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Reid's Great Day

I've been trying to figure out exactly what it was about Reid's inspiring move to close the Senate, yesterday, that made my little liberal heart swell with joy.  I pounded out my first post on the subject within 5 minutes after I first heard about what was happening.  It was just instantaneously clear, despite how unexpected it was, what the political ramifications were.  So, maybe it was the cleverness of the political machinations that got me going.

It could also, perhaps, be the attitude with which Reid did it (watch the video here).  The swoop of his arm as he said, "And so, Mr. President, I call for a closed session..." might as well have been Chris Rock dropping the mike at the end of his set.  He had spent twenty minutes turning the President on a spit when he dropped his bombshell.  He knew he'd nailed it.  It was an attitude that I'm not sure I've ever seen, during my lifetime, from Democrats.  I've certainly not seen it in the past five years.

Or maybe it's quotes like this, from Dana Milbanks of all people, describing the scene:

In the genteel club that is the United States Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) had a screaming temper tantrum yesterday[...]

Democrats did not deny it was a stunt: a brazen effort to change the subject from the Supreme Court confirmation of Sam Alito, which Republicans prefer, to war deaths and Scooter Libby's indictment. "Alito had his day," a Democratic leadership aide said as the chamber dissolved into confusion. "We're going back to our story."

It was a cheap trick -- and it worked brilliantly[...]

Frist, after his opening tirade, yielded the microphones to colleagues -- but then returned to denounce Reid a second time. Frist excused himself, saying: "I've got to go figure out what we need to do."

Through the glass door to the chamber, Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) could be seen sitting in the presiding officer's chair, looking puzzled. Reid could be seen sharing a laugh with two colleagues.

You just can't paint a better picture of what was going on.  Republicans on their heels, trying to get their wind back from being sucker-punched while Democrats were huddled up in corners, laughing like the nerds who finally built up the courage to take on the class bully only to have him run off crying after one punch.

And then there's the most important thing: It worked.  We now have a new bipartisan oversight "committee", made up of three Republicans and three Democrats.  Time will tell what the effectiveness of such a committee will be, but it does provide Reid and the Senate Dems with a toe-hold into investigative processes.

In my previous posts, I mentioned several of the immediate results of Reid's move, which I won't recount here, but the greatest achievement is the way it helped unify many of the themes that we Democrats have been shouting about for some time now.  The war in Iraq, Scooter Libby, Plame, WMD's, those are the obvious ones, but it also hearkens back to those crazy kids at Princeton protesting the Republican proposed Nuclear Option, the Gang of 14 and the filibuster compromise.

Pure and simple, the Democrats have the means to oppose Alito, even if it means through the use of the filibuster.  Yesterday, they showed that they have the courage.

Yesterday was one of the first days in a long time that I walked around with my chest puffed out because I was proud to be a Democrat.

More on the Closed Door Session

Here's a couple of other reasons why Reid's move today was genius.

• One of the most effective Republican attacks on the Senate Democrats is that they are, through use of the filibuster, obstructionists.  Today, Reid called for the closed door session because, he said, he was tired of the stonewalling on the investigation into the war.  Now, it is up to the Republicans to prove that they aren't hiding anything.  If we suddenly see some movement on the investigation into the war, the Reid can say, "We aren't obstructionists, we are merely trying to get done what the Republicans refuse to do. And look, it worked!"  If the Republicans continue to stonewall, then Senate Democrats have an effective argument that it is, in fact, the Republicans who are obstructing (and there is a certain indictment out there to back that claim up).  Either way, the Democrats win.
• This changes the subject from Alito to the Libby indictment AND it connects the Libby indictment to the broader narrative about the war.

For the first time in five years we see the Democratic party fighting back.  They aren't simply defending themselves against accusations, but they are on the offensive.  What's more, they are attacking the Republicans on the very issues that the Republicans have attacked them.

UPDATE: Another added benefit is it takes the whole "Bush had his worst week ever, but this week presents a new opportunity to move forward" and blows it all to hell.  Seriously, this is the political move with ramifications which appear endless.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mark Schmitt has a great piece up on this over at TPM Cafe.

I have a theory about Congress, which is that there is often a moment when the effective majority switches, when the minority takes control of the agenda well before an election. It happened in 1994 when Gingrich forced the Crime Bill back to conference. It happened in 1996 when Kennedy forced the Senate to take up the minimum wage increase. After those events, the majority never quite had control of the agenda again.

I think the same thing just happened today when Harry Reid took the Senate into closed session to force a discussion of the delayed Intelligence Committee report on misuse of intelligence.

Senate Meets in Closed Door Session

Rule 21 of the Senate says:

... on a motion made and seconded, to close the doors of the Senate to discuss any business which may, in the opinion of a Senator, require secrecy, the presiding officer shall direct the galleys to be cleared and, during the discussion of such motion, the doors shall remain closed.  When the Senate meets in a closed session, any applicable provisions of these rules, including the confidentiality of information, shall apply to any information and to the conduct of any debate transacted.

CNN's Bill Schneider just said this:

The way [the Democrats in the Senate] are doing it is what's particularly controversial, and why it provoked such an angry reaction on the part of the majority leader.  This was used early in the days of the Republic, but is rarely used, this closed session, in modern times, primarily to discuss national security.  Well, that's exactly why, Senator Reid said, a closed session is appropriate because he wants discuss the national security implications of the Libby indictment.

This is a spectacular move by Reid and the Senate Democrats.  It's behind closed doors so, while it is certainly grandstanding, it's shrouded nature protects the Democrats against charges of trying to attack the White House publicly, and yet it achieves exactly that.  So, when questions like, "Senator Reid, what do you say to the Republicans who charge that this is a publicity stunt meant to capitalize on the indictment of Scooter Libby?", Reid can simply answer, "I requested a closed door session in the Senate to avoid trivializing the very serious matters that our country is currently facing by making them fodder for PR spin.  But, since you've brought up the indictment of Scooter Libby..."

The Libby indictment's initial news cycle lasted through the weekend and, Monday, President Bush changed the subject to the nomination of Judge Alito.  Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats just held the news cycle on Alito to barely 24 hours, and changed the subject back to Libby, and it presents an opportunity to broaden the narrative.  As Reid said, today:

This past weekend, we witnessed the indictment of the I. Lewis Libby, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff and a senior Advisor to President Bush. Libby is the first sitting White House staffer to be indicted in 135 years. This indictment raises very serious charges. It asserts this Administration engaged in actions that both harmed our national security and are morally repugnant.

Perhaps more important than all of this, in the short term, is that Reid has just signaled to a Democratic base which is concerned that its leaders are afraid to use the filibuster to oppose Judge Alito's nomination that they are ready to fight on all fronts of their agenda.

This was a bold and powerful move.