joined a
89 to 10 bipartisan vote
reauthorizing the act, saying "Our support for the Patriot Act doesn't mean a
blank check for the president.... What we tried to do on a
bipartisan basis is have a better bill. It has been improved." Nine Democratic Senators such as
Russell Feingold,
Robert Byrd,
Daniel Akaka, and
Patrick Leahy along with
libertarian Independent Jim Jeffords voted against the bill.
The Wall Street Journal's editorial page called his vote, in context with his earlier statement, "Reid's "
mission accomplished" moment".
Reid supports a
constitutional amendment to prevent
flag desecration. Reid has also criticised Senate Republicans for bringing up anti-desecration legislation, calling it one of "the “pet” issues of the right wing".
Death penalty
Reid strongly supports use of the
death penalty, having voted in favor of limiting death penalties
appeals and executing criminals who were minors when they committed their crime.
Energy policy
Reid supports legislation that would cut $15 billion in tax breaks for large oil companies and put the money toward
renewable energy sources. In an op-ed to the
Reno Gazette Journal, Harry Reid wrote, "I am working on a bipartisan energy bill that will create thousands of Nevada jobs, save consumers money, address global warming, and make our country safer. We can do that by reducing our reliance on oil and investing in the renewable energy sources that are abundant in our state." The
environmental organization "Campaign for America's Future" gave him a 100% rating from 2005 to 2006.
Ethics reform
In January 2007, Harry Reid brought a Senate ethics reform bill to a vote. These rules passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis-- 96 to 2. The bill was a reaction to Republican scandals in the
U.S. House of Representatives. The ethics bill bars members from accepting gifts, meals, and trips from
lobbyists and organization employing them. It also bars Senators from borrowing
corporate jets for travel and compels Senators to disclose the names of sponsors, or authors, of bills and specific projects.
Gun politics
Reid voted for the "
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act"-- designed "to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages... resulting from the misuse of their products" and against the ban on
semi-automatic firearms. He also voted in favor of the
Brady Bill and background checks at gun shows.
Immigration
Reid calls "immigration reform" one of his top priorities for the 110th Congress.. He supports the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348), but pulled it from the Senate floor because he believed too many amendments to the legislation were being introduced.
Reid supports the DREAM Act which would make it easier for young people who are not citizens of the United States, but are permanent residents, to attend college or university in the United States. The DREAM Act was introduced to the Senate by Senators
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Reid opposed a Constitutional amendment to make English the national language of the United States, calling the proposal "racist."
Iraq War
Reid voted in January 1991 to authorize
military force in Iraq to
liberate Kuwait. On the Senate floor, Reid quoted from
John F. Kennedy's 1963
State of the Union speech by saying "the mere absence of war isn't Peace". According to
The New York Times, the "Senate approved the use of military force by a vote of 52 to 47" with ten out of the fifty-five Senate Democrats voting in support.
Reid voted in support of the 2003
invasion of Iraq. In March 2007, he voted in favor of "redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008". Reid said on
April 19 2007 "I believe, myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense, and — you've to make your own decisions as to what the president knows — this war is lost and the surge isn't accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday." Reid said he told President Bush he thought the war couldn't be won through military force, although he said the U.S. could still pursue political, economic and diplomatic means to bring peace to Iraq. He also said, "As long as we follow the President’s path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there's still a chance to change course and we must change course. No one wants us to succeed in the Middle East more than I do. But there must be a change of course. Our brave men and women overseas have passed every test with flying colors. They have earned our pride and our praise. More important, they deserve a strategy worthy of their sacrifice."
In an
April 22,
2007 appearance on
FOX News Sunday, Reid's Senatorial colleague
Charles Schumer stated, "The war isn't lost. And Harry Reid believes this — we Democrats believe it — if we change our mission and focus it more narrowly on counter-terrorism, going after an
Al Qaida camp that might arise in Iraq. That would take many fewer troops out of harm's way. That's what we're pushing the president to do."
On
September 10 2007, the Commander of the
Multi-National Force in Iraq David H. Petraeus presented a
"Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq". He stated that "As a bottom line up front, the
military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met."
The New York Times reported on
September 11 that Petraeus had "warned in stark terms against the kind of rapid pullback favored by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate". Reid stated that the general's "plan is just more of the same" and "is neither a drawdown or a change in mission that we need." He also said that Congressional Democrats plan to "to change the course of the war". Petraeus will "make a further assessment and [offer] recommendations next March".
Stem cell research
Reid supports
stem cell research, referring to the research as "the next generation of medical breakthroughs." He has stated that "Democrats won't give up the fight for stem cell research. It is a fight America must win."
Technology
Reid's voting record on technology is the following according to
OnTheIssues.org
Voted NO on restoring $550M in funding for Amtrak for 2007. (Mar 2006)
Voted YES on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates. (Sep 2003)
Voted YES on Internet sales tax moratorium. (Oct 1998)
Voted YES on telecomm deregulation. (Feb 1996)
Promoted internet via Congressional Internet Caucus. (Jan 2001)
Yucca Mountain
Harry Reid firmly opposes the proposed Yucca Mountain federal nuclear waste repository in Nevada. He's quoted as saying the concept "is dead. It'll never happen." Reid, who has long been an opponent of the centralized nuclear waste facility in his home state, said he'd continue to work to block completion of the project. "It's dying on its own. It's just happening. You don't need just a sudden demise. It's breathing really hard. Just let it lay there a while and it'll be dead," says Reid.
Liberal criticisms
Iraq War
Liberal critics argue that Reid isn't doing enough to end the American military presence in Iraq. The Boston Globe has stated that disappointment among constituents and Democratic Party activists regarding efforts to withdraw troops as well as conservative opposition to those efforts, together, have reduced Congress's approval rating.
Filibusters
Liberal critics argue that Reid is allowing Senate Republicans to create a 60-vote bar for passage of bills without actually filibustering, and that 60 votes has never been the standard. Reid appears to such critics to assume that Republicans will filibuster all controversial bills, and doesn't require the traditional filibuster tactic to prevent cloture votes on such bills. Unspoken agreements have led to the failure of measures on Iraq War timetables and a Democrat-sponsored FISA bill. Ironically, Reid has called for an open floor debate on the current FISA bill, stating that "This isn't something we're going to have a silent filibuster on."
Conservative criticisms
Rush Limbaugh letter
In response to radio host Rush Limbaugh's controversial comment about "phony soldiers", Harry Reid authored a letter co-signed by 40 other Democratic senators, which called Limbaugh's words "unpatriotic" and called for Limbaugh to apologize. In response, Limbaugh showed the letter during a speech in Philadelphia on October 11 before auctioning it off on eBay. The auction attained a winning bid of $2,100,100.00 from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation. Limbaugh pledged his own matching donation to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity that provides scholarships to the children of fallen law enforcement officers and United States Marines, of which Limbaugh is a director, and challenged Harry Reid to do the same. On October 19, 2007, moments before the charity auction was to end, Reid announced on the Senate floor that he was proud to be a party to this donation and stated that he'd helped make the donation possible. Right-wing blog Newsbusters criticised the Senator's statements.
Iraq War
Conservative critics such as commentators writing in National Review, The Weekly Standard, and The Washington Times as well as former Republican Senator Fred Thompson argue that Reid-- in his opposition to the war-- ignores the change in military tactics and methodology with the adoption of the surge, the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, and the appointment of General David Petraeus. A July 2007 CBS poll found that 65% of Americans "disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are handling the situation with Iraq" and 59% disapprove of the Democrats' handling. Both results have "unsure" groups of about 10%. An August 2007 CBS poll found that 69% also disapprove of the Bush Administration's handling.
On April 24, Vice President Dick Cheney criticized what he termed Reid's "blind opposition to the new strategy in Iraq," charging that "Sen. Reid himself has said that the war in Iraq will bring his party more seats in the next election." Earlier in April, Reid had been quoted in the Washington Post as saying that "We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war," and that "Senator Schumer has shown me numbers that are compelling and astounding." Reid later responded, "I'm not going to get into a name calling match with the administration's chief attack dog" and that "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating."
Republican criticism of donations
A Las Vegas Review Journal on Feb. 03, 2006 reported, "The National Republican Senatorial Committee this week revived a charge that Reid received more than $50,000 from four tribes with gaming interests between 2001 and 2004 after they hired Abramoff. The Nevadan had received no money from those tribes before then, Republicans said." John Solomon, an Associated Press reporter, examined this charge as well as other Republican charges against Reid in a series of articles.
While it's true that Reid received money from Native American tribes that also hired Abramoff, it isn't true that Jack Abramoff personally gave donations to Reid. Abramoff personally never donated to Democrats. The Native American tribes who hired him contributed to both Republicans and Democrats. The tribes also donated money to Reid. Reid has always opposed off-reservation gambling. John Solomon and Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press reported that Reid collected donations from Native American gambling interests around the time of each vote Reid caste opposing off-reservation gambling. Ethics rules require senators to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in collecting contributions around the times they take official acts benefiting donors. Both Reid and John Ensign, the Junior Senator from Nevada, received gaming interest money from Native American tribes. The Senate Ethics Committee didn't accuse Reid nor Ensign of violating Senate ethics rules.
John Solomon also reported, among the contacts between Abramoff's Democratic lobbying team and Reid's office, there were several discussions about a bill to raise the minimum wage of the Northern Mariana Islands. Solomon didn't report that Reid co-sponsored a the bill that would have raised the minimum wage in the NMI, a bill Abramoff's clients opposed. Reid described the Abramoff affair as "a Republican scandal," referring to Abramoff's felony conviction for making illegal contributions to Republican Congressman Bob Ney and Abramoff's close affiliation with the former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay's Republican K Street Project. A spokesperson said that Reid had never met Abramoff personally, that neither Reid nor his campaign has ever received money directly from Abramoff, and that his legislative work was done on behalf of his Nevadan constituents as well as the large gaming interests in Nevada. Jim Manley, a Reid spokesperson, told the Associated Press "All the actions that Senator Reid took were consistent with his long- held beliefs, such as not letting tribal casinos expand beyond reservations, and were taken to defend the interests of Nevada constituents."
Las Vegas land deal
On October 11 2006, John Solomon reported that Harry Reid's member interest in a limited liability company (LLC) was allocated $1.1 million of the gross proceeds attributable to the sale of a parcel of land. In 1998, Reid bought a plot of land for $400,000, fair market value at the time. One of the sellers was a developer who arranged a land swap that Reid supported. In 2001, he transferred title of the land to the LLC. When the LLC sold the land in an arm's length transaction in 2004, Reid made a profit.
The LLC was formed by long-time friend and former casino attorney Jay Brown,. Reid's failure to disclose the change in the form of his asset holdings upon contribution to the LLC violates Senate rules according to former Federal Election Commission overseer Kent Cooper. Reid did disclose the 2004 sale as though he held the property in his individual name. In addition, Brown paid a small portion of Reid's taxes on the ownership stake, which constitutes basis for Brown and is corrected for at the land's sale resulting in higher taxes for Reid. Since Reid continued to own the land inside the LLC with the same basis he held it before contribution, he continued to report to Congress that he owned the land for 3 years after he transferred title to the LLC he partially owned. Reid's staff stated that he didn't initially disclose the transfer of the land to the LLC because this transfer wasn't a change of ownership, but was simply Reid owning the land through an LLC instead of as an individual.
Reid directed his staff to amend the 2001 financial disclosure forms to reflect the transfer of title to the LLC. He also disclosed two other land transactions on the amended reports.
Condo gifts
On October 17 2006, John Solomon of the Associated Press reported that Reid had used campaign donations to pay for $3,300 in Christmas gifts to the staff at the condominium where he resides. Federal election law prohibits candidates from using political donations for personal use. Reid's staff stated that his attorneys had approved use of the funds in this manner but that he nonetheless would personally reimburse his campaign for the expenses. That action notwithstanding, the conservative group Citizens United announced it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to investigate the matter.
Other criticisms
Laughlin, Nevada, bridge project
Reid earmarked a spending bill to provide for building a bridge between Nevada and Arizona that would make land he owned more valuable. Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, 'incredibly good news for Nevada' in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He owned 160 acres of land several miles from the proposed bridge site in Arizona. The bridge could add value to his real estate investment.
Opinion polls
National opinion polls have shown Senate Majority Leader Reid's job approval to be low or unfavorable. Democrats as a whole in the United States Congress also receive low approval ratings, although sometimes slightly higher than their Republican peers. An October 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal favorability poll indicated 51 percent of Nevadans view Reid unfavorably, with 32 percent indicating favorability. A December 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal job approval poll showed 42 percent of Nevadans rating Reid "poor," 41 percent "excellent or good," and 16 percent "only fair."
Popular culture
Part of Harry Reid's confrontation with Frank Rosenthal is reenacted in the movie Casino (1995). Reid had a cameo role in the movie Traffic (2000), in which he played himself. He appeared along with Senators Sam Brownback and Barack Obama in the 2007 documentary film Sand and Sorrow, which details the genocide in Sudan.
Electoral history
After Reid's run for Senate in 1974 in which he lost narrowly to Paul Laxalt, Reid served as Nevada state gaming commissioner, as noted above. After the 1980 Census, Reid successfully ran for the new House district Nevada had been granted, and served two terms. In 1986, Reid was elected as Senator to replace the retiring Laxalt and has served in the Senate ever since.
Further Information
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