Say that i probably got hung up on the most by harry reid. two or three times a day, for 12 years. that is official working days. sometimes saturday and sunday. but anyway, if we had a really succinct conversation, harry, subject, this, problem, this, timing, this, even if it was that succinct, you know, click. click. so sometimes i even called him back and said, harry, i was singing your praises. i was thanking you for the great job you did in the legislation and the rest. i don t want to hear it. click. i even said to him, when he was announcing his retirement, i want to have a big dinner and invite all of your friends that you re served with in the past, in the house and the senate and the rest. i don t want to do it. but i want to, you know, for them to sing your praises.
Harry was the first to admit he wasn t the most charismatic or politically correct speaker. after a press conference, he d sometimes go up to a staffer and say, okay, tell me everything i did wrong. but harry knew who he was. and he had the distinct advantage of not really caring what other people thought of him. in a town obsessed with appearances, harry had a real vanity deficit. he didn t like phonies. he didn t like grandstanding. he was proud of the fact he didn t own a tuxedo. when he had to go to fundraisers, he would try to get out in under ten minutes. and apparently, the only white house congressional picnic harry
What it was. when harry s brother broke his leg, he stayed in bed and waited for it to heal. his father needed a tooth removed, he yanked it out himself. harry remembered those times. he knew what that was like. so, when harry put everything he had into passing the aca, he didn t do it to burnish his own legacy. he did it for the people back home and families like his who needed someone looking out for them when nobody else was. harry got things done. and here s another thing that set harry apart. he was always unfailingly himself. that may not sound exceptional, but in washington, it is an exceedingly rare quality.
Row friday with the chicago teachers union arguing the city has not done enough to ensure teachers and students are safe. but just today, the city submitting a new proposal to the union to address issues like testing and contact tracing in hopes of returning students and teachers to the classroom. we will, of course, keep our eyes on these stories. and with that, i want to go back to nevada, where senate majority leader chuck schumer is speaking now, the memorial service for former senator harry reid. just know that every single person in this room and literally thousands more across the nation are holding you in their hearts as you endure this painful loss with your family. i lost my dad a month ago, but he s still with me. just as i know harry is with all of us and will always be. five years ago, at the unveiling of harry s official portrait, i said, it will be quite some time
U.s. capitol police, who once counted among their esteemed ranks one harry mason reid, who served as an officer while studying at george washington s school of law. in so many ways, so many ways, harry was a guardian and steward of the senate, literally and figuratively. he took great care of the senate, as an institution, but he also knew that the senate had to adapt to changing times. as we confront the challenges of the coming weeks and months ahead, i take comfort knowing that harry is with us in spirit, walking alongside us. he s right there. as we continue the work he dedicated himself to for so many, so many years. may god rest his immortal soul, and may his memory be a blessing to all of us.
listen, he said. everybody here knows that i don t show a lot of emotion, okay? that s just how i grew up. i just want to say that i m really proud of what i have done with this president and that i love this guy. and then without any warning, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. i think it s fair to say that we were all surprised. and i laughed. i said, well, thanks, harry. i love you too, man. and i put my arm around him, which i think was too much for him. because he said, well, okay then. it s past my bedtime, and with
Landra pointed out that her own father had been a russian immigrant. later, harry would say, i came to the realization that i was way off base. i m so glad she righted the ship. now, of course, there are plenty of politicians who change their positions just because they want to get re-elected. they ve got their fingers out to the wind. they re interested in clinging to power for its own sake. but for harry, the whole point of holding office, the whole point of wielding power, was to actually get things done on behalf of those he represented. during his time as leader, that is exactly what he did. he got things done. without harry, we would not have
Country benefitted from your extraordinary leadership, and i could not have asked for a better, truer friend. i sure did love you back. mr. president, barack, i have to tell you, every time i hear a dial tone, i think of harry. y all think i m kidding. i m not.
Bad about any of his colleagues. i don t know about that, nancy. but he would work with them. i love nancy, but i but he would work with them. if that s what it took to move things forward. in a battle between perfection and progress, harry always chose progress. and that pragmatism made harry adaptable. when he first got to washington, harry s voting record wasn t so different from those who had represented his state in the past. holding traditional positions on issues like gun rights, immigration, reproductive health. but as nevada and the country changed, as harry met more and
He lost his first senate race by just 600 votes. six months later, he ran for mayor of this town and lost in a landslide. but harry did not give up. he got himself a seat in the house and the senate, finally became senate majority leader, and let s face it, he enjoyed every minute of proving doubters wrong again and again and again. sometimes, the people who motivate us the most, harry would later say, are the ones who believe in us the least. so, yes, being tough, being a fighter was one of harry s singular characteristics.