Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid let it slip today that election year politics trump policy, one of a handful of colorful utterances made by the Nevada Democrat just this week.
"I understand there's a presidential election going on," Reid said on the Senate floor, according to the Weekly Standard. "I clearly understand that. We do what we can to protect the president of the United States. And I know there are efforts to protect their nominee."
It’s not the first time this week the Senator from Nevada has raised eyebrows with his remarks. On Monday, in discussing the DISCLOSE Act, Reid said, according to CBS Baltimore: “Perhaps Republicans want to shield a handful of billionaires willing to contribute nine figures to sway a close presidential election. If this flood of outside money continues, the day after the election 17 angry old white men will wake up and realize they just bought the country.”
A Ventura County Star columnist accused Reid of playing the race card with the remark: “That's Harry. After a statement like that, you'd hope that — somewhere in Nevada — at least one old angry white man would wake up and realize he's just helped divide the country,” Ruben Navarrette wrote.
Reid also promised to amend filibuster rules he says Republicans use to the extreme, according to the Washington Examiner. Reid said he will do so at the beginning of the next Congress (when the Senate adopts it rules) through a simple majority, the Examiner reported.
“We can’t go on like this anymore. I don’t want to get rid of the filibuster, but I have to tell you, I want to change the rules and make the filibuster meaningful. The filibuster is not part of our constitution, it came about as a result of our wanting to get legislation passed, and now it’s being used to stop legislation from passing,” Reid said, according to the Examiner.
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