Feingold considering asking Reid to step down

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

Crossposted at Daily Kos

    Where is Joe Lieberman to save you now, Harry?

    Or maybe C Streeter Jon Ensign can come to Harry’s rescue again

Add John Ensign’s parents to the list of Republicans for Reid.

    Michael and Sharon Ensign donated $4,800, the maximum donation, to Nevada Sen. Harry Reid during the third fundraising quarter, according to a report from political newspaper Roll Call.

Bold added by the diarist

  More below the fold.

    In an interview with ABC affiliate WISN, Feingold criticized Reid’s characterization of President Barack Obama as “light-skinned” without “Negro dialect.” Feingold called those comments “unfortunate and racially insensitive.”

    When asked whether he would call on Reid to step down, Feingold said he was still considering that option. “I’m thinking about that and we’re going to be getting together as a caucus next week and the topic will come up. I have not decided whether these comments merit that or not.

~snip~

    Feingold is the only Democrat to criticize Reid, and his comments could severely undercut claims by Reid’s office and other top Democrats that the Majority Leader enjoys the full support of his Conference.

rollcall.com

    I want Harry Reid gone, like yesterday, or better yet, 3 years ago. He is ineffective, spineless, and by ceding power to Joe Lieberman and his ilk over the other 56 Senators in the Democratic Senate and the overwhelming majority of Americans who were against a war in Iraq, for a public option in health care reform and tired of the obvious corruption in the Senate that is embodied by Joe Lieberman and the rest of the House of Lords Senate.

    Do I think much will come of this? No.

    Do I think this is the start of a power struggle in the Senate that could lead to the end of Harry Reid’s tenure as majority leaner? Yes, Yes, Oh Gods, Yes!

    Simply put, Harry Reid is the crappiest Senate Majority Leader ever, and he is squandering the huge super-majority voters nearly handed him last election before Arlen Specter’s defection sealed the deal. At every turn over the last year he has allowed Conservatives to control the debate. If we wish to keep our majorities in Congress we need to use them

    I don’t think Harry Reid’s comments were racist. Stupid? Yes. Will it cost Harry Reid his career? Probably not. Not over this, just yet, but this is how the ball starts rolling, and between Harry’s struggle to win re-election this year and the beginnings of dissent within the Democratic Senate, Harry’s days could be numbered.

    Remember all those Senators that wanted to strip Lieberman of his chair? I bet they are mad as hell right now after seeing Joe flip the bird to the Democratic party again and again just to be rewarded by Harry. Every hard working, nose to the ground team player in the Senate must be mad as hell over this, from Sherrod Brown to Tom Harkin to Bernie Sanders, all of those team players must be furious that Joe Lieberman gets to do whatever the F he wants while they have to compromise again and again and again.

    This is what happens when you let Conservative Corporatists like Lieberman, Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln dominate the Senate instead of using the power of the majority that the voters gave you. This is what happens when you spurn the 56 Senators who want to work for the people for the four Insurance Industry Senators and Max Baucus, Chuck Grassley and Olympia Snowe before them. After a while the liberals in the Senate, like liberals and progressives across America, will figure it out. Now We The People want change, and apparently, parts of the Senate do too. It’s about damned time.

    The fact is, if this is as liberal as the Senate will ever get even WITH a 60 seat super majority there is no reason for liberals like me to ever hope for better, and that is unacceptable. If you want voter enthusiasm, give us something to be enthusiastic about.

    If the Senate is only as liberal as it’s most Conservative majority member it is a failure for our Democracy. A strong Majority Leader could fix that, whereas a weak one like Harry Reid can and will not. This MUST be addressed, and I feel that the only way to do that is to replace Harry Reid as Majority Leader while there is still a majority to lead.

    Though the racism charges against Harry Reid are trumped up, the issue that should have Democrats burning in their seats is the fact that Republicans WANT Harry Reid to be the Dems Senate Leader. Jon Ensign’s donation through his parents proves that. How else can Joe Lieberman pull our party down from the inside before he campaigns for Republicans in 2010. For that alone, and so much more, I hope Russ Feingold DOES ask for Harry Reid’s resignation. With leadership like Harry Reid, who needs a majority.

    Also crossposted at The Progressive Electorate.com