I think that you are overstating the importance of McConnell's favorability in his decision to step down as the Republican Senate leader. I suspect that if his health were good and the only problem he faced was unfavourability, he would not have stepped down.
I happen to be one of those (apparently, rare) Democrats who think Schumer did the right thing. Schumer will weather this storm because he did what his caucus needed him to do; he took one for the team. He and those colleagues who joined him to prevent a shutdown allowed the rest of the Democratic caucus to bluster and fume so that they could placate their constituents without having to face the wrath of the voters over being responsible for a shutdown and the consequences that would result.
Agreed, and I think the lack of an alternative shutdown strategy gives Schumer some cover. A lot of Dems wanted him to do something, anything, and latched onto the shutdown lever, but I haven't seen anyone in the party articulate a clear path for how a shutdown would have accomplished anything constructive.
I do think that Schumer handled it pretty clumsily which is stoking a lot of the anger. He almost immediately went from threatening a shutdown to folding for zero concessions, which makes him look weak and inept. If he was going to completely fold anyway he shouldn't have talked up a shutdown to begin with.
Aside from not voting no and losing sone leverage he has also not shown much leadership and has not united and defined what the democrats have to offer.
It’s wild to me that the party is blaming him for just not having a hand to play. If they would have actually supported common sense moderates this election instead of radical progressives and unpopular candidates maybe we would have had the house to leverage against them. Democrats causing a shutdown would have legitimized Trumps attempts to dismantle the government.
It's almost as if a lot of Democrats didn't read Gabe's article about how a government shutdown would hand Musk and Trump the key to fast tracking the dismantling of the government. Schumer said the same thing. So why is that facet of the decision being ignored by most?
All I care about is that Trump is destroying our country starting with unqualified cabinet choices, actually sycophants. Musk bought is way with enormous monies, demolishing lives with DOGE, and will use money to make sure republicans win in congressional districts. The press secretary is a friggen joke. DEI is removing documents like the code breakers and Jackie Robinson’s military records, rewriting history. They are degrading every institution we have, and RFK is a threat to our health. Trump is mentally unbalanced, and thinks he can defy court orders. His relationship with Putin is friendly and yet he nasty to our allies. Chuck Schumer MAY have made a mistake but I am not so sure. He is a decent man. WRITE ABOUT THE SURE AND PRESENT DANGER.
Schumer was in a difficult situation. As much as I wanted him to stand up to Trump as a symbolic matter, I believe that he was probably right because (1) the Democrats would have been blamed for the shutdown, and (2) Trump would have had more freedom to wreak havoc during the shutdown with no oversight by the courts which would have also been closed. And this also ignores the fact that Schumer has been a prodigious fundraiser for the Dems.
One of your (very few) less useful columns. So Schumer made a possibly wrong decision. Capitalize on his leadership so far in difficult times, put it together with new and strong ideas from the coming generations and rebuild the party.
I am in the same age cohort as Trump, Biden, McConnell, Schumer. Somehow this cohort has had a difficult time accepting that their time is past and it is their role to nurture younger people who share their outlook minus the baggage and world weariness. Ginsberg and Biden stayed too long at the fair and harmed their cause. Trump has the energy but, because he is running out of time, his efforts to “right the ship of state” is frenetic.
I think that you are overstating the importance of McConnell's favorability in his decision to step down as the Republican Senate leader. I suspect that if his health were good and the only problem he faced was unfavourability, he would not have stepped down.
I happen to be one of those (apparently, rare) Democrats who think Schumer did the right thing. Schumer will weather this storm because he did what his caucus needed him to do; he took one for the team. He and those colleagues who joined him to prevent a shutdown allowed the rest of the Democratic caucus to bluster and fume so that they could placate their constituents without having to face the wrath of the voters over being responsible for a shutdown and the consequences that would result.
Agreed, and I think the lack of an alternative shutdown strategy gives Schumer some cover. A lot of Dems wanted him to do something, anything, and latched onto the shutdown lever, but I haven't seen anyone in the party articulate a clear path for how a shutdown would have accomplished anything constructive.
I do think that Schumer handled it pretty clumsily which is stoking a lot of the anger. He almost immediately went from threatening a shutdown to folding for zero concessions, which makes him look weak and inept. If he was going to completely fold anyway he shouldn't have talked up a shutdown to begin with.
Aside from not voting no and losing sone leverage he has also not shown much leadership and has not united and defined what the democrats have to offer.
It’s wild to me that the party is blaming him for just not having a hand to play. If they would have actually supported common sense moderates this election instead of radical progressives and unpopular candidates maybe we would have had the house to leverage against them. Democrats causing a shutdown would have legitimized Trumps attempts to dismantle the government.
It's almost as if a lot of Democrats didn't read Gabe's article about how a government shutdown would hand Musk and Trump the key to fast tracking the dismantling of the government. Schumer said the same thing. So why is that facet of the decision being ignored by most?
It is easy to dismiss someone without knowing the alternative….. Who do you think would be the next Senate leader?
Sometimes a politician votes for what they think is good for the people not a political party. That's statesmanship.
All I care about is that Trump is destroying our country starting with unqualified cabinet choices, actually sycophants. Musk bought is way with enormous monies, demolishing lives with DOGE, and will use money to make sure republicans win in congressional districts. The press secretary is a friggen joke. DEI is removing documents like the code breakers and Jackie Robinson’s military records, rewriting history. They are degrading every institution we have, and RFK is a threat to our health. Trump is mentally unbalanced, and thinks he can defy court orders. His relationship with Putin is friendly and yet he nasty to our allies. Chuck Schumer MAY have made a mistake but I am not so sure. He is a decent man. WRITE ABOUT THE SURE AND PRESENT DANGER.
Schumer was in a difficult situation. As much as I wanted him to stand up to Trump as a symbolic matter, I believe that he was probably right because (1) the Democrats would have been blamed for the shutdown, and (2) Trump would have had more freedom to wreak havoc during the shutdown with no oversight by the courts which would have also been closed. And this also ignores the fact that Schumer has been a prodigious fundraiser for the Dems.
Oh by the way, Trumps are planning to build a hotel in Serbia despite all the protests against another authoritarian leader.
One of your (very few) less useful columns. So Schumer made a possibly wrong decision. Capitalize on his leadership so far in difficult times, put it together with new and strong ideas from the coming generations and rebuild the party.
Pardon my lack of knowledge, but what did Biden do specifically for Nancy Pelosi to oust him?
I am in the same age cohort as Trump, Biden, McConnell, Schumer. Somehow this cohort has had a difficult time accepting that their time is past and it is their role to nurture younger people who share their outlook minus the baggage and world weariness. Ginsberg and Biden stayed too long at the fair and harmed their cause. Trump has the energy but, because he is running out of time, his efforts to “right the ship of state” is frenetic.