Democrats are now eating their own after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) failed to get everyone on the same page for the government shutdown holdout.
Eight Democrats broke ranks to vote for the government's reopening, including the number-two Democrat in the upper chamber, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Now Dems are eating their own, and Schumer is the primary target of their ire.
The fact that eight Democrats broke from Schumer on this deal is pretty big, and it more than likely signifies an end to his career in Senate leadership.
The bottom line was that many in the party knew that the window had passed for using the continuing resolution (CR) as a negotiation tool.
After the drubbing the GOP took in the November election cycle, Republicans had nothing left to lose when it came to their shutdown strategy
Some of the senators in the group of Democrats that broke rely on military and government workers to hold their seats, so they voted to protect themselves.
One of the louder voices in the Democrat Party who called for Schumer to be ousted was Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a rising star in the party and likely a possible future presidential candidate.
I don’t think his time will come in 2028, but for 2032 and beyond, we need to watch out for him.
He openly called for Schumer to be replaced, stating, “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
Khanna was far from alone, and even worse for Schumer, the money train may also be abandoning him.
MoveOn is a progressive grassroots organization that has a lot of grip on party operations and is skilled at getting its people into local, state, and federal government positions.
The organization reportedly worked with Schumer on the Democrats' shutdown strategy, but now it is also calling for his removal.
Katie Bethell, MoveOn's political action executive director, stated, "Americans showed a growing surge of support for Democrats who fought back -- both at the ballot box last week and peacefully in the streets last month. Inexplicably, some Senate Democrats, under Leader Schumer's watch, decided to surrender. It is time for Senator Schumer to step aside."
In terms of leadership, I cannot see Schumer winning another election, but will he give up his Senate seat and retire? He is 74 years old now, so I cannot imagine he will run again after 2026, as he would be 81 at the end of his next term. I think party members will start to push him out and ask him to anoint Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as his successor, allowing him to save some dignity on the way out the door.
