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Schumer shot himself in the foot

January 24, 2018
T. Keith Gurnee

T. Keith Gurnee

OPINION by T. KEITH GURNEE

Having been a Democrat for most of my life, I can’t believe what the Democrats did to themselves last week. In orchestrating a deliberate shutdown of our federal government, Senate Minority Leader Chuck “Shutdown“ Schumer irrevocably harmed the Democratic agenda and, in turn, his own party.

Schumer not only shot himself in the foot, he shot himself in the head. That the majority of his party ran with him in lockstep like lemmings jumping off the cliff was mind-boggling.

Thankfully, he concluded that his unnecessary exercise of brinksmanship over DACA while leaving 9 million children without health insurance was felony stupid. Realizing that his actions were actually harming DACA and preventing the Senate from reaching agreement on a long-needed, coherent policy of immigration reform, he finally came to his senses and voted along with 32 fellow members of his party to reopen the government for barely three weeks. Yet the fact that 18 Democratic senators voted to keep the government closed shows there are many who remain flat tone deaf.

In this “Schumer shutdown”, Schumer simply whiffed the ball and it remains to be seen whether he will have another relapse in the next few weeks. By choosing confrontation over compromise, a “photo opportunity” over accomplishment, and chaos over leadership, he has become an embarrassment to his party and his country.

Perhaps it’s time that “Shutdown” Schumer step aside as Senate Minority Leader and let a more rational member of his party like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin take over that position. Who knows? Perhaps then, would it be too much to believe that we can resolve the immigration issue and allow peace to finally break out within our national governance?

Let’s see what the next three weeks can bring. Time will tell.

The Republicans have precious little time to deliver, but deliver they must. But I won’t be holding my breath that Schumer will be a reasonable contributor to the solution.


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While I agree that the January and especially the February threats from Schumer were completely lame and Schumer’s direct fault, the person who wrote this article completely underestimates or more likely marginalizes the affect of the Hispanic and immigrant base, in Democratic politics. He does, as do most trumpites, smell blood in the water and it is not the Dreamers or immigrants; rather, WE THE VERY DISAPPOINTED LIBERAL BASE! I actually doubt this writer is a Democrat or even a Liberal! He tries to talking-point but like many trumpites I run across, in his subtleties; tells me NO WAY! He sounds more like a white privileged trumpite, wearing a Trump industries DEM mask, frankly.


Having said that, Schumer doomed himself last year when he made the promise, once again, to the immigrants and to Dreamers, stuck that hypocrisy of an AVI on his twitter page (“I Stand with Dreamers”), for all to see, and then started to blink to the GOP (starting last year), for all to see. It is true that We the Majority followed Schumer because like all large groups, we need a leader and Schumer was it; however, Schumer’s course has been Flakey (as in Jeff), at best, especially this year.


Schumer has doomed the DEM party chances this fall 2018, having shot his party in the foot, AGAIN. As usual Pelosi did no better with her extreme behavior, far after time was up for such.


To the liberal base, Schumer looks incompetent and by extension so do all DEM legislators. To the conservative base – they smell blood in the water, and to Hispanics and immigrants at large, He/We have BETRAYED THEM – AGAIN. Citizens of immigrant heritage will stay home this November as am I likely to just stay home this November and perhaps in 2020 as well.


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You call the dreamers I guess you never pay any attention to the demonstrations where they hold the Mexican flag high but drape the America flag over their shoulders or in some cases burn our flag.You can’t have it both ways either you are American or you an uncaring invader that is trying to disrupt our way of life.We owe no one a high school or college education at taxpayers expense.Can you go to any other country and demand free education housing,health care and violate their laws?I think not..I have been to seventeen countries and nowhere do you violate their laws and get away.Go to Mexico and take down the Eagle and run up the Stars And stripes and see what happens get caught with a weapon or even Ammo long prison sentence.


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