# Will Harry Reid be forced to step down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 10, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394 "2010-01-10T15:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paleface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Paleface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paleface)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/1 "2010-01-10T15:39:31Z")
President Obama said, > [@](#): > > If they have to stand for something, they have to stand up and say this is not the person we want representing our party. No, he wasn’t talking about Harry Reid, he was talking about Trent Lott. And what did Harry Reid say concerning Sen. Lott? > [@](#): > > If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it’s that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I’ve always practiced how I play. Well Harry, we’re about to see how you play. Ya gotta love it. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/2 "2010-01-10T16:02:08Z")
I’m not following your post. Are you referring to the recent apology Reid felt compelled to issue regarding the “Negro dialect” quote? If so, I also don’t see the controversial aspect(s) in his statement ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/3 "2010-01-10T16:11:05Z")
I was just watching Face the Nation about this issue and they felt it was unlikely that Reid would follow in the steps of Lott. Lott’s departure from the leadership was the result of many things and his comments were merely the straw that broke the camel’s back (or the excuse they needed to get rid of him) whereas in Reid’s case, he has the support of the President (and maybe the Senate too, but I don’t remember if they said that). He is apparently facing a reelection challenge and I could see this having some impact there, although I don’t know how big an issue this is to his constituency. A much bigger deal, probably, is the fact that Nevada was very hard hit by the recession and voters go looking for blood in those situations. Rob ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/4 "2010-01-10T16:57:17Z")
First of i have to say that Reid is absolutely right in saying that Obama benefited for being light skinned and not sounding ghetto and most of the outrage comes from the phrasing of “negro dialect”. If he had said something like “sounds educated” instead i don’t think it would appear so bad. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/5 "2010-01-10T16:58:38Z")
Party leaders just don’t get removed involuntarily. Doesn’t happen, Lott’s paying the price for his moment of candor notwithstanding Reid is in a lot more danger from the next election in Nevada than inside his own caucus. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/6 "2010-01-10T17:00:48Z")
AAVE (African American Vernacular English) is a perfectly valid descriptor of the dialect of English that has been called “ebonics” and is contrasted with SAE (Standard American English). Don’t have a huge problem calling “African American Vernacular English” “Negro dialect”, but I can see where some might. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/7 "2010-01-10T17:10:47Z")
Is it the term “Negro” itself? Has that word become unacceptable? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/8 "2010-01-10T17:20:48Z")
Why would he step down? We have a light skinned negro president who knows what’s in Harry’s heart and has accepted his apology. It’s not racist if the negro the comment was directed at says it is not racist. As far as this particular negro is concerned, “this book is closed”. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/9 "2010-01-10T18:03:05Z")
John McWhorter, who is both black himself and a linguistics professor at Berkeley, had a [great article](http://www.tnr.com/blog/john-mcwhorter/reids-three-little-words-the-log-our-own-eye) about this yesterday. His conclusion: > [@](#): > > Reid implied that Black English is lesser than standard English and that it’s therefore good that Obama doesn’t use it in public. This is not about whether black people have to sweat to speak standard English; it’s about whether Black English is as good as standard English. Most of America _black as well as white_ is at the exact same point in understanding vernacular speech and its proper evaluation as Reid is. > > For which reason most of America should leave him alone about this and move on. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/10 "2010-01-10T18:10:36Z")
Of course he won’t. There’s a huge downside to him stepping down and virtually no upside. Is there some bloc of voters who _would_ vote Democrat but who now won’t that I’m unaware of? Reid apologized, Obama accepted and that’ll be good enough for the elecorate that matters in this case. The folks who’ll make the most noise are the same people who’d never be voting blue anyway. Oh, and if Reid were to step down, that would put Durbin (D-IL) in charge of the Senate. No one in the GOP actually wants that – this is just a chance for them to whine and bitch and make some noise knowing it’ll amount to nothing but theater. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/11 "2010-01-10T18:14:31Z")
\*\*Will Harry Reid be forced to step down? \*\*How could you tell? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/12 "2010-01-10T18:40:47Z")
This apoplexy that develops any time a politician says anything that might be able—maybe—to be construed as racist is tiring in the extreme. As much as I detest Harry Reid, this is frothing for the sake of frothing. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/13 "2010-01-10T18:54:22Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Reid apologized, Obama accepted and that’ll be good enough for the elecorate that matters in this case. The folks who’ll make the most noise are the same people who’d never be voting blue anyway. He’s totally lost the [freerepublic.com](http://freerepublic.com) crowd with this move. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/14 "2010-01-10T19:02:34Z")
Obama is half-white, and grew up in Hawaii, so of course he has light skin and doesn’t “sound ghetto.” Reid was totally right; it certainly did help him in politics. But it was stupid to say so. That said, nobody really cares, including the people criticizing him for saying it. It’s all just political theatre. Reid gave up his re-election campaign, and anybody with two brain cells knows it’s because he would have had a very hard time getting re-elected, but that was because of the economy, not anything Reid said. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/15 "2010-01-10T19:06:04Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Obama is half-white, and grew up in Hawaii, so of course he has light skin and doesn’t “sound ghetto.” Reid was totally right; it certainly did help him in politics. But it was stupid to say so. > > That said, nobody really cares, including the people criticizing him for saying it. It’s all just political theatre. Reid gave up his re-election campaign, and anybody with two brain cells knows it’s because he would have had a very hard time getting re-elected, but that was because of the economy, not anything Reid said. When did Reid give up his re-election campaign? Did I miss that? ---
**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:** [January 10, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/16 "2010-01-10T19:18:19Z")
It’s hilarious watching conservatives pretend to be offended by the word “negro” all of a sudden. They’re so shocked and appalled, they can barely hold onto their Obama witchdoctor signs. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/17 "2010-01-10T19:24:51Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It’s hilarious watching conservatives pretend to be offended by the word “negro” all of a sudden. They’re so shocked and appalled, they can barely hold onto their Obama witchdoctor signs. Let’s stick the the actual discussion of this thread and not start off on another “_Oooooh, the [Right/Left] is silly_” rants. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/18 "2010-01-10T19:31:01Z")
My comment was perfectly pertinent to the discussion. The right’s pretended outrage at this is completely disingenuous and transparently partisan and opportunistic. What Reid said was clumsy and embarrassing in the way that many people of a certain generation can make us cringe (“negro” was the polite, PC word in 60’s and 70’s), but his words were said in private, and the actual sentiment was not only unremarkable, but something that most conservatives would agree with (and not infrequently in the same words). I don’t care what happens to Reid’s leadership. I don’t even particularly like him, and seeing him replaced would not break my heart, but I’m not going to get all indignant just because Fox News wants me too. I defended Trent Lott too, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/19 "2010-01-10T19:34:14Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > My comment was perfectly pertinent to the discussion. The right’s pretended outrage at this is completely disingenuous and transparently partisan and opportunistic. What Reid said was clumsy and embarrassing in the way that many people of a certain generation can make us cringe (“negro” was the polite, PC word in 60’s and 70’s), but his words were said in private, and the actual sentiment was not only unremarkable, but something that most conservatives would agree with (and not infrequently in the same words). > > I don’t care what happens to Reid’s leadership. I don’t even particularly like him, and seeing him replaced would not break my heart, but I’m not going to get all indignant just because Fox News wants me too. > > I defended Trent Lott too, by the way. I’m not seeing outrage so much at what Reid said, but that he’s being given a pass by the Dems. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394/20 "2010-01-10T19:35:34Z")
Compare posts 16 and 18. 16 is nothing but a snide shot that mocks a vague group of people under a single heading with no context and no nuance and is in reference to alleged comments that have not even been cited in the thread. 18 actually atempts to make a point. We need far less of the sort of cheap shot displayed in 16, particularly when the thread has not already veered off into pointless partisanship. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-harry-reid-be-forced-to-step-down/524394.md?page=2)