Reid on Franken: ’60 on paper’

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., found out about Al Franken's victory in the Minnesota Supreme Court in the middle of a blue-ribbon panel meeting on energy in Las Vegas this morning.

Stopping the discussion momentarily, Reid held up his BlackBerry and said, grinning, "Hey guys, Franken wins 5-0 in Minnesota. So now I have 60 on paper." There were cheers from those assembled, who included political, business and environmental leaders from around the state.

The court decision deeming Franken, the Democrat and former comedian, the winner of the close Minnesota Senate election in November finally ended the long battle between Franken and Republican Norm Coleman, who conceded the race soon after the court's decision was handed down today. Franken will become the 60th Democrat in the Senate, giving Reid a filibuster-proof majority.

In an interview later, Reid said it was "60 on paper" because two Democratic senators, Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, have been severely ill and unable to vote. Byrd was released from the hospital today after more than a month battling infection, his office announced, but it wasn't known whether the 91-year-old would return to the Senate.

Because of those missing votes, Reid said, "it's not a real 60."

Republicans fear that their small minority will have no voice, and the Democrats will have unchecked power to pass legislation, with the 60-vote mark reached. But Reid said it will all depend on the legislation he's trying to pass.

"With energy and with health care, we're going to try to do it on a bipartisan basis," he said. "That's the best way to go and we think we can do that. We're sure going to try."

Reid noted that the Democrats in the Senate embody "a wide range of political philosophy," from conservative Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska to Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats but calls himself a socialist. The group also includes almost 25 new senators elected or appointed since 2006.

"I have an interesting caucus," Reid said. "I've been so fortunate that we've stuck together throughout my years as the Democratic leader." Given that wide range of views, he said, "Each issue that comes up, we have to work to come up with party unity, and we've done that and will continue to do that."

Despite gestures of bipartisanship by President Barack Obama, there have been few Republican votes on key legislation this year, but Reid said he hopes that will change.

"The president has reached out to the Republicans. I have reached out to the Republicans. And we have passed significant legislation — we've been the most productive Congress since the first year of (the Franklin) Roosevelt (administration)," Reid said. "We haven't gotten a lot of Republican support, but enough. We hope in the months to come we get more than the handful we've gotten to this point."