Two Obituaries, Only One Icon Worth Mourning

Archbishop-Tutu
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This week, Desmond Tutu and Harry Reid passed away. Both are being treated as heroic icons.

That's true for Desmond Tutu. He was a great man with an enduring legacy that will stand the test of time. Not so much for Harry Reid.

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But Harry Reid was a hack neoliberal warrior, fighting to prevent progressives from doing good, blocking single payor healthcare and countless other issues and legislation that would have served the mass of Americans well. Reid does not deserve lionization. He deserves contempt. Writers are highlighting his Dickensian rise from poverty to becoming one of the most powerful people in the world.

I wrote about Reid over the years.

Here's one from 2009 Harry Reid, Future Health Insurance Lobbyist.

Here's one from 2013: The Mitch and Harry Love Story; Why Harry Reid Refused to Even Modify the Filibuster

Reid played a role in keeping Bernie Sanders from winning the Democratic Presidential Primary. He played a role in selecting neoliberal candidates for the House and Senate-- candidates who lost, again and again. He did it with the help of Hillary Clinton and other fake liberals.

So shed a tear for the man if you like, but don't consider him a giant, a hero or a progressive. He was none of them.