Majority Leader Harry Reid Outsources Amazon Tracking
All authors share one obsession: constantly checking their Amazon rankings. Some do it each hour, others every other hour. And yet others, like Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have the luxury of delegating the task.
Reid held his premiere book party Tuesday night at Wolfgang Puck's chic new downtown restaurant, The Source, adjoining the Newseum, where hundreds of politicians, journalists, lobbyists and other gladhanders turned out to celebrate publication of the former boxer cum Senate majority leader's new book "The Good Fight."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid celebrates publication of his new book, "The Good Fight."
Asked how book sales were going, Reid clutched his hands together and in his soft-spoken voice said, "Well, all the money is going to charity." Asked how high his Amazon ranking had gotten, he immediately answered in a more authoritative tone, "32." (Reid presumably got a little boost from his appearance on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" last week. His "32" ranking was where his book sales stood in the category of political science books, not his overall ranking on Amazon.)
But the senator says he personally has only checked his Amazon ranking once. "I have Susan check," he said.
Susan is Susan McCue, Reid's longtime key advisor and trusted top aide, who, as always, was front and center at Tuesday night's fette. McCue tells us she "check(s) Amazon every day" -- countless times, no doubt -- for the senator. And this morning, she emailed us to report: "It's at #18 in bios now."
Fellow Nevada Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was the only GOP senator we spotted, unless you count Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). But lots of Democratic senators, including Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) came out.
Also attending last night was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose own book, "Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters" is due out in July. Not that the two Democratic leaders would ever be competing or anything -- never, of course -- but Pelosi's book is currently ranked at 141,765; Reid's is listed at 2,147. (We expect Pelosi's Amazon ranking to shoot up once the book is actually published, so stay tuned to see whether the House leader or the Senate leader will sell more books, not that there's a contest between two of them or anything.)
Reid gave a very brief speech at the party, summing up his book by saying, "In America, if I can make it, anyone can."
The majority leader's book chronicles his rise from a hardscrabble childhood in the tiny mining town of Searchlight, not far from Las Vegas, where he dealt with two alcoholic parents and a father (who ultimately committed suicide) who abused his mother, to a lawyer battling the mafia, to the top leadership position in the U.S. Senate.
And, of course, he writes about one of the more infamous stories of his youth: punching out his future father-in-law, who was trying to stand in the way of young Harry, or "Pinky" as he was known as a child, marrying his daughter.
By Mary Ann Akers |
May 14, 2008; 11:10 AM ET
Previous: Waiting for Vito |
Next: Rep. Issa's Unfortunate Look-Alike: Vito Fossella
Posted by: The Death of America | May 14, 2008 3:01 PM
I think even the all mighty takes the time to check his Amazon ratings on the seventh day (still number one).
Look on the bright side, if he's busy trying to peddle his new book, he's not advancing the Secret Liberal Agenda for the Destruction of the United States (tm), sounds like you ought to be celebrating, if I were a "died in the wool"..sorry, "make-somebody-else-die-in-the-wool" Republican, like yourself, I might be hoping he writes an entire series on his life.
Posted by: Dijetlo | May 14, 2008 3:29 PM
I just pooed out my mouth.
Posted by: Dijetlo | May 14, 2008 5:48 PM
You people are crazy. The first commenter didn't even read the article. The whole point of it was that Reid doesn't check AMAZON. Can't read? Don't make idiotic comments. This country is lucky to have Harry Reid; we'd be a lot better off with a few more politicians with half the toughness and guts of Harry Reid.
Posted by: Reid Admirer | May 14, 2008 7:10 PM
And this poll says it all. You won't believe these results!
(you have to vote to see them)
Posted by: votenic | May 15, 2008 12:28 PM
drill holes in his head!
Posted by: sasquatch | May 15, 2008 1:19 PM
Yea, can't you read? Haplass Harry doesn't check his book sales himself, he uses a staffer to do that. That would be, "a staffer paid by the citizens" to do personal work!
Posted by: FormerHillStaffer | May 15, 2008 4:03 PM
Staffers are more important and more powerful than Senators. They are the ones that make the day to day decisions and micromanage legislation for undisclosed reasons. They help prevent Congress from accomplishing anything. That they are wasting time and government resources on uselessness like this is a bigger problem.
Is Congress proud of its 16% approval rating?
Posted by: off with their heads | May 15, 2008 5:09 PM
That picture is of Dingy Harry CELEBRATING?
Yuck
Posted by: wow | May 15, 2008 5:18 PM
What a freak.
Posted by: | May 15, 2008 11:05 PM
Well he does lead the party of pampers
Posted by: | May 16, 2008 7:45 PM
Not only is Harry Reid a liar and a thief, he's a pathetic author. His book isn't #32 on Amazon's polysci list any more, if it ever was, it's #71 and sinking like the stone it is.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_6?ie=UTF8&rs=16022621&rh=n%3A53%2Cn%3A11232%2Cn%3A16022621&page=6
Ron Paul, the man whom Reid is conspiring to steal Nevada delegates from, is #1 on the polysci list, and in the top 10 on more Amazon lists than the pathetic senator will ever see.
See http://dougwead.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/how-a-gop-conspiracy-continues-to-cheat-ron-paul/
Here's the payoff question:
"If Ron Paul is such a fringe figure and we are the mainstream of Republican political thought, then why is his book on the New York Times bestseller list, and ours not?"
Reid can yuck it up but the Revolution will easily outlive this fossil.
Posted by: silv | May 19, 2008 1:12 PM
freaks, get back to beating your wives
Posted by: Karl | May 19, 2008 7:47 PM
Post a Comment
We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.
So this is what it has come to, political "leaders" are more interested in their popularity on amazon.com than in governing. They don't have time to approve or even reject nominations, but they have time to look themselves up on amazon.com. They don't have time to pass a budget, but they have time to look themselves up on amazon.com. They can only work 2-3 days a week, but they have time to look themselves up on amazon.com.