Senator Reid Flirts with Leadership, Gets to First Base

Democratic Leadership,

Senator Harry Reid astounded Your Karl Rove today by researching, preparing, and enacting an obscure Senate rule that permitted him to physically shut out the Republican majority from the Senate on Tuesday, November 1, 2005.

There was a time and place when this type of stunt would be seen as political hackery. There was a time and place when this type of action would be perceived as an attack on the decency of the Senate institution. There was a time and place when Frist's outrage would have appeared genuine. There was a time and place when Reid would be branded as a radical.

That time is long gone. In today's environment, Reid's actions were a sign of bravery, courage, and most importantly, leadership.

In these troublesome and confusing times, Americans are looking for politicians that are willing to take big risks in order to protect our country's interests. This is why the "Texas Way" has been so appealing to Americans of late -- you just don't play Massachusetts-Mister-Nice-Guy with Al Q'aida.

Senator Reid attacked the Senate Majority today like he was fighting terrorists or an insurgency. This is exactly what Americans need to see if Democrats are to ever be a majority again: a Democrat kicking ass and taking names.

While this blog is mostly about words, both actions and words are required to transform the Democratic party into a brand that can be trusted to guide and lead this nation into future peace and prosperity, even if it means pulling out all the stops when we absolutely need to. Are there some downsides to Reid's action? Absolutely. But it was a calculated risk that was required to show that the Democrats can, indeed, take risks.

You see, there's a difference between aggressive attacks based on informed research, planning, and slick execution (i.e., what Reid did on November 1), and aggressive attacks based on biased research, gut instincts, fantasies, and botched execution (i.e., what the Bush administration did in Iraq).

Reid's Senatorial Stunt has at least now given Americans an opportunity to compare and contrast different ways to attack. Providing real choices in leadership is a great service to Americans, because a Hobson's Choice is all that Americans have really had since Clinton left office.

It is possible that Senator Reid has kicked off the process to redefine the Democratic brand as a political party that is more than a bunch of whiny policy wonks who shrink from the tough decisions and are more satisfied to point fingers at others after big decisions are made. It is possible to fully transform the Democratic brand if the rest of the party latches onto this as a bellwether event. This event should be a model, but it should not be cloned, copied, or overused. Don't fall into the trap of reusing a good trick.

Remember: Americans like innovators and leaders. So, go innovate and lead.