Schumer comes under fire over funding deal

[Geee]

The Hill

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is coming under criticism from his own party in the aftermath of a fight that shut down the government for three days and left Democrats with little to show for it.
Some of Schumer’s Democratic colleagues are questioning the wisdom of getting into a three-day standoff with Republicans over a stopgap-spending bill and then backing down after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a modest concession.
“We went in with a very weak set of cards, with [25] people up for re-election,” said one Democratic senator, one of several lawmakers who requested anonymity to assess Schumer’s performance frankly.

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Michael Barone: After shutdown, Republicans have leverage on immigration

My speculation in a blogpost yesterday that Senate Democrats were willing to vote for a government shutdown on the DACA issue because of their great solidarity, built up for many years since their narrow capture of seven Senate seats in 1986, has been vindicated by their surrender on the shutdown today — sort of.
My argument was based on what was, in my view, the serious political weakness of their position, portrayed even in much of mainstream media as blocking funding for the government in favor of legalizing certain illegal immigrants. To maintain near total cohesion, in such circumstances, seemed to me a considerable achievement.

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Leftists Lose Their Minds Over Schumer Caving on Shutdown

[Geee]

Democrats give in; red-faced lawmakers from both parties agree to end shutdown

Democrats ended their filibuster Monday and agreed to reopen the government, ending a three-day work shutdown that embarrassed Washington and only deepened the gridlock that has gripped Capitol Hill.
It’s not clear what Democrats got out of the shutdown. Republican leaders agreed to a timetable for debating immigration, though they said they were going to do that anyway.
Republicans said they managed to erase some of the shutdown stigma that has plagued them in recent years, after they provided the vast majority of the votes for keeping the government open through Feb. 8 and for renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years.
Still, they said there would be no celebrating after three days of shame.

 

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[Valin]

Geee

I take some comfort in the fact that many on The Left (like many on the Right) don't seem to understand the difference between Politics and Ideology.

[Valin]

President Trump’s Successful Strategic Silence

Jim Geraghty

January 23, 2018

“Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness.” – Sun Tsu

When Chuck Schumer gave his speech on the Senate floor Monday, announcing that Senate Democrats would support a continuing resolution to reopen the government in exchange for a promise of a vote on DACA in the coming weeks, everyone could tell he was surprised and dismayed that he had been forced to surrender so quickly. He was particularly irked that his position turned into a political loser over the course of a weekend, and that President Trump had failed to provide him some controversial statement to use as cover.

“The White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend,” Schumer fumed. “The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines.”

He’s trying to bait Trump; we will have to see whether that tactic works. The fact remains that Trump earned one of his biggest political victories of his presidency just by staying home and mostly staying quiet over the weekend.

I think Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is a deeply underrated leader, but it’s worth noting he and the Republicans had the wind at their back in this circumstance. Schumer had led his party further out on a limb than his red state senators were willing to go, and to a position a majority of the public did not support. The public is generally supportive of protecting the DACA kids from deportation, but they’re not willing to live with a government shutdown to get it.

 

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[Valin]

They're Back On The Job!