Back when Donald Trump and the GOP secured passage of the first continuing resolution (CR) of his second term, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) caved and helped approve a procedural vote that enabled the Republicans to get the measure through with a simple majority vote.
The Democrat lawmaker has been under fire ever since, so he dug in on the most recent CR battle and wanted the GOP to fold on healthcare in order to Democrats to get on board.
Eight Democrats crossed party lines to help the GOP pass the funding measure, crossing their own Senate leader, and now everyone, including the media, has turned against him.
We were in the midst of the longest government shutdown in history when Democrats decided that keeping the government closed was no longer worth it.
They made their point, but eight Democrat senators had had enough and worked a deal with the GOP that resulted in none of the concessions that their party wanted.
Now, the government is funded through the end of January, which is how long the GOP will have to negotiate healthcare subsidies with Democrats or figure out a new plan that could replace Obamacare.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), an up-and-coming star in the Democrat Party, openly called for Schumer to be replaced in his leadership role, stating, “This is a defining moment for the party. We need new faces with bold new ideas. The American people are tired of a failed status quo.”
Schumer believes he did the right thing, and there is still some support for him among caucus members, but it is few and far between.
After the eight Democrats crossed over, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) stated of Schumer, “He has a tough job.” He added, “The Republicans forced an impossible false choice between affordable health care and reopening the government.”
Sen. Peter Welch (D-CT) also tried to help Schumer, stating, “It’s understandable. He’s the leader, and it goes with the territory. But I would be hopeful that we’d focus on our adversary, and that’s [President Trump].”
I am sure Schumer appreciated the loyalty, but now the media is coming after him, too.
When a Democrat loses the media, it is game over for them in this country, and that is what just happened to Schumer, as the late-night TV circuit appears to have turned against him in a big way.
Seth Meyers went after Schumer hard, stating, “You’re giving up the fight. You can’t wave a white flag in one hand that says, 'I give up,' while in the other hand waving a smaller white flag that says, 'until next time.'"
Jimmy Kimmel added, "At his age, it’s incredible that Chuck Schumer is still able to bend over so far. Chuck Schumer is basically every parent who tells their kid, 'That’s it, no more iPad!' And the next thing you know, you got Roblox at the dinner table. This was such a big cave, by the Democrats, Bruce Wayne offered to buy it.”
This is not good for Schumer, especially with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) waiting in the wings to run for his Senate seat. She is polling better than the longtime lawmaker right now, and the calls are growing louder for her to primary him in the next cycle. Now more than ever, I believe Schumer will decide to retire and turn over his seat rather than be embarrassed by a primary loss.
