Politics the family business for Reeds

Bruce Reed, the former domestic policy adviser for President Bill Clinton, is president of the Democratic Leadership Council and a Slate online columnist. He’s a 1978 Coeur d’Alene High graduate. You can read the entire interview with him at Huckleberries Online: www.spokesmanreview.com/ blog/hbo.

DFO: How did a Clinton adviser spring up from Coeur d’Alene?

Bruce Reed: I come from the greatest political family anyone could ask for. My parents (Scott and ex-state Sen. Mary Lou Reed) loved politics for all the right reasons, because they care about the environment and expanding opportunities. For them, it has always been a cause more than a campaign. They taught me to love campaigns, too, even losing ones. I learned more about America trying to hand out Democratic bumper stickers to guys with pickup trucks and gun racks at the county fair than anything I ever learned in college or in Washington.

DFO: How did you cut your teeth on politics?

BR: The first campaign I can remember working on was Frank Church’s 1968 campaign. I did voter targeting. I was 8 years old.

DFO: What were you like in high school?

BR: I was a nerd. But my high school sweetheart, Bonnie LePard, was very popular. She took pity on me. Next year, we’ll celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Our daughter, Julia, is 14 and a freshman in high school. Our son, Nelson, is 12 and in seventh grade. They both love politics, which is a terrible family business to pass along.

DFO: Why did you pick “The Has Been” as the name of your Slate online column?

BR: Washington is full of people like me who used to be important and now just pretend to be. So I thought it was better to put that out in the open and laugh about it.

DFO: How do you explain Idaho to the rest of the nation?

BR: The hardest part is explaining how a state full of good people ends up with so many political embarrassments. I always joke that it’s the Lake Wobegon effect – the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the politicians are below average.

DFO: How do you explain Larry Craig?

BR: The whole story is so shocking that it’s like a car crash. People cannot help but stare. I don’t pretend to understand why or how this whole thing happened. His handling of it is what has kept it on the front pages. Usually, scandals come and go, but he’s doing exactly what his party doesn’t want by keeping up the fight.

DFO: What do you think of former boss Al Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize?

BR: It’s a great choice. He has more than anyone else brought the issue of climate change to America and the world’s attention. He has been giving the same speech for 22 years that I’ve known him. His speeches were boring when I used to write them. They’re more interesting now.

DFO: Would you like to see Gore run for president again?

BR: He already won it once. I worked on four national (presidential and vice presidential) campaigns for him. If he has the stomach for a campaign, he has more renewable resources than I do.

DFO: Do you think the Craig scandal will benefit Democrats in ‘08?

BR: I don’t know how much of a difference it will make in the Idaho Senate race. In general, it’s the kind of lead weight around the ankles that makes it harder for a party that’s struggling to stay afloat for other reasons.

DFO: What would you say to the lonely, battered Idaho Democrat who has been longing in vain for a pendulum swing?

BR: Art Manley had the best advice, which is that winning votes is like picking huckleberries. You just have to be patient. There’s hope. But it’s going to come one bucket at a time.