Opinion: How to tell Harry Reid from Rory Reid -- a user’s guide for non-Nevadans

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Is anyone else ready to pronounce this the Year of the Reid?

Though we’re only 14 days into 2010, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his gubernatorial candidate son, Rory, have been dominating the political news cycle. So here’s our first Reid reading list this year – we suspect it won’t be the last.

HARRY:

He’s a tough pragmatist who does yoga and who was quoted telling President George W. Bush that his dog was too fat. He was caught with his foot in his mouth this week, but Donna Brazile (who today hosted a luncheon in Nevada for the group African Americans for Senator Harry Reid) is among those coming to Harry’s defense for racially insensitive comments.

Harry couldn’t attend the lunch because he was in Washington trying to push through healthcare reform and make up with “double-crossing” (Harry’s words) Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). At least he didn’t call him fat.

RORY:

He announced that his campaign is as flush as Goldman Sachs. He also took steps to patch up the Titanic that is Clark County’s public hospital, whose ailments will likely provide fodder for other gubernatorial contenders. Speaking of which, one possible challenger, Gov. Jim Gibbons, threatened to yank Nevada off Medicaid; another, front-runner Brian Sandoval, suggested slashing state employee salaries, a favorite conservative target.

Don’t look for Rory to start talking about raising taxes to avoid cuts, however. His campaign has enough of an uphill battle in dealing with his last name. But for a photo of father and son together, go to the jump. Note the photo was taken in 2000.

-- Ashley Powers

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Top photo: Harry Reid this month in Nevada. Credit: Getty Images. Bottom photo: Rory Reid, Harry Reid and Ed Bernstein in Los Angeles in 2000. Credit: Associated Press.