How did the son of a local washerwoman end up becoming one of the most powerful politicians in America and the most vicious Democrats in the Senate?
Political journalist John Ralston presents the first comprehensive biography of Harry Reid, the five-term Nevada state senator whose ruthlessness and perseverance produced groundbreaking legislation in the late twentieth century and devised the tactics that maintained his Democratic Party's control. For this reason, Reid evoked feelings of loyalty, ridicule, and admirationAnd contempt. But his legacy of change speaks for itself.
Born in the small town of Searchlight, Nevada, Harry Reid rose from a childhood in a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere to become the Democratic leader who ensured that Obamacare became law, that the nation's banks played by the rules, and who helped save the American economy by passing the stimulus bill.His political instincts were shaped in the ruthless culture of Nevada, where he had previously been investigated by the FBI for his Mafia ties.
He convinced a Republican senator to join his party in seeking partisan control, and modified Senate filibuster rules to save President Obama's lower court nominees. This maneuver later helped Republicans solidify the appointments of three Supreme Court justices. Reed also became a force to be reckoned with in Nevada, where he built a political machine that transformed a stateRepublican to Democratic state, leaving an unparalleled infrastructure and environmental legacy, including the abort of a nuclear waste burial project.
In Changemaker, Ralston shows the continuity of his accomplishments, but also his role in the continuing dysfunction of what was once known as the world's greatest legislature. It is a complex portrait of an indomitable man.
