Former leader of the Senate Majority, Harry Reid, passed away at 82 of pancreatic cancer in Henderson, Nevada. The Nevada senator served for over three decades in the US Senate, carving out a place as a heavyweight and kingmaker of the left.
Reid was key in helping Barack Obama’s successful run for president and working to try to pass more immigration amnesty. He single-handedly helped turn Nevada blue in the last four presidential elections.
He also aided in getting Obamacare passed and continued to provide advice and help to candidates looking to run in Nevada, even after he retired in 2017.
Harry Reid’s Hard Life
Flags are at half staff for Reid, who was fighting pancreatic cancer the past four years before dying on Tuesday. Joe Biden put out a statement of condolences, saying Reid always did the “right” thing for people and he is a “giant” of US history.
Reid was raised in the small town of Searchlight, Nevada to a gold mining dad who drank too much and a mom who washed clothes for local whorehouses in the collapsing village. He had to hitchhike to get to school and started boxing at a young age.
He studied hard, but had a home life that would have been hard for anyone.
Reid was a bright student and eventually got the opportunity to study law at George Washington University, thanks to his boxing coach and role model, Democrat insider Mike O’Callaghan.
He later became an insider of Nevada politics when O’Callaghan ended up becoming governor of the state and helped get funding and publicity for his political career.
By age 28, Reid became a state representative and eventually moved on to also getting involved in the gaming commission in the state, cracking down on the power of the mafia in Las Vegas.
Several years later, his dad committed suicide and his mom also died six years after that. Reid won election to the US Senate in 1987 and served as majority leader from 2007 to 2015.
A son of Searchlight, Nevada, Harry never forgot his humble roots. A boxer, he never gave up a fight. A great American, he looked at challenges and believed it was within our capacity to do good — to do right.
May God bless Harry Reid, a dear friend and a giant of our history.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 29, 2021
The Bottom Line
Reid was from an older school of the Democrat Party, but remained an effective negotiator and insider until the end of his life.
His policies were primarily aimed at a big government, leftist vision of America and conservatives have many reasons to oppose his ideas.
Nonetheless, Reid does represent a more consistent way of politics that’s now largely been replaced by the kind of ridiculous social media hysterics of people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her crew.
He wasn’t some fool who whined about defunding the police or went to cry next to the border. He worked on real legislation to get his goals done and played hardball with his conservative opponents to pass things like Obamacare.
We may have disagreed strongly with Reid’s views, but we can sincerely wish his family comfort in this difficult time. Rest in peace.
He was the gaming commissioner caricatured in the Martin Scorsese movie Casino, who in reality shut down the mob and paved the way for the corporate casinos that now line the Strip.
— Ari Rabin-Havt (@AriRabinHavt) December 29, 2021
