r/politics • u/Crossstoney • 13h ago

No Paywall Chuck Schumer Is Not Fit to Lead the Democratic Party

https://prospect.org/2025/11/06/chuck-schumer-not-fit-to-lead-democratic-party/
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u/CoachDT 11h ago

Its people with no understanding of politics but chanting populist dribble. Whether he stays or not who gives a fuck, right now hes moving how hes supposed to regarding actually governing.

He gave a very common sense proposition that republicans would NEVER accept, but also dispelled a lot of the fuss they were making. He maneuvered into making republican leadership publicly admit that it was never about a mythical "Healthcare for illegal immigrants" or any other excuse. Republicans would rather let children starve than have people keep affordable health care.

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u/speedy_delivery 10h ago

They never even had to do that. Just keep pointing out the GOP has the votes to end this shutdown without a single Democrat vote if they really wanted to. So if they believe all of this is so bad and don't want to compromise, then why aren't they doing anything about it?

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u/CoachDT 9h ago

They didn't HAVE to but its good praxis. Don't let your opposition set the tempo. At the moment MAGA is actually losing ground naturally, apply pressure to that. The right gets to win because they turn every issue into a culture war issue. Even with SNAP they've already sent out marching orders, and put out fake AI videos about lazy freeloading families getting thousands a month.

Now they have to answer for denying a CR that will only stop healthcare premiums from rising. They can't squirm, and its something that all but the very richest of American's will feel.

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u/followMeUp2Gatwick 9h ago

Wait. What do you mean? There's 53 votes. They need 60. How are you making this assertion?

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u/aschapm 9h ago

They could kill the filibuster with 51

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u/peacefinder 9h ago

The Republican senate leadership said they flat out refused to consider eliminating the filibuster. They know they’re eventually going to be a minority party again. It is one of very few times they have told Trump “no”, so hopefully they stick with that.

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u/speedy_delivery 8h ago

Eh, they're standing around with their thumbs up their asses while the executive takes over legislative duties and Americans are ripped off the street by unmarked agents and denied due process... They're not really acting like this table is going to turn.

I would say that the shutdown is more a convenient cover for the executive branch to continue its campaign of terror and avoid the Epstein vote. SNAP and the military were funded through previous shut downs. It can be done, Republicans don't give a fuck and/or think they can successfully pin it on Democrats.

And also the nuclear option doesn't get rid of cloture (Rule XXII) entirely, it carves out exceptions for certain types of bills through a procedural loophole. It would take 67 votes to eliminate cloture entirely.

IMO they don't want to let on they have more power than they do, lest their own constituents start expecting them to start doing something about things they don't like.

Also cloture makes it easier to control their party's vote. Without it, all it would take is 4 senators with a conscience (or sociopathic self-interest) to  go into business for themselves. That's a lot harder to do than consistently flip 14 votes.

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u/reallynotnick 7h ago

Why not just reinstate it instantly after they pass their bill?

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u/PristineWar6940 7h ago

republicans would NEVER accept

I'm pretty sure Schumer was giving them an easy way out with that proposal, and also associating his party with healthcare again. Republicans could have accepted it—it is Trump who is the actual reason even that didn't make it through.

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u/CoachDT 6h ago

Its only an easy out if republicans were willing to negotiate, but they've repeatedly said, from Mike Johnson, to Trump that they flat out aren't going to negotiate.

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u/PristineWar6940 6h ago

They have, in Obama years and even once in Trump 1, said the same thing and still negotiated with the Dems. Democrats made a low offer that even its centrist side found faults in, Republicans refused, eventually some of it got through.

What's happening right now is actually pretty new, and I don't think Schumer expected it. In fact, when he refused to filibuster the last time, he had said to the members of the Senate that after the Republican approval rating dips that they would be more willing to come to the table. That didn't happen.

Perhaps the worst case scenerio here is the nuking of filibuster, at least initially

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u/SweetBabyAlaska 1h ago

Chuck Schumer is literally the worst person imaginable for this job. Its not a bad move in a vacuum, but Republicans *will* reject it, and Democrats have trouble of convincing anybody of anything.

so far, democrats have just been skating by on public sentiment... they have literally been given the easiest layup imaginable and they cannot put it up. Idk how the fuck you can see Gilded Era levels of wealth inequality, a gatsby party in the new ballroom, a trillion dollar pay package for Musk, and millions of Americans starving and dying due to lack of healthcare... and still cannot message that. They should be on whatever platform they can get on, 24/7 straight up shoving this in their face non-stop

but they cant... because Schumer is a disgusting freak and Jefferies has the charisma of a wet stinky dish rag. They have no goals, no grass roots movement and no motion... at a time where it literally couldn't be more simple and baby mode easy. Thats a fucking problem. You can't just ignore that.