# Next Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600 "2010-06-10T01:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/1 "2010-06-10T01:13:21Z")
It may be after this November both the position of Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House will be changed. While the Democrats retain the majority in the Senate there is a good chance despite the fact Tea Partyista Sharron Angle won in Nevada, Harry Reid will be defeated for reelection. If so who will be the next Senate Majority Leader? Also if the Republicans do regain control of the House John Boehner would presumably be the Speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/2 "2010-06-10T13:38:42Z")
The smart money is on Reid and Pelosi. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/3 "2010-06-10T14:05:05Z")
I don’t think any of that’s going to happen, **Curtis LeMay**. If it did, the obvious choices for the Republicans would be McConnell and Boehner. I wonder if DeMint would make an effort for the Senate post, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/4 "2010-06-10T15:43:23Z")
The House is definitely a race between Pelosi and Boehner. If Reid is not re-elected, my money is on Chuck Schumer to be the next Majority Leader, but it’s going to be a contest with Richard Durbin. There’s only a very low chance that Republicans would take the Senate, but McConnell would be a dead-solid lock for the job. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/5 "2010-06-10T16:45:09Z")
Even if Reid is re-elected, we may still see Schumer or Durbin take the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/6 "2010-06-10T17:15:41Z")
Coulda been Evan Bayh… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/7 "2010-06-10T17:39:09Z")
Pelosi isn’t going anywhere, and neither House is in danger of changing parties. Reid could lose (though his chances are better now that the Republicans nominated a complete nutbag to run against him). Schumer is rumored to be the most likely successor if that happens, followed by Durbin. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/8 "2010-06-10T17:48:12Z")
[Fresh Rasmussen Nevada Poll](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/nevada/election_2010_nevada_senate) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/9 "2010-06-10T17:51:41Z")
Rasmussen is a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/10 "2010-06-10T17:57:27Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Rasmussen is a joke. Even if they aren’t, it’s June, and as they acknowledge right their in the first sentence, she just won her primary and is getting a bounce. She’s been able to campaign against Reid during the primaries, but he didn’t know his opponent. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/11 "2010-06-10T18:10:29Z")
Well, she’s got a host of nutty positions and statements that are going to take some piss out of her campaign pretty quickly. She wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare, for instance, and in a state which derives a large amount of its income from the hospitality industry, saying she thinks alcohol should be illegal will not go over well, either. And there’s also that Scientology thing, and that bizarre statement about doing laundry and cleaning bathroom is “work that Americans won’t do.” Wait until the commercials get going. And any debates that might happen. Reid barely has any life in him as a politician anymore, but he’s now become the only _sane_ choice and should be able to win by default. ---
**Author:** ![osme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@osme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/osme)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/12 "2010-06-10T18:14:52Z")
I heard John Boehner is up next for Speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/13 "2010-06-10T19:39:28Z")
He would be only if the Republicans won the majority, which is unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/14 "2010-06-10T20:07:30Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > [Fresh Rasmussen Nevada Poll](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/nevada/election_2010_nevada_senate) [Here](http://www.lvrj.com/hottopics/politics/polls/june_2010_2_polls.html) is a Mason-Dixon poll taken at the same time that shows Angle up 44 to 41%. Mason-Dixon seemed to have some lean toward McCain in 2008, but they seem to be more credible than Rasmussen. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/15 "2010-06-10T21:33:56Z")
For what it’s worth, [Nate Silver](http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/06/pollster-ratings-v40-results.html) scores Mason-Dixon as having 1.57 percentage points of pollster-induced-error, and Ramussen as 1.74 . So Mason-Dixon is a bit better, but both are actually pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/16 "2010-06-10T21:45:19Z")
Pelosi. Reid’s chances of winning re-election just went up significantly. Even if he does hang on, I would hope Schumer or Durbin challenges him. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/17 "2010-06-10T21:46:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > For what it’s worth, [Nate Silver](http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/06/pollster-ratings-v40-results.html) scores Mason-Dixon as having 1.57 percentage points of pollster-induced-error, and Ramussen as 1.74 . So Mason-Dixon is a bit better, but both are actually pretty good. Nate’s ratings were based on polls taken during the last 3 weeks before an election. Basically, the suspicion about Rasmussen is that while they poll for accuracy down the homestretch in order to maintain credibility (polls near an election can always be compared with the actual election results, after all), but that a lot of their polls earlier in the season, whose accuracy lacks such a firm benchmark, are designed to influence the narrative about the contests they’re polling. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/18 "2010-06-10T23:19:39Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Well, she’s got a host of nutty positions and statements that are going to take some piss out of her campaign pretty quickly. > > She wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare, for instance, and in a state which derives a large amount of its income from the hospitality industry, saying she thinks alcohol should be illegal will not go over well, either. A bit 1910ish considering banning alcohol would be a massive increase of government power? > [@](#): > > And there’s also that Scientology thing, and that bizarre statement about doing laundry and cleaning bathroom is “work that Americans won’t do.” She’s Scientologist?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/19 "2010-06-10T23:22:43Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > A bit 1910ish considering banning alcohol would be a massive increase of government power? Banning alcohol woudl be a horrible idea, but I don’t see how it would be a massive increase in government power. The government is allowed to ban things and it’s banned plenty of other things. A Constitutional amendment would be required and blah blah blah. > [@](#): > > She’s Scientologist?!?! No. But it sounds like she has supported Scientology backed “health” programs. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600/20 "2010-06-11T00:28:07Z")
Specifically, Angle was in a video promoting the Second Chance program, and tried unsuccessfully to get it implemented in the Nevada prison system when she was in the state assembly. The Second Chance program is a drug detox program that uses L. Ron Hubbard’s “Purification Rundown”. It basically involves paying a lot of money, taking enough niacin so that you suffer from mild niacin overdose, and then sitting in a sauna to sweat out your “toxins”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-senate-majority-leader-and-speaker-of-the-house/542600.md?page=2)