Like a Boss.
Such was the description by Eric Herzik, professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno, of the foot soldiers in Senator Harry Reid's vaunted Nevada political operation. The
New York Times covered how political analysts full expect President Obama to win Nevada largely due to the superior organization and rabid discipline of Reid's machine:
Mr. Reid has spent the last 10 years building a political machine that helped Mr. Obama win Nevada in 2008 and carried Mr. Reid to a re-election victory two years ago that stunned many pollsters. It is widely praised — even by Republicans — as one of the most effective voter-organizing and money-raising political organizations.
As you all know, I've been
singing the praises of Harry Reid's political staff and organization since August of 2010. Not only are they fiercely partisan, they make sure people vote. That is exactly the kind of Democrats I like. That's the old school. Keep good order and no slackers.
In a contrast that has been noted by the Romney camp, the Nevada Republican Party has collapsed in a storm of factionalism and infighting between Tea Party conservatives and party regulars. A contingent of supporters of Representative Ron Paul of Texas, an unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate, ousted the party leadership in a showdown in the spring.
Mr. Romney’s campaign responded by building a parallel political organization, Team Nevada, to match the combined forces of the Reid organization and Obama for America, which built on what Mr. Reid had in place. Aides to Mr. Romney said they had made considerable progress. Hundreds of Romney volunteers, many bused in from Southern California and Utah, gathered recently outside the campaign’s headquarters at a Las Vegas shopping center before heading out in white vans to knock on doors in Clark County.
Still, the aides did not dispute the advantage that Mr. Reid had created for the president.
“Turnout is going to be important,” said Ryan Erwin, Mr. Romney’s senior adviser here. “And, candidly, the Reid machine and the Democrats have been better and more disciplined than we have been for the better part of a decade.”
While Romney
bringing in his people from neighboring Utah may be helping him in Colorado, he's up against a very different kind of political organization in Nevada. While in Colorado the Obama Campaign has built a world class organization for sure, that group is built around the President personally. With Reid's operation, you've got a party apparatus of the old style. Those voters are going to vote Democrat up and down the ticket. That is exactly how it is supposed to be.
Mr. Reid’s campaign to rebuild the Democratic Party was motivated by self-preservation after he almost lost re-election to John Ensign in 1998 and Republicans went on in 2002 to sweep every contested statewide office.
He displayed his ability to turn out voters in 2010 when he defeated his Republican opponent, Sharron Angle, by five percentage points, after many analysts — and polls — predicted that he was headed for defeat.
Mr. Herzik said he had followed Reid workers to observe their efforts in neighborhoods. “They are like dogs on meat,” he said.
I love it. God help my partisan soul, but I love it.