Reid's Nine-Hour Protest Against Senate GOP in 2003

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Reid's Nine-Hour Protest Against Senate GOP In 2003

 

By Bob Geiger

Created Jul 17 2007 - 8:35am

 

When I interviewed [1] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in December, one of

the things I was struck by is that, despite his understated way of speaking,

you can tell that he is a legitimately tough guy who, when push comes to

shove, will fight back and stand his ground. We're seldom totally satisfied

with how the leaders on our side of the political aisle stand up to the

people we hold in so much disdain, but legislative politics is about far

more gray than black and white and just because we don't always understand

why Reid does what he does, doesn't mean he lacks a strong spine.

 

And, while Reid's surprise move to hold the Senate in session all night

tonight if Republicans block yet another Iraq-redeployment bill certainly

took the political world by storm yesterday, Senate watchers know that Reid

is no stranger to holding the Senate open to take a stand and make a point.

 

On November 10, 2003 [2], when Reid was Assistant Minority Leader to then

Majority Leader Tom Daschle, the Nevada Senator single-handedly held the

Senate floor for almost nine hours in a one-man protest over GOP leader Bill

Frist's scheme to have the Senate spend 30 consecutive hours that week on

Bush administration judicial nominations that Democrats had blocked.

 

I don't know if you recall that judicial Rogues Gallery of Estrada, Owen,

Pickering, and Pryor, but they were the only four of 172 Bush judicial

nominations that the Democrats objected to and, in Frist's

characteristically uncompromising way, he was prepared to hijack the entire

Senate agenda to shove them through.

 

And Reid used the prerogative held by every Senator to take the floor for as

long as desired, provided he followed Senate rules and did not sit down or

stop talking except to field questions from colleagues.

 

Saying, "you can only be slapped around so many times," Reid took very

careful sips of water to avoid having to hit the men's room, leaned on his

desk from time to time, but remained standing and held the floor for over 8

1/2 hours [3], effectively controlling Senate business for the entire day.

 

"The Senate is a body where one person can throw a monkey wrench into it,

and a monkey wrench is being thrown today by the senator from Nevada," Reid

said that November 10.

 

He then went on to talk about a host of issues including global warming, the

minimum wage, the Bush economy and energy exploration. But he saved much of

his bile for the spectacle of Republicans willing to hold the Senate hostage

for the sake of four wealthy judges, while refusing time and time again to

raise the minimum wage or deal with massive national job losses.

 

 

 

"What a ridiculous thing to have 30 hours -- a week before trying to get

out of here -- spent on the jobs of 4 people, when there are over 3 million

people who have lost their jobs and more than that are unemployed. We are

going to spend 30 hours on the lives of four judges. That just doesn't seem

right to me. If people are wondering why we are not moving along, you can do

all the name calling you want, but I think the history books will reflect

how the leadership has been -- at least during the past few days when you

interrupt the ending days of a session to spend 30 hours on a wasteful

exercise.

 

"Why don't we spend 30 hours talking about why we haven't increased the

minimum wage? That would help commerce in this country. That would work

within the confines of this legislation. The minimum wage is now $5.15 an

hour. Take that math and figure out how tough it is.

 

"Let's spend 30 hours talking about people who are working two jobs at

$5.15 an hour, who have no benefits, no medical benefits, no retirement

benefits. We should spend a little time on them, on the minimum wage. I

think that would be something that would be very beneficial.

 

"Mr. President, 7.5 million Americans worked two or more jobs in October,

up from 7.3 million just a year ago. That is an increase of 200,000. The

percentage of people for part-time jobs increased from 1.7 million to 1.8

million over the same course of the year.

 

"I want to look at where some more of these jobs have been lost."

 

Reid then spent more time listing towns throughout America and the number of

jobs they had lost under the reign of George W. Bush.

 

After hours talking about the irresponsibility of the Republican majority

and how beholden they were to Bush and his judicial nominees, Reid changed

course and read many chapters from the book he authored about his tiny

hometown: "Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail."

 

"I am a soldier with a mission," Reid said with a smile to a near-empty

Senate chamber. "That mission is to tell people around the world, C-SPAN and

people within the breadth and width of my voice, about Searchlight and how

it got its name."

 

And so it went -- except when Republican Judd Gregg of New Hampshire tried

to interrupt Reid. Here's the actual Congressional Record entry:

 

 

 

Mr. GREGG. Will the Senator yield for a question?

 

Mr. REID. No. I will in half an hour or so.

 

Mr. GREGG. My question was going to be as to how much time the Senator is

going to take?

 

Mr. REID. When the Senator was off the floor -- and I will repeat -- I

indicated my great respect and admiration for someone with a record of

accomplishment that certainly is significant -- Governor, Member of the

House of Representatives, Senator, and I indicated publicly, and I will say

again, my speaking today for an extended period of time has nothing to do

with my regard for the Senator from New Hampshire. I am going to talk for

probably 4 or 5 hours today.

 

Mr. GREGG. Will the Senator yield for a question? That is not a problem

for myself. I would just like to know the approximate time.

 

Mr. REID. I have answered the Senator's questions, and I would appreciate

it if he would not interrupt.

 

And so Harry Reid does it again today and tonight and into tomorrow morning

and my money is on him to outlast Bush's boys on the other side of the

aisle.

 

After all, The Democratic Leader has been there before.

_______

 

 

 

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their

spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their

government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are

suffering deeply in spirit,

and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public

debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have

patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning

back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at

stake."

-Thomas Jefferson