The Blount County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner at Heritage High School on Friday brought audience members a hard look at the leadership of the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., was the keynote speaker. Several of his comments centered on the state of the Senate under Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“I am having a little problem with Harry Reid,” he said. “Maybe you’ve read about it.”

In November, the Democratic majority in the Senate exercised what has been called the “nuclear option” to limit the use of filibusters on executive branch appointments and judicial nomination for courts other than the Supreme Court.

Alexander also said that Reid has moved legislation to the Senate floor without committee consideration and cutting off debate, amendments and votes.

“It’s like being asked to join the Grand Ole’ Opry and not being allowed to sing. ... The Senate is supposed to be the great tribunal where we have all these great ideas and extended discussions.”

Reid will not bring to the floor for consideration Alexander’s legislation requiring the administration to provide weekly reports on the federal health care exchanges, that the U.S. House of Representatives had already passed, Alexander said.

The Exchange Information Disclosure Act would require the administration to provide weekly reports to Congress, states and the public about the 36 federally run exchanges, including easily tracked data such as the number of individuals who have visited the site and the number who have successfully enrolled, their zip code and the level of coverage they have obtained.

The upcoming midterm elections will give the Republican Party a chance to change the leadership of the Senate, Alexander said. “Harry Reid has become a one-man show orchestrated by the White House. The best way to change it is to take over the government with six more Republican senators.”