Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid is probably among the least popular politicians in the country, at least among the electorate that came out to vote yesterday. He is part of the trifecta of politicians Tea Party people love to shout out as those responsible for ruining the country -- along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama. Yet he won he re-election pretty soundly. He won 50 percent of the vote, while his challenger, Tea Party darling Sharron Angle earned 45.
How was it not the squeaker of a victory or outright humiliation many predicted? Well, Harry Reid is actually pretty good at what he does. He's a master politician, if a little underrated. Molly Ball said as much when she wrote about the Silver State's "meddler-in-chief" for TAP in June. It wasn't chance that got Reid a challenger in Angle, a slightly kooky, mostly inexperienced politician who made even those who hated Reid pause:
It seemed like a lucky break for Reid, whose home-state approval ratings haven't seen the bright side of 40 percent in years. "He must feel like it's Christmas," analyst Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Beltway conventional wisdom that had written Reid off for dead has had to be hastily revised. Within a week of Angle's primary win, a Politico headline pronounced, "Election hopes give Reid new life as leader."
In fact, luck had very little to do with it. But Reid had everything to do with it. He spent years clearing the field by enticing, bullying, and manipulating the strong potential Republican candidates into opting out. The dean of the Nevada political press corps, television host and columnist Jon Ralston, frequently refers to Reid as the state's "Meddler-in-Chief," because nearly everything that happens in the Silver State bears his fingerprints.
It's worth remembering going forward, as Democrats maintain slight control of the Senate and are set for giant battles after massive losses in the House. Reid is no accidental leader. And though his outward appearance might be of a bumbler, the reality is much different.
-- Monica Potts
