The Dems had boxed themselves into a corner and Schumer really had no good choices.
His support for the measure signaled that Democrats would let the measure pass to prevent a shutdown as the caucus grappled Thursday with the uncomfortable choice.
DB2
Senate Democrats,
At the end of today, you’re either going to own the shutdown or you’re going own Trump’s agenda of chaos and destruction.
Choose wisely.
It seems they already chose.
DB2
They did choose wisely. The Republicans now own this:
https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-budget-would-increase-costs-and-hardship-for-many-while-providing-huge-tax
The Corporate Democrats who enabled it with the cloture vote, own it, too.
intercst
“Democrats are kind of in the wilderness right now,” said Chris Borick, a pollster at Muhlenberg College. “I think they’re desperately looking for a place where they have some leverage, and on the surface it may seem this is a situation that provides that, but I don’t think it’s the battle that they are best suited to engage in.”
DB2
Now onto Democrats. What a mess this has become.
A government-funding fight that began with Democrats demanding restrictions on Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE has ended with Democrats folding, and now sniping bitterly at each other.
Let’s be blunt here: Democrats picked a fight they couldn’t win and caved without getting anything in return. We’ll also note that it’s more than five months into FY 2025 already. Even with another month of negotiation – what Democrats were asking for – it’s still not clear that they would’ve notched any policy wins.
DB2
In the next few weeks you will eat those words. We are not the ones in the corner.
Watch the bond market for the response after the tax cuts gets rushed through.
We ran a corporate tax hike. We will have it our way when the dust settles.
(tune of “Heigh Ho !! Heigh Ho !!”
BK !! BK !! It’s BK that’s their way !!!
(Needs more lines, but the idea is clear)
Chuck Schumer had exactly one bullet in his Resistance Gun, and chose to eject it from his rifle without firing a shot.
He will pay for this.
(PS: The Democrats do not get a single priority in this budget, so why on earth would they vote for it? They might as we NOT vote for it, and get the same result so far as their constituents are concerned.)
UK 2022 Liz Truss booted out, the conservatives scrambled to raise taxes.
Goof? Where is the gun?
It is the bond market. Money. Only language of America.
It is about to implode on Trump’s watch. There is no fighting it.
Yes Schumer’s career is over.
I could certainly be wrong, but what’s the good choice that Schumer had/has?
DB2
He doesn’t have one. Given that, he made the worse choice of the two. He will never get the votes of Majority leader again from the younger Dems, and he capitulates to Trump, which means he’s now viewed from both within and without as a toadie.
Better to go down with honor than as a coward.
Beg to disagree. There is nothing the democrats can do to stop the trump insanity. Shutting down the government will only give the repubs someone to blame for the recession about to come and it would also be bad for the country.
Here is James Carville’s advice for democrats:
“With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead. Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us. Only until the Trump administration has spiraled into the low 40s or high 30s in public approval polling percentages should we make like a pack of hyenas and go for the jugular. Until then, I’m calling for a strategic political retreat.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/opinion/democrats-trump-congress.html
Symbolic gestures are pointless.
I entirely share btresist’s opinion, with one minor additional argument.
Almost no one in the public is following the intricacies of the Congressional breakdown. They see the GOPsters as in charge. The left wing of the party is giving in to another reflexive session of spasmodic disfunction.
I’m with Goofy on this one.
Voting to give your opponent exactly what they want only makes you an accomplice. He will be held accountable for the results.
Plus, in this case, I happen to think a shutdown would be better than handing over the keys, car, and a full tank of gas to your opponent. Schumer said he didn’t want to shut the government down, which is exactly what his opponents are haphazardly and dangerously doing.
As Senator Schumer’s constituents, we left a message for him on his site yesterday and a phone message (no one was picking up) today letting him know how unhappy we are, in no uncertain terms, with his decision. And yes, we left our names, phone number, and address and, given how angry we are, we were quite civil.
When your opponent has actual control of what they want–which is what they do have now–there is not much anyone can do except ONE thing: Give it to them, GOOD AND HARD. They wanted it, they got it. Then they have to deal with the consequences of their choices. And there is no way to blame anyone but themselves–or all the foreign countries taking advantage of the US (LOL !!!). That is where all their squawking will be directed.
What leverage do they have for negotiation? None. So, why criticize them? Seems snarky of the author.