We'll say this for Mitt Romney: He sure sets a low bar for the behavior of supposedly moderate Massachusetts Republicans! For instance, after Mitt spent a conference call with his big donors whining about how Barack Obama won the election by championing policies that will benefit Americans, Scott Brown's post-loss press conference, where he (no doubt sullenly) mouthed platitudes about "bipartisanship," looked positively statesmanlike. But that didn't stop Harry Reid from just cold talking smack to reporters about what a dick Scott Brown was. Will Harry Reid regret this, when Scott Brown is inevitably re-elected to the Senate, in a month or two?
Apparently after Scott Brown lost his election to Elizabeth Warren, he admitted that maybe the GOP has gone a wee bit to far to the right , and claimed to be a part of a "vanishing" breed of moderates, and said that he hopes that the GOP will become a "more tolerant, open-minded party." When Harry Reid got wind of this, he immediately summoned some reporters into his office, so he that he could take valuable time out of his day so that everyone knows that he thinks Scott Brown is a jerk and a liar.
"I saw during the campaign his plea for bipartisanship. That is a big joke. It's a travesty," Reid told reporters. "He was one of the most partisan people that's ever served here."
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Reid said that Brown "should go look in the mirror" before lamenting partisan gridlock.
"He could have saved Citizens United," Reid said, referencing the DISCLOSE Act, which would have required corporations, unions and nonprofits that spend money on elections to identify themselves in ads and, in some cases, to name their donors. Brown voted against the bill in 2010, when the measure fell one vote short of the 60 needed to break a Republican filibuster.
"He could have been the 60th vote on that and many other things," Reid added. "So I don't need a lecture from him on bipartisanship."
Haha, bitchy, catty Harry Reid is our favorite Harry Reid! Since the Democrats solidified their hold on the Senate in the election, we suppose he can be forgiven for being drunk with power (the only kind of drunkenness permitted to Mormons). So, sure, maybe he should have waited a couple of months to actively antagonize Brown, since there might be some fiscal cliff-related legislation he needs to shepherd through in the lame duck session, but clearly it's not going to be that big a deal because after January we're never going to hear from Scott Brown again, right? Right?
Following his loss to Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren, there was already talk about Brown running for governor in two years as a successor to Governor Deval Patrick.
Both [John] Kerry and Patrick are widely thought to be leading contenders for Cabinet posts in President Obama's second term. Kerry is believed to be high on the list to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, although some news reports say Kerry may also be considered to head the Defense Department.
Patrick is said to be a leading contender for attorney general.
A vacancy in either job would be an opening for Brown's return.
Why would these Massholes inflict Scott Brown on our national political scene again, just a few weeks after deciding they liked him even less than some liberal college professor? Probably because they hate America, and hate you in particular. But this is good news for people who want to see Scott Brown's pubes on Wonkette every few weeks, we guess. [ Boston.com / Boston.com ]
Well, Harry has come in for a lot of criticism at times. However, I suspect he has a very careful calculus of what will work and what won't and a very good grasp of the Senate rules (I would assume anyone who rises to leadership in an organization such as the US Senate has to do this or they simply do not rise). He does not go for grandstand plays (others can do this more effectively), so when he does something, it gets noticed. I don't think he is the meek and mild person we often imagine he is, but that is a convenient cover for him. McConnell is somewhat more bombastic, and some of the things he has said have come back to haunt him. In the context of their jobs, I don't think any of the leadership are nice guys, and are not people to cross lightly. Scott Brown thought he could make some whinny statement and it would be ignored. He was wrong. And it was the Majority Leader who said so. And was kind of mean about it. But not (too) obviously.
Rachel had her pet comedian read one of Harry Reid&#039;s speeches with animation and anger his staff had written into the words, instead of the languid Mr-Peepers disinterest that Reid usually exhibits. It was, to coin a phrase, <i>awesome.</i>