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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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Yea, Schumer might have shot himself in the foot but if the posts from “Republicans” here are any indicator, Republicans shot themselves in the head!


What a prime example of intolerant deplorable’s these are, turning against one of their own. One who actually speaks for the moderate side, the better side, of their party. Turning a conversation about a group of people who not only have the legal right to be here but a moral one as well. He or she constantly reminded his or her antagonists that they were conversing about DACA recipients, people who have the legal right to be here, but these deplorable’s, using the time honored methods of personal attacks of the alt-right, using hysteria instead reasoning, ran him or her off. Typical.


Not only did they run him or her off but gave kudos to a person that identifies himself as “AmericaBeautiful” while actually representing the xenophobic racist crowd of the small dark underbelly of this country. Politicizing someone’s death to appear morally correct and superior, and then turning around and showing his or her own lack of any morals by implying those who don’t agree with his hysteria surely had to be sexually assaulted. Pure, unadulterated, hysterical, insane bullchit! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as the one he or she surely voted for and still supports, the one holding the Office of President, is no better.


My only hope, this country’s only hope, is the fact that these deplorables represent only about a third of the country; a small cabal of like minded, small minded, individuals that one day will have an even smaller voice then they do now. We’ll see the actual American The Beautiful again, bet on it!


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The thing that always astonishes about Mexicans and US citizenship is the ‘ungrateful’ attitude of the recipients. It’s like ‘yeah yeah, hand it over yo, we know we got it coming’ I have always maintained that Mexicans in the USA are here for an ‘easier’ life as opposed to a ‘better’ life as the old bromide goes. In addition I think for the vast majority, they make lousy citizens. Too easily influenced by left wing Spanish language media, which is just an offshoot of left wing media in the USA. Remember this, if Mexican immigrants were outspoken conservatives (like most Cuban immigrants), Democrats would be screaming for huge border walls. Bank on it!


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Despite anything else, as it has been mentioned, most Americans have other things on their minds than granting amnesty a million or so people brought here illegally.

That alone spells trouble for the Democratic party.


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Funny thing though is anywhere between 70% and over 85% of American’s support these “Dreamers” (depending on what poll you read), and that number is almost equal on both sides of the aisle (2/3’s of Republicans and over 90% of Moderates, Independents and Democrats).


We should have this on our collective minds though as it goes to the core of our sense of justice and how it’s represented to the world; these Dreamers are here by no fault of their own, they were brought here for all intents and purposes against their will, which, according to our laws, makes them not complicant in their mother’s and father’s crime(s).


This isn’t some partisan issue, no one party will suffer behind this, just a bunch of innocent kids and adults that are guilty of nothing, other than being the child of a person who came here trying to give them a better life, being used as a political ping-pong balls by those who would exploit them for political gain.


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SLOborn. Just because they managed to get here doesn’t mean they are owed anything. However, if they can prove their embrace of American ideals and crave to be a citizen and contribute, not take, then they should be considered for a path to citizenship like anyone else. Otherwise what’s the upside? (besides you feeling good about yourself)


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Again we are talking about DACA recipients, who by all accounts not only embrace American ideals but exemplify them. And to your point of craving citizenship while contributing and not taking I would venture to say we could save much more money and resources if we held our “own” kids coming out of school and our “own” adults who are takers to those same standards, and some how enforcing those standards equally to them as well. It sounds like you expect more from these folks than from “citizens” who do feel entitled and drain this country resources far in excess than these Dreamers could ever do.


The upside? We get people who are driven to be here, that are fully vetted, are already a part of our “culture” (does America really have one, other than consumerism?), well educated and for the most part employed and paying their own way and their fare share of taxes. What about the downside? Look into that yourself from a neutral standpoint and I think you’ll find the downside is one you wouldn’t like as much, and would cost us much more in both resources and money.


What’s so wrong about feeling good about ourselves for something inherently good, something this country was founded on and still to this day benefits from? I don’t get it? I guess feeling good about ourselves is reserved for acts of war, acts that dominates others rather than embracing them, acts that isolate us rather than making us a better part of the smaller world we helped create, I just don’t get it!


Yea, I’ll take feeling good about myself…


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You feel good about yourself at the expense of the needs of our own citizens. That, SLOBorn, is defined as “selfish”. However, we agree on the entitlements of our own citizens who aren’t in need. And those days are coming to an end…. at the expense of the left, which relies on their votes in exchange for giving them stuff. We don’t need takers…. wherever they come from.


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All I was attempting to do was add a little balance to a conversation that seems to be dominated here on CCN with far-right conservatism, what I got in return was insults and innuendoes; so I’ll bow out of this conversation and look for other place of debates that are less inclined to include personal attacks.


You see, I’m a Republican, one that tries not to bend to extreme views based on fear mongering. I try and rely on many forms of information, from many different sources, so I’m less inclined to overreact to the current issues of the day. I know the current form of Republicanism, as it’s been morphed into by the leader of the party, some bastardized version I no longer recognize, is now an over-reactional one while not reacting at all to it’s leader, that is anything but a Republican, that is attempting to tear our once great country apart at its seams. I hope The Republican Party can survive him, and if you folks here on CNN are any indicator, that’s gonna be one tough road to hoe.


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Well SLOBorn, you can claim you’re aligned with a certain political party… but your words aren’t aligned with the basic tenants of what it means to be an American. We care for our own first… then we may be in a position to help others. And we certainly don’t cater to others at the expense of our own. That’s a pretty simple thing, SLOBorn. Would you sacrifice your own family’s needs in order to aggressively cater to someone else who is fully capable of caring for himself, but demands that you do it? That’s where we are. This isn’t about a lack of compassion. It’s about addressing our needs first… which we’ve sorely neglected for several decades. A strong America can ultimately share its success to inspire other countries to follow our values. Then we don’t have to worry about caring for the people who flee from their failed systems. But we are not obligated to care for them.


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“We care for our own first…” Really? And how’s that goin’ so far?


You don’t mean “our own” what you mean is “your own”, those that think like you and you don’t perceive as being a burden.


I’ve heard the bunch of you bitch about the burden of “our” homeless, wanting to do away with food stamps that help feed “our” less fortunate, think that the ACA should be repealed so millions of “our own” go uninsured. You see just how hypocritical you all sound? Probably not, as it appears that anyone with a more realistic and moderate mouth than yours has abandoned this sight for the calmer waters of reasoning.


Go ahead though, keep giving your kudos to the xenophobes and fear mongers, ’cause it won’t be long before you’re the even smaller minority than you are now and then this country will get back to inspiring other countries.


Bet on it!


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Why is it that they don’t apply for citizenship while accepting all of the freebies that we have to pay for?


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Thing is about that, most of them aren’t getting “freebies”. Illegal immigrants are ineligible for most public benefits according to federal law, like Medicaid, food stamps and SSI. DACA allows recipients to apply for social security numbers to participate in Social Security and Medicare as well, but they cannot receive them until they retire. Most are either working or in school, some are doing both. Besides, it would cost you and I about $400 billion dollars to deport all of these human beings.


Want to read about the absolute silliness in all of this?


https://mom.me/news/202017-us-denies-citizenship-one-twin-baby-not-other/


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The law requires that they receive medical care at the Emergency rooms of every hospital. Go by sometime and see who is in the waiting room. They do receive benefits. I once visited an apartment where a client had 4 of his workers living there. There was a stack of SS cards. If my memory is correct I once read for $350 yu could get a SS card, drivers license and birth certificate in LA in about an hour. Pretty good deal, that’s better than waiting in line at the DMV. DACA costs for education? There is a financial problem here and that may be why it’s called illegal.


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Remembering I was talking about Dreamers…


You would turn away a child that is here because his or her parents brought them here? Even when doing so would cause their death? Wow!


Then address the illegal documents when that time avails itself. I can almost assure you those documents under the correct scrutiny wouldn’t pass mustard and are used outside of normal ID requirements used by most agencies and some employers. The Social Security Administration has “The Social Security Number Verification Service”, so anyone with a viable reason to check on that number can register to do so in advance and check the validity of any SSN that comes before them. And, remembering we’re speaking about DACA recipients, is that argument even relevant considering they have to register and be vetted before acceptance? Maybe not, huh?


DACA recipients, “Dreamers”, pay +/- $2 billion dollars a year in taxes as “…The average DACA recipient is 22 years old, employed, and earns about $17 an hour.” (CATO Inst.)


I’m not gonna bore you with numbers, much of which skew towards one political leaning or the other, but do check out the following:


https://www.cato.org/blog/economic-fiscal-impact-repealing-daca


The CATO Institute was founded by Charles Koch ( of the Koch Brothers), so any argument of a liberal leanings is pretty much moot. But come to your own conclusions.


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If these false identities are this easy, I have a job for the Federal Government. They need to come to California and check each and every voter to verify they are true and proper citizens. If they cannot do that, they need to remove California results from all future Federal elections. We cannot have rogue states importing illegal aliens to vote. Period.


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After all the crime and murders committed by illegals, you still haven’t learned, have you?

Your political fantasies are suicide…and worse,

because you deliberately cause harm to others while pretending you are “good people.”

Bullchit.

Americans are not going to take it any more.

Read this article about Agnes, whose son was killed by an ILLEGAL Alien criminal; she’s only one of thousands hurt by the narcissistic deceptions of the left, and the Central Coast has suffered plenty from it.

Join theremembranceproject.com and get over yourself.


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You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t think you’ve “bent over” to right wing fear based narcissistic fear mongering, but what would I know?


No, to that extent I haven’t, especially since I’m speaking of DACA recipients and not grouping them together with illegal immigrants who commit a crime by entering our country, which according to our criminal laws they can’t be considered as. Here’s something to ease your irrational fears when it comes to DACA and it’s participants: less the 1/4 of 1% have either been arrested, tried and or convicted of any criminal offense.


I do know this sir, if you choose to insult me than I’ll just ignore you. Fair enough? If not, get over it!


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I should reword this.. “…which according to our criminal laws they can’t be considered as.” to … which, according to our laws, DACA recipients can’t be considered as.”


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Folks,


As bad as the Republicans are, the Libetard Democrats are worse.


Just saying,


George Bailey


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And you reserve your insults to the Liberals (Libetard) only? Here, let me even the playing field…


As bad as the Republicant’s are, The Liberal Democrats are worse.


Just sayin’,


SloBorn


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When my wife came to this country she had to have a complete physical,background check and I had to sign a paper if she did not want to stay the army would take two thirds of my pay until I reimbursed for her transportation also my parents had to sign a document is I was sent overseas where there were no dependent so she could stay with them.Also every time I was transferred she had to go to the post office and notify the Feds.She bought the books and studied and got her citizenship in three years she had to write a letter in English why she wanted to be a citizen. What the hell has happened to this country. You can’t say the politicians have sold their soul for a vote they don’t have a soul.


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How come when the government “shuts down” it’s only things that We, The People enjoy and need that stop? National Parks, Insurance…..these stop.

Mass surveillance, drone bombings…these continue unabated.


When they stop stealing money from me, THEN and only THEN is the government Shutdown.


We should all have our taxes pro-rated so we don’t pay for “shut down” days.


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They only shut down the non-essential people. Those of us in private business cannot comprehend that term because if anyone was non essential they would not have a job in the first place.


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I was not aware that Dementia and/or Alzheimer was contagious. But maybe it is and he should try getting away from Pelosi who has completely lost it.


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Can I give you an example of “Dementia and/or Alzheimer” in another person of our government? This is just one of many examples of this person showing the symptoms, and it goes on and on without one comment from his party of lemmings…


https://www.facebook.com/UPROXXNews/videos/10160001609845145/


If you can explain exactly what it was he was saying, please decipher it for me, even this “alternative fact’ is a little hard to follow.


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The democrats have set themselves up as the party that puts the welfare of illegal aliens above that of American citizens. They need a permanent underclass of people dependent on government so they can remain in power. the American people are finally beginning to recognize this.


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Spot on.

They even brag about it themselves.

Despicables.


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Democrats need all those new illegal voters to win future elections. Although in some States. California being one, you are now automatically registered to vote when you get a new or renewal DMV license with no questions asked if you are legal or not. Welcome to Calimexico! You could just read the face of Dianne Feinstein to realize the pain that was ensuing for the members facing elections.


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So why is everyone TOLERATING this injustice and crime against our citizens??

It’s criminal what the left has done.

Quit bending over for them.

Make America Sane Again.


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