Reid calls for limits to his own methods as divisive

Posted: Dec 8, 2016

Sen. Harry Reid warned his colleagues not to abuse the filibuster, asked for a return to pork-barrel spending and begged them to find a way to limit the power of interest groups to spend money in elections, saying Thursday that the fate of American democracy depends on it. The Nevada Democrat who led his party to political heights of a 60-vote majority, then watched as it slipped away over the last six years, delivered a pair of swan song speeches, regretting nothing from his hard-nosed approach to politics, while doling out advice to all who would listen. He is retiring at the end of this year, capping a 34-year career including four years in the House, then the last three decades in the Senate. He has said he would have stuck around for another term but for an exercise injury in 2015 that left him entirely out of action for weeks and still hobbles him. For the last 12 years he’s led his party in the Senate, including herculean efforts to advance President Obama’s health care, stimulus and financial recovery laws in 2009 and 2010, then shifting to play defense for Mr. Obama in the face of a rising Republican wave from 2011 on. ;