I would add to your post that if we actually had a free, fair and balanced media Reid would never be able to get away with this kind of prevarication. We know of course if a Republican Senate majority leader demonized for instance the people who came forward to tell a bunch of falsehoods about Mitt Romney, like the nut who claimed Romney is responsible for his wive's death because she had been laid off years before by a Bain-owned company, and called them all liars the media would have savaged him. But without a free and open media all the messaging in the world by Boehner and McConnell wouldn't make a hill of bean's worth of difference since the media will never fact check a Democrat. Sure we can run ads, but a lot of people will tune them out as just being partisan static. Without a credible media culture that would verify the truth of those ads, we'll make little impression on most voters. Not saying it's worth a try, but I just don't think this can all be laid at the feet of the GOP leadership. It probably feels like spitting into the wind to them to try to right the lies told by creeps like Reid.
You are entirely right that the Democrats have the advantage of a fully compliant media. But that is why it is so important to have a top-down, coordinated approach. I respectfully disagree that a biased media renders an effective strategy impossible. It makes it more difficult, and requires extremely good leadership, but it is still possible, as long as the commitment is there.
The democrats and the media are not omnipotent. They only appear that way because of what the Republican party has become.