Those comments came out recently in a book called "Game Change" and the second the news hit the airwaves, Reid was rushing to do damage control, apologizing to Barack Obama and other black community leaders.
He told staff to brace for a tough weekend and instructed them to go into damage-control mode. He then hunkered down at his home in Searchlight, Nev., and began working the telephone, apologizing for saying Obama had a good chance to be the first black president because he was “light-skinned” and spoke with “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
Among those he called were: House Democratic Whip James Clyburn (S.C.); Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus; and the outspoken civil rights leader Al Sharpton.
Reid also contacted African-American leaders in Nevada, gaining statements of support from Steven Horsford, the majority leader of the Nevada Senate, and the leaders of the Reno and Las Vegas branches of the NAACP.
“It all began with Sen. Reid quickly acknowledging the need to express regret and apologize,” said spokesman Jim Manley. “He immediately expressed the need to move quickly.”
While Obama and other Democrats expressed their support and forgiveness to Reid, one prominent Democrat is criticizing him and refusing to endorse him, although he isn't calling for him to step down, yet.
Sen. Russ Feingold (Wis.) became the first Democrat to openly criticize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) use of racially insensitive language and declined to endorse Reid’s continued tenure as Majority Leader.
In an interview with ABC affiliate WISN, Feingold criticized Reid’s characterization of President Barack Obama as “light-skinned” without “Negro dialect.” Feingold called those comments “unfortunate and racially insensitive.”
When asked whether he would call on Reid to step down, Feingold said he was still considering that option. “I’m thinking about that and we’re going to be getting together as a caucus next week and the topic will come up. I have not decided whether these comments merit that or not.
“They’re very unfortunate. They should have never been said. So, I need to think about it,” Feingold said.
Unnamed aides to Democratic politicians are saying Reid is in "deep trouble" and going down fast.
“He’s in deep trouble, I think,” said one senior aide to a member of the House Democratic leadership. “Even with the apology, no matter what it’s a negative thing. There are a lot of minorities that vote [in Nevada].”
Asked whether lawmakers who are next in line to be majority leader – such as Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, or Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois – would begin to target Reid, the senior Democrat said there would be no point.
“Why throw more gas on the fire when he appears to be going down anyway?” the aide said.
Another senior House Democratic leadership aide described his reaction when he learned of Reid’s comments: “My jaw dropped.”
Seems as if the name Reid is so unpopular in Nevada it is affecting Harry Reid's son, Rory, in his bid to become Governor.
It will be Reid and Reid atop the November ballot in this state, the father running for his sixth term, the son making his first bid at statewide office. So far, this double bill is not going so great. Each candidate is dragging down the other, to look at the polls and listen to the Silver State's political oddsmakers. And neither is mentioning the other's campaign.
The elder Reid, 70, is fighting for his political survival. He has been a fixture in the state for 40 years, and he's worried that the last thing voters want is a Reid dynasty. He's already badly trailing two Republican candidates who haven't even hit 50 percent in name recognition.
Instead of getting credit for putting down insurrections and wrangling his fellow Democrats into passing a health-care reform bill on Christmas Eve, Harry Reid is getting hosed for it. Republican leaders were licking their lips at the prospect of picking him off. And that was before Reid had to activate a one-man phone tree of apology this weekend for what he called "improper comments" he made during the 2008 presidential campaign about Barack Obama's light skin and absence of "Negro dialect."
Harry Reid is going to drag down the Democratic politicians up or reelection and his son and stands a probable chance of losing his seat totally due to his larger-than-ever disapproval rating in Nevada.
I doubt it will be long before we start seeing the rats jump off the sinking ship.
As a side note, Gateway Pundit gives us an entertaining fact.
The "African Americans for Harry Reid" Facebook page, kicking off an event that has been planned for a while, has 5 members and 4 of them are white.
That right there, is funny.
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