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Durbin, Schumer Jockeying for Reid's Majority Post

Senators quietly maneuvering to move in if leader goes down

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 29, 2010 1:41 AM CDT

(Newser) – Capitol Hill housemates Charles Schumer and Richard Durbin are likely to end up fighting over a lot more than the breakfast cereal if Harry Reid loses his re-election battle. The senators from New York and Illinois, Reid's top two deputies, are subtly building support for bids to become majority leader—while publicly throwing their full support behind Reid, the New York Times reports. Schumer has donated $500,000 to the Nevada Democratic Party and Durbin has kicked in $50,000.

Both men, keenly aware of how risky it is to be seen angling prematurely for Reid's position, are doing everything they can to act like they don't want the job, the Wall Street Journal notes. Schumer—expected to cruise to victory in his own re-election fight—is seen as the front-runner to replace Reid if Sharron Angle wins in Nevada and the Democrats keep their majority, although associates say that victory will be bittersweet. "Harry Reid has played a key role in helping Chuck Schumer become the senator he is today,” one of Schumer's close advisers says. “And Chuck knows that better than anyone else.”

Reid is like a brother to me, Sen. Schumer said at a recent gathering of New York City donors.
Reid "is like a brother to me," Sen. Schumer said at a recent gathering of New York City donors.   (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
Harry Reid is flanked by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, left, and Sen. Chuck Schumer at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Harry Reid is flanked by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, left, and Sen. Chuck Schumer at a news conference on Capitol Hill.   (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Brittanicus
Oct 29, 2010 1:38 PM CDT
Some sober thinking on voting for Democrats is that in the first session of Congress, a Liberal Path to Citizenship or Amnesty will be instantly addressed by the Senate, and its main disciple Senator Harry Reid leading the pack. There has been no mention of costs of Amnesty to the taxpayer, from this administration or the radical progressive press, which remains silent. You need to Google--The Heritage foundation and learn of a sudden hike to come in your taxes, to pay the $2.6 Trillion dollars for all newly processed immigrant subsidies and settlement needs once legitimized. Barbara Boxer or any named incumbent has remained silent to the added abomination of giving these subsidies. This will be a new inventory of foreigners coming here that DEM’S have promised access to our Social Security. Full admission so those over the years who illegally worked here, can apply for their ill-gotten gains even after procuring or using fraudulent Social Security numbers. Another reality is that any illegal alien can apply for Social Security, even though they never paid into the system. It’s beyond anybodies imagination that rewarding people who intentionally slipped into America, then gaining entrance to every kind of government benefit. Our country is slipping down a financial mountain of a $13 Trillion dollar debt and we want to make the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens feel at home? But then Gubernatorial Jerry Brown, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa have approved Sanctuary City policies and are tied to the same brush of most if not all Liberal politicians to pass AMNESTY. Sanctuary refuges have brought along with poor illegal aliens-- criminals of every persuasion, from the gutters of every cesspool of the world. Sen. Reid stated there are no illegal aliens in Nevada, so he must have been sequestered in his home in Searchlight prior to the construction boom in Nevada? Every comment I have read says that the state is overrun with illegal aliens. As for California-- That place needs no explanation? There is a Liberal majority seated in Sacramento that keeps silent about the crammed schools full of the kids of foreign nationals, distressed emergency rooms and an uncomplimentary jail system full of alien criminals. But Sen. Boxer, have allowed the illegal population to propagate. Only patriotic citizens such as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, State Senator Russell Pierce, in Colorado Gubnatorial Candidate Tom Tancredo have seen the invasion for what it has become and not remaining silent about it. Too many other politicians will not speak out –as they have been intimidated by the Liberal extremist “Political correctness”. They slink around Washington or State Capitol areas, scared of their own shadow. In additionally all citizens and taxpayers must be on guard of foreign nationals, voting in any election, to save their Liberal progressive saviors from becoming a number at unemployment agencies. Our nation is being slowly Balkanized, by a mess of foreign languages and special disbursements by the Liberal open border zealots, to give away this nation to the worst of foreign nationals. The Tea Party political candidates will smoke out all foreign aliens, using such newly advanced tools as permanent E-Verify. Big Business will be held accountable with prison sentences for hiring illegal’s, and will not bow to either the Liberal progressives or the ideologies of the wealthy GOP. Remembering the new immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island and Galveston, Texas, during the 20th Century asked nothing, but acceptance. But the last decades have brought to this country monetary nationals who are demanding we knuckle down to their rules, demanding Amnesty, schools for their numerous children, free health care and public welfare. None of the richest countries in the world can afford this unnecessary fiscal strain; nether can we? American taxpayers have nowhere to turn right now, with the repossession of their cars, the loss of their homes, failing health Care and a previous and post governments that have failed the people. IF AMERICAN PEOPLE GIVE INTO ANOTHER AMNESTY, IT WILL BE A SIGNAL TO EVERY POOR PERSON IT’S ALRIGHT TO BREAK THE LAW. THAT THIS NATION WILL WELCOME YOU AND PROFFER GOVERNMENT BENEFITS TO ANY LAWBREAKER. We need highly very skilled legal immigrant workers in our future and mandatory temporary workers for agriculture, but no more foreigners coming to pick our pockets.
SilenceDogood
Oct 29, 2010 4:55 AM CDT
Blood in the water and the sharks circle.

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