Reid\'s Tone May Hint at Senate\'s Path on Guns and Immigration

Sometimes in politics, tone is everything.

When President Obama pledged on Tuesday to pursue broad changes in the nation’s immigration system, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, was effusive in his praise for the effort.

“In Nevada, I have seen firsthand how the hardships imposed by our broken immigration system have hurt families and strained our economy,” Mr. Reid said in a statement that implicitly acknowledged how important Hispanic voters are to Mr. Reid’s political future.

“I am personally committed to resolvingthis issue,” Mr. Reid vowed. “With the president’s leadership and members of both parties working together in the Senate, the momentum toward a solution is real, and I will work tirelessly to make reform a reality in the Senate.”

Mr. Reid’s help is crucial to the president’s hopes for passing legislation that offers a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11 million illegal immigrants. White House officials and immigration activists are pushing for an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Senate in the hopes of putting pressure on Republicans in the House to follow suit.

The legislative battle is likely to be fierce. But with Mr. Reid’s eager assistance, the president might just achieve it.

Compare that situation with the situation faced by gun control advocates. Mr. Obama promised this month to pursue aggressive new measures to limit gun violence in the wake of the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Advocates plan to start the fight in the Senate, where - like immigration - they hope they can secure passage of key legislation before moving on to even tougher fights in the House.

But Mr. Reid’s reaction to the president’s gun control plans was anything but eager.

“I am committed to ensuring that the Senate will consider legislation that addresses gun violence and other aspects of violence in our society early this year,” Mr. Reid said - essentially promising no more than a simple hearing. He added: “All options should be on the table moving forward.”

Mr. Reid is no fan of gun control, in part because he comes from a western state with a gun-loving culture. In his long Senate career, Mr. Reid has not been a strong supporter of new restrictions on gun ownership, and his tone has not changed much recently.

Gun control dvocates have noted with some hope that Mr. Reid has made some mildly supportive statements in the last several weeks, including one from the Senate floor that “we need to accept the reality that we are not doing enough to protect our citizens.” On Tuesday, he went a little further.

“I’m going to do everything within my power to bring legislation dealing with guns, with violence generally, to the floor,” Mr. Reid said.

But he did not say whether proposals to ban types of assault weapons and their high-capacity ammunition magazines would be among the legislation he would allow for votes on the Senate floor. Those measures are among the most derided by the National Rifle Association and gun owners.

In the end, the majority leader may push both of Mr. Obama’s priorities! with gus! to, concluding that his interests are better served by helping the president succeed on the two biggest agenda items of his second term.

But the betting among those who watch Mr. Reid closely is that he will do only as much as he has to on guns, reserving the bulk of his political capital for the fight he really wants to have: passage of legislation to revamp the nation’s immigration system.

On guns, Mr. Reid says he is “committed” to a hearing. On immigration, he says he is “personally committed” to the cause and will work “tirelessly” to make passage a reality.

Tone matters.

Follow Michael D. Shear on Twitter at @shearm.