Sen. Harry Reid On MSNBC: The Tea Party With Their ‘Extreme Positions’ Is ‘Short-Lived’

(By Matt Schneider, Mediaite) - Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sat for an interview with Lawrence O’Donnell and discussed nuclear power plants, nuclear waste and budget battles. However, his most interesting comments came when he revealed his thoughts on the longevity of the Tea Party and when he told everyone from Congressional Republicans to President Obama to back off on trying to “fix” Social Security.

O’Donnell asked if now there are three parties in Washington with the Tea Party and wondered whether it’s harmful with Tea Party politicians like Senator Rand Paul “who seems to have taken an oath against compromise?” Reid responded:

“I believe the Tea Party is short-lived. I think you will find even the people that claim they are Tea Party folks will either be gone as a result of their extreme positions or they will move to the more moderate position, which is certainly not being a liberal, that is being a conservative. I think with the economy getting better, you’re going to see less and less agitation from the Tea Party folks.”

When the conversation turned towards the Social Security “emergency,” Reid claimed that for the next thirty years social security is not in crisis and wanted everyone to stop focusing on it. “I believe in Social Security, I think it’s the most successful social program in the history of the world,” Reid boasted. O’Donnell suggested even Obama was considering measures to protect the solvency of Social Security in the future, but Reid said, “I’ve never been bashful in telling the President how I feel about statements he makes that I disagree with.” Reid then declared that he doesn’t want to look at changing anything about Social Security until twenty years from now. Well Reid is right, he’s certainly not bashful.

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