Harry Reid

Harry Reid
24th United States Senate Majority Leader
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2007
Deputy	Richard Durbin (whip)
Preceded by	Bill Frist
United States Senator from Nevada
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 1987 Serving with John Ensign
Preceded by	Paul Laxalt
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
25th & 27th United States Senate Majority Whip
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 June 6, 2001 - January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Don Nickles (2001)
Succeeded by	Don Nickles (2001) Mitch McConnell (2003)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	James David Santini
Succeeded by	James Bilbray
Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
In office 1971–1975
Preceded by	Edward Fike
Succeeded by	Robert Rose
Personal details
Born	(1939-12-02) December 2, 1939 Searchlight, Nevada
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Landra Gould
Profession	Lawyer

Harry Mason Reid (born December 2, 1939) is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party.

Reid is the U.S. Senate Majority Leader in the 110th Congress. He assumed majority leadership after the Democratic Party won seated majority of the Senate in the 2006 congressional elections. Reid is the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, to serve as Senate Majority Leader.

Background and family life

Reid was born in the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada to Inez and Harry V. Reid. Reid attended Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada. Mike O'Callaghan, future Governor of Nevada and Reid's history teacher, coached Reid in boxing at the Henderson Boys' Club.

Reid received his A.S. from Southern Utah State College in 1959 and in 1961 earned his B.S. from Utah State University. He moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as an officer for the U.S. Capitol Police while attending George Washington University for his law degree. Reid graduated in 1964 and returned to Nevada to work as a lawyer before entering politics. Reid and his wife have five children, one of whom, Rory Reid, is an elected Commissioner for Clark County, Nevada, and another who recently ran for municipal office in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

Reid is a converted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reid and his wife converted to Mormonism while Reid was a college student. He stated in an interview with Brigham Young University's Daily Universe that "I think it is much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican." He went on to say that the Democrats' emphasis on helping others, as opposed to what he considers Republican dogma to the contrary, is the reason he's a Democrat. He delivered a speech at BYU to about 4,000 students on October 9, 2007 in which he affirmed that Democratic values mirror Mormon values. He later asserted that some "right-wing" Church leaders, including former president Ezra Taft Benson, helped lead some LDS Church members down the "wrong path."

Nevada political career

Reid was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1967. He left after being elected lieutenant governor in 1970, the same year his mentor O'Callaghan was elected governor. He served in that office until 1974, when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Alan Bible. He lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor Paul Laxalt.

Reid then served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, a post that subjected him to death threats. Reid's wife once found a bomb attached to one of their cars. A character in the film Casino played by Dick Smothers is based, in part, on Reid. Jack Gordon once tried to bribe Reid. Reid allowed the FBI to tape Gordon's attempt to bribe him with $12,000, at which point Reid attempted (unsuccessfully) to strangle Gordon, saying "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!"

U.S. Congress

House of Representatives

Until the 1980 census, Nevada had only one member in the United States House of Representatives, but population growth in the 1970s resulted in a second district. Reid won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District, based in Las Vegas, in 1982, and easily won the general election. He served two terms in the House, from 1983 to 1987.

Committee memberships

• 108th Congress
  • Committee on Appropriations
  • Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Special Committee on Aging
  • Select Committee on Ethics
  • Committee on Indian Affairs
• 109th Congress
  • Committee on Appropriations

Opinions and beliefs

Abortion and the Supreme Court

Abortion issues

Harry Reid openly identifies himself as "pro-life." He stated in a 1998 National Political Awareness Test that he believed "Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered." In 1999, he voted against an amendment explicitly expressing support for Roe v. Wade.

Reid has voted several times to ban what physicians call the "intact dilation and evacuation" procedure and what abortion opponents call the "partial-birth abortion" procedure. In 2003, he supported alternate language than the act that eventually passed that would have banned all late-term abortions, while allowing exceptions for the life and health of the mother. Several polls have stated that a majority of Americans support banning "partial birth abortion" when the pollsters describe it as such. Reid also voted in favor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, in favor of parental notification in the case of minors undergoing out-of-state abortions, and in favor of maintaining the ban on abortions and supplying birth control for US military personnel.

Pregnancy prevention and clinic safety

In 1994, Reid voted for the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act prohibiting the use of intimidation or physical force to prevent or discourage people from gaining access to a reproductive health care facility. He was the co-sponsor of an amendment to the bill which allows anyone to exercise freedom to worship at a health care facility. It allows reproductive health care professionals to gain access to a clinic without being physically threatened and, at the same time, allows religious organizations to pray outside of abortion clinics.

Reid introduced legislation in 2006 co-sponsored by Hillary Clinton that would fund abortion prevention efforts such as giving women broader access to contraception. In a press release about their "Prevention First Amendment," Clinton and Reid stated that for every dollar spent on pregnancy prevention, three are saved by pregnancy and birth-related expenses borne by Medicaid. The bill received Republican opposition and failed.

Reid voted in favor of an amendment that would over turn the Mexico City Policy. The policy bans U.S. aid to overseas health organizations that give men and women birth control, provide information about abortion procedures, or that perform abortion procedures as part of a "family planning policy". Opponents of the policy argue that the ban keeps funds from going to non-governmental organizations distributing condoms and USAID-donated birth control and has resulted in an increase in unwanted pregnancies, and thus an increase in the rate of abortion. Opponents also argue that the ban promotes restrictions on free speech as well as restrictions on accurate medical information. Supporters of the policy have argued, using the example of the Philippines, that the ban prevents overseas health organizations from using US government funds to disobey the abortion and birth control laws of their own countries. Supporters also argue that the policy prevents the health agencies from promoting abortion at the expense of other birth control methods. The amendment overturning the Mexico City Policy passed the Senate by a 53-41 vote. President Bush has vowed to veto any legislation eliminating the policy.

Reid received a 100% rating from NARAL in 2001 and voted with the interests of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association 68% of the time from 1995 to 2004. In 2003 and 2004, he received 29% and 20% ratings, respectively, from NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 2005 to 2006, "Reid supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 50 percent." Planned Parenthood gave him a 57% rating in 2006.

Supreme Court Nominations

In 2005, Reid voted against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, in part because of pressure from his constituents. About 64% of Reid's constituents in Nevada identify themselves as "pro-choice." Reid voted against nominee Samuel Alito. Reid argued against the pursuit of a filibuster of Alito because the Republican majority leader at the time, Bill Frist, had threatened to institute what he and other Republicans called the "Constitutional option" and what Democrats called the "nuclear option". If implemented, the option would have eliminated the filibuster and made a simple majority-- rather than a three-fifths majority-- enough to move forward any federal judicial confirmations.

The Bush Administration and Supreme Court

Reid made headlines in May 2005 when he said of George W. Bush, "The man's father is a wonderful human being. I think this guy is a loser." Reid later apologized for these comments. Reid also called Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas an "embarrassment" and referred to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as a "political hack."

Civil Rights

Reid has said "I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman" and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. Reid voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment and against "prohibiting same-sex basic training." He has also voted for "prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation" and for "adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes".

Reid supported the original Patriot act passed shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. He opposed the later versions of the act, stating on the Senate floor in December 2005 that "The final bill was written by Republican conferees working behind closed doors with Justice Department lawyers." He argued that "It leaves largely in place a definition of domestic terrorism so broad it could be read to cover acts of civil disobedience." Reid later boasted to Democratic activists that "We killed the Patriot Act." Reid clarified his statement later that day, saying that he only intended to to add more safeguards to the act. Political columnists Rich Lowry, Deroy Murdock, and Ann Coulterlater criticised his statement. Nonpartisan media analysis website FactCheck.org later stated that "obviously, he chose his words poorly" and "Reid's words are grossly misleading". Reid said on Fox News Sunday that he considered the act's defeat worth celebrating. He remarked that "I'm opposed to evil terrorists as most Americans are. But we still believe in this little thing called the Constitution."

In spring 2006, Reid joined a 89 to 10 bipartisan vote reauthorizing the act, saying "Our support for the Patriot Act does not mean a blank check for the president... What we tried to do on a bipartisan basis is have a better bill. It has been improved." Nine Democratic Senators such as Russell Feingold, Robert Byrd, Daniel Akaka, and Patrick Leahy along with libertarian Independent Jim Jeffords voted against the bill. The Wall Street Journal's editorial page called his vote, in context with his earlier statement, "Reid's "mission accomplished" moment".

Reid supports a constitutional amendment to prevent flag desecration. Reid has also criticised Senate Republicans for bringing up anti-desecration legislation, calling it one of "the “pet” issues of the right wing".

Death penalty

Reid strongly supports use of the death penalty, having voted in favor of limiting death penalty appeals and executing criminals who were minors when they committed their crime.

Energy policy

Reid supports legislation that would cut $15 billion in tax breaks for large oil companies and put the money toward renewable energy sources. In an op-ed to the Reno Gazette Journal, Harry Reid wrote, "I am working on a bipartisan energy bill that will create thousands of Nevada jobs, save consumers money, address global warming, and make our country safer. We can do that by reducing our reliance on oil and investing in the renewable energy sources that are abundant in our state." The environmental organization "Campaign for America's Future" gave him a 100% rating from 2005 to 2006.

Ethics reform

In January 2007, Harry Reid brought a Senate ethics reform bill to a vote. These rules passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis-- 96 to 2. The bill was a reaction to Republican scandals in the U.S. House of Representatives. The ethics bill bars members from accepting gifts, meals, and trips from lobbyists and organization employing them. It also bars Senators from borrowing corporate jets for travel and compels Senators to disclose the names of sponsors, or authors, of bills and specific projects.

Gun politics

Reid voted for the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act"-- designed "to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages... resulting from the misuse of their products" and against the ban on semi-automatic firearms. He also voted in favor of the Brady Bill and background checks at gun shows.

Immigration

Reid calls "immigration reform" one of his top priorities for the 110th Congress.. He supports the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348), but pulled it from the Senate floor because he believed too many amendments to the legislation were being introduced.

Reid supports the DREAM Act which would make it easier for young people who are not citizens of the United States, but are permanent residents, to attend college or university in the United States. The DREAM Act was introduced to the Senate by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL)

Reid opposed a Constitutional amendment to make English the national language of the United States, calling the proposal "racist."

Iraq War

Reid voted to authorize military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2003. In March 2007, he voted in favor of "redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008". Reid said on April 19, 2007 "I believe, myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense, and — you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows — this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday." Reid said he told President Bush he thought the war could not be won through military force, although he said the U.S. could still pursue political, economic and diplomatic means to bring peace to Iraq. He also said, "As long as we follow the President’s path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course and we must change course. No one wants us to succeed in the Middle East more than I do. But there must be a change of course. Our brave men and women overseas have passed every test with flying colors. They have earned our pride and our praise. More important, they deserve a strategy worthy of their sacrifice."

In an April 22, 2007 appearance on FOX News Sunday, Reid's Senatorial colleague Charles Schumer stated, "The war is not lost. And Harry Reid believes this — we Democrats believe it — if we change our mission and focus it more narrowly on counter-terrorism, going after an Al Qaida camp that might arise in Iraq. That would take many fewer troops out of harm's way. That's what we're pushing the president to do."

On September 10, 2007, the Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq David H. Petraeus presented a "Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq". He stated that "As a bottom line up front, the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met." The New York Times reported on September 11 that Petraeus had "warned in stark terms against the kind of rapid pullback favored by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate". Reid stated that the general's "plan is just more of the same" and "is neither a drawdown or a change in mission that we need." He also said that Congressional Democrats plan to "to change the course of the war". Petraeus will "make a further assessment and [offer] recommendations next March".

Stem cell research

Reid supports stem cell research, referring to the research as "the next generation of medical breakthroughs." He has stated that "Democrats will not give up the fight for stem cell research. It is a fight America must win."

Technology

Reid's voting record on technology is the following according to OnTheIssues.org

• Voted NO on restoring $550M in funding for Amtrak for 2007. (Mar 2006)
• Voted YES on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates. (Sep 2003)
• Voted YES on Internet sales tax moratorium. (Oct 1998)
• Voted YES on telecomm deregulation. (Feb 1996)
• Promoted internet via Congressional Internet Caucus. (Jan 2001)

Yucca Mountain

Harry Reid firmly opposes the proposed Yucca Mountain federal nuclear waste repository in Nevada. He's quoted as saying the concept of which "is dead. It'll never happen." Reid, who has long been an opponent of the centralized nuclear waste facility in his home state, said he would continue to work to block completion of the project. "It's dying on its own. It's just happening. You don't need just a sudden demise. It's breathing really hard. Just let it lay there a while and it'll be dead," says Reid.

Controversy

Laughlin, Nevada, bridge project

Reid earmarked a spending bill to provide for building a bridge between Nevada and Arizona that would make land he owned more valuable. Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, 'incredibly good news for Nevada' in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He owned 160 acres of land several miles from the proposed bridge site in Arizona. The bridge could add value to his real estate investment.

Republican criticisms

Rush Limbaugh letter

In response to radio host Rush Limbaugh's controversial comment about "phony soldiers", Harry Reid authored a letter co-signed by 40 other Democratic senators, which called Limbaugh's words "unpatriotic" and called for Limbaugh to apologize. In response, Limbaugh showed the letter during a speech in Philadelphia on October 11 before auctioning it off on eBay. The auction attained a winning bid of $2,100,100.00 from philanthropist Betty Casey. Limbaugh pledged his own matching donation to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity which provides scholarships to the children of fallen law enforcement officers and Marines, and challenged Harry Reid to do the same. On October 19, 2007, moments before the charity auction was to end, Reid announced on the Senate floor that he was proud to be a party to this donation and stated that he had helped make the donation possible. Newsbusters criticised the Senator's statements.

Reid's position on the Iraq War

Liberal critics argue that Reid is not doing enough to end the American military presence in Iraq. The Boston Globe has stated that disappointment among constituents and Democratic Party activists regarding efforts to bring back troops as well as conservative opposition to those efforts, together, have reduced Congress's approval rating. The Washington Post has stated that liberal antiwar critics such as Moveon.org believe that Reid has not pressured Republicans enough "to concede" to the Democrats' position.

Conservative critics such as commentators writing in National Review, The Weekly Standard, and The Washington Times as well as former Republican Senator Fred Thompson argue that Reid-- in his opposition to the war-- ignores the change in military tactics and methodology with the adoption of the surge, the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, and the appointment of General David Petraeus. A July 2007 CBS poll found that 65% of Americans "disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are handling the situation with Iraq" and 59% disapprove of the Democrats' handling. Both results have "unsure" groups of about 10%. An August 2007 CBS poll found that 69% also disapprove of the Bush Administration's handling.

On April 24, Vice President Dick Cheney criticized what he termed Reid's "blind opposition to the new strategy in Iraq," charging that "Sen. Reid himself has said that the war in Iraq will bring his party more seats in the next election." Earlier in April, Reid had been quoted in the Washington Post as saying that "We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war," and that "Senator Schumer has shown me numbers that are compelling and astounding." Reid later responded, "I'm not going to get into a name calling match with the administration's chief attack dog" and that "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating." Ironically, Reid's own approval rating and that of the Democratic Leadership have been reported within many sources.

Republican criticism of donations

See also: Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal

A Las Vegas Review Journal on Feb. 03, 2006 reported, "The National Republican Senatorial Committee this week revived a charge that Reid received more than $50,000 from four tribes with gaming interests between 2001 and 2004 after they hired Abramoff. The Nevadan had received no money from those tribes before then, Republicans said." John Solomon, an Associated Press reporter, examined this charge as well as other Republican charges against Reid in a series of articles.

While it is true that Reid received money from Native American tribes that also hired Abramoff, it is not true that Jack Abramoff personally gave donations to Reid. Abramoff personally never donated to Democrats. The Native American tribes who hired him contributed to both Republicans and Democrats. The tribes also donated money to Reid. Reid has always opposed off-reservation gambling. John Solomon and Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press reported that Reid collected donations from Native American gambling interests around the time of each vote Reid caste opposing off-reservation gambling. Ethics rules require senators to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in collecting contributions around the times they take official acts benefiting donors. Both Reid and John Ensign, the Junior Senator from Nevada, received gaming interest money from Native American tribes. The Senate Ethics Committee did not accuse Reid nor Ensign of violating Senate ethics rules.

John Solomon also reported, among the contacts between Abramoff's Democratic lobbying team and Reid's office, there were several discussions about a bill to raise the minimum wage of the Northern Mariana Islands. Solomon did not report that Reid co-sponsored a the bill that would have raised the minimum wage in the NMI, a bill Abramoff's clients opposed. Reid described the Abramoff affair as "a Republican scandal," referring to Abramoff's felony conviction for making illegal contributions to Republican Congressman Bob Ney and Abramoff's close affiliation with the former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay's Republican K Street Project. A spokesperson said that Reid had never met Abramoff personally, that neither Reid nor his campaign has ever received money directly from Abramoff, and that his legislative work was done on behalf of his Nevadan constituents as well as the large gaming interests in Nevada. Jim Manley, a Reid spokesperson, told the Associated Press "All the actions that Senator Reid took were consistent with his long- held beliefs, such as not letting tribal casinos expand beyond reservations, and were taken to defend the interests of Nevada constituents."

Las Vegas land deal

On October 11, 2006, John Solomon reported that Harry Reid's member interest in a limited liability company (LLC) was allocated $1.1 million of the gross proceeds attributable to the sale of a parcel of land. In 1998, Reid bought a plot of land for $400,000, fair market value at the time. One of the sellers was a developer who arranged a land swap that Reid supported. In 2001, he transferred title of the land to the LLC. When the LLC sold the land in an arm's length transaction in 2004, Reid made a profit.

The LLC was formed by long-time friend and former casino attorney Jay Brown,. Reid's failure to disclose the change in the form of his asset holdings upon contribution to the LLC violates Senate rules according to former Federal Election Commission overseer Kent Cooper. Reid did disclose the 2004 sale as though he held the property in his individual name. In addition, Brown paid a small portion of Reid's taxes on the ownership stake, which constitutes basis for Brown and is corrected for at the land's sale resulting in higher taxes for Reid. Since Reid continued to own the land inside the LLC with the same basis he held it before contribution, he continued to report to Congress that he owned the land for 3 years after he transferred title to the LLC he partially owned. Reid's staff stated that he did not initially disclose the transfer of the land to the LLC because this transfer was not a change of ownership, but was simply Reid owning the land through an LLC instead of as an individual.

Reid directed his staff to amend the 2001 financial disclosure forms to reflect the transfer of title to the LLC. He also disclosed two other land transactions on the amended reports.

Condo gifts

On October 17, 2006, John Solomon of the Associated Press reported that Reid had used campaign donations to pay for $3,300 in Christmas gifts to the staff at the condominium where he resides. Federal election law prohibits candidates from using political donations for personal use. Reid's staff stated that his attorneys had approved use of the funds in this manner but that he nonetheless would personally reimburse his campaign for the expenses. That action notwithstanding, the conservative group Citizens United announced it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to investigate the matter.

Polling on Reid and Congress

Polling on Reid's and the Democratic Congress' approval ratings vary. According to a Rasmussen Reports poll, Reid's approval rating in September 2007 is 27% among voters nation-wide; 7% give a "very favorable" rating and 20% give a "very unfavorable" rating. These numbers do not specifically reflect his approval ratings in his home state. Other Rasmussen polls found that "Democrats have opened an eighteen point lead in the Generic Congressional ballot" and "Democrats are still trusted more than Republicans on nine of ten key issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports." A June 2007 NBC poll reported that 41% of registered voters believe their "representative deserves to be reelected" while 48% disagree. A July 2007 Pew Research Center poll reported that 54% of Americans "disapprove of the job the Democratic leaders in Congress are doing."

Popular culture

Reid had a cameo role in the movie Traffic, in which he played himself. He appeared along with Senators Sam Brownback and Barack Obama in the 2007 documentary film Sand and Sorrow, which details the genocide in Sudan.

Electoral history

After Reid's run for Senate in 1974 in which he lost narrowly to Paul Laxalt, Reid served as Nevada state gaming commissioner, as noted above. After the 1980 Census, Reid successfully ran for the new House district Nevada had been granted, and served two terms. In 1986, Reid was elected as Senator to replace the retiring Laxalt and has served in the Senate ever since.

* Nevada law since 1975 allows dissatisfied voters to vote for "None of These Candidates."

External links

• U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Reid's official Senate site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• New York Times — Harry Reid News ongoing collection of news and commentary
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Harry Reid profile
• Give 'Em Hell Harry official campaign site
• Harry Reid - Congressional Staff Salary Information

Articles

• "Reid tells BYU crowd that socially responsible Dems mirror Mormon values" Salt Lake Tribune, October 9, 2007
• "Reid: Right-wingers have taken LDS Church members down 'wrong path'" Salt Lake Tribune, October 9, 2007
• Biography from "The First 100 Persons Who Shaped Southern Nevada"
• Interview with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid Buzzflash, August 1, 2005
• Profile of US Senator Harry Reid of Nevada About.com
• "Harry Reid Is Not Boring" by Chris Suellentrop, Slate, 22 December 2004
• mormoncentury.com — Why Reid supported stem cell research
• Senate Democratic leader Reid has mild stroke CNN, August 19, 2005
• Reid got $1 million in land sale AP, October 12, 2006

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