Reid: Moderates aid ’anarchists'

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic floor leader, this week criticized moderate Republicans for failing to stand up to “extremists” who have taken the party far out of the mainstream.

“Although I deplore the behavior of the extremists who sparked this month's manufactured crisis—and many of the crises of the past three years—I do not blame only them for holding the government and the full faith and credit of the United States hostage,” he said. “I also blame their mainstream Republican colleagues, who remained silent even as the anarchists among us committed political malpractice. They should know better. They know the consequences of default. And they know the cost of a government shutdown. Yet they allowed members of their own party to take the country down a dangerous road, doing irreparable harm to the Republican Party in the process.”

It is unusual for Democratic leaders to take on moderate GOP members during legislative sessions for fear of alienating them on votes. But Reid may have decided that since the Democrats aren't getting any help from the moderates anyway, he had no reason to hold back.