Posted: Monday, October 20, 2008 12:00 am
"Dear friend," Harry Reid writes by e-mail. "It's unprecedented. Everything Democrats believe in and fight for is in reach. We have a breathtaking opportunity to change America.
"Polls show the races breaking our way. We stand at the very brink of electing Barack Obama president and giving him a filibuster-proof majority …
"Barack's message yesterday laid it all on the line: 'What you do right now will help decide America's future for decades to come.'
"It's the DSCC that will help our terrific candidates win these races. They are just $435,658 from fully funding their proven campaign plan in every battleground state for another week …
"A filibuster-proof majority will put Americans back to work, get serious about global warming, and finally change course in Iraq."
And then, Harry Reid, the majority leader in the Senate, asks for contributions.
Maybe his approach has the effect he wants among his supporters. For others, the prospect of a filibuster-proof majority voting for "everything Democrats believe in and fight for" - and enacting it for "decades to come" - might give considerable pause.
Exploring or drilling for oil anywhere in this country or off shore? Forget it. Reviving nuclear power? No way.
Keeping our hydro dams, especially those four on the Snake River that generate 5 percent of the BPA's load? Absolutely not; they'll be razed.
Stepping up timber management on the national forests and BLM land with logging to bring in more revenue? Don't hold your breath.
Serious about global warming? Presumably that means shutting down the thermal plants that produce power from coal and natural gas. Get ready to freeze in Harry Reid's coming winters and hope that the wind blows enough to turn those windmills.
Change course in Iraq? Just when the changed strategy there is showing good results and promises of more?
We'll see how it goes in a couple of weeks, and whether Senator Reid will be even more giddy then than he sounds now. (hh)