It was revealed Tuesday night that Harry Reid, the former Democratic Senate Leader, has died. Although even the passing of one of their beloved party leaders didn’t stop CNN and MSNBC from ghoulishly exploiting his death to push for repealing the Senate filibuster.
On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, fill-in host Jim Acosta was discussing the ongoing January 6 congressional hearings with his two guests CNN political analyst David Gergen and former Democratic Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman when the news of Reid’s death broke. Acosta delivered the news to the audience by addressing Gergen and then asking about his legacy as a Senate leader.
Both Gergen and Holtzman had kind words for the former Senator, but the conversation quickly drifted to Reid’s late-in-life support of doing away with the Senate filibuster. Acosta was eager to ask Holtzman what her views were on the conversation that he had with Reid.
I heard something Harry Reid tell me in his interviews before his death this year. It’s now that the filibuster is gone. You know what, though, he issued a warning regarding expanding the Supreme Court. He was an institutionalist in many aspects. You know what? He also was an institutionalist, and he practiced filibuster, so as a Senate leader. Um, he warned the nation that these were preventing progress.
Holtzman responded by calling Reid “pretty” “a great strategist” “brilliant tactician” while going on to dismiss Reid’s concerns over his party’s desire to pack the Supreme Court. She then said “the filibuster right now is standing in the way” of her party’s agenda to pass voting reforms that will make it easier for Democrats to get elected.
Over on MSNBC’s All InChris Hayes, the host, had Substack publisher Anand Giridharadas and Linda Chavez (ex-official Reagan Administration) as his guest. Nation magazine justice correspondent Ellie Mystal on to discuss Reid’s passing.
Mystal praised Reid for changing the filibuster rules to allow Obama to confirm circuit and appellate justices and brushed off criticism of Reid that this lead then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to successfully confirm Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees by lowering the sixty vote threshold for Supreme Court candidates.
It was then Chavez (the only Republican)’s turn to add some context to the conversation. Hayes, along with her panelists were warned by Chavez that they’d regret it if Democrats removed the filibuster from all legislation. She reasoned that the next time Republicans controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress, Democrats would be powerless to stop them from implementing their agenda.
Chavez stressed that Chavez was also an advocate for the rights of all people. “democracy is about a majority rule, but it is also about protecting minorities in politics, not just minorities racial and ethnic but political minorities.”
Mystal refused to accept this, and launched into an argument about why the filibuster was needed to protect her. “white majoritarian rule over the emerging majority of this country.”
I would say it’s shocking to see people exploit the death of a longtime political leader like this, but this is CNN and MSNBC we’re talking about. It shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore.
This disgusting and ghoulishly exploited death of Senator from the United States to gain political gains was brought to your attention by Find out more(CNN). Prevagen (MSNBC). This link will take you to their contact information so that you can inform them about biased news they finance.
Read the relevant transcripts of both segments below click “expand”:
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360
12/28/2021
8.49.48 pmJIM ACOSTA: And, David, we’re learning in just the last several minutes that the former-Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, has passed away. He’s had a long battle with illness. This past year, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with him several times. He was 82. He was a legend in American Senate history. Throughout his long career, you had many opportunities to interact with him. What do you believe he will be remembered for as a leader of the Democratic party in his town?
DAVID GERGEN : I think he’ll be remembered as a humble man who came from small town America and worked his way up. The Senate Majority Leader. This is an incredible feat in and of itself. He will likely not be remembered by historians as a high-ranking President. His name will not be associated with the nation’s top leaders or presidents. However, he’ll be remembered — for his partisanship, and — I believe the man Harry Reid was underneath. He was very interesting, as I learned from his conversations, and I ended up respecting him. But he really — he’s gotten a bit of a rough ride on the–by the media.
ACOSTA: Congresswoman, I want to ask about Harry Reid’s comments that he made just before his death in interviews last year. It’s now that the filibuster is gone. You know what, though, he issued a warning regarding expanding the Supreme Court. He was an institutionalist in many aspects. You know what? He also was an institutionalist, in many ways.
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN (Reply): He was correct about that. Harry Reid was an excellent strategist. In fact, he was an excellent tactician. That was a very intelligent, clever, and effective tactician. His warning regarding the Supreme Court? Let’s see where that leads. As he stated, the filibuster stands in the way of something very vital. That’s the right of all Americans to vote and have their votes counted. There is nothing more fundamental than that. We have to amend the Senate’s rule to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote, and that the votes are counted.
ACOSTA. Yes, that’s right. Senator Reid told me over the summer that one thing he liked doing was to give John Boehner (ex-House Speaker) a tough time. He also said that they did a lot. In those days, there was some understanding. David Gergen said that it was also combative in those days. You could still get the job done, and you can be a good friend behind closed doors, even though you’re fighting for headlines. And it’s just that is so sorely missed these days.
GERGEN: Well, that’s true. You all know that Reagan set the rules many others follow. Before five o’clock in the afternoon, you can knock the brains out of the other side. After five o’clock, time to have a drink, sit down, tell old stories. Lyndon Johnson found that this worked quite well. Didn’t work quite so well for Harry Reid but it’s a better way of doing things than what we have now that’s for damn sure.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. David Gergen and Elizabeth Holtzman: Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Breaking news: Harry Reid, former Senate Majority leader, has died. We’ll keep you updated as night progresses.
MSNBC’s All In
12/28/2021
8.49.04 PMCHRIS HAYES: We got a panel here Anand Giridharadas is the publisher of The Ink on Substack as well as the author of “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World.” Linda Chavez was the Reagan Administration’s highest ranking woman. Ellie Mystal, the Justice Correspondent of The Nation Magazine is joining me. Ellie: Let me begin with you regarding Reid and the legacy. Faz said that Reid was one of the most significant decisions. That included the elimination of the filibuster on appointees. It also applied to judicial nominees. Donald Trump used it to block a lot of nominations. Also, we must note that that has resulted in a record number of Judicial appointment during Biden’s first-year. It has kind of worked for both. It begs the question: What is your opinion of the legacy?
ELLIE MYSTAL : It shows, as Faz said, that you sometimes have to worry about the end of things. Reid is unfairly criticized for changing filibuster rules to lower court appointees, then having Mitch McConnell change them for Supreme Court appointees. Remember that Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch are all in filibuster-free worlds. It would be a filibuster if there were one.
HAYES: Right.
MYSTAL. None of these candidates received 60 votes. People blam Reid for the change that enabled Mitch McConnell and Reid to alter it. This is stupid, I believe.
HAYES: (Chuckles)
MYSTAL – The universe in which Mitch McConnell is not bending.
HAYES: Exactly.
MYSTAL – Hell and Earth.
HAYES: Yes!
MYSTAL: It is impossible to get Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh on the court.
HAYES: Yeah.
MYSTAL. So McConnell wanted to alter it, but Reid pre-struck him by changing the filibuster that governs court appointments. You’ll notice that Biden appointed more judges of the lower courts in his first year as President than any president in American History, aside from George Washington. There you have it.
HAYES. Linda Reid, who obviously spent a long time in Washington, felt like an ancestor of the U.S. Senate, in the same way that politicians have become less common. It’s hard to say if this is a positive or negative thing. However, one thing I’ve learned is how the Senate functions gives me much power. That’s not the case for many Senators. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are examples of people who really get the Senate at an in-depth and detailed level. This really is a great advantage.
LINDA CHAVEZ – Absolutely. My favorite Harry Reid quote is something like, Someone asked Harry Reid why he was so successful. He said that he didn’t achieve success due to his good looks, or because he was a genius. I achieved success because I worked harder and did more than anyone else. That’s true. His command of rules is a fact you are correct to. This is something Mitch McConnell, who was also his opponent, had a very strong command of the rules. On the issue of changing filibusters to allow court appointments, however, I think I’d disagree. You never know what you might get. It was a good thing that Mitch McConnell could do this for Donald Trump. I also supported his Supreme Court Justice nominations. But I think it is a mistake to assume that everyone else did not.
HAYES, Well to that, that’s to the point. To zoom out for a moment, Anand. Anand was key to this evolution, which saw the Senate move towards majority voting. This idea of what is good for one goose, being good for another. It is possible. But it’s also like that’s the way democracies work. You know, 50 states are in the Union that operate without supermajority. But most function using bicameral systems and a majority threshold. The idea that something like this must exist in the U.S. Senate because it’s sacrosanct is an invention of the last 60-70 years. It’s a compelling reason to consider getting rid of it if Anand has a small D commitment, which I believe is the case.
{Crosstalk}
CHAVEZ: Yeah.
ANAND GIRIDHARADAS : I believe you are familiar with Faz’s comments.
CHAVEZ: Democracies.
HAYES: Let me go
CHAVEZ : Sorry. I had an idea.
HAYES: Let me go to Anand first, Linda then I’ll get you.
CHAVEZ: Sure.
GIRIDHARADAS: You know I think Faz spoke movingly of–of Senator Reid’s evolution and part of and love of the institution. A relationship that is honest with an institution is part of love.
HAYES: Yes!
GIRIDHARADAS. Loving someone means to have a genuine relationship with him/her. The Senate, I believe, became a major obstruction to American democracy’s throat at one point. This is something that any decent person in America would have realized over the past 20, 30, 40 years. If you were to list the four-five or five most important institutional elements of this society, which could, by a series of unfortunate consequences, threaten the survival of the republic, I would rank the Senate at the top of that list.
HAYES: Hmmm.
GIRIDHARADAS His fellow Senators are also still around and it is sad that some of them don’t know that they can be part, even if they oppose changes to the Senate rules or the filibuster.
HAYES: It’s quite funny, Reid’s development on that point was one of his most striking characteristics. Linda, I wanted to tell you something.
CHAVEZ (I just wanted to point out that democracy is not about majority rule but about protecting minorities in politics. This includes minorities of racial or ethnic origin as well as political minorities. You know that I am concerned that anyone who wants to alter the filibuster rules to get rid of it altogether, especially Democrats, will be disappointed when a Republican is elected President and Republicans control Congress. That would leave Democrats without any.
HAYES: Yeah.
CHAVEZ: A tool to prevent the untoward events from occurring.
HAYES: I want to quickly respond.
GIRIDHARADAS: Sorry, I just want to say – I believe in
HAYES: Go ahead.
GIRIDHARADAS: The idea of… Sorry, I just want to say I believe in the idea of ah..
HAYES: Anand, then Ellie!
GIRIDHARADAS : I like the idea of the Senate protecting minorities, but it would be great to see it actually happen.
HAYES: Ellie you go.
MYSTAL – The fil-the filibuster exists to defend segregation. You know, because that is why it exists. It exists to preserve white majority rule over this emerging country. We must get rid of filibuster if we wish to end white minoritarian rule. Let the people make their own laws.
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