As always, you can get the latest from Riley at his blog, The Political Junkie
Harry Reid (D-NV) is a former boxer, anti-mafia crusader, Senate majority leader, terrible public speaker, and an excellent old-school politico. What do I mean by "old-school?" I mean, the man schemes, lays plots and carefully, subtlety, carries them out.
Subtlety is under-appreciated in our modern age of politics. With the 24 hour news media ready to pounce on anything, then dropping it moments later, most political traps are big and obvious. For instance, let's go film some Planned Parenthood employees and edit it to make them look bad. That screams deceptive trap at a distance of 12 miles. No, "old school" is the art of making your opponent do something really stupid, and you coming off smelling like roses.
Case in point: Harry Reid came out recently against prostitution. As you may know, prostitution is legal in some counties in Nevada. It's the only place in the United States where it is legal. The sex business is highly regulated, through licensed brothels, that require all the workers to get regular health check-ups and provide against abuses. In short, they've taken prostitution off the streets and back alleys and put it in a safe environment. Even so, Harry Reid came out saying that it should be completely illegal. Odd, but not completely out of character for social conservative (he is Mormon after all) Harry Reid. But my question, when I saw that little news story, was why now?
My answer came back almost immediately, John Ensign (R-NV) the junior senator from Nevada came out defending prostitution. Why is this a big deal? Right now, John Ensign is
a) up for re-election in 2012 and struggling to raise money
AND
b) the subject of a Senate inquiry about using $96,000 of campaign money to bribe the husband of the woman he had an affair with, who later threatened to expose the whole thing.
Now there is a fresh ring of news stories and commentary rolling out saying, "Of course John Ensign is in support of paying for sex, no one else has paid more for it recently than him." It brings up the whole scandal again without any blowback on Harry Reid. That is old school politics.
Comments by Readers
David Camp
Feb 27, 2011“Old School” as in fiddling while Rome burns, I’d say. You highlight a cute tactic from the man who voted to extend the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest, the single largest contributor to our federal deficit, which has hit new records each of the past 4 or 5 years under Bush II and President Jellyfish. This is irresponsible behavior to the point of depravity. Which is truly “old school”, so long as you go back to Nero and the corrupt senators who presided over the sack of Rome.
Of course, the barbarians who looted and sacked Rome were foreigners; those who looted and sacked our Nation’s treasury are American bankers and their partners in crime.
But do let’s focus on how cute Harry Reid’s tactics are to keep his job bailng out a traitorous economic elite. He’s our Democratic man, much nicer and cuter than that other guy applying for the same job working for the same people NOT US.
Riley Sweeney
Feb 27, 2011I can understand frustration. Both are extremely wealthy men that spend a good chunk of their time helping other extremely wealthy men stay very wealthy. Very frustrating. I was just highlighting the fact that in a time of overheated political drama (“Don’t Retreat, Reload!”), a nice touch of subtlety is appreciated. That is all.