Senate Democrats didn't just squander an opportunity to rein in Donald Trump and Elon Musk. They confirmed all the stereotypes that have made them toxic to progressives and swing voters alike.
Yes! Run for Schumer's seat. We need more AOCs. Maxwell Frost s Younger, angrier Dems. Not afraid. Keep what's policies that are good & helped, and throw away the old & moldy ones. And this is coming from a almost 70 year Boomer, who has been a Democrat & Liberal all my life!
Well said. A modest suggestion: members of the pissed-off base (like myself) commit to No Cash for 2026 Incumbents While Schumer is in Charge. Challengers for open seats can get contributions if they pledge to support Anyone But Chuck in the leadership election.
Schumer misses the big picture...it's not enough to talk opposition to a renegade president, opposition must be SEEN, ffs! Dems already lowering chances in the midterms, as passivity and compliance hardly seem a winning line, though Schumer appears to endorse the Carville posture of "roll over and play dead"...I can smell the stench of rotting Democratic corpses way out here in the PNW already.
Oh I already have committed to that- I am not giving another DIME to ActBlue. And when I do start giving again, it will only be to individual politicians who I support. But I will NOT be doing it through ActBlue so they better find- each and every politician who wants my vote- another way that I can donate to them that does not put my name back on ActBlue’s list or any of my money into a general fund.
I thought Chris Hayes asked some good questions but he left out the one that Schumer needs to answer: “When Barack Obama took office in 2009 the Republicans had 41 seats in the Senate. Mitch McConnell vowed to block everything Obama opposed and had, by his terms, some success. He did that with 41 seats. You have 47 seats. And all I hear from you is essentially that there is nothing we can do. Really?”
The Australian Labor Party did the if you can't beat 'em, join 'em for 9 long years before the Liberal National Party chose Scott Morrison to be Prime Minister. Yes Labor won government eventually. What they also did was lose Labor voters so much so that their share of the vote is now about 30%. What the current PM, Anthony Albanese, is doing is trying to attract disgruntled LNP voters to stave off a minority government with Progressives. Appeasing the arseholes of the world, always, without fail, backfires.
The Democrats like Shumer holding onto what they see is the noble tradition is not worth a hill of beans when the Democrats are just as responsible for Trump and Musk as the shitty Republicans. And US citizens need to accept responsibility as well. How could you all allow a President so much unfettered power? How do you countenance unfettered gerrymandering jn so many states?
The worst of Morrison was his Robodebt scheme that he facilitated as Minister, used as Treasurer to put his Budget in the Black and kept going as Prime Minister. Close a million people told they owed collectively 2 billion from illegally claiming Social Security. If anyone had worked casually over a ten year period and claimed social security during that time when they were not employed,had the debt collectors knocking on their door. It not only affected long term unemployed and the mentally ill who could only hold down work when they were able, it affected professional and tradespeople on sick leave. Over 2000 suicided because of it, and hundreds of thousands like me suffered severe hardship and mental health impacts.
Why am I sharing this? Because countries only get ethical government when they elect ethical people. And despite it being well known that Morrison and Trump are absolute scum, when they have a media propaganda unit like Murdoch they still get into power.
That's the main part I don't understand in all this. Why lie to your own base?
Is the problem that the Democratic base is too knowledgeable about things like cloture, and Senate math? If we were just a little stupider it would give Senate Dems more room to maneuver?
Why would Chuck even try lying about having the votes to prevent cloture? I just don't get the strategy.
Well said. The simple fact is that if you don't fight, you can't win. And the Democrats (or at least the "leadership") has no will to fight. But we cannot rebuild the party by opposing only Senate Dems or only Schumer. This is a partywide problem. And at this point I am just done helping them.
I read yours and turned to Matt Yglesias for the alt perspective bc I’m trying to really get a handle. I’m so confused—can you clarify? Genuine q: “I’ve been talking about appropriations strategy with my Politix podcast-mate Brian Beutler for weeks. Brian always wants to fight harder. But at least when this started, even he was saying that what he wanted was for House Democrats to be unanimously opposed to an appropriations deal that didn’t check DOGE. He acknowledged on the show that it wouldn’t be viable for a Senate minority to filibuster a CR that already passed the House. What he was banking on was the fact that it’s been a million years since House Republicans have been able to pass a CR on a party-line vote. He thought a hard line from Hakeem Jeffries would bring the GOP to the table.” Haven’t finished yet so many apologies if it makes sense by the end. Also I don’t pay for MY so could be pay walled
Sure, I can try. It’s a little confusing because strategic approaches that make most sense weeks ago change when the party doesn’t take them.
My view (as you can read here or listen to on the podcast) was that, weeks ago, Schumer and Dems should dare Republicans to pass a CR. Get it through the House and, if you do, we won’t filibuster it in the Senate. The idea was House Republicans would probably fail and come to Dems for concessions.
Instead, Schumer never made the offer, and House Republicans passed a CR full of poison pills. This admittedly made things harder for Senate Dems. Filibustering the government into a shutdown is hard to explain away. That’s what I acknowledged here and on the podcast this week. I don’t think I said it wouldn’t be viable. Just hard.
But at that point the demand should’ve become: strip out the poison pills, make it a clean CR, and we’ll send it back to the House.
Schumer didn’t do that either. He pretended to filibuster all the way until he chickened out. So now Dems will help pass this terrible bill. All the poison pills, no check on Trump. A multi-step failure. Hope that’s clarifying…
I am thoroughly exhausted and will read again (and more closely) tomorrow — and hopefully listen to the convo as well. But for now, as much as I am able to string a thought together, it definitely goes a fair way towards clarity. I really appreciate the quick and thorough response!
Why do you think democratic Congressional leadership is having such a hard time coordinating any kind of proactive position messaging? To your point they are just getting rolled without clearly establishing their hard lines ahead of any potential negotiations with the GOP. Why can't Jeffries and/or Schumer just hold a daily "here's the terrible shit Trump and the GOP did today and here's why it's going to result in poorer or dead Americans someday" briefing?
This is a great question and I'd love to hear (Brian, or anyone) answer it. I've heard a million calls for Pete Buttigieg to do a daily address, for example, since he's such a world class communicator, but haven't heard a compelling argument against such an idea or even a response. What are we missing?
Just emailed a good sized group of Democratic Senators including Schumer to Vote No tomorrow. A hail Mary Thank you Brian, my eyes are blurry but I am with you!
I am despising him, too. The stupid “we will win” chant, hunching over in his chair, the hideous old man glasses. Get cataract surgery already or contacts. His appearance is sloppy, old and weak. It shows he is spiritually lame.
How many times does one have to allude to Nazi sympathies for it to be an accurate description? There is a litany of concerning actions, not even counting his antics at the inauguration.
The Democrats are looking pretty pathetic. They have a sure thing champion in Bernie Sanders but they don’t seem to be willing to give him the time of day let alone get behind his passionate, cogent and above all effective rants about the harm being done. You can’t expect to gain anything good by playing nice with a bully.
True but another angle That Schumer gets is that Trump will take advantage of the shut down and close agencies and consolidate his autocratic power even more - no? This is another stop gap budget bill for the next 6 months if I am not mistaken - albeit with big cuts to services nonetheless. But right now all important Fed agencies are in chaotic states - is it wise to help wreck them further? That being said to allow this to go through carte blanche is really weak and 30 day extension could have happened - so what gives with Chuck? Maybe Because Trump bullied him by calling him a Palestinian-questioning his Jewish loyalties? Regardless, Trump will get his tax breaks - let’s not fool ourselves - with the full power of the richest people in the world, congress and 25 million MAGA morons backing him. But do we risk Democracy itself for this budget bill or allow the agencies to fight it out in court - maybe get back jobs and some kind of working Fed gov? If that checks and balances fails - all bets are off anyway. USA will be done.
We act like he's not going to do these things anyway? Try to stop him now. A shutdown helps illustrate to voters that federal employees are actually needed! It weakens the case for further cuts.
I hear you but it could also be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in Trump’s autocratic King favor. Just saying it is not as an easy decision as so many think it is. Thousands of Fed workers are already suffering with losing their jobs and every Democrat is so willing to sacrifice the rest of workers to push back on a 6 month budget bill? A lot of risk. Picking and choosing battles is part of being leaders - but I get the frustration as well. Why Schumer agreed yesterday and did not use the last 24 hours to force some Republican concessions makes no sense to me so I get it.
AOC should primary Schumer
Yes! Run for Schumer's seat. We need more AOCs. Maxwell Frost s Younger, angrier Dems. Not afraid. Keep what's policies that are good & helped, and throw away the old & moldy ones. And this is coming from a almost 70 year Boomer, who has been a Democrat & Liberal all my life!
I'm 70 and I approve this message. :-)
65 and I approve.
As a NYer I totally agree
Yes, but he's not up until '28.
But Gillibrand is up in ‘26. She was a loyal foot soldier in this effort.
Well said. A modest suggestion: members of the pissed-off base (like myself) commit to No Cash for 2026 Incumbents While Schumer is in Charge. Challengers for open seats can get contributions if they pledge to support Anyone But Chuck in the leadership election.
Schumer misses the big picture...it's not enough to talk opposition to a renegade president, opposition must be SEEN, ffs! Dems already lowering chances in the midterms, as passivity and compliance hardly seem a winning line, though Schumer appears to endorse the Carville posture of "roll over and play dead"...I can smell the stench of rotting Democratic corpses way out here in the PNW already.
Do you know Carville’s position here? I thought voting No was an acceptable part of playing dead.
Just what I'm practicing now. Disgusted with Schumer and his friends.
Oh I already have committed to that- I am not giving another DIME to ActBlue. And when I do start giving again, it will only be to individual politicians who I support. But I will NOT be doing it through ActBlue so they better find- each and every politician who wants my vote- another way that I can donate to them that does not put my name back on ActBlue’s list or any of my money into a general fund.
I listened to Schumer on Chris Hayes. How disappointing!! We deserve to lose if this is our leadership!
Yep. What a freaking disaster.
I thought Chris Hayes asked some good questions but he left out the one that Schumer needs to answer: “When Barack Obama took office in 2009 the Republicans had 41 seats in the Senate. Mitch McConnell vowed to block everything Obama opposed and had, by his terms, some success. He did that with 41 seats. You have 47 seats. And all I hear from you is essentially that there is nothing we can do. Really?”
Schumer needs to go.
I can’t believe how wimpy the Dems as a whole have been!
Whimpy is a congenital condition for Democrats
The Australian Labor Party did the if you can't beat 'em, join 'em for 9 long years before the Liberal National Party chose Scott Morrison to be Prime Minister. Yes Labor won government eventually. What they also did was lose Labor voters so much so that their share of the vote is now about 30%. What the current PM, Anthony Albanese, is doing is trying to attract disgruntled LNP voters to stave off a minority government with Progressives. Appeasing the arseholes of the world, always, without fail, backfires.
The Democrats like Shumer holding onto what they see is the noble tradition is not worth a hill of beans when the Democrats are just as responsible for Trump and Musk as the shitty Republicans. And US citizens need to accept responsibility as well. How could you all allow a President so much unfettered power? How do you countenance unfettered gerrymandering jn so many states?
The worst of Morrison was his Robodebt scheme that he facilitated as Minister, used as Treasurer to put his Budget in the Black and kept going as Prime Minister. Close a million people told they owed collectively 2 billion from illegally claiming Social Security. If anyone had worked casually over a ten year period and claimed social security during that time when they were not employed,had the debt collectors knocking on their door. It not only affected long term unemployed and the mentally ill who could only hold down work when they were able, it affected professional and tradespeople on sick leave. Over 2000 suicided because of it, and hundreds of thousands like me suffered severe hardship and mental health impacts.
Why am I sharing this? Because countries only get ethical government when they elect ethical people. And despite it being well known that Morrison and Trump are absolute scum, when they have a media propaganda unit like Murdoch they still get into power.
WTF?! I could have sworn I heard Schumer say yesterday that he would not vote for this funding bill that Democrats hadn't been given any say in.
That's the main part I don't understand in all this. Why lie to your own base?
Is the problem that the Democratic base is too knowledgeable about things like cloture, and Senate math? If we were just a little stupider it would give Senate Dems more room to maneuver?
Why would Chuck even try lying about having the votes to prevent cloture? I just don't get the strategy.
Well said. The simple fact is that if you don't fight, you can't win. And the Democrats (or at least the "leadership") has no will to fight. But we cannot rebuild the party by opposing only Senate Dems or only Schumer. This is a partywide problem. And at this point I am just done helping them.
https://open.substack.com/pub/publis324843/p/if-you-never-fight-you-never-win
I read yours and turned to Matt Yglesias for the alt perspective bc I’m trying to really get a handle. I’m so confused—can you clarify? Genuine q: “I’ve been talking about appropriations strategy with my Politix podcast-mate Brian Beutler for weeks. Brian always wants to fight harder. But at least when this started, even he was saying that what he wanted was for House Democrats to be unanimously opposed to an appropriations deal that didn’t check DOGE. He acknowledged on the show that it wouldn’t be viable for a Senate minority to filibuster a CR that already passed the House. What he was banking on was the fact that it’s been a million years since House Republicans have been able to pass a CR on a party-line vote. He thought a hard line from Hakeem Jeffries would bring the GOP to the table.” Haven’t finished yet so many apologies if it makes sense by the end. Also I don’t pay for MY so could be pay walled
Sure, I can try. It’s a little confusing because strategic approaches that make most sense weeks ago change when the party doesn’t take them.
My view (as you can read here or listen to on the podcast) was that, weeks ago, Schumer and Dems should dare Republicans to pass a CR. Get it through the House and, if you do, we won’t filibuster it in the Senate. The idea was House Republicans would probably fail and come to Dems for concessions.
Instead, Schumer never made the offer, and House Republicans passed a CR full of poison pills. This admittedly made things harder for Senate Dems. Filibustering the government into a shutdown is hard to explain away. That’s what I acknowledged here and on the podcast this week. I don’t think I said it wouldn’t be viable. Just hard.
But at that point the demand should’ve become: strip out the poison pills, make it a clean CR, and we’ll send it back to the House.
Schumer didn’t do that either. He pretended to filibuster all the way until he chickened out. So now Dems will help pass this terrible bill. All the poison pills, no check on Trump. A multi-step failure. Hope that’s clarifying…
Ok I listened to the podcast and have paid close attention and now it makes a ton of sense. :) Thank you so much!
I am thoroughly exhausted and will read again (and more closely) tomorrow — and hopefully listen to the convo as well. But for now, as much as I am able to string a thought together, it definitely goes a fair way towards clarity. I really appreciate the quick and thorough response!
Why do you think democratic Congressional leadership is having such a hard time coordinating any kind of proactive position messaging? To your point they are just getting rolled without clearly establishing their hard lines ahead of any potential negotiations with the GOP. Why can't Jeffries and/or Schumer just hold a daily "here's the terrible shit Trump and the GOP did today and here's why it's going to result in poorer or dead Americans someday" briefing?
This is a great question and I'd love to hear (Brian, or anyone) answer it. I've heard a million calls for Pete Buttigieg to do a daily address, for example, since he's such a world class communicator, but haven't heard a compelling argument against such an idea or even a response. What are we missing?
Just emailed a good sized group of Democratic Senators including Schumer to Vote No tomorrow. A hail Mary Thank you Brian, my eyes are blurry but I am with you!
Spot on. I’ve gotten to despise Schumer.
I am despising him, too. The stupid “we will win” chant, hunching over in his chair, the hideous old man glasses. Get cataract surgery already or contacts. His appearance is sloppy, old and weak. It shows he is spiritually lame.
Imagine thinking that calling Elon Musk a Nazi is a productive contribution to the national conversation. Sad.
imagine so many people busting their boilers to deny what is right in from of them?
Musk IS a Nazi. Trump is a pawn of Putin. Truth!
Imagine being so ignorant and unhinged that you think it reasonable to call people you disagree with Nazis.
How many times does one have to allude to Nazi sympathies for it to be an accurate description? There is a litany of concerning actions, not even counting his antics at the inauguration.
Could there possibly be a more relevant thing for people to know about one of the most powerful people in our government?
The Democrats are looking pretty pathetic. They have a sure thing champion in Bernie Sanders but they don’t seem to be willing to give him the time of day let alone get behind his passionate, cogent and above all effective rants about the harm being done. You can’t expect to gain anything good by playing nice with a bully.
Milquetoast.
It’s time for a third party. Democrats have been bought off too.
Third parties are a road to nowhere. We have to take over the Democratic party from the bottom up.That is what this whole article is about.
Revolution. The solution is in the streets.
No, no. Attack the Capitol. That's where the evil is.
True but another angle That Schumer gets is that Trump will take advantage of the shut down and close agencies and consolidate his autocratic power even more - no? This is another stop gap budget bill for the next 6 months if I am not mistaken - albeit with big cuts to services nonetheless. But right now all important Fed agencies are in chaotic states - is it wise to help wreck them further? That being said to allow this to go through carte blanche is really weak and 30 day extension could have happened - so what gives with Chuck? Maybe Because Trump bullied him by calling him a Palestinian-questioning his Jewish loyalties? Regardless, Trump will get his tax breaks - let’s not fool ourselves - with the full power of the richest people in the world, congress and 25 million MAGA morons backing him. But do we risk Democracy itself for this budget bill or allow the agencies to fight it out in court - maybe get back jobs and some kind of working Fed gov? If that checks and balances fails - all bets are off anyway. USA will be done.
We act like he's not going to do these things anyway? Try to stop him now. A shutdown helps illustrate to voters that federal employees are actually needed! It weakens the case for further cuts.
I hear you but it could also be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in Trump’s autocratic King favor. Just saying it is not as an easy decision as so many think it is. Thousands of Fed workers are already suffering with losing their jobs and every Democrat is so willing to sacrifice the rest of workers to push back on a 6 month budget bill? A lot of risk. Picking and choosing battles is part of being leaders - but I get the frustration as well. Why Schumer agreed yesterday and did not use the last 24 hours to force some Republican concessions makes no sense to me so I get it.
A level- headed viewpoint.
Thank You.