Thread: Harry Reid’s botched battles

By MANU RAJU & JONATHAN ALLEN 9/21/10

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped the defense policy bill would help make a final pre-election argument for Democrats while energizing the base on gay rights and immigration.

But what he got was a failed vote and a mix of frustration and disappointment from the people he was trying to help. The stalled defense authorization bill — one of the last major Senate votes before November’s elections — was emblematic of the Nevada senator’s struggles to cut deals with the GOP while still pleasing core Democratic constituencies.

The disappointment was widespread.

Gay rights groups were upset that the process Reid employed may have undermined progress in repealing the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tellâ€

Hispanic groups were disappointed that they couldn’t even get a vote on a narrow piece of comprehensive immigration reform — an amendment known as the DREAM Act that would have enabled citizenship for illegal immigrant students in exchange for government or military service.

First, they don't get to vote because they're ILLEGAL and can't cast a vote.

Second, the Dream Act is misrepresented in this statement. It did not require government or military service, it required two years of college attendance, not graduation, not learning English, just showing up for two years.