How and why did Harry Reid get selected as majority leader?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

Like most people around here, I'm no big fan of Harry Reid, or at least of how he's ran the Senate for the past 2 years and failed to coordinate a coherent Democratic "loyal" opposition to Bush/Cheney but I'm just curious about how and why he was selected to fill the position after Daschle was defeated in 2004? I had never really heard much about him before then and still don't know much about him now other than he seems to have no real spine when it comes to dealing with Republicans.

Does anybody care to educate me WHY exactly he is likely to stay on as Majority Leader after the events of the last two years, which have, frankly, been quite abysmal for Senate Democrats and/or how things are going to change if and when (well, really, it's more of a question of WHEN) GOP obstructionists like McConell, Lott, and Kyl start trying to filibuster everything to death?

I know that Obama NOT Bush is going to be President starting next year but that's not going to mean much if nothing meaningful can get through the Senate, which isn't to say that a campaign of obstructionism (aka "gridlock")is necessarily going to help improve the GOP's image much as it certainly did NOT help them in this latest election but that, of course, doesn't mean that they won't continue trying it.

[liberalpragmatist]

1. He was party-whip and next-in-line

I also think he was an excellent MINORITY LEADER from 2005-2007.

I've not been a big fan of his as majority leader, but the Senate basically doesn't function when you only have a pseudo-majority of 51 including Lieberman.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. What did he do well as Minority Leader from 2005-2007?

I know that the Democrats in Congress, even though still dominated by the Repukes, managed to stick together enough, amazingly, to stop Bush's attempted Grand Theft Social Security. What else did Reid do during this time period that was notable and why do you think things have changed with him since coming into the Majority in 2007?

[depakid]

7. Aside from that issue (which Reid had little to do with) I can only think of one single success

and that was upholding the filibuster on the Enzi Bill.

Everything else- every other piece of legislation- no matter how egregious, almost every single every nominee, no matter how EXTREME managed to get right by ole bark & no bite Harry.

It's pretty to difficult to look through history and find a worse record than that.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. What was the Enzi Bill?

Never heard of it.:shrug:

[Horse with no Name]

2. Most importantly how do we make him the EX Majority leader?n/t

[Robbien]

5. Someone can challenge him

Which is what I was hoping Clinton was getting ready to do.

There is no one else that has the clout to do so IMO.

[NMDemDist2]

3. both he and Pelosi are MAJOR fundraisers

that's why they have their Leadership positions, lots of folks owe them big for financial help during elections

[question everything]

6. He stuck around

No one likes to be with the losing party. This is why so many Republicans chose not to run this year. But since 1994, when we were in the minority, he stuck around and slowly but surely climbed the steps to be the minority leader.

As for not doing much in the last two years, yesterday I heard a few sentences by Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), before I reached my destination and had to turn the radio off. She said how in 2006 the voters sent a message to Washington yet the Republicans in the Senate ignored this and 94% of Democratic initiatives were stalled by the Republicans. She said that such a percentage of failure is unheard off. And this is why it is good that we have now 57 Senators and, one hopes, will pick at least one more among the 3 which have yet to be resolved.

And this is why we still need Lieberman, in my opinion. As someone recently commented. If he will decide that he has had it and will simply resign, the Republican governor of CT will appoint a real Republican.