Harry Reid Rides Alone

Are some Senate Dems finally getting fed up with their leader?

Much like the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository he so opposes, Reid seems to be toxic.

Reid’s tenure as majority leader in the upper house of Congress has been notable for his iron-fisted control, which has drawn indignation from Republicans. However, in recent months, Reid has also been making headlines as a rabid, partisan attack dog for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. In July, Reid claimed—without any evidence—that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney had paid no taxes for the past ten years. That claim was proved false last month when Romney released his 2011 tax return along with a letter from his tax advisers detailing his tax liability from 1990 and 2009.

Democrats remain cagey about Reid. For example, Politico reports Arizona Democratic candidate Richard Carmona “demurred” when asked about supporting Reid.

“You’re asking me who I’d vote for, and I don’t have a slate of candidates,” Carmona said. “I’ll look and see who the best one is, and then I’ll go ahead and support that person. Majority leaders change all the time at the whims of the Senate.”

Carmona’s refusal to back Reid must sting, given that the Reid-connected Majority PAC has spent more than $400,000 trying to get him elected and Reid’s Searchlight Leadership Fund has given him $10,000.

Sometimes money can't always buy you friends...