Gadflyer on Reid is Right On.

It is so heartening to see and hear a Democrat with cajones. Harry Reid has made it clear that he knows exactly what is going on in this Administration and Republican controlled Congress. And he is apparently capable of dealing with the situation as he makes clear that his experience dealing with the mob has prepared him for whatever these Repubs throw.

Paul Waldman at Gadflyer has a terrific post on this and here it is:

Atrios and Digby have pointed to this rather remarkable op-ed from Harry Reid, but I had to add an extra note. First, what he says:

In 1977, I was appointed chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. It was a difficult time for the gaming industry and Las Vegas, which were being overrun by organized crime. To that point in my life, I had served in the Nevada Assembly and even as lieutenant governor, but nothing prepared me for my fight with the mob.

Over the next few years, there would be threats on my life, bribes, FBI stings and even a car bomb placed in my family's station wagon. It was a terrifying experience, but at the end of the day, we cleaned up Las Vegas and ushered in a new era of responsibility.

My term on the gaming commission came to an end in 1981, and when it did, I thought I had seen such corruption for the last time. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. It is not quite the mafia of Las Vegas in the 1970s, but what is happening today in Washington is every bit as corrupt and the consequences for our country have been severe.

Our nation's capital has been overrun by organized crime -- Tom DeLay-style.

Daaaaaaamn. Reid is a former boxer - he knows how to pop somebody in the nose. But here's the thing. Republicans are going to squeal about this, get into a phony high dudgeon, and say, "How dare he compare us to the mob? He obviously hates Italian-Americans! We demand a retraction for this political hate speech!" Democrats have to avoid doing what they usually do, which is to slink off and apologize. What they should do is get right up in the Republicans' faces, and say, "That's not the half of it, you two-bit criminals. Here's a piece of advice, Tom, you little twerp: when you get to jail, you might want to consider finding the biggest, toughest guy in the joint and ask if you can be his wife for the duration of your stay. After all, you've been on your knees offering corporations the chance to tickle your uvula for years, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch."

Or something like that. The point is, the Democrats' biggest problem is that people think they're a bunch of weaklings who don't stand for anything. The best way to start changing that image is to beat the hell out of their opponents. Don't stop beating them when they squeal. And for God's sake, don't stop when David Broder scolds you for being negative. The press already has no respect for you - they respect toughness and winning. Why not show them a little?

If the Democrats don’t fight and stand up for themselves the electorate sure as hell isn’t going to think they will fight to defend the rest of us.

Americans love fighters. Give them Hell Harry!