Why Reid hates Romney

In a trenchant piece that posted late last night, BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins and John Stanton delve into the animus Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid feels for Mitt Romney.

The reporters did a fine job of laying out Reid's lack of respect for Romney, but let me add my two cents to their provocative post:

1. The piece quotes someone as saying no one put Reid up to his public outbursts, inlcuding his repeated pressing of Romney on his taxes. That's not only true, but I understand some of the Obama folks at times have wondered if Reid has gone too far.

2. Reid has nothing to lose. He is either not going to run again or it's far enough away (2016) that he doesn't care. So he is a happy, carefree partisan warrior.

3. Here's what one person close to Reid told me about his feelings: "It is pretty clear (Reid) doesn’t really like him, but more than that, I believe Sen. Reid is offended by what Romney has been doing, especially on immigration, I have heard Reid say numerous times Romney’s comments on self deportation during the primary were so offensive, and Reid takes that to heart with Landra’s (his wife) dad coming from Russia, he takes it very personally. He cares very much about the DREAM act, and the kids in Nevada who write him letters nearly daily, and he carries these letters around with him. And the 47% comment sort of solidified that for him."

I've known Reid a long time -- 26 years. I know how cutthroat he can be and how his private behavior contrasts so starkly with his public demeanor. I have never seen him this outwardly vitriolic -- especially the incendiary and offensive-to-many comments about Romney sullying the LDS faith. This is much more than Reid being an attack dog; he is rabid. He really, really must dislike Romney for the reasons above, and it is only exacerbated by them being of the same faith.

And, folks, I doubt he's done yet.