Obama, Biden and others recall Harry Reid’s humility, perseverance, and phone etiquette at memorial service

President Biden, former President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) all spoke at the meeting. Memorial service to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Common themes in the speeches were Reid’s rise from unfavorable circumstances, his humility, his perseverance, and his tendency to end phone conversations without speaking. bye.

Reid was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1983 and went on to serve for 30 years as a U.S. senator, holding the position of majority leader from 2007 to 2015. He died December 28. at the age of 82.

Schumer jokingly referred to himself and Reid — a “badass Jew in Brooklyn” and a “small-talking Mormon” from a town “miles away” — as a “match made of heaven.” He recalls meeting Reid at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where Reid slipped Schumer $400 to save him from “the worst dressed member of the Senate.”

Schumer described Reid as “tough as a nail, a dedicated fighter, but also one of the kindest people you can imagine.” He read from 2 Nephi to honor Reid’s devout Mormon faith and concluded his speech with traditional Jewish condolences: “May his memory be a blessing.”

“I’ve never heard Harry say a bad word about any of his Senate colleagues, Democrats or Republicans,” Pelosi said. Obama then disagreed, saying, “I don’t know about that, Nancy – but he’s going to work with them.” Pelosi also likes to talk about Reid’s “dry sense of humor” and egotistical nature.

Obama began his eulogy by remembering that Reid was always “uncomfortable when people said so many good things about him” but that “when he looks down on us today, Harry will have to drop it.” Go.” He recalled the awkward first conversation with Reid shortly after he was sworn into the United States Senate. But then, Obama said, he understood that Reid was an “infidels” in Washington, a kind man whose “road to the Senate” was “at least as unlikely if not harder than mine.” .”

The 44th president also drew attention to Reid’s willingness to change his mind and adopt more liberal views on issues like gun control, immigration and abortion as his career progressed. He credits Reid as one of the first to encourage him to run for president and looks back favorably on his time as president, working with Reid, Pelosi, and then-Vice President Biden to inform through the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Act.

“Practicalism, adaptability, superiority in getting things done, lack of impulse, adherence to loyalty: that’s what Harry Reid embodies. A man of classic virtues. . Those are qualities that are increasingly lacking. However, it seems to me that those are exactly the qualities that our democracy requires,” Obama said.

Biden, who served in the Senate with Reid for 22 years, was the last speaker of the day. “Harry is like the men I grew up with in Scranton,” Biden said. “Harry will always support you… Harry has mine, and he knows I have his… If he told you, he kept his word.”

Reid’s niece, Savannah, read the closing prayer. The service also features reviews from some of Reid’s kids and musical performances by Carole King and Brandon Flowers, frontman of the Killers.

Reid’s body will remain undisturbed at the Capitol Rotunda next week before being interred in his hometown of Searchlight, Nevada.

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