Majority Leader—and soon to be Minority Leader—Harry Reid is feeling feisty. His new mission: blocking "crazy stuff."
From Politico:
“I want to do some mainstream things. But I believe that if [Republicans] want to try to do all this crazy stuff, we’re getting out of that stream. … If it’s not mainstream, they’re not going to have us to play with.”
Reid was just getting warmed up in his interview with Politico's Manu Raju. Here are a few choice reflections ...
On his sometimes chilly relationship with Obama:
“He’s said I’m certainly the best friend he has up here. So that’s what he says to me. I’m sure he says that to anybody who asks him.”
On his prospects for a potentially tough re-election in 2016:
“It’s not as if I haven’t had a real challenge over the years. So what? I’ve won before.”
On
the six Democrats that voted against him for minority leader:
“I had no opponent,” Reid said when asked whether he was bothered by the “no” votes. “They voted ‘no’ for what?”
On whether he will continue on as minority leader after the 114th Congress:
"Why would I be thinking about that now? I mean, don’t you think I have other things to think about? That’s not one of them.”
On Sen. Chuck Schumer potentially succeeding him:
“If I decide not to have this job, sometime in the future, he’d have to run just like anybody else.”
On the Democrats decision to focus on passing health reform in 2010:
“I’m not going to go back,” Reid said. “I mean, we did it. … It’s the hallmark of the first six years of the administration, I think it’s a wonderful legacy for him."
That's a whole lot of attitude for one interview. We'll see next year whether he takes that fighting mood to Sen. McConnell and the Republican caucus. But wherever he fails to block bad legislation, he clearly expects President Obama to rise to the occasion.
“I’ll be happier if we’re unfortunate enough to pass crazy stuff and he vetoes it. That would make me feel good. It will be good for his presidency.”