Harry Reid, the pugnacious son of a Nevada hard-rock miner dead.

[Reagan4prez]

Now if McConnell would die, we can get back to a Senate that can work out their differences...

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Harry Reid, the pugnacious son of a Nevada hard-rock miner who rose from poverty to become the U.S. Senate majority leader and earned a reputation as a fierce partisan fighter during an era of political gridlock in Washington, died on Tuesday. He was 82.

Reid, a former amateur boxer who represented Nevada in the U.S. Congress as a Democrat for more than three decades, died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife of 62 years, Landra, said in a statement.

He had ascended to the job of majority leader in 2007 despite being a political moderate who differed from many in his party on abortion, the environment and gun control. In that job Reid regularly clashed with the Republicans and maintained poor relations with the opposition party's leaders.

"I always would rather dance than fight but I know how to fight," Reid said in 2004, in a reference to his boxing career.

In 2012, Mitch McConnell, then the Senate's top Republican, labeled Reid "the worst leader in the Senate ever" while Reid accused McConnell of a breach of faith on an important issue.

During Reid's time as majority leader, major legislation languished because Democrats and Republicans could not compromise. His relationship with McConnell was so strained that the Republican leader shunned Reid during crucial U.S. fiscal policy talks and dealt directly with Vice President Joe Biden.

Wishing death on anyone is the height of incivility. It reminds me of a famous historical figure who did it. Oh, yeah, Hitler.